Review for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Game for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 18/06/2019 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 25/06/2019
When it was announced - riding the wave of success enjoyed by Inafune with Mighty No. 9 - Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night passed the record figure of $ 5,5 million on Kickstarter; it matters little that just a couple of months after Shenmue III has set a new record: this disproportionate sum constitutes the sublimation of the expectations that have surrounded the title of Igarashi, who can only hope to have done better than Inafune in his time.
Let's find out how he fared.
In the last decade, the metroidvania genre is experiencing a second youth (we also talked about it in our Back in Time column), which recently brought the unforgettable Symphony of the Night back into the spotlight. re-released together with the Rondo of Blood prequel on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the latter. Well, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is the spiritual successor of Symphony of the Night right from the title, slavishly tracing its structure, on which it engages various more modern but absolutely ancillary elements: in fact, it is played just like Alucard's adventure.
In some respects, the most significant difference lies in the graphics, since Igarashi has decided to abandon the two dimensions in favor of a polygonal dress: clearly this does not affect the gameplay, we are in the context of the so-called "2.5 D", like Dracula X Chronicles and Mirror of Fate. Technically, the game didn't quite convince us: despite a satisfactory overall result, the polygonal models and the animations of the secondary characters, in addition to the loading times not derisory and al frame rate often in trouble.
Also on the artistic level there would be something to say: net of personal considerations, it is undeniable that Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night has but a modicum of the charisma of Symphony of the Night. It is not unpleasant to the eye (except in the cut scenes), but there are "bizarre" mobs (so to speak ...), several uninspired passages and many of the most interesting are clear quotes from Konami's game.
The sound is much better, thanks to the good dubbing in English (there's David Hayter !, Ed), the dual audio and theexcellent soundtrack by Michiru Yamane, who has worked on most Castlevania from Bloodlines onwards (including Alucard's adventure, of course). Over forty songs for a total of over two hours of music. And what music!
The gameplay turns out to be almost a carbon copy of Symphony of the Night, if it weren't for adding numerous modern secondary mechanics, aimed at updating what is perhaps the best metroidvania ever. Young Miriam (who you will already know, like most of the main characters, if you have played Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon) must explore the castle of demons according to the canons of the genre, room after room, retracing her steps after acquiring the power or object necessary to overcome a previously insurmountable obstacle. The level design is very classic and quotationist, and it works fine, thanks to a clever location of the save points and those of teleportation.
The formula is enriched with a significant amount of content. The weapons are many and varied: they range from swords to muskets, passing through broadswords and clubs and without forgetting the whip, which has always been one of the symbols of Castlevania; scattered throughout the castle are numerous books that teach the related techniques. Even the pieces of equipment are numerous and assorted, allowing a considerable variety of approaches, enhanced by the introduction of the Quick Choice, which allows you to switch on the fly between multiple previously saved builds. The magic system has also been expanded: there are, in fact, five slots for magical fragments, which correspond to as many categories (for example, one category consists of familiars and another one from passive abilities).
Others have been grafted onto these foundations secondary mechanics, such as side quests and crafting of weapons, items, shards and food. All these things are increasingly present in vaguely role-playing video games, but they do not add genuine value to the experience: the secondary missions, in particular, are very banal kill quests and fetch quests, while the rest is carried out with greater dignity but is still completely superfluous. Indeed, this high amount of options ends up making the game in Normal mode too simple, which, unfortunately, is the only one available from the beginning; It is true that Symphony of the Night is not particularly difficult, but if in recent years you have made your bones on Hollow Knight, Bloodstained will appear to you as a walk of health.
Undoubtedly this wealth has a positive effect on longevity, the only aspect in which Ritual of the Night is superior to the master: a run lasts about ten / dozen hours, but there are two endings (three, wanting to count two bad endings) and many free DLCs, which should include, among other things, the cooperative mode, two new playable characters and other modes.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a great metroidvania, but it can't even get close to the peaks touched by its inspiring Symphony of the Night, immediately appearing less charismatic and inspired on the aesthetic level. The gameplay works, of course, but perhaps it is too derivative: in fact, the new elements do not particularly affect the overall experience.
► Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a Metroidvania-type game developed by WayForward Technologies and published by 505 Games for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 18/06/2019 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 25/06/2019
