Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

I just finished Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and since a new entry in the series was just announced at Tokyo Game Show, here's my recommendation: if you want a metroidvania platformer that truly honors the classic Castlevania games, this is your game. It hooks you from the start, with a simple but well-told story, vampiric creatures, ancestral mansions and plenty of secrets to uncover.

Story

Miriam, the protagonist, was taken by alchemists and carries a kind of magic crystals with demonic powers. After a ritual in which she was supposed to be sacrificed, she falls into a deep sleep that lasts ten years, and when she wakes up she has amnesia (a classic of the genre). She sets out to find Gebel, her friend, who also survived the sacrifice, only to discover he's turned into a full-on villain. That's how the adventure kicks off.

Gameplay and exploration

Like every game in the genre, throughout the adventure you'll gain powers that unlock new areas or ones you couldn't reach before, so if you want to 100% it you'll be backtracking through the castle more than once. Don't let that discourage you though — getting around is pretty simple thanks to the magic mirrors you'll find in each section.

The game blends old-school elements with modern design to create an atmosphere very close to the classic vampire settings we already know. It looks great with its 2.5D graphics, and the music is on another level — it pulls you right into the gothic atmosphere as you explore every corner.

Enemies

They're quite varied: each area has its own, and they get tougher as you progress. The one thing that didn't quite click for me is that sometimes the variety feels a bit too inconsistent — you go from a giant rottweiler head or a huge horned cat to a fire-breathing dragon or a girl playing guitar in the very next scene. On top of that, you'll run into stronger versions of those same enemies, with more attacks, later in the story.

Weapons and crystals

The weapons are just as varied, and so are the outfits, but honestly, mastering one or two weapons is more than enough — the flying edge was the best one for me through the entire first half of the game.

Crystals drop from enemies when you defeat them, and they're basically the game's magic. Beyond the ones you need to get past specific sections, I didn't find much use for the rest; they give a minor edge here and there, except for the companion crystal (which summons a creature to fight by your side), which is genuinely useful in some spots.

Length

Finishing it takes around 15 hours, but it has a lot of secret hideouts you'll keep discovering as the story goes — it took me about 20 hours and I still didn't hit 100%. On top of that, it gets even longer once you finish the story as Miriam and get one of the endings: that's when other playable characters unlock, like Zangetsu, Bloodless and Aurora (the protagonist from Child of Light).

⚠️ Spoiler: there's only one "true" ending. You can finish the story much earlier through what's meant to be the bad ending, but I wouldn't recommend it — don't kill Gebel if you want the true ending.

Verdict

To me, this is a very enjoyable game, with a length that feels just right — it never drags on nor feels too short. With all the essence of old Konami intact, it's a true spiritual successor to the series. I can't wait for the new entry to see how they improve on it even more.