Koji Igarashi is bringing Igavania back with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. The brainchild of the legendary creator of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the side-scrolling action role playing game launched in digital and retail stores worldwide on June 18.
Igarashi used Kickstarter to ask for the Igavania fandom’s support for the project, and he was not disappointed given that the project received massive pledges to help bring Bloodstained to life.
The creator has a grateful message to his backers, volunteers, and fans — the Army of the Night, “Today is the true beginning of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Thanks to everyone who supported us on our way, we were able to get here," Igarashi wrote. "Thank you so much. From here we are going to do our best to make the Bloodstained series even more exciting.”
The game is set in 18th century England, where a demon-infested castle has been summoned. Players of Bloodstained take on the role of Miriam, who is an orphan cursed with a body that is slowly being crystallized. Miriam must explore and conquer the castle, collect and craft weapons and special items, and unlock and use spells and abilities with the objective of saving herself and humanity from Gebel the Summoner and the multitudes of evil.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a modern, side-scrolling action role playing game that continues the Igavania legacy. The game features a full orchestra soundtrack by Mirichu Yamane of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night fame and Ippo Yamada of Resident Evil fame. Bloodstained is rendered in 3D on a 2D side-scrolling environment, which also evolves as players progress through the game. Apparently, this is the biggest game map of Igarashi’s celebrated career, giving players more to explore and enjoy.
The Speed Demon Update, which adds optimized graphics, visuals and balance, in addition to Speed Run Mode, Boss Rush Mode and the Pure Miriam Outfit, is available at launch. “Iga’s Back Pack” DLC, priced at around $10, is also available for PC. Players who pick up the DLC have the chance to fight Koji Igarashi himself as a boss in-game and once defeated, earn the powerful Swordwhip weapon. PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions of the DLC will launch at a later date.
Already over a dozen DLCs are anticipated for release post-launch. Look out for some free updates as well, including Online and Local Co-op and VS. mode, Rogue-like mode, Boss Rush, Chaos mode, and Nightmare Difficulty. Additionally, discover the secret playable characters as you enjoy another epic gothic, exploration-focused action game.
Following the digital and physical releases of Bloodstained on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One platforms on June 18, players can look forward to its Nintendo Switch launch set for June 25 at participating retailers in North America. Release date for other regions are set for June 27 and June 28. All standard versions of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night are priced at roughly $44.
