Bloodstained Ritual of the Night
Another highly anticipated side-scrolling action game that’s taken an absolute age to make, Bloodstained Ritual of the Night is slowly but surely getting closer to launch. After waiting for Koji Igarashi’s spiritual successor to Castlevania Symphony of the Night for so long, we were excited to jump in and get some hands-on time with the game. What we discovered was a game that felt great, though perhaps not quite as special is it sounds on paper.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in on Bloodstained; it’s a must-play for Castlevania/Metroidvania fans. I just didn’t get the sense that it’s doing anything other than what has come before it. Sluggish movement and somewhat one-dimensional gameplay makes it feels dated. Of course, it’s a retro-inspired throwback, but Bloodstained very much feels like a modern version of something I played 20 years ago, rather than Symphony of the Night reimagined.
Regardless, I still enjoyed my time with Bloodstained Ritual of the Night at EGX Rezzed even if I wasn’t blown away. We’ll be able to give our final verdict on the game when it launches in full sometime this year.
