Developer: Inti Creates Publisher: Inti Creates Release: 05/24/18 Genre: Platformer Platforms: Windows, 3DS, PS4, Switch, Vita, Xbox One
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is an unexpected surprise. As part of the kickstarter for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night it could just as easily been a hastily thrown together homage. Instead we have a thoroughly fantastic game that both honors the game that inspired it and stands on its own. Bloodstained:Curse of the Moon is more than just an advertisement for another game, it is an excellent action adventure in its own right and better than the vast majority of titles released each year.
I’ve mentioned that Curse of the Moon is a homage but boy does it cross a line at times. Many of the enemies are stand-ins for Castlevania’s bestiary. It has its version of Medusa Heads, flea men, and axe knights. You destroy candles to find items to power subweapons and earn points. Levels follow the same flowing structure and are broken up into blocks. Even the four protagonists are basically the same. Gebel is Alucard in everything but name. Arthur might as well be a gender swapped Sypha. The multiple playable characters might be similar to Konami’s game but it does work differently here. Each character has a separate life bar of varying length. In addition they all have unique subweapons.
Curse of the Moon has eight stages and lacks the branching levels of its inspiration. Ultimately it doesn’t need them as each level is absolutely massive. There are alternate paths at every turn with some requiring a specific hero. These forks are wildly different with some being massive shortcuts. There is a reason to explore each stage as there are permanent stat boosting items. The level design is strong and incredibly varied with each character having their time to shine. And the boss battles are possibly the best part, both challenging and exciting at the same time.
While it lacks branching levels Curse of the Moon offers plenty of replay value. Nightmare Mode ups the difficulty by introducing late game enemies earlier. Bosses have new attacks and patterns to present a new challenge. In addition one playable character is removed for story reasons, leading to the true ending. You have the option to kill instead of recruit your companions too. As immoral as it sounds Zangetsu receives new moves as a result. Beating the game with a different number of allies also unlocks further modes such as a boss rush. This is how you incentivize replaying the game. And consider this; the main game is just as long as the game that inspired it!
Bloodstained manages to retain the high difficulty of Castlevania while still remaining accessible in a number of ways. Casual Mode removes the annoying knock back when hit plus also gives unlimited lives. Veteran Mode is exactly as you would expect. Enemies also drop life restoring hearts frequently on casual mode. There is no penalty for going through on either setting and in fact you can switch at any time when loading a save. The way lives are handled makes the game incredibly forgiving as well. All four characters have to die before you lose a life which, if you have any skill, should be tough. If you botch a run you can use the Curse of the Moon to restart a level or even return to a previous one although you lose that progress.
While it is accessible it does have its moments. With the frequent alternate routes it is obvious the game wants you to switch characters often. Some, like Miriam, are more valuable than others which is why it is so punishing if they die. I’m of two minds when it comes to the boss battles. Aesthetically most match the game’s tone and setting. But there are a few who seem as though they belong in an entirely different game. I’m also not a fan of the last minute surprise attack they all employ after they death. That being said Bloodstained succeeds where Super Castlevania IV failed in providing a challenge without losing its flavor.
Curse of the Moon might have an 8-bit aesthetic but it does not adhere to those limitations. Character animation is faster and more fluid than the NES titles. The backgrounds are absolutely beautiful, often boasting three or four layers of scrolling that the old Castlevania games could only dream of. While this is a Gothic action adventure it can be a bit inconsistent. Mechanical enemies that look straight out of Mega Man are commonplace. This is especially evident with the bosses. But I won’t hold it against it. The only weak link is the repetitive soundtrack.
In Closing
It is incredibly obvious who the target audience of Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is. But through smart design and excellent gameplay it rises above that and offers something for everyone. Give me five or six of these a year and I’ll be a happy man.
