Many fans of Castlevania have been clamoring for a more faithful entry in the Metroidvania franchise for years, but it seems Konami is more interested in releasing collections of old games in the series and forcing the indie circuit to do the heavy lifting for the genre. While collections of a few classics are nice, I think many want something new, something blue. Forgive my awful rhyme, but the protagonist of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Miriam, has a striking blue dress.
Bloodstained is a Kickstarter game created by Koji Igarashi and developed by his studio ArtPlay, while being published by 505 Games. Former designer on many Castlevania titles that are deemed classics, Igarashi was heavily involved in such titles as Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow. And speaking of striking, this game has gotten a major visual overhaul since it’s delay a few months back.
A trailer released on the game’s Kickstarter page has revealed a release date set for June. The trailer also shows off vast improvements to the art design in the game, which were a recurring complaint, as noted in the game’s trailer. It’s a rather comical trailer to show off how much these comments got to the team. Check out the trailer at the bottom of the page. And for those wondering, the game releases June 18th, 2019 for Steam, GOG, PS4, and Xbox One, with a slightly later release date for Nintendo Switch on June 25th, 2019. Bloodstained is one of the bigger games to come out of Kickstarter, so here’s to hoping it ends up a success for fans of Koji Igarashi.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a gothic horror action side-scrolling RPG set in 19th century England. A paranormal force has summoned a demon-infested castle, revealing crystal shards infused with tremendous magical power.
Play as Miriam, an orphan scarred by an alchemist’s curse which slowly crystallizes her body. To save humanity, and herself in the process, Miriam must fight through the castle and defeat the summoner, Gebel.