Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon - Review

Let me go ahead and put this out there. If you are a fan of retro action games, namely Castlevania, then you owe it to yourself to play Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (BCotM). The Bloodstained series of games has been openly touted as the spiritual successor to the Castlevania series and this shows during every single moment of the game. This game is the product of a Kickstarter campaign that was launched by Koji Igarashi and his company Inti Creates, back in 2015. Igarashi, best known for his work on Castlevania Symphony of the Night, promised fans that Bloodstained would return to Castlevania's retro roots and he and his team have delivered on their promise. It's worth putting out there that Curse of the Moon is merely a side story to the main game that was promised as part of the Kickstarter. That game, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, will be coming at a later date.

An 8-Bit Wonder

During my time with BCotM, I felt like I was a kid again; its 8-bit graphical style, the look of the menus, the sound effects, and its wonderful chip-tune music all transported me back to much simpler times. While it played heavily on nostalgia, BCotM also has wonderful gameplay to back it all up. The game plays very much like Castlevania 2 & 3 on the NES. It is a side-scrolling action game whose environments often present the player with multiple pathways to reach the end, all dependent on what power-ups or abilities the player possesses. It's not nearly as open-ended as Symphony of the Night though. That is being saved for Ritual of the Night later this year. BCotM may have a much smaller scope but it still offers the player with some decent sized stages that have alternate paths that are a joy to explore.

You start the game as the demon hunter Zangetsu and over the course of the first few levels you are given opportunities to either recruit or kill up to three other companions that can alter the game in some fun ways. If you decide to recruit the team, the game will play much easier as you have up to four health bars in play instead of just one. Each character also has their own signature abilities, such as Miriam's high jump or Alfred's arsenal of powerful spells. If you decide to slay these characters instead, then Zangetsu will receive bonus abilities, such as a more powerful air slash that he can't receive any other way. This, along with the many alternate paths, alternate endings, two unlockable difficulties, and a boss rush mode, gives BCotM a lot of replayability for its small price tag. The game may not be very long from start to finish but it gives you many reasons to come back for more.

It's Casual Friendly

Most action games from the 8-bit era are notorious for their brutal difficulty levels and, while BCotM certainly rises to the occasion during its final levels and extra modes, it also contains a casual setting for anyone that just wants to sit back and enjoy the game without as many headaches. The casual mode gives the player an infinite amount of lives and also does away with the knockback effect that is experienced when you take damage. While this does make things more manageable, it certainly doesn't guarantee victory. Even on the casual setting the final boss still gave me quite an intense battle. There is a great sense of accomplishment when you take down most of the game's bosses. Regardless of the difficulty setting you choose, BCotM is always a joy to play. The level design is exceptional and after some experimentation, with all of the various sub-weapons and power-ups, you will be slaying the undead on the highest difficulties with precision and finesse. BCotM is old school action gaming fine-tuned to perfection.

These 8-Bits Ain't Ugly

While BCotM may look like it is pulled out of the late 80's, do not mistake it for an ugly game. The developers set out to replicate the 8-bit style of old and they did it flawlessly. They even did us all a solid by improving on it and adding some touches of modern flair. Most of this can be seen in the game's excellent boss battles and during the game's later levels that feature some really cool graphical effects which I don't believe would have been possible during Castlevania's era on the NES, but I could be wrong about that. I absolutely adored the visuals in BCotM. They are expertly crafted, contain a ton of character, and help set the mood of the game. The graphics of BCotM help elevate its retrofitted gameplay to wonderful heights.

After spending many hours with BCotM, I now have a deeply seeded want for more. I am very much looking forward to the larger Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night game that will be releasing some time this year. I can't say that it was even on my radar before playing this game. Here's to hoping that the entire series does well because I would love more games like this. It's games like Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon that makes our hobby so special.

The Score

Graphics - 4/5

Audio - 5/5

Gameplay - 5/5

Replay Value - 5/5

Final Score - 4.75 out of 5