Alexx Aplin
Alexx AplinI have followed the development of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night since it’s’ highly successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015. I have been a big fan of Koji Igarashi’s Castlevania games for a long while, so when Bloodstained was revealed and funded, I was very excited. I can honestly say, that Bloodstained has not disappointed me yet. However, that doesn’t mean the game is perfect either.
In Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, you play as Miriam, a young woman who wakes after ten years of slumber to discover that her former friend Gebel has summoned a great castle filled with demons, and seeks to destroy mankind. Gebel and Miriam are Shardbinders, humans experimented on with Alchemy to be able to contain and utilize the power of shards. Shards are pieces of demons that contain their essence and abilities.
Only Miriam can stop Gebel, so she joins forces with her friend Jonathan, a member of the church named Dominique, a demon hunter named Zangetsu, and others who seek to stop Gebel. Along the way, Miriam also can do quests for the townspeople, who have been in need of aid since the demons ravaged their village.
The gameplay of Bloodstained is fairly similar to most Metroidvania experiences. You travel through the castle, exploring, killing enemies, and unlocking new abilities in order to reach new areas. However, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night also has a few interesting details in its’ progression system that set it apart from other Metroidvania titles.
First of all, Miriam levels up by killing enemies, similar to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. She can also equip a variety of things, which change her physical appearance as well as providing stat bonuses. There are multiple weapon types, which have different attack speeds, strengths, and weaknesses. Additionally, as you traverse the castle you’ll find books with “skills” in them that require certain button presses using a specific weapon, to initiate a combo attack.
The progression system doesn’t stop there though, as there are also Miriam’s shard abilities to contend with. Miriam’s luck stat, not only affects drop rates for items, but it affects how often you get shards from enemies. You can get different shards from each enemy, and the more of a specific shard you have, the stronger they are. However, you can also utilize Jonathan’s alchemy to enhance shards with various ingredients, changing how they work.
For example, by enhancing yellow (passive) shards, you can eventually get to a point where those shards will work without them being equipped. There are five different varieties of shard, not counting the white shards that give you various mobility enhancements that can be turned on and off. You can also utilize Jonathan’s crafting skills to make weapons and armor. His true usefulness though lies in his skills as a chef.
Jonathan can help Miriam by providing the tools and resources she needs to cook. If you collect the right ingredients, you can make a variety of dishes. These dishes serve two purposes. The first time you eat a dish, it gives Miriam a permanent stat increase of some description. The secondary purpose (and the reason you make food more than once) is that some dishes provide more of a health bonus than your average potion, at a lower cost.
I found myself preparing for any potential excursions into the castle by making sure to stock up on food dishes. It is also important to note that some dishes provide temporary stat buffs rather than permanent ones, as well.
There are various shopping options as well. You can sell off shards you don’t need or want for extra cash, though it isn’t always advisable as some shards can be used in recipes. You can also utilize the library later on in the game, to check out books that will provide stat buffs as long as you carry them.
With the mechanics out of the way, let’s get into the nitty gritty of the best and worst Bloodstained has to offer. The art style, set design, and character design are absolutely amazing. The team has also enabled some degree of customization for Miriam’s appearance via the Barber, who you unlock partway through the game. Every piece of equipment has a unique design, and all of the animations for shard spells are absolutely beautiful.
The music in Bloodstained is very well done, and the voice acting is distinctive and well implemented. The attention to detail in all aspects of Bloodstained is easily apparent on the PS4. It has been frequently documented that the Nintendo Switch version has bugs, but I applaud the team at 505 games for being willing to address that. They have mentioned on social media that an update is coming.
Speaking of bugs, I ran into an interesting bug, where if an enemy was killed through a wall, the item they dropped would be unobtainable. It was a weird bug that I encountered a few times, that I hope they fix in a future PS4 update.
The main complaints I have with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night have to do with the map. The map is a bit difficult to use because there is no way to mark areas to return to. There is a way to mark the map, but no way of making specific notes, or reminders of what is waiting there. Is there a boss I can’t kill yet? Is there an item I just can’t jump to yet? Who knows!
The bosses tend to come around without warning too. The boss doors look different from regular doors, but if you aren’t paying attention (looking for a save point for example) you might accidentally get into a messy situation.
Granted, the save rooms are plentiful and there is usually one near a boss room. However, the fast travel rooms aren’t really all that plentiful, which means that sometimes you may have to trek a while to get to one so you can head back to town and restock your items. Thankfully, you can purchase waystones for a quick teleport back, but it still can be inconvenient sometimes.
Despite those complaints, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is everything I wanted out of a next-gen Castlevania/Igavania title. The game is an absolute blast to play and I am looking forward to the future updates that are coming, such as new playable characters, a roguelike mode, and more. If you are a fan of Metroidvania games at all, or if you’re a fan of the old school Castlevania titles, you’ll love this.
If you are new to the Metroidvania scene, this might be a decent entry point, as there are multiple difficulty levels and plenty of ways to play. Wanna play a greatsword wielding amazon? Or have Miriam be a gunslinger with evasive mobility? Both are possible, and both are pretty fun depending on your playstyle. I tend to go more the spellblade route myself.
A PlayStation 4 review copy of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was provided by 505 Games for this review.
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🔥194Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
$32.84
Pros
- Fantastic Visuals
- Great Sound Design and Voice Acting
- Deep Progression and Metroidvania Gameplay
- Intriguing Storyline
- Lots of Content to Enjoy
Cons
- Map is a Bit Hard to Use
- Loot Gets Stuck in Walls
- Boss Battles Sometimes Sneak Up on You
