A new update for Ritual of the Night dropped just days after I beat it. Let's take a look. BACKGROUND:
I was greeted one morning with a new trailer for Bloodstained's latest content update. One of the additions was an extra area for the main game, but the one that caught my eye is a brand new Classic Mode. In case you haven't read it yet, here are my thoughts on the main game. WHAT'S NEW: Classic Mode is Ritual of the Night's take on classic Castlevania. Though it retains the main game's art style, everything else is straight out of Castlevania 1. The UI elements are almost 1:1 with the original Castlevania, down to the boss life bar and the semi-pointless score counter. The music, while fully original, is chiptune, which is reminiscent of the NES days. Even stuff like the opening cinematic (which has Miriam do a take on the iconic "Simon stands in front of the castle gates" scene) and the stage transitions (which look almost exactly the same as the stage map in Castlevania 1) are straight out of the classics. If you think the homages end there, think again, because the gameplay itself is pretty much just Castlevania 1 with a brand new coat of paint. The platforming is just as tough as classic Castlevania: fixed jump arc, punishing knockback, pain-in-the-ass stairs, and a slow-ass whip. If you've never played the original Castlevania before, you will hate how this game controls. There are five stages in total, each split into sections and each culminating in a boss. The level design is just as much of a nightmate as Castlevania 1, with tricky jumps and calculated enemy placement. The enemies themselves are from Bloodstained, but a lot of their behaviors mirror that of classic Castlevania foes (e.g. there are clear analogues to Axe Armors and Medusa heads). Coupled with the old-school controls, they did not hold back in terms of difficulty. Like in classic Castlevania, you can acquire sub-weapons that use weapon energy (denoted in this game by blue roses as opposed to hearts), and all the weapons are equivalents of those in the originals. You have your dagger, a bone that functions like the axe, holy water, a Shard that stops time, and a boomerang. Again, if you've played Castlevania 1, this will be familiar to you. Classic Mode does add a few things in terms of movement options. You have access to your backstep from the main game, a midair backflip that you can use to get up to higher places (but will more likely get you killed), and the slide (which isn't all that useful). I can see specific situations where these can be helpful, but since I've played Castlevania 1 before, I didn't find much use for them. And just like the games of old, you can find secrets by breaking sections of a level. Yes, you have wall chicken (sort of). VERDICT: Bloodstained's Classic Mode is a faithful homage to classic Castlevania, but it does little new apart from a few extraneous movement options, retaining Ritual of the Night's art style, and somewhat different level designs and aesthetics. It's a good way to experience the rage-inducing games of old for free if you own Ritual of the Night, but I would just recommend actually playing Castlevania 1 if you want the definitive experience. Or if you want something that plays like classic Castlevania but still feels fresh in terms of gameplay, look no further to Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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