Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Not sure how to describe my emotions after beating the game but more or less it was okay. It took me somewhat about 22-24 hours to clear 98% of the map and beat the final boss. I'd say 3.5 out of 5, but let it be 4 out of 5. Pros: + stylish game and visuals overall + music + pretty okay combat + variety of shards/skills/combinations to build your character and switch different styles in combat Cons: - story/narrative - omg, below average imo - grind, too much grind while you are going there and back all the time - certain bosses were super easy while some random mob could 1-shot you or kill you form 2 hits - a couple of crashes, very frustrating towards the end of the game when you need to spend quite some time to get to the checkpoint where you can save your progress. Probably not really my genre but still a decent game. Would not play it the second time though.

Mechanical perfection, pure fun with variety, not a bad choice can be made when making your build. The fantastic sound design, music, art direction, colors, environments paired with the right amount of challenge that stimulates your brain to observe enemies patterns to become a master in finding the perfect window to deal your blows. The extremely lovable protagonist who has the right amount of classic clique dialogue along with actual personality in everything she says and the way she say it (played it with japanese voices). I don't have, as you might imagine, a single bad word to spell about this love letter to the genre and it shows, pure bliss and fun. I thought at about 50-60% map completion here we go, now the game will get stale but no, it just keeps getting better exactly as it should, and I'm getting better at it by the minute; now i'll go back to it cause I've been smiling for the last four days thanks to this masterpiece.

I absolutely adore this game. I really wish I had backed this one when it was on Kickstarter. This more than exceeded my expectations and erased any sort of doubt I had for this title. I'm several Several SEVERAL hours in this this game and I'm absolutely hooked. The lovely Miriam looks and controls wonderfully; finding the niche in her movements and attacks is quite deep and very well executed. Lots to explore in the gothic, demon-infested castle. I'm absolutely amazed at how much has gone into this Kickstarted game just off of release; there's soooooo much to do! I will not say much else other than if you're not allergic to fun, then you NEED to pick up this game and play it. Now, can I (or someone) rewind time to back this amazing game? Please? I love it.

This is the first game I've bought on GOG, and this is my first review. I completed it and even got all the trophies after 40 hours of gameplay aprox.. As a Castlevania fan, I could say THIS fills the hole we have in our hearts, however it has its flaws. Pros: - It FEELS as a truly Metroidvania experience. Variation on stages, interesting bosses, exploring... - The soundtrack, at the hands of Michiru Yamane, is 100% amazing and it has subtle details that will remind you to old tracks of the saga. The song of the first stage feels as if its telling you "Hello, missed us?". It's superb. - The shard system, which took their roots from the Sorrow sub-saga of Castlevania, is incredible. There is a wide variation of them, different uses, you can FEEL the upgrades (not like in Dawn of Sorrow) if you apply them, it is very well done. - The crafting system is cool and engaging as well. The sidequests are engaging to do these. - Three different endings, but the hints to advance avoiding the bad endings are not so cryptic. Cons: - Having played old Castlevania's, you can start to feel at a point that it is monotonous. I understand SotN is the pinacle of the franchise and that others took elements of it... This game did, of course, but sometimes it's way too literal. - The models of the characters sometimes can feel a bit odd... A character could be crying or having an extreme emotion and the model, in the cutscene, stands still. - Not great graphics overall... not a big deal to me but you may be interested in this. Besides, there are a couple of enemy models that start to bug and distort after they die, a very VERY ugly visual detail. - Near the end of the game, you can see there is a lack of creativity with the enemies. - Let's not talk about the Kickstarter goals being cut (search "Bloodstained Roguelike mode" and you will understand)... Overall, it is an entertaining experience, but it could be better polished. Waiting for more updates! I hope they come... I hope...

It's an homage to the games you used to play, no doubt. It has its fun moments. It has all the cheesy dialog and plot you'd expect. Level design is decent and the music is quite good. Unfortunately, after the nostalgia wears off, and it wears off pretty fast, you start to wonder why you're still playing. What you don't get is anything particularly new or innovative. The same things that bugged you 20 years ago will bug you now: enemies kiting through walls, slightly awkward movements, an environment that is dangerous to you and you alone, lots of grinding for items, you get the drift. If you're after a sequel for things you played when Bill Clinton was president, you're in luck. But, in general, not only does Bloodstained not move the bar, it looks at the bar and adjusts it downward by a good 15 years. About halfway through it, you really feel as though the designers are phoning it in - and it's most definitely a landline.