Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

I think there's some good gameplay stuff in this trailer. Each of her weapons seem to handle much differently, which is nice, and I really like how some enemies can gang up on you in certain environments if you're not careful. I also like how those spear guards, along with the boss, seem to show some genuine application for the backdash for movement. It's cool that they might be designing around that tactic more intentionally than in some of the other Igavanias.

The overall movement looks to be the same as the demo, which felt pretty responsive and very SOTN-esque to me, so I honestly think they should leave it alone. They could tweak some animations maybe, but the floatiness is going to feel pretty prevalent in any case. That's just the style.

Visually the only things that really bothered me in the trailer were the extreme glossiness on the rocks in the rotating outdoor area, the lack of movement on objects like the chandeliers, and seeing that giant bell just explode into a pile of rocks. The belltower environment looks rough in general, but I think some of the other interiors are fine, such as the main castle hallway area. They're at least on par with the visuals in the demo, or slightly better, which I'd consider the baseline for what to expect from this game.

Graphics-wise, games like Trine, Shadow Complex, and the newer Strider are all in the same circle of what I think Bloodstained is shooting for visually. While those games show that Bloodstained could still be doing a lot more with its lighting and colors, I think on that level the competency in the modeling looks fairly on the mark so far. If they can improve the game's overall performance to match, that'd be ideal.

ArgonBern said:

I doubt the visuals are complete

As said, they recently said the game is ~30% done, so I imagine there is a high chance for them to improve, and I hope they do. I just said right now it definitely does not look good, which for WIP isn't necessarily condemning.

ArgonBern said:

Gameplay looks cool tbh.

I like the blood boss, just something about the movement seems a little off to me, might be nothing, might be animation.

Apparently there was a gameplay video posted the other day showcasing the whole E3 demo. No music, unfortunately, but shows lots of weapons and items.
Obviously seeing this completely nullifies my negative impression of things like the falling bell. It's good to see everything in context.

Some weapons look more useful than others, but I like that there's already a big range on display. Whip actually looks pretty cool, but spear seems kind of worthless next to the claymore. Familiars look reeeeaaally useful!

this is an outstanding voice cast and crew.
I mean, Erica Lindbeck AND Kari Wahlgreen?
I expect nothing from best girl VAs.

If you're thinking of changing your platform(s) or slack backing Bloodstained, you might wanna do it soon; May 14th is the last day you can slack back Bloodstained through Fangamer, and May 18th is the last day you can change the platform(s) you want Bloodstained and the retro minigame on. Afterwards, you'll be locked into the Steam version of the retro minigame if you haven't chosen already.

EDIT: Also, the beta's supposed to start up some time in June.

It's on the Eshop now. 10.00 is a fair price to pay and I'm excited to play the game honestly. So I snagged it and I'm jumping into the game.

Rest in peace Octo Expansion money. You will be missed.

I've been enjoying it. So far it seems like Dawn of Sorrow except better.