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Post by Xeogred on Sept 28, 2021 10:36:05 GMT -5
Could almost imagine Miriam is her daughter.
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Post by anayo on Sept 29, 2021 11:59:17 GMT -5
Bloodstained: Ritual of the NightDetailed thoughts and impressions coming soon. Bloodstained Ritual of the Night is the “crowdfunded nostalgia-bait” version of Castlevania Symphony of the Night, a Playstation game from 1997. In both games you assume the role of an adventurer who must plunge into an mazelike castle full of monsters. Along the way, your progression is gated off by “you need this thing before you can go here” situations, similar to Super Metroid (SNES, 1994). I love Bloodstained’s movement mechanics. The way the main character runs, jumps, and attacks feels just like a Konami game from the 90’s. I also love the game’s use of 2D space. It’s not that I dislike 3D games, but I certainly feel 2D games fell out of favor even though I still want more 2D gaming experiences. Exploring Bloodstained’s map reminds me of losing myself in Metroid Fusion for the Gameboy Advance when I was 14 years old. Bloodstained’s graphics are full of aesthetically pleasing color choices and detailed textures. It’s a sight to behold at 1440p on a PC, even with a modest GTX 1050 Ti. Bloodstained does something else I really like reminding me of Doom (PC, 1993) where certain parts of the map let me see desirable power ups and goodies, but wouldn’t let me reach them right away. I would have to find another route to reach them. This creates such a tantalizing feeling, making the game world feel even more intricate and compelling. Bloodstained features lite RPG elements whereby the heroine grows stronger and acquires more powerful gear throughout her journey. So, sometimes taking a wrong turn leads someplace where all the monsters are dauntingly powerful, forcing me to budget my health and other resources. It really drove home the point that I was venturing into a dangerous place where I might not survive. But as the game progressed, I found I could plow through these creatures with impunity. I love games that make you feel like your character is growing more capable throughout the journey. Bloodstained’s mechanic of capturing defeated monsters and absorbing their powers only deepend my interest. While I eventually found myself so overwhelmed with choices that I settled on a few tried and true power-ups, experimenting and collecting new creatures evoked memories of Megaman (NES, 1987) or even Pokemon (Gameboy, 1998). Bloodstained did falter for me in minor parts, such as character animation which could have used more time in the oven. Thankfully this is nothing major that you have to see on screen all the time, like the heroine’s walkcycle. The jerky parts are mostly brief sequences during some cutscenes. I loved all of the chambers in the castle except for the science lab in the basement, which had an ugly green hue that just wasn’t to my liking. Also I felt the lava, ice, sand, and ninja-themed areas were phoning it in. I know 2D games from the 90’s would customarily have stages like that, but I was hoping Bloodstained’s world to be thematically consistent with actual rooms you would expect to see in a castle, like a music room, servants’ quarters, stables, etc. Falling back on tropes established in Super Mario 3 underwhelmed me (there’s even a “Giant Land” where you fight the same enemies that roam the rest of the castle, except in jumbo-sized form.). Also later in the game palette-swapped enemies seemed to grow more frequent. Maybe that’s a telltale sign that this crowdfunded game only had so much time, money, and talent to go around. At least Bloodstained’s boss fights are all challenging and memorable. It’s probably best that they spared no expense on the bosses and palette swapped a few low-level enemies instead of vice-versa. I first began Bloodstained without even meaning to play the whole thing. All I wanted to do was see how it performed on my PC. But the game grabbed me by the collar and wouldn’t let go. Fundamentally, this game is just Castlevania Symphony of the Night under a different name. So, it’s not like it’s even turning the gaming world on its head with anything new. But at a time when the gaming world offers so much overwhelming variety for me to choose from, Bloodstained asserted itself as something worthy of my time and attention. I was enthralled from beginning to end. I don’t expect everyone to agree, but this was a 10/10 game for me personally.
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Post by Ex on Sept 29, 2021 12:56:27 GMT -5
anayoGlad to see you came away from Bloodstained with such a high opinion. >this game is just Castlevania Symphony of the Night under a different name To an extent that is probably true, but have you previously beaten Symphony of the Night? I think Bloodstained owes just as much to Order of Ecclesia as it does SotN.
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Post by Sarge on Sept 29, 2021 13:45:23 GMT -5
Yeah, mechanically this took a lot from Ecclesia (or Dawn of Sorrow). But I think this was the closest I've seen to the spirit of SotN in some time - that completely batty (ha!) wild experimentation, throwing so many options at the player with tons of ways to break it wide open. Good stuff. I think I gave it a 9/10, and I suspect on a replay (especially on a more capable platform) that might even go higher. Despite being 30-ish hours, I never really got tired of it.
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Post by Xeogred on Sept 29, 2021 14:07:09 GMT -5
10/10! Whoa, hot dang anayo . Great review. I'm glad you highlighted the graphics/aesthetics a lot, because as someone that still favors simpler sprites for 2D games like this, I actually loved Bloodstained's style and wouldn't have wanted it any different. I agree with that green lab area being a weaker environment though. I always like the extravagant royal temple areas or libraries in Castlevania's and this one. I know somewhere in the NE area of this castle it had some awesome gold rooms that were gorgeous. And yeah, this was by far one of the most addicting games I've played in recent years. I put in 16 hours in-game to 100% the map and I want to say I think that only took a few days, haha. Couldn't put it down. There's some other great 2D indie games out there, I'm sure some of us can throw out some recs if there's some you haven't hit up yet. Did you ever get around to Axiom Verge? I'd probably put Bloodstained above it though, but it was awesome for another modern Metroidvania. I'm stoked for Metroid Dread. I think it'll surely be even better than Samus Returns and for me, probably has potential to beat Zero Mission and Fusion. I shouldn't get too crazy there, but I think this could definitely be one of the best Metroid's in a long while... maybe since Prime perhaps.
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Post by Ex on Sept 29, 2021 14:23:34 GMT -5
I gave Bloodstained a 9/10. These were my stats/thoughts back in 2019: I would probably give OoE a 10/10, but I should do a replay to confirm that. SotN I'd give a 9.5/10 to. Everything's great about it, except for its complete lack of any difficulty.
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Post by anayo on Sept 29, 2021 16:21:41 GMT -5
I beat the final boss at the 20 hour mark, but I could have easily spent more time than that.
I came really in close in Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP but got stuck on the upside-down castle. I’ve since obtained a physical copy of SotN's Playstation version. I’ll take another crack at it if I ever get around to spending quality time with my Playstation library. I think it's worth it.
What elements do you think OoE brought to the series that other Castlevania entries hadn’t? I don’t remember SotN allowing you to commandeer monsters’ powers and use them to your advantage, but I definitely remember reading about that mechanic in an early 2000’s Nintendo Power Article about Aria of Sorrow.
Agreed. The part where I had to help invent photography and get a photo ID to board the vampire train was dumb in a “point and click adventure” kind of way. I had to look up what to do next online a lot. I guess why I rated Bloodstained so highly was because some ineffable quality made me want to keep going, even if it made me do obtuse bullshit. I was online researching where to go next and making detailed maps on my laptop so I could leave breadcrumb trails for myself. A lesser game would have never inspired me to go to all that trouble.
Agreed. It’s not like I compared the two side by side, but it sounded suspiciously like a rehash of SotN’s soundtrack.
Funny story about this game’s voice acting: at first the English dialog really got on my nerves. It was so overwrought and verbose. Then I remembered there was a Japanese voice option. I changed it to Japanese and suddenly their performances made 100% sense to me, because people talk that way in anime all the time. Even the sexiness of the female characters’ outfits seemed less out-of-place when I thought of the whole thing as an anime.
I know Bloodstained is NOT a revolutionary game. But in my personal world it deserves that rating. I play a lot of games. Many of them are just kind of like, “Yeah okay next game.” or, “Glad that one’s over with!” But not Bloodstained. It really stood out to me, even if fundamentally just does stuff we've seen before.
The visuals reminded me of Street Fighter IV. Maybe not as extravagant as that, but it just did such a commendable job of turning a 2D sprite based game into 3D polygons without making it lose its soul.
I hope so. For some reason the screenshots and clips of Metroid Dread aren’t really doing it for me, although I really want to be proven wrong.
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Post by Sarge on Sept 29, 2021 16:36:06 GMT -5
The photo ID/train thing was definitely the most unintuitive part. I had some other spots where I had to keep exploring, but I've got lots of Igavania experience under the belt, so some of the weird junk made sense in its own way.
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Post by Xeogred on Sept 29, 2021 18:53:45 GMT -5
I recall that and something about, a weird corner/spikes/upside down stuff where I was stuck for a bit. Igavania fans know the feeling. lol, but yeah I generally get through these way easier and faster than most too.
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Post by Ex on Sept 29, 2021 20:40:28 GMT -5
What elements do you think OoE brought to the series that other Castlevania entries hadn’t? In the realm of the "Igavanias":Female lead protagonist (remember OoE released in 2008). You don't use traditional weapons, rather the "Glyph" combat system. Glyph symbols acquired by defeating enemies or completing challenges. Three glyphs can be equipped to Shanoa's arms and back, providing special powers and skills. The player can use the Glyph Union technique, which combines Glyphs for new capabilities. Some puzzles require Glyphs to solve. There are 20 different locations with an overworld map to move between them. You aren't confined to one big area. NPCs give out optional side quests, offering many rewards. You have to seek out and rescue villagers, which fill up the game's central village as NPCs upon rescue. Villagers offer side quests. This game is legitimately challenging. I'd say the most challenging of all the Igavanias, aside from the final boss of Circle of the Moon. Order of Ecclesia is the first canonical game in which the Vampire Killer whip doesn't appear (you use Glyphs as weapons). If played via local Wi-Fi and wireless there is a shop feature, allowing you to select a cat salesman to sell any extra items you have, as well as browsing items that other players' cat salesmen have available.
There's more unique stuff, but I don't want to ruin all the surprises, in case you ever get around to playing/emulating this amazing, outstanding game.
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