This is supposed to be a game where players are free to choose how their characters behave and then have to face the consequences of their actions. Largely, this is the case, but the game departs from this formula with regards to a criminal gang encountered early in the game. They can conspire to get you and others killed without just cause, but the game is hard-coded to stop you from effectively retaliating, and not through any narrative devices, either... If you attack them and reduce them to 0 hp, they just reappear with not a scratch on them. It violates the design integrity of the game, breaks immersion, robs the player of agency, and spoils the sense of role-playing a character. If the developers were going to use such a heavy-handed method of making these characters invincible, they would have been better off removing them from the game entirely.
From the character design, to the level design, to the story, Castlevania fans will notice many familiar features. Drawing inspiration from several of the second-generation Castlevania games, Bloodstained weaves them together and in some cases, outdoes them. Some of the not-so-great aspects of those games also carries over, as well; if you want to fully power-up a shard (think soul from Sorrow), be prepared to kill the same non-threatening demon dozens or even hundreds of times. As happy as I am to see this ported to PC and available on GOG, I'm somewhat disappointed with the implementation. If your machine is a few years old, you'll need to lower the graphics settings to get it to run smoothly, which would be fine, except that doing so also causes the menus and maps to expand beyond the borders of the screen, making them difficult to use. Also, by about 75% into my first playthrough, I had already experienced 2 occasions where the game just died for no apparent reason. Hopefully these issues will be resolved in an upcoming technical patch, but until then, save often. Overall, it's a fun game with some very cool moments, and is worth playing.
Beamdog has shown clear intent to butcher this beloved intellectual property with the updates related to the Siege of Dragonspear expansion, and of course with the expansion itself. I recommend sticking with the original, but at the very least, do due diligence with researching Beamdog's "creative direction" for the series, lest you end up regretting your purchase as I now do.
Beamdog has shown clear intent to butcher this beloved intellectual property with the updates related to the Siege of Dragonspear expansion, and of course with the expansion itself. I recommend sticking with the original, but at the very least, do due diligence with researching Beamdog's "creative direction" for the series, lest you end up regretting your purchase as I now do.
