Bloodstained is absolutely, unapologetically a game made for Symphony of the Night's many fans, and it lives up to that legacy better than I ever could have hoped for.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night carries on the tradition of classic Igavania games in a masterful way. As a long-time fan of the genre, I personally can't wait for additional DLC as well as the inevitable sequel.
Bloodstained is made in spite to show Konami that games like these are still beloved to this day, and honestly we need more games made like this. With one of the led designers from the original Symphony of the Night team, plenty of fresh new ideas that aren't getting weighted down by Castlevania motifs, and support from fans alike; Bloodstained is exactly the love letter to the genre that Iga promised it to be.Starting off with some mild exposition, Bloodstained is very much action first, story second. In this way, it kinda starts off on a bad foot with some stilted writing and voice work, but largely does it so we know everyone's motive and drive throughout the game. Each time you leave the home base and progress further only to get stuck, often coming back will lend itself to pushing you in the right direction. Overall though, the majority of the game is better than most stories Castlevania ever came up with, but I feel this is due to simply feeling fresher in **** mentioned before, the game does often lend itself to points where you feel stuck and don't know where to go; however unlike previous Metroidvania games of the past, most of these points feel badly designed. From not being fully aware of what your powers are able to do to enemies feeling like they are too difficult to tackle; rarely does the game give you proper hints when you're really stuck. One point in particular is near the half way point of the game which requires you to acquire a special kind of armor, but no where in the game does it indicate where it is or even that you needed it. Not to criticizes too harshly as after the initial obstacle of finding an area, it's simply on the player to explore it.Exploring Bloodstained is an absolute blast though, and the more and more movement options you gain throughout your journey makes both travel and combat more engaging. While there are some annoying enemies to deal with, none of them feel overwhelming and often killing any enemy you see is the better option compared to simply ignoring it. The same idea goes with the bosses too as a lot of them follow patterns and different environments that make each encounter all the more remember-able and challenging throughout your journey. Honestly Bloodstained is the best of Metroidvania game when you're not stuck, and a large part of it is due to how good and varied combat feels thanks to weapons and shards alike.Really Bloodstained has a ton of neat stuff to add to the Metroidvania formula, and a lot of that I feel is due to having more creative freedom. Aside from some minor hiccups throughout the game, and taking into count that you don't try to 100% it, Bloodstained is an absolute classic to playthrough. There is still plenty to fix in terms of story, item collecting, and hinting, but a lot of it comes down to grumbles and groans over outright frustration against the player. Bloodstained is a solidified hit, one I'm happy to have backed, and something I'm a little upset at for myself for not playing it sooner.
It's an amazing game. Of course it remembers Castlevania SOFTN but this game follows your own story, with maestry. I don't have doubt that this game is a great option to spend the time, playing the better metroidvania style. Great job from Koji Igarashi and his team!!!
The wait was worth it. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a whole new castle to crash full of unexpected monsters and mysteries in the vein of classic Castlevania.
It’s more than obvious that Bloodstained could be very well named “Castlevania” and nobody would mistake it as a true sequel to Symphony of the Night. Igarashi managed to completely capture and expand one of the more influential metroidvania titles no matter if sometimes it may look a tad familiar.
Although certainly rough around the edges, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a solid adventure that will please Castlevania fans who have been longing for a new game to sink their teeth into.
While it's crammed full of fan-service alongside good core combat and exploration, Ritual of the Night's technical instability and some discomforting design decisions keep it from rivaling its influences. It was clearly made for the fans, so those without an already-established fondness may find it hard to enjoy.
One of the most fun games I've played in the last couple years. Extremely satisfying crafting/upgrading systems alongside interesting maps made this game a gem. The combat was one of the weakest portions of the game, being fairly repetitive, but given how short the game is it didn't feel overly repetitive for me. I will say the flying sword and its upgrade were utterly broken, making combat far easier than it should've been due to their range and flight path. This was a great thing for grinding areas for shard ranks but that it did trivialize most maps.
I was very much hyped about this game. Castlevania SOTN is in my top 3 favorite games ever so I had a very high standard and tbh, Bloodstained ROTH didn't meet my expectations.
My major concern is that this game is extremely influenced by Castlevania SOTN, so much that it seems "forced" at times. We have a castle that has so much of SOTH in it. We have a library, we have a "clock" tower, we have underground lakes. We have different endings, which is good, but the antagonist is controlled by a demon (just as in SOTH). Even the castle is destroyed the same way as in SOTN! They could've done something completely different but no, we have a very similar castle, the story has some things that are very similar to SOTN and even the music is very similar at times!
The game is just...good. You will have fun and good action but not so much of a very good story. The graphics are really good (but I can't belive my PS4 can't handle a game like this and I have constant fps drops), the music is great, the amont of enemies and types of magic is huge but I would've been happier with a remake of Castlevania SOTN than this game.
A pretty cool game and spiritual successor to the castlevania series. Unfortunately, it feels clunky and dated, and the metroidvania genre has made massive steps forward in the last years. Both Ori and HK do everything this game does and do it waaaay better.
Depois de jogar jogos como Hollow knight, Blasphemous e Ori, não consegui jogar 30min desse jogo. Se o game tivesse um estilo artístico bonito, assim como os jogos que eu citei acima, os gráficos não seriam um problema, mas como a arte do jogo é horrível, isso torna os gráficos péssimos. A personagem é muito nada a ver, com essas tatuagens horríveis no corpo todo, nem tive vontade de aprofundar na jogabilidade, de tão ruim que achei todo o entorno. Não recomendo.
It's like sotn and Aria of sorrow without the charm:
• the 3d really feels bad and poorly done, not to mention the animations, • the room layout design is more crash bandicoot with hidden walls than Castlevania • the story is atrocious (to be fair the story to pretty much all of these games are bad, but it doesn't feel on purpose) • the music is like a great value brand version of the prior igavanias I'll likely finish it because there just aren't enough good Metroid Vania games so we kinda have to deal so I think a 4 is fair, worse than average, but not atrocious
Get it if you, like me, are obsessed with these kinds of Metroid Vania games because it will definitely scratch the itch, but if you're not a fan of them in general I'd definitely recommend like, hollow Knight over this
SummaryYou are Miriam, an orphan scarred by an alchemist curse which slowly crystallizes your skin. You must battle your way through a demon-filled castle summoned by Gebel, your old friend whose body has become more crystal than flesh.
* Exploration: Bloodstained's story unfolds as you explore Gebel's hellish castle; a sprawling structure t...