Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 is a platform video game developed and published by Inti Creates. It was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on July 10, 2020. It is the sequel to Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and a spin-off of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. The game's graphics and gameplay are done in an 8-bit retro style meant to mimic the early Castlevania games. The game received largely positive reviews from critics praising the game's visuals and gameplay, although some criticism was directed towards the game for overly restrictive design stemming from its retro inspirations.

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2
Developer(s)Inti Creates
Publisher(s)Inti Creates
Director(s)Hiroki Miyazawa
Producer(s)Koji Igarashi
Takuya Aizu
SeriesBloodstained
Platform(s)
ReleaseJuly 10, 2020
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Plot

"Episode 1: The Demon's Crown"

After the events of Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, Dominique, an exorcist of the church finds out about a mysterious tower that is summoning a demon castle. She sends the demon hunter Zangetsu to stop this invasion. On his way from the tower to the castle, Zangetsu teams up with Dominique, who wields a spear, the rifle-wielding Robert, and Hachi, a corgi piloting a steampunk mech.[1] Zangetsu also obtains a powerful sword called the Soul Eraser.

After they defeat the final boss, it tries to consume the entire party, but is stopped by Dominique who becomes possessed while the others escape.

"Episode 2: Unbreakable Bonds"

The remaining party members Zangetsu, Robert, and Hachi vow to rescue Dominique. On their way back to the castle, Zangetsu may equip the Zanmatou, a sword that is less powerful than the Soul Eraser, but does not harm righteous beings even if used on them.

Near the location of the previous episode's final battle, the party encounters Mephisto, a demon that stores Dominique inside its own body. If the Zanmatou is equipped, Zangetsu ends the ensuing battle by cleaving Mephisto in half, saving Dominique. If the Soul Eraser is equipped, Zangetsu prepares to do the same, but changes his mind at the last minute to avoid killing Dominique as well. The former end leads directly to the Final Episode; the latter leaves Robert and Hachi severely wounded and leads to Episode EX.

Gameplay

The player must traverse various levels using Zangetsu, and later, a selection of other characters, each with their own abilities and subweapons. The game consists of multiple chapters, each of which requires the player to replay the stages in different ways. The game has two difficulty levels. In Veteran, players have a limited number of continues if they are defeated, and enemy damage can knock a character back (potentially into more damage, or worse, an instant death pit), similar to classic NES games. In Casual, the player can retry from the last checkpoint endlessly if required, enemies do not knockback the character, and the characters take less damage and have more skill points to use.[1]

Reception

The game received mostly positive reviews of 80/100 on Metacritic for the Windows version,[3] and 82/100 for the Switch version.[2]

Zachary Miller of Nintendo World Report rated the game 8/10, praising the game's level design, new characters, and how the game changes depending on the act, but criticizing it for having overly frustrating boss fights.[1] Steve Watts of GameSpot also rated the game 8/10, calling it a "classic Castlevania homage" and praising its fusion of "goofy humor" with "macabre imagery", but criticizing how it forces players to replay stages to achieve the true ending.[4] Bob Richardson of RPGFan rated the game 65/100, criticizing the game as a "huge step down" from its predecessor and having "stiff controls" that make the game "feel like a puzzle, not a platformer", ultimately concluding that, unlike games like Shovel Knight which drew inspiration from retro games, its developers "decided to make as authentic an experience as possible", which "serves only to frustrate".[5]

References
  1. Zachary Miller (2020-07-10). "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 Review - Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  2. "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  3. "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  4. Watts, Steve (2020-07-27). "Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon 2 Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  5. Richardson, Bob (2020-07-22). "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2". RPGFan. Emerald Shield Media. Archived from the original on 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
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