Koji Igarashi's Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

[LaveDisco]

I’ve bought this and it’s bloody fantastic. Can’t recommend it highly enough.

[robdood]

EU region console codes for Curse of the Moon should be at your backer page. 

[robdood]

2 hours ago, grindmouse said:

No Switch code on mine yet.

Ah, apologies, I skim read something on reddit, seems there's a bit more detail here:

 

 

[Let us measure]

CotM is such a good classicvania, loving it! They've cribbed all the good bits from CV3, but it has enough of it's own character and vibe going on that it feels like a true NES sequel, and a lot more authentic than even Shovel Knight.

 

I'm currently gitting gud at the 4th level boss - know what I have to do, it's just timing those jumps in the second phase...

 

Loving the overblown gravitas of the stage names too wtf -  Blasphemy, unto Heaven!!

[Vemsie]

Only done the first two bosses (which look really good by the way), but this is an ace little game. Feel good to switch between bouts of this and Dark Souls.

[Purin]

Just seen the trailer for an 8-bit style game on 3DS.

 

Don't know anything about this but I'd like to get it. Is it possible to get it as a freebie if you buy the main game on a Switch or even Xbox One?

 

 

[BadgerFarmer]

Finally managed to have a proper go on this and have done 6 levels so far. Haven't found it too tricky even in Veteran mode and still have plenty of lives because you get regular extras. Most bosses will kill you once or twice before you figure them out, although losing certain characters can make it tougher.

 

It gets the NES feel right, I think, while creating a smoother and less frustrating experience than a real 8-bit game. Nothing spectacular in terms of level design, but it's all well made. 

[Calashnikov]

I like it a lot. I think the level design is pretty clever, actually, with the various paths you can take through each stage, depending on available characters and abilities etc. It gives an incentive to replay levels and try out heading in different directions. It’s much better than I’d even hoped it’d be. I thought it’d be a style over substance shallow blast of nostalgia, but they’ve taken a lot of care over it. Chuffed with the purchase. Just wish the main game wasn’t a 2.5D affair. The art style of this wee game seems far more appropriate for the genre.

[BadgerFarmer]

Finished it now. Tricky couple of levels at the end. Good stuff overall.

[Goemon]

Just finished it too. 

Unlocks Nightmare mode and seems to be a continuation as [MILD SPOILERS] starting a new game starts you WITHOUT Zangetsu but with the 3 other characters.

I guess based on the ending you're actually going in to rescue him.

 

It's actually really cool as you start the game and you can now go the alternate routes, plus the enemy layout is harder.

 

The real Curse of the Moon starts here!

[Kayin Amoh]

The real Curse of the Moon starts when

you kill the other characters instead of rescuing them for some of the piddliest power ups imaginable.

[Klatrymadon]

The moves you get from killing allies actually bust the game wide open - especially the dash and the crescent slash. It'll be interesting to see how Zangetsu-only speedruns start to look...

[DC]

CotM is great. Castlevanias are perfect handheld games for me.

[Vemsie]

Completed my first run. The bosses in this game look so damn good. The penultimate one in particular has some crazy effects.

[LaveDisco]

This is just fantastic.

 

I've always wanted to like the old castlevania's (pre-SotN), but bounced off their physics (bar Castlevania IV, due to the Snes-mini). But this is a masterpiece.

 

One thing that is often forgotten in modern games, is how fun it is to repeat levels and get to learn them. Retro games access that via balls hard difficulty.  Veteran mode in this allows that experience, but the master stroke is 'casual mode' it gives the same experience because the modes unlocked 1) are super good and 2) motivate you to play again. Play it first in casual. It's just brilliant.

 

After completing the game three times, and having one more casual run to do, I've reached the point I could switch to veteran, and completed the first loop that way.

 

It's just a fantastic piece of game design and short enough that I can see myself playing it for years to come. Genuine GoTY contender for me.

[Purin]

Anyone got this for 3DS?

[Klatrymadon]

This has so much longevity that for the first time in years I feel like I've played something too much:

 

 

I've cleared it on Normal mode, Nightmare, Ultimate and Boss Rush, played through it once with (for the most part) Gebel alone, once with Zangetsu alone, and am currently tackling what is actually the game's trickiest run - solo Zangetsu on Normal with no sacrificed allies. Still having loads of fun with it!

[Keyboard Koala]

5 hours ago, Purin said:

Anyone got this for 3DS?

 

Me!

 

It's great. A fantastic tribute to the NES era Castlevanias. Controls are spot on. When I started going through it, two things popped into my head: Damn, I miss the 80s; and they really should've gone for sprite based graphics in Ritual of the Night.

But enough talk... at least CotM is stunning!

[LaveDisco]

24 minutes ago, Klatrymadon said:

This has so much longevity that for the first time in years I feel like I've played something too much:

 

  Hide contents

I've cleared it on Normal mode, Nightmare, Ultimate and Boss Rush, played through it once with (for the most part) Gebel alone, once with Zangetsu alone, and am currently tackling what is actually the game's trickiest run - solo Zangetsu on Normal with no sacrificed allies. Still having loads of fun with it!

 

Agreed, its a masterclass in how to make a game dense. 

 

It's got all the benefits of being short game, every gaming session can be both the complete game, and a new challenge. Fantastic design.

 

I don't know much about the 'proper', 'bigger' game, but it's got at lot to live up to now 

[Keyboard Koala]

Really? How long does it take to finish it then?

[robdood]

1 hour ago, LaveDisco said:

Play it first in casual. It's just brilliant.

Just to be clear here (I'm waiting on the Switch backer code before I start properly!) are you saying there are unlocks specific to casual mode?

[LaveDisco]

4 minutes ago, robdood said:

Just to be clear here (I'm waiting on the Switch backer code before I start properly!) are you saying there are unlocks specific to casual mode?

 

No, there are no penalties or bonuses specific to playing in casual/veteran. Anything unlocked can be played in either 'style' and you can switch at will.

 

I'm just recommending Casual as a really great fun mode to play. Rather than to be dismissed as not the proper game. I've moved on to 'veteran', But I'm glad of my 3.5 runs on casual first. If you are used to the old Castlevanias then, yeah, veteran first makes sense. 

[Calashnikov]

7 minutes ago, Keyboard Koala said:

Really? How long does it take to finish it then?

 

2 hours according to howlongtobeat.com

 

FWIW I’ve been playing it steadily enough, on and off, this past week and have yet to complete it. I get the sense 2 hours would be do-able, but why rush it? (I’m shite at it).

[Keyboard Koala]

Prolly 4 hrs. then, if you take your time.

 

Still, I cannot stress enough how amazing this is! Everyone with even the tiniest interest in Metroidvania games should get this.

[Purin]

3 minutes ago, Keyboard Koala said:

Prolly 4 hrs. then, if you take your time.

 

Still, I cannot stress enough how amazing this is! Everyone with even the tiniest interest in Metroidvania games should get this.

 

I'm convinced. Going to treat myself to this tonight!

[Vimster]

10 minutes ago, LaveDisco said:

 

No, there are no penalties or bonuses specific to playing in casual/veteran. Anything unlocked can be played in either 'style' and you can switch at will.

 

I'm just recommending Casual as a really great fun mode to play. Rather than to be dismissed as not the proper game. I've moved on to 'veteran', But I'm glad of my 3.5 runs on casual first. If you are used to the old Castlevanias then, yeah, veteran first makes sense. 

I started this on Veteran on PS4 and whilst it felt as challenging as an old CV I found that going back to Casual was just as rewarding but less frustrating, something I am really appreciating as an older gamer who used to avoid Easy like a twat.

[LaveDisco]

3 minutes ago, Vimster said:

I started this on Veteran on PS4 and whilst it felt as challenging as an old CV I found that going back to Casual was just as rewarding but less frustrating, something I am really appreciating as an older gamer who used to avoid Easy like a twat.

 

Thats exactly what I what I was trying to say. Then veteran comes into it's own down the line.

 

So bloody good.

 

[Klatrymadon]

And then the [spoiler modes] introduce quite a few new attacks (or just intensified attacks) to keep you on your toes, so that by the end of your last run you're fully retrained and whipped back into shape as a player. It's all so perfectly pitched. 

 

Although the scoring is as almost irrelevant here as it is in the old CVs, I've been enjoying trying to cut down my clear times. Managed a solo Zangetsu run in 0:55:55 today. I believe someone's already got it down to under half an hour...

[BadgerFarmer]

About 3 hours for a first run through, I'd say.

 

I've been playing on Veteran since the start. The lives system doesn't really make a difference, as you get so many score-related extras anyway.

 

I'm halfway through on Nightmare mode now. So far I actually prefer it to the first run.

Spoiler

Switching between 3 characters rather than 4 works better, especially as Zangetsu wasn't much use most of the time, and the bosses do a better job of forcing you to use all your abilities.

 

[LaveDisco]

6 minutes ago, BadgerFarmer said:

.So far I actually prefer it to the first run.

 

Aye, I've enjoyed the game more with each subsequent run. Popping to the pub soon to visit a friend, and theres bit of a commute, so I'm looking forward to diving back into it.