With the impending release of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, we are beginning to see more and more of the new and updated gameplay come to life via new footage. The latest video comes from PlayStation Underground, and is co-presented with WayForward Technologies’ Director Tomm Hulett. Check out the footage below to see an entirely new level located deep within the castle, plus another look at one of the game’s bosses.
Right off the bat, we get to see an entirely new area in the castle deep underground near a volcanic source. Called the Inferno Cave, this area is an amazing example of the depth in variety coming from Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. The segment also showcases the breathtaking art design of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night; you get this parallax effect in the background showing off flowing magma like a waterfall, while you fight enemies in small tunnel-like caves leading to open pockets of space filled with, well, more magma.
Traversal is as good as what you can expect from an Igarashi-led, Castlevania-inspired title, with some new features here and there. There is also an unreal number of weapons available to use, including, swords, spears, guns, greatswords, lances and many more. All throughout the game, Miriam, the game’s protagonist, also has a familiar with her who helps out in defeating enemies or providing contextual clues to hidden and secret areas.
While Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a spiritual successor of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, it doesn’t share the same in-game mythos as the latter. The story focuses more on alchemy and demons, rather than vampires. This is all too evident with the gameplay video's next segment, which features a boss fight with a two-headed dragon creature. It also takes place in a unique environment, which is one of the castle’s towers; you fight the boss as you head down the spiral staircase, with either of the two heads sprouting from behind or in front of you.
So far, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is looking pretty good. Kickstarter projects have been known to mostly disappoint, and as a big fan of the Metroidvania genre, I would hate to see this the game go down that route as well. Development has been lengthy, but if that speaks volumes for its polish and overall quality, then I would say that was time well spent.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night will be released on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on June 18. The Nintendo Switch version will be released a week later, on June 25.
