I finished Bloodstained’s Classic Mode. A nice little homage to the original Castlevania.
Last year, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night included a new update featuring Classic Mode. Developed by WayForward, this throwback 2D platforming mode features the visuals of the main Bloodstained title but the 2D controls of a classic Castlevania title. That is to say it plays similarly to the NES Castlevania titles and the 16-bit entries like Rondo of Blood and Bloodlines.
Unlike the 8-bit spin-off series, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, you also don’t switch characters or explore multiple routes. It’s a straight-up throwback to the 1986 title Castlevania but with some influences from other titles such as the backflip and slide-kick from Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night.
You get around half a dozen stages and they take cues from the original Castlevania title. The penultimate title features two layers in the first room while the last room has Axe Armor and Medusa Heads flying at you. Then you’ll fight a boss equivalent to Death who summons sickles at you. Only in this fight, he’s far easier than Death was.
The final stage even has a bridge with flying enemies dropping Fleamen on you. However, instead of dealing with a gear tower, you go straight to the stairs to fight Gebel who represents Dracula in this game. Only instead of transforming into a giant bat demon, the last phase of the boss fight takes a surprising twist instead.
In some ways, I found it more challenging than NES Castlevania. Perhaps that was due to my stage unfamiliarity. However, I found some deaths unfair such as platforms not being as wide as they appeared to be. As such, I would undershoot my jump and end up dying or falling a long distance. This was the only flaw I felt hindered the experience.
The parallels between Classic Mode and Castlevania astonished me, though. The bone tower enemies that shot fireballs took six hits to kill just like in Castlevania. Same for the bone dragon snakes that lurked atop the walls. It honestly felt like I was playing NES Castlevania but with redone visuals and a new chiptune soundtrack. I can’t say it really added anything to the formula. But it served as a suitable love letter to veteran 2D platforming fans who simply wanted a challenge.
Finally, I was shocked to learn that this was developed by WayForward and not Inti Creates, the latter who developed the Curse of the Moon spinoff series. WayForward is no stranger to retro games having developed sequels to old-school favorites like Contra 4 and River City Girls. But they’re perhaps known for the charming and successful Metroidvania series, Shantae! Seeing WayForward try their own hand at an authentic Castlevania experience lead by Bloodstained creator Koji Igarashi himself must feel like a true honor!
Anyway, now that’s done and underway, I can return to my backlog again. I’ve had enough of a challenge to feel compelled to try Hard Mode or 1986 mode. I might finish Zangetsu mode at some point. However, I would be quite invested if they announced a Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night sequel. Let’s hope ArtPlay develops one in the next few years!
