Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

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Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
Single-player

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a 2018

8-bit aesthetic and gameplay style similar to Castlevania games on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), particularly Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
(1989).

The game was developed in six months, revealed at a Japanese indie game festival, and released two weeks later. Critics found the game a satisfying homage to Castlevania III. Some felt the game adhered too closely to its inspiration, while others praised new options and game modes for adding a modern feel. The game was found to be short albeit fulfilling for its purpose as a prelude to Ritual of the Night. A sequel, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2, featuring Zangetsu and three new additional characters, was released in July 2020.

Gameplay

Zangetsu approaches an enemy

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a 2D side-scrolling

lives and the player character is knocked back when hit by an enemy, characteristic of classic Castlevania gameplay.[4] There is also a boss rush mode, and other options to increase game difficulty.[5]

Plot

The story follows Zangetsu, a swordsman searching for revenge upon the demons who magically cursed him. He feels the presence of a great demon, and swears to kill all demons he can find as he quests across the areas of Curse of the Moon. During his search he encounters Miriam, Alfred, and Gebel. Based on how the protagonist treats the other travelers, the ending changes. In all paths, he fights the archdemon Gremory in the final stage. If Zangetsu allies with all three potential party members, Gremory's final attack on the party is blocked by him, who absorbs the dark power and becomes corrupted. Miriam, Alfred, and Gebel manage to escape the castle, but are not able to forget about Zangetsu who was left behind. If the protagonist ignores all three potential party members and travels alone, then the three of them arrive to block Gremory's final attack, sacrificing themselves and saving the main character. If Zangetsu mixes recruiting, ignoring, and killing the others, then he (and any allies) will leave the castle and watch as it crumbles with the sunrise, but the swordsman is not freed from his curse. If Zangetsu chooses to kill the other three and absorb their power he will absorb Gremory's dark energy attack and become the new dark emperor.

In "Nightmare" mode, unlocked if the player defeats the game while recruiting all three potential allies, Miriam, Alfred, and Gebel travel back to the castle to defeat the corrupted Zangetsu, who is that mode's final enemy. The three kill the emperor and free his soul from the curse of the moon.

Development

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a companion title to the larger

E3 trade fair. Inti Creates eventually dropped out of Ritual of the Night development and began working on Curse of the Moon in earnest in late 2017.[6]

The game's overall gameplay and artistic design was primarily managed by Inti Creates, with Igarashi only giving some scenario and setting oversight to ensure a connection to Ritual of the Night.

8-bit Castlevania games.[6] They added gameplay elements and features that would have been impossible on 8-bit hardware.[6] Aizu believes that players remember 8-bit games looking better in their memories, and so implemented advanced visual effects that would not have been possible on 8-bit hardware to give players what they expect.[6] This includes very large sprites and more parallax scrolling than possible on the system.[2] To keep the story interesting, Zangetsu was made the main character instead of Miriam who stars in Ritual of the Night, and the timeline was set 10 years in the past.[10] The game was developed in about six months.[6] Although originally planned to be a prequel, Aizu believes the game grew into more of a spin-off.[6]

Release

Inti Creates revealed Curse of the Moon on May 12, 2018, at BitSummit, an annual

Games with Gold.[14][15] Limited Run Games released physical versions for the Switch, PlayStation 4 and Vita on March 15, 2019, alongside a more expensive Limited Collector's Edition.[16]

Reception

Critics found Curse of the Moon appealing as a tribute to Castlevania games on the NES and believed players who enjoyed those games would enjoy the former.[1][24][4] In particular, they believed the game was an homage to Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse because of its branching pathways and multiple playable characters.[1][21][25] IGN wrote that the game "treads a thin line between homage and outright theft" and believed the game was a successful tribute, perhaps done "a little too accurately for its own good."[1] The A.V. Club agreed, writing that Inti Creates successfully borrowed Castlevania III concepts and characters but tweaked them "into a form that feels both familiar and modern." They called it a "throwback" to the "moody, trollishly difficult" NES games.[24]

Nintendo Life wrote that the game stayed closely accurate to the gameplay of the 8-bit Castlevania games, for better or worse.[23][5] PC Gamer contrasted the game to how Shovel Knight built upon the foundations of classic games, writing that Curse of the Moon "merely walk[s] in the footsteps of those 8-bit favourites [...] those with the deepest affection for retro games are the most likely to find it just a touch too familiar."[23] Graphics wise, critics believed the game was successful at pulling off an 8-bit graphical appearance, though others found inconsistencies.[1][25] IGN and Nintendo World Report argued that some bosses did not appear to fit the aesthetic.[1][4] Hardcore Gamer called it "one of the finest 8-bit inspired games on the market."[14]

Journalists believed Curse of the Moon successfully reproduced the feel of the original Castlevania games while also sporting a more modern feel with faster, less rigid movement, and more forgiving gameplay.[1][25][23] Game Informer felt the game's adherence to old gaming tropes, such as slow attacks speed and cheap deaths, weakened the experience.[3] The game's variety of options and difficulties was commended as appealing to all types of players looking for both vintage and modern gameplay experiences.[24][23] Some journalists liked how the variety of characters lent more depth to the gameplay and replay value.[1][3][5][2] Critics felt the game was short, but still fulfilling in its purpose as a companion title and prelude to Ritual of the Night.[1][3][5]

Sales

Within a week of availability, Curse of the Moon sold more than 100,000 copies, with 56% of sales being on the Switch. Almost two-thirds of all platform sales came from North America.[26] By 2020, the game had sold over 600,000 copies, with still more than half of sales for the Switch.[27]

Sequel

Main article: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2

A sequel, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 was announced in June 2020 as part of the New Game Plus Expo, and released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, on July 10, 2020. Zangetsu is still the main player-character, but Curse of the Moon 2 introduces three new companions that can be swapped as in the first game: Dominique, who uses spears; Robert, who uses guns; and Hachi, a

corgi who pilots a robot. The sequel maintains the original's multiple difficulty options with both a Casual mode and a Veteran mode available.[28][29]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Parish, Jeremy (May 30, 2018). "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Review". IGN. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Nickel, Thomas (July 12, 2018). "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon – im Test (Switch)". MANIAC.de (in German). Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e Reeves, Ben (June 1, 2018). "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Review – Lukewarm Blooded Homage". Game Informer. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Miller, Zachary (May 30, 2018). "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Review - Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e Miller, Simon (May 31, 2018). "Review: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Parish, Jeremy (May 16, 2018). "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Could Turn out to Be the Best Modern Castlevania Game". USgamer. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  7. ^ Kaathoven, Jace Van (May 15, 2018). "Making Old Games in Modern Times: Interview with Takuya Aizu". The Indie Game Website. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  8. ^ Filippidis, K (May 13, 2018). "'Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon' summons 8-bit 'Castlevania' charm". Engadget. Archived from the original on May 19, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Wales, Matt (May 12, 2018). "Inti Creates reveals 8-bit Castlevania-a-like Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on May 12, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  10. ^ a b c "IGA氏直撃インタビュー！『Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon』や今後の展開について訊いた―Kickstarter秘話も【Bitsummit Vol.6】". Inside (in Japanese). May 17, 2018. Archived from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  11. ^ "IGA氏監修の8bit風アクション『Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon』プレイレポ―この手触り、まさにFC『悪魔城』！【BitSummit Vol.6】". Game*Spark (in Japanese). May 12, 2018. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  12. ^ Gilyadov, Alex (May 24, 2018). "NES Castlevania Lookalike Out Today: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon". IGN. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  13. ^ "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon delayed to May 31 for 3DS in Europe, June 6 for Xbox One worldwide". Gematsu. May 23, 2018. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Peeples, Jeremy (January 29, 2019). "February 2019 Xbox Live Games With Gold Announced". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  15. ^ Minotti, Mike (January 29, 2019). "February 2019 Xbox Games with Gold — Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and Assassin's Creed: Rogue". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  16. ^ Peeples, Jeremy (March 7, 2019). "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Getting Limited Run Release on March 15". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  17. CBS Interactive. Archived
    from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  18. CBS Interactive. Archived
    from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  19. CBS Interactive. Archived
    from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  20. CBS Interactive. Archived
    from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  21. ^ a b Carter, Chris (May 25, 2018). "Review: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon". Destructoid. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  22. ^ "IGA X インティ・クリエイツによる『Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon』レビュー". IGN Japan (in Japanese). June 7, 2018. Archived from the original on June 11, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  23. ^ a b c d e Schilling, Chris (June 4, 2018). "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon review". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  24. ^ a b c Gerardi, Matt (June 5, 2018). "Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon is a brilliant ode to one of Castlevania's best". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018.
  25. ^ a b c Watts, Steve (May 26, 2018). "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Is A Reverent, Clever Treat". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  26. ^ Handrahan, Matthew (June 7, 2018). "Half of Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon's week one sales were on Switch". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  27. ^ "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 1 has sold over 600,000 copies, more than 50% on Switch". NintendoEverything.com. October 4, 2020. Archived from the original on October 11, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  28. Siliconera. Archived
    from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  29. ^ "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 launches July 10". Gematsu. June 27, 2020. Archived from the original on December 24, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.

External links

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