[h1]Symphony of the Night 2.0[/h1]
Symphony of the Night is one of the best Metroidvanias out there, so when Bloodstained was announced, I already knew this was a must-buy. In both good and bad, this game is without a doubt a spiritual successor to SOTN. It is almost criminal how similar they are—this is basically a Castlevania game just without the official name. You have the castle, the music, the cheesy dialogue, the same enemy types, and the same upgrade flow. Koji Igarashi gave us fans exactly what we wanted, and while it doesn't quite touch the absolute top of the genre, it still provides a pretty solid experience.
[b]Where the blood is pure:[/b]
• [b]Great Nostalgia:[/b] If you love a classic Castlevania game, Bloodstained hits the spot perfectly. The map design feels organic, exploring the castle is fun, and the progression loop of finding new abilities to unlock previously unreachable areas is executed in a very similar way to SOTN.
• [b]So Many Shards:[/b] The gameplay loop feels rewarding thanks to the Shard system. Absorbing enemy abilities gives you a huge variety of combat options and magic to play around with, allowing you to customize your playstyle and change it however you want and whenever it suits you.
• [b]Old School Soundtrack & Cheesy Voice Acting:[/b] The music builds a great atmosphere that heavily echoes a classic Castlevania game. It is very catchy as well. I actually think the music is one of the best things about this game. The dialogue is super cheesy and I love it because it reminds me of the PS1 era or a B-movie. There is a very cool voice actor involved as well, which I won't spoil, but you are in for a surprise.
[b]Where the blood is stained:[/b]
• [b]Lack of True Innovation:[/b] While the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach works pretty well, it also means the game feels incredibly dated in certain areas. It plays it very safe, rarely doing anything new or groundbreaking to push the genre forward, which is a shame.
• [b]The Graphic Style:[/b] I am really not a fan of the visual style here. The mix of 3D models on a 2D plane just doesn't look very nice, and something about the artistic choices feels completely off. Where the 2D pixel art of SOTN is absolutely timeless, Bloodstained ends up looking cheap and unappealing in comparison.
• [b]The Grind:[/b] Bloodstained turns into a bit of a chore when trying to hunt down all the achievements. Grinding for a 100% item list, completing every corner of the map, and dealing with frustratingly low drop rates for certain crafting materials felt heavily taxing in the end.
[b]The final verdict:[/b]
Ultimately, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a good game, even if it has some flaws and feels a bit trapped in the past. It is an easy recommendation for anyone who misses the classic Symphony of the Night era and wants more of that specific formula. It’s far from perfect, but if you want a solid, nostalgic Metroidvania, Igarashi got you fam!
