The spiritual successor towards modern Metroidvania's and Castlevania has arrived; Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
Kickstarted and produced by former main series man Koji Igarashi, ArtPlay has succesfully transformed the formula towards 2.5D graphics and a distinct art style. Set in the 18th century during the Industrial Revolution, the story begins.
Miriam is a Shardbinder capable of absorbing and using the abilities found by enemies throughout the huge castle to explore, which is similar to Soma in Aria and Dawn of Sorrow. From new projectile attacks, to summoning familiars, to unlocking new movements to get further.
Others joining the cast are the remaining former playable characters from the companion game Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, which are Alfred the alchemist, Gebel the vampire and Zangetsu the demon hunter.
In similar fashion, there is a bad ending, and a good ending, with the latter unlocking more areas and bosses in between, and eventually the true climax. It's your typical gothic story with demons done right, and each of them alongside the supporting cast brings a personality and style.
If you like Castlevania and Metroidvania games in general, you will feel right at home here. It's an action RPG with equipment, collectibles and platforming to be found. There is also a cooking feature that will let you cook using ingredients, and a craft mode letting you obtain new items.
The bosses are satisfying, and the enemy design in general is commendable. There are also secret rooms to be found, including one which transported me into an 8 bit world, which was a cute surprise.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is familiar and worthy to play, for newcomers and veterans alike.
Rating: 8.4
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