IGN: Bloodstained is the Castlevania game you've been waiting for

[Nirolak]

It sounds like this is coming along well.

But it was the acquisition of a knife and balisard that really sent the cockles of my heart racing into high gear. Armed with these fast-striking point blank weapons and her agile move set, Miriam practically became an early game version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night's Alucard. My actions began to take on a muscle memory fidelity, an instant sensation of familiarity that shouldn't be possible in a game that's nominally the first in a series. The experience was, quite frankly, awesome, and an internal confirmation that this is the Castlevania I know and love.

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My playthrough featured two bosses, the gigantic sea creature that appears at the climax of previous demos, and an entirely new enemy, a katana-wielding humanoid warrior who taunted me before kicking off a stirring test of agility. Beating him requited me to use swift reflexes to avoid his quick, far-reaching attacks, and I also found myself switching weapons mid-battle from ranged guns to close combat knives because my pistol shots appeared to do less damage as the battle wore on. Eventually, my foe's sword spouted flame as he leapt around the screen threatening to immolate me, as I sprang away and countered with giant-elemental-god-tentacle-magic attacks of some kind. The fight (which took me four tries to win) was intense, rewarding, and refreshingly Castlevania.

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I've seen enough of Ritual of the Night now to feel very hopeful that this isn't another Mighty Number 9 situation. The feel and pacing of the game, the vast selection of customization options, and the attention to thoughtful design convince me that the creators have a deep philosophical understanding of what makes the best Castlevania games great. I feel good about this one.

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Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2018/06...s-the-castlevania-game-youve-been-waiting-for

 

[melodiousmowl]

I did the kickstarter for a lot of money the second I heard this was a thing. I really hope the team comes through in spectacular fashion.

 

[denpanosekai]

Glad I backed it. In IGA we trust.

 

[Barrel Cannon]

I can't wait to play the game. It's been on my list for a while now.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

I can't wait!

The classicvania game was an instant classic and I am sure this will be as well.

 

[Red Arremer]

I've said it before, I'll say it again: IGA knows what he's doing, he's been doing it for well over a decade. This isn't even remotely going to be a MN9 situation, and I don't understand why people thought it would.

 

[mugurumakensei]

From the beginning it was never going to be a MN9 situation, IGA is a designer and Inafune was a business suit.

 

[GuEiMiRrIRoW]

But when they will release it!?

 

[Mars People]

Hell knows Konami won't give us what we want.

Castlevania is dead. Long live Bloodstained.

 

[iamsgod]

so, uhh, is this game has been released or not?

 

[pezzie]

One of the games I'm looking the most forward to. Glad to hear it's coming along great!

MN9 comparisons will never die though. Ever.

 

[sir_crocodile]

we could tell it wasn't going to be MN9 from the first gameplay lol

good to hear it's going nicely lol

 

[Ahasverus]

The Castlevania game I've been waiting for is Castlevania.

But I'll take what I can get so yay Bloodstained.

 

[B. Spaceman]

They're showing the game later today, right?

 

[carlsojo]

I've said it before, I'll say it again: IGA knows what he's doing, he's been doing it for well over a decade. This isn't even remotely going to be a MN9 situation, and I don't understand why people thought it would.

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I think MN9 in general just made people more wary of kickstarters.

 

[Deleted member 36578]

Hype increasing .Really looking forward to it.

 

[Emergency & I]

Really wish I backed this :(

 

[Bruceleeroy]

Only game I've ever backed on Kickstarter. I'm glad they have been taking so much time with it

 

[Oneself]

Glad I backed it, hopefully it will run well on all platforms.

 

['3y Kingdom]

It sure was. Ritual of the Night is a nice side bonus.

 

[Comic Obsessed]

Please make the Switch version good!

 

[Red Arremer]

so, uhh, is this game has been released or not?

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There have been 2 games tied to this Kickstarter.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is the main project. The IGA-led Metroidvania. That is the upcoming release, and the one that is being talked about here. It'll be 2.5D.
And then there's Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. That was a side project by a different development team, spawning out of a Kickstarter Strech Goal, utilizing an 8-Bit art style and the gameplay is reminiscent of the classic Castlevania games for the NES. That was the game that recently got released, as well.

 

[Instro]

I do think the visuals are going to remain a bit sketchy, but it otherwise seems like they are getting everything else right.

 

[QuigleyMcShine]

So when does it come out?

 

[Strangelove_77]

I don't doubt it's as good as an IGAvania as any other he's made.
Can't wait til it's out. It's been too damn long.

And no, no other "Metroidvania" fills the void left by his games. No one has made one like his yet.

 

[Xeonidus]

Awesome to read a strong reassurance of the game's quality. Can't wait!

 

[Tohsaka]

Sounds good, just give us a release date IGA.

 

[Deleted member 17207]

I do think the visuals are going to remain a bit sketchy, but it otherwise seems like they are getting everything else right.

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Agreed.

 

[RM8]

I agree with the title - Cure of the Moon is great!

 

[Ahasverus]

Bloodstained 2 (3?) is gonna blow some socks off. This one had a Rocky development start which is why graphics are not, and won't be, the best.

But the next one might be SOTN tier.

 

[Dalik]

Glad i backed for this but release date when?

 

[Deleted member 19739]

I backed this game the second it was announced

 

[Psxphile]

I don't doubt it's as good as an IGAvania as any other he's made.
Can't wait til it's out. It's been too damn long.

And no, no other "Metroidvania" fills the void left by his games. No one has made one like his yet.

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That's because we've been privy to its existence since the concept stage. Usually that part of development is hidden from the consumer until the company feels ready to release an announcement. This is a "problem" with any kickstarted game being made from scratch and always will be, the "illusion" of longer dev times when we're so used to experiencing only half the wait time. Unless it's Square-Enix, lol.

 

[Soph]

Konami was a mistake

 

[Red Arremer]

I think MN9 in general just made people more wary of kickstarters.

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There was no reason to, though, considering how Bloodstained's campaign has been going.
IGA is a designer/director (and also used to be a coder), and he's very hands-on.
This Kickstarter has been updated regularly, and every update that showed gameplay was a clear step up from previous footage.
Backers have been given an early Alpha build in order to give feedback.
The art style is retained between concept art and game, and has been notably improving.
Every additional mechanic or option they've showed off clearly indicated they're putting a lot of thought into it.
There was no delays past the very first one, which was announced fairly early on, and after the Kickstarter achieved every single stretch goal, so it made sense.
The side game has been released recently and turned out to be really damn good and successful (backer code issues aside, which was mainly because of Inti deciding to announce the release last minute).


A healthy dose of skepticism is perfectly valid, but every discussion I've seen about Bloodstained was nothing but doom and gloom about how this game is going to be literally exactly like MN9, and how it's gonna be shit.

 

[JunkerWoland]

Igarashi probably has the best chance of delivering what I'm looking for in a SotN-style game, but while the previous demo felt OK, I'm still fairly blase about the whole thing. Hopefully the forthcoming streams and backer demo will show a game that in the last year has really coalesced.

 

[Buckle]

I think MN9 in general just made people more wary of kickstarters.

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Which is a shame. Kickstarter gave us a lot of good games we may have never gotten otherwise and probably will continue to in the future.

Sucks when things don't work out for one reason or another but I think its proven it's worth over time despite the issues.

 

[Deleted member 34949]

Bloodstained 2 (3?) is gonna blow some socks off. This one had a Rocky development start which is why graphics are not, and won't be, the best.

But the next one might be SOTN tier.

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I'm pretty sure this'll still be a pretty great metroidvania at the end of the day.

But if a potential sequel reaches SOTN or Aria of Sorrow tier... damn.

 

[CloseTalker]

I'm not getting my hopes too high on this one. The visuals aren't my cup of tea at all, and pre-release impressions of Yooka-Laylee were the exact same as this. I hope it lives up to the potential!

 

[Bjones]

Curse of the moon is a phenomenal game in itself. It gave me a lot more hope for the main game. Consider me hyped!

 

[Alexhex]

There's been no gameplay of this e3 showing yet huh? Really can't wait to see how this is looking. Pretty sure the demo comes out soo enough though

 

[Ahasverus]

I'm pretty sure this'll still be a pretty great metroidvania at the end of the day.

But if a potential sequel reaches SOTN or Aria of Sorrow tier... damn.

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You see, IGA was one of the few high profile Japanese devs that DID Not go through the growing pains of HD development. Hell, he barely went through the ps2 gen.

So this Bloodstained is more or less his crash course on modern development. Mistakes were made, but lessons were learned.

Lets see what the future brings.

 

[R_thanatos]

I'm just waiting for the new trailer and the new beta at this point.

I'm ready

 

[lupianwolf]

I've already played Curse of the Moon.

 

[mindatlarge]

Nice to see two potentially great games were made through this Kickstarter campaign. Refreshing to say the least with some of the hyped Kickstarter duds in recent years.

 

[Dphex]

Curse of the Moon was already the Classicvania i´ve waited for .-) Bring on Ritual of the Night fpr that Metroidvania goodness

 

[Cyanity]

Question for castlevania fans: If I want to get into the series before this releases, what should I play first? What are the must-play Castlevania games?

 

[Instant Vintage]

I threw so much money at this and never once was worried about how it was being handled.

I think we had more updates from IGA in the first year than Inafune ever gave us during production of MN9.

The 8-bit game B:CotM was wonderful and just FELT good. This is going to be one for the ages; the sequel will be even better. (THERE BETTER BE A SEQUEL)

Question for castlevania fans: If I want to get into the series before this releases, what should I play first? What are the must-play Castlevania games?

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I'd say Rondo Of Blood, Symphony of the Night, Dawn Of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order Of Ecclesia. Yes, I know, it's a lot, but they are all great and worth playing.

 

[ssnick37]

Curse of the Moon sold me. I cant see how the main game will be bad after playing COTM

 

[ssnick37]

weird, double post.