Bloodstained RotN : Kouji IGA's new "Castlevania" game.

[Blinge]

Just try it bitch i'm behind 7 safe spaces

[Austin]

I'm feeling a bit "meh" about the visuals. It just doesn't seem like it's come a long way since what we saw at E3 last year, and in some cases it seems like a step back. I guess I just expected things to be flashier than they are, based on the early mock-ups. However, the action and the music is distinctly DS-vania without a doubt, so I know I'll probably still enjoy it. Here's to hoping the visuals improve by the time of its full release.

[Sumez]

The boobbacklash

Are SJWs and the PC police invading here as well?!? Is no place safe?

Ffs.
It has nothing to do with "PC". It has something to do with wishing for decent, mature character design in a game you want to like and respect, as opposed to cringeworthy fanservice.
I love boobs, but keep it tasteful, plz.

For the record, people were bitching about Cave going all T&A on this forum as far back as 2005. Had nothing to do with SJWs then, either.

[Squire Grooktook]

The boobbacklash

Are SJWs and the PC police invading here as well?!? Is no place safe?

Ffs.
It has nothing to do with "PC". It has something to do with wishing for decent, mature character design in a game you want to like and respect, as opposed to cringeworthy fanservice.
I love boobs, but keep it tasteful, plz.

For the record, people were bitching about Cave going all T&A on this forum as far back as 2005. Had nothing to do with SJWs then, either.

The seamonster girls design was pretty goofy, but umbrella girl's design is fine and she looks perfectly fitting in the games gothic style. I don't think I would have even noticed her chest (which is neither particularly huge, exposed, or has much attention drawn to it) if you hadn't pointed it out*.

I can see a bit of a slant towards sex appeal with several designs present, but most of the art (again, excluding goofy sea-boobmonster) itself is fairly attractive and graceful so I don't have an issue.

*except maybe when she died, didn't watch that far when I posted lol. Still fine imo.


More worried about the gameplay. Or more like "this will be nothing for me to get excited about if classic mode isn't particularly fun". Looking like a pretty straightforward retread of the past 6 igavania's. will probably be pleasant fun on those terms but nothing earthshaking.

[Herr Schatten]

I'm feeling a bit "meh" about the visuals.

There was a point in development where they asked the backers to choose the shader they should use to render the backgrounds and characters. There were artistically much superior styles proposed than what won in the end. Apparently, asking the audience is a surefire way of ending up with the most mediocre style available, because people have no taste and think grey and brown are all the rage.

Gameplay looks good, though, so I'm still looking forward to the game.

[Blinge]

More worried about the gameplay. Or more like "this will be nothing for me to get excited about if classic mode isn't particularly fun". Looking like a pretty straightforward retread of the past 6 igavania's. will probably be pleasant fun on those terms but nothing earthshaking.

Your use of apostrophe breaks my heart..

Well, at least she can attack quite fast.. I like that.

[FinalBaton]

yes the gameplay seems pretty bang-on SotN-esque. (this include the floatey jumps. those never bothered me in SotN. And walk speed seems the same as Sotn too).

I saw someone in some Youtube comments stating that he had played the demo and that the hit detection was very thight. If true, this is encouraging.

All in all, for a late Alpha build I like what I see. And they still have time to iron out the wrinkles. I think this game is gonna turn out good.

[Sumez]

ooking like a pretty straightforward retread of the past 6 igavania's. will probably be pleasant fun on those terms but nothing earthshaking.

That's what's worrying me the most with this. Konami were churning out these with little more than a year apart from each back when they cared about Castlevania. Even if Bloodstained ends up solid, what's to set it apart from all of these other games we already got a plethora of? Anything that can justify the crazy long development ctcle?

[FinalBaton]

That's what's worrying me the most with this. Konami were churning out these with little more than a year apart from each back when they cared about Castlevania. Even if Bloodstained ends up solid, what's to set it apart from all of these other games we already got a plethora of? Anything that can justify the crazy long development ctcle?

Speaking for myself here : but just "getting another one of these" is exciting enough on it's own for me, provided that it's well-made. It doesn't need to reinvent the wheel.

Having another beautiful(I quite like the artstyle I've seen so far) Metroidvania on a current gen console in 1080p with a big map to explore is something I can't wait to play. There seems to be lots of weapons available as well as lots of ability, so that should give me plenty of things to experiment with.

If the atmosphere is cool and the monster designs are as well, and the gameplay's tight, I say bring it on.

[trap15]

what's to set it apart from all of these other games we already got a plethora of?

Off the top of my head: 3D graphics, high resolution, and music by Inti Creates's top notch sound team. Other than that? eh... couldn't say so far. Depends how much you care about those things, I guess.

Anything that can justify the crazy long development ctcle?

Being made from scratch (well, as far as an off-the-shelf generic game engine counts as scratch) instead of just reusing the last game's code (and especially assets; all the igavanias heavily reuse older sprites) should count for this, no?

[Sumez]

Off the top of my head: 3D graphics, high resolution, and music by Inti Creates's top notch sound team. Other than that? eh... couldn't say so far. Depends how much you care about those things, I guess.

I can't tell if you're trying to justify it or just stating facts. But comparing discount 2.5D to beautiful hand crafted sprites and backgrounds (even with a lot of reused assets) I personally think the latter comes out on top.
Also, I don't see the big difference from Michiru Yamane being joined by Jake Kaufman and some Inti guy, or by Yuzo Koshiro and Konami people. In the end, the sound will probably be similar.
The difference is miniscule at best, and probably not in Bloodstained's favor. The only thing that matters here is that we are getting another of these games and all we can hope for is that it will be better than decent (ie. better than "better than nothing").

I'm not critical of Bloodstained, it's just sad that just a few years ago we were given a ton of these games as if it were nothing, games that were still great despite seemingly being produced on an assembly line. Now we're crazy hyping up a virtually identical game that's for some reason taking five times as long to build.

[BulletMagnet]

Now we're crazy hyping up a virtually identical game that's for some reason taking five times as long to build.

In fairness, not only is Bloodstained being built from the ground up without any recycling (we'll hafta wait for the sequel for that ), but is also being produced for a wide variety of platforms and setups, instead of a single, relatively low-spec portable. I'm inclined to agree with your overall sentiment about the title's potential and the state of the industry concerning its sub-genre, but you can't really blame the creators for the fact that the gaming era which spawned Bloodstained's predecessors is very much dead, and as such the process isn't anywhere as smooth or set in stone as it once was.

[Sumez]

I'm not blaming the developers, and I'm not really looking for reasons to justify that it's taking ages to make the game, I'm sure there are plenty of good reasons - rather I just think the fact that it takes so long for a game like this to be made is.... annoying, I guess? I'm looking at this purely from the perspective of the consumer, or end user, since that is who I represent.
If the game turns out to be an amazing masterpiece, it's fine, but if it ends up being just "one of the bunch" among the GBA/DS 'vanias, it feels kinda pointless to me.

The NES got six individually amazing Mega Man games over the course of six years. Mighty No. 9, which everyone seems to agree is not even close to being as good as one of those, took three years to make.

[FinalBaton]

discount 2.5D

i think the character model and backgrounds we've seen so far look good to be honest. They spent quite a long time trying different shaders and light sources, asking for input from the backers (speaking of that : maybe this is another element that slows the development cycle).

love the character model. lovely shader choice. backgrounds are also lit very well and they have a decent amount of detail, too.

[FinalBaton]

the gaming era which spawned Bloodstained's predecessors is very much dead, and as such the process isn't anywhere as smooth or set in stone as it once was.

very well said

[Sumez]

i think the character model and backgrounds we've seen so far look good to be honest.

I'm sure it's a matter of taste, and some of the videos from E3 don't really look atrocious. It's certainly serviceable.
I don't really care how the game looks, but I think it's a given we're not getting super high end 3D graphics.

But still...

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

[FinalBaton]

32 bit pixel art is amazing for sure.
But I'm still pumped to get a shiny 1080p widescreen sideview 3D Metroidvania

[Sumez]

But imagine a shiny 1080p widescreen sideview 2D Metroidvania

[FinalBaton]

Eh, a 3D one will be different (and I'm actually stoked to see what they'll do with 3d graphics).

Someone previously said that they don't want "just another Metroidvania" : well that one will look really different! It's gonna be an interesting change

[BulletMagnet]

rather I just think the fact that it takes so long for a game like this to be made is.... annoying, I guess?

Heh, I can relate to that; heck, to some extent methinks most everyone on this forum can, many of us having watched firsthand as shmups went from mainstream saturation to rare curiosity, especially in the "professional" development realm.

On that note, most "metroidvania" stuff these days is the product of indie studios, and the results, predictably, have been mixed; if nothing else I'm interested to see a seasoned presence take a crack at one for the first time in awhile, even if he doesn't have the resources he once did. Personally, I'll be pretty satisfied if he can match the old masterpieces in the ways that matter, though I certainly wouldn't mind an unexpected transcendence of them; while we're at it, I am kind of curious what kinds of specific things you'd like to see happen in order for Bloodstained to outshine its inspirations.

Either way, here's hoping!

[Strider77]

There was a point in development where they asked the backers to choose the shader they should use to render the backgrounds and characters. There were artistically much superior styles proposed than what won in the end. Apparently, asking the audience is a surefire way of ending up with the most mediocre style available, because people have no taste and think grey and brown are all the rage.

I thought I remembered there will still be an option to chose between a few of them though?

It has nothing to do with "PC". It has something to do with wishing for decent, mature character design in a game you want to like and respect, as opposed to cringeworthy fanservice.
I love boobs, but keep it tasteful, plz.

Don't make me block you!

[Sumez]

What's your problem, really?

[ryu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlDq0FQS15o

bosses aside I like how close this resembles an actual nes game

[Durandal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlDq0FQS15o

bosses aside I like how close this resembles an actual nes game

Looks like CV3 but with a more balanced player party. I'm betting this one to be better than the main game.
Full overview:

On May 12th, at a panel at BitSummit Volume 6 (Japan’s largest indie game event held at Miyako Messe in Kyoto), Inti Creates announced their latest project: “Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon.”

Curse of the Moon is packed with the retro charm that made the legendary 2D action games of the 80s so enjoyable.

Take control of one of four characters that can be interchanged at any time during gameplay: The sword-swinging exorcist Zangetsu, the whip-wielding heroine Miriam, the magic using alchemist Alfred, and Gebel, who can turn into a bat and take to the skies.

Finally, you can experience multiple endings depending on how you interact with the characters you meet.

“Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon” will release on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, and Steam for $9.99.

This project is the 8-bit style game promised as a stretch goal of the 2015 Kickstarter campaign for “Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.” Backers of the Kickstarter campaign are encouraged to check the Kickstarter page for updates.

Survive the horrible night as you form new alliances and battle against demonkind in this retro-style action game! Thanks to the awesome success of the “Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night” Kickstarter brought to you by Koji Igarashi, this 8-bit spin-off has come to life! You play as the swordsman Zangetsu, and must decide if the adventurers you encounter throughout your journey will become friend or foe. Choose wisely, as your decisions will effect the ending of the game!

Game Flow

Battle through stages filled with fearsome enemies and dangerous traps, each with a massive boss waiting at the end.

After defeating the boss, you’ll meet with a fellow adventurer who was captured. Speak with them and convince them to join you on your perilous adventure!

Core Gameplay 1 – “Increase your combat abilities by recruiting allies”

You can instantaneously switch to allies you have recruited at any time! Allies have their own life bars, so with each ally you recruit, your survivability is greatly increased!

*Different characters have different max HP, however.

Each character has a unique attack style and range, giving you lots of versatility!

Core Gameplay 2 – “Shortcuts that only allies can access ”

Allies have special, unique abilities which allow them to use shortcuts to skip parts of stages or access new areas!

There are no special items obtainable by going the long way around, so take every shortcut you can find! If your allies are out of commission, you’ll have to travel longer routes, where strong foes await. When their life gets low, be sure to switch them out so they’ll be available when you need them.

Core Gameplay 3 – Multiple Endings

Curse of the Moon has a variety of endings which change depending on your play style throughout the game.

The choices you make when encountering the other adventurers for the first time are key.

Core Gameplay 4 – Casual Style

Curse of the Moon has two play styles, “Veteran” and “Casual.” Choose “Veteran” style to experience a difficulty reminiscent of older games. Even if you’re a fan of challenging games, sometimes you just want to take it easy! “Casual” mode is perfect for times like that. On “Casual” style, things are more forgiving. Attacks don’t knock the player back, and lives are unlimited, alongside other changes.

Changing Style: Style can be changed when starting a game, loading a save file, or on the Game Over screen.

Playable Character – “Zangetsu”

The protagonist of Curse of the Moon. He is a master swordsman who holds a deep grudge against demons and alchemists. With the highest HP and attack power, Zangetsu is a jack of all trades with no particular downsides. He can use 3 different sub-weapons: a ball-and-chain, magic charms, and demon essence.

Main weapon: Zangetsuto – The Zangetsuto blade slashes quickly but with a short reach. It’s easy to use, and due to its speed, can dish out high DPS.

Zangetsu’s Playstyle

Each character goes into battle with a number of sub-weapons or abilities that use WEAPON points
along with a single, unlimited-use main weapon.

Sub-weapon: Ball-and-chain – Attacks diagonally upward to deliver a single, powerful blow against enemies above Zangetsu.

Sub-weapon: Magic charms – Thrown diagonally downward, and upon contact generates a magic sphere which hits repeatedly.

Sub-weapon: Demon essence – Zangetsu uses a demon’s essence to increase his main weapon’s attack power for a short time.

Upon meeting certain conditions during the game, Zangetsu will awaken new skills.

Crescent Moon – A downward slash that attacks in a large arc.

Blood – Zangetsu can jump once more in mid-air.

New Moon – A high-speed dash.

Playable Character – “Miriam”

A young woman whose body was implanted with Shards by alchemists. The long reach of her whip, along with her dagger, rapier, axe, and sickle sub-weapons, is perfect for taking out weaker enemies.She can jump higher than any other character, and her slide lets her access tight spaces!

Main weapon: Whip – Though slow to attack, her whip boasts incredible reach. She’s able to strike at enemies from outside their attack ranges.

Miriam’s Playstyle

With her 4 varied sub-weapons, Miriam’s combat ability rivals even Zangetsu’s. She’s also able to use her abilities to access routes that other characters cannot.

Special Action: High jump – Miriam is able to jump higher without any special command. Useful for evading, movement, and attacking.

Sub-weapon: Dagger – Throws a dagger straight forward. While their attack power is low, daggers can be thrown rapidly and consume few WEAPON points.

Sub-weapon: Rapier – Throws 3 rapiers diagonally upward. With proper aim, all 3 swords can connect for big damage.

Special Action: Slide – Can pass through narrow passages. However, it is not particularly fast.

Sub-weapon: Axe – While its range is short, it delivers a powerful blow to enemies at close-range.

Sub-weapon: Sickle – Throws a sickle straight forward. The sickle will return after a short time, striking enemies again.

Playable Character – “Alfred”

An alchemist who searches for the Liber Logaeth.
Alfred uses powerful alchemical magic for his sub-weapons.
Of his 4 different magic sub-weapons, his special lightning magic, Voltaic Ray, can take down bosses in one shot!
His weak point is his especially small life bar.

Main weapon: Rod – Alfred attacks with a rod weapon, but it is short and slow. You’d be better off finding other ways to fight.

Alfred’s Playstyle

With the right magic equipped and plenty of WEAPON points, he can waltz through any situation. However, his extremely small life bar requires special care.

Sub-weapon: Burning Sphere – A temporary barrier of flame. Works well in situations with many enemy projectiles or low-health enemies.

Sub-weapon: Frostcalibur – Fires an immense sword of ice directly forward. Enemies it contacts will be frozen and can be used as platforms. Enemies aren’t all it can freeze…

Sub-weapon: Voltaic Ray – The strongest alchemy. It attacks enemies repeatedly, but will be hard to find and equip.

Sub-weapon: Soul Vision – Produces a copy of Alfred directly in front of himself. While weak, it compensates for Alfred’s reach.

Playable Character – “Gebel”

A young man who was also implanted with Shards like Miriam, he detests humans and alchemists alike. While Gebel does not have a sub-weapon, he uses his WEAPON points to activate his flight ability. Also, as his main attack is aimed upwards, he is naturally capable of extremely powerful anti-air combat! Along with his combat strength, he excels at acquiring items and travelling through shortcuts.

Main weapon: Summon Darkness – Gebel attacks with bat-shaped dark energy in a spread pattern diagonally upward.

Gebel’s Playstyle

Gebel can use weapon points to transform and fly freely through areas. While his main weapon excels at anti-air combat, its trajectory leaves him powerless against crawling enemies.

Sub-weapon: Immortal Metamorphosis – Gebel transforms his body into a stained-glass bat, allowing him to fly in any direction.

Special Action: Siphon Blood – Gebel’s attack while transformed; a horizontal tackle that deals damage to enemies.

Special Action: Quick Ascend – Gebel can spend WEAPON points to quickly ascend while transformed. Useful for evasion and movement.

Special Action: Cancel Metamorphosis – Cancels the transformation and returns Gebel to normal.

[Udderdude]

I'm still excited for both of them.

[Weak Boson]

Awesome! I had forgotten that this bonus game was going to be a thing, didn't realize it was this imminent. Trailer looks good!

I've not been paying attention to updates - does Ritual of the Night have an ETA?

[KAI]

Inti saves the year once again

[opt2not]

That’s how you please your fanbase, Konami.

[BrianC]

Bloodstained Curse of the Moon looks neat, but I'll go for the Switch version this time around since the last few 3DS games from Inti were only 30 FPS for no good reason.

[Marc]

It's cool that they delivered to backers. But it's those guys that make NES games ghat aren't as good as the NES games they're based on. Hope the main game is good.