Three years ago, the Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Kickstarter campaign launched to rousing success. One month ago, the stretch goal mini-game Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon released to universal acclaim. And now, at long last, the Beta Backer Demo is finally available. And it’s got a sweet story trailer to go with it.
Technically, we’ve had a good grasp on the story of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night for quite a while. The protagonist Miriam has been given the power to use demonic abilities thanks to eldritch shards implanted in her body. These shards will slowly consume her and either kill her or turn her into a demon, so it’s a race against time for Miriam to defeat her friend Gebel who has succumbed to his shards. Meanwhile, the swordsman Zangetsu is trying to kill both of them. This is all stuff that was revealed during the Kickstarter campaign, and the trailer doesn’t add anything new to the story. However, the trailer does provides some nuggets of information of a different sort.
The story trailer includes several glimpses of enemies players can expect to face in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Most are the same wisps, sludges, archers, harpies, and hopping jellyfish audiences have seen in previous trailers, but the video previews a few new faces. Among these new monstrosities are a humanoid lion with polydactyly, a spiked suit of armor that throws a spinning axe, a toothed plant, a sludge swollen with corpses, and a literal flying pig that explodes. Oh, and the trailer also includes our first look at David Hayter’s voice work as Zangetsu. And yes, Hayter dips into the gravely and gruff delivery he used to bring Metal Gear Solid’s Solid Snake to life. That’s not to say Zangetsu and Solid Snake sound the same, just that it’s the kind of voice Hayter does best.
As I previously mentioned, the trailer coincides with the release of the Beta Backer Demo. If you are one of the lucky gamers who pledged $60 or more in the Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Kickstarter campaign, congratulations are in order. You have probably already received an email with a code for a demo that includes brand new levels, weapons, quests, and monsters. Well, technically they aren’t new because most are featured in the story trailer. Still, experiencing this content firsthand before anyone else is a treat nonetheless.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is scheduled to release for the PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch later this year. Look forward to more news as the release date draws ever closer.
