Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
ArtPlay, Inti Creates
Initial release: May 24, 2018 (worldwide)
Platform: PC, Sony PlayStation 4, Sony PlayStation Vita, MicroSoft Xbox One, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch
 |
| screenshots c/o MobyGames |
After beloved Castlevania franchise showrunner Koji Igarashi left Konami, he promised a spiritual followup to the series that he built his fame on. Many moons passed, with no game in sight, but those who were waiting faithfully during its protracted development were given at least something to tide them over. Initially a stretch goal for the Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Kickstarter fundraiser, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon was classic retro red meat for a fanbase that loves retro red meat.
Curse of the Moon seems to hover between canon prequel and non-canon spinoff. Not that it matters all that much: Curse has about as much plot as Castlevania III, the game it’s most directly a spiritual sequel to. That’s no joke by the way: aside from the obvious similarity in the NES-style graphics (though a good deal superior to what actual NES hardware can do) the structure is nearly identical, including branching paths and the ability to recruit new characters. It’s a NES Castlevania game in all but name.
Most of what we know about the Bloodstained universe doesn’t matter terribly much in this game. The plot boils down to a samurai, cursed by demons, on a quest to kill all demons to rid himself of the curse. Along the way he recruits the other characters from Ritual of the Night… maybe. How the game plays, and how it ends, of course depends on your actions when meeting these characters. Unlike Castlevania III, you can recruit them all in the same game; there are also no alternate levels, but there are plenty of alternate paths, with skeletons pointing the “right” way. Everything you’d expect from a NES Castlevania is here. There’s subweapons, genius level design, a gloomy, gothic vibe, tough bosses, the works. Even jump physics are like Castlevania III’s. the only real difference is a “casual mode” that gives you infinite lives to allow you to play relatively rage-free.
The basic makeup of the team is similar to that of Castlevania III.
Zangetsu is the all-rounder, with no weaknesses but no real strengths
beyond a high health bar. Miriam, the eventual heroine of Ritual of the Night, is much more agile than the others. Alfred is weak but has powerful spells. And Gebel is nearly identical to Alucard. Swapping characters is nearly instant, unlike Castlevania III
(thank goodness!) That being said, subweapon drops don’t change when
characters do, meaning the new character can’t pick up the subweapon.
this can be useful sometimes when you don’t want a subweapon — just walk
right through it.
Zangetsu’s animation reminds me of Ryu from the original Ninja Gaiden games; this is likely on purpose, a nice little callback to the original Ninja Gaiden borrowing heavily from Castlevania. His subweapons are very similar to Ninja Gaiden’s, as well — it’s not even subtle. His sword is short range, but quick. He’s not as agile as Ryu, but it’s a nice spin on the Trevor Belmont model. Miriam, unlike Grant (her closest Castlevania III analogue, though it's not very close) is very much da real MVP in this game, which is ironic because it's technically not even her game; while she’s weaker than Zangetsu, she’s otherwise an agile Belmont who can get into places and make jumps the others can’t. Also like a Belmont, her whip is slow, but reliable.
Alfred is the obvious Sypha analogue. He’s got an extremely short health bar, meaning you’ll want to bring him out only for spells then swap back quickly. But his spells are fucking insane, especially the ice spell and the defensive fire shield. And finally, Gebel might as well be Alucard with a mask on. They play nearly identically, with Gebel being able to transform into a bat and fly into hard-to-reach places (or, even better, skip whole sections of jumping platforms.) It’s his only subweapon, but it’s worth it.
Unlike Castlevania III, when you die, you lose the character you were playing as. This can be frustrating as there’s no way to get them back until you defeat the stage boss, or if all the characters die. When they all die, that counts as a life lost; lose all your lives and it’s game over. For the most part, if you’re familiar with old-school Castlevania gameplay, this game won’t give you much trouble. I didn’t start to struggle until Stage 5’s boss; Stage 8, however, had me raging, with its floor-destroying bat swarms. The boss fights are nothing to sneeze at either. Designed after demons in a real life book about demonology, they’re aggressive, but not unpredictable, giving you quickly-readable patterns that the attentive can use to master the fight. They’re varied and some are quite unique. I’m particularly a fan of the coin-spewing demon at the end of Stage 3, which forces you to climb stacks of coins being shoved across the room in order to reach it. The obvious Carmilla stand-in in Stage 6 is also a treat, if a bit of a pain in the ass.
The 8-bit soundtrack is gorgeous. Composed by longtime Castlevania composer Michiru Yamane and Mega Man Zero/Mega Man ZX composer Ippo Yamada, there’s a distinct blending of styles that recalls Castlevania games across the series history while also being very much its own thing. It stands alongside games like Shovel Knight
in being a fantastic revival of the 8-bit sound while not being under
the limitations of vintage hardware. each track feels appropriate to its
level, creating a gloomy action vibe that suits the game perfectly.
If you’ve been hankering for another NES style game in the vein of the classics, Curse of the Moon is a fantastic option, capturing the spirit of the NES era while forging ahead with new ideas.