The road to getting Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night out of the door has been long, but it seems like the finish line may be drawing near. And to get there, Koji Igarashi’s team has recruited some talented, new assistance. Announced via a Kickstarter update earlier today, the team that includes Inti Creates, DICO, and Monobit now includes WayForward, the renowned western developer best known for the Shantae series.
The announcement comes from “IGA” himself, who states that with WayForward’s help, including someone on staff he has worked with in the past, Bloodstained will “become an even better game.” WayForward is helping the team finish the game, making improvements and fixing bugs. IGA notes that one bug in particular is causing a full crash, so that’s the current priority.
With respect to a release date, IGA states that the situation has not changed, meaning there will be a date when one is ready. But with WayForward, getting to that point is much closer to a reality.
As part of the update, a new enemy called Cyhyreath has been revealed as a little bonus. you can see the concept art above. This enemy starts crouched on the floor, but when the player approaches it attacks by flying around and shrieking. That definitely sounds like something you’d come across in an “Igavania” game.
[Source: Kickstarter]
Ranking Castlevania
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Castlevania 30th Anniversary — PlayStation Games Ranked
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Haunted Castle (2006)
Originally released in arcades, Haunted Castle never made its way to North America.The good news is that fans didn't really miss out on much, as the game is so ridiculously tough that it becomes a chore to play. In 2006, the arcade title (which plays like classic Castlevania games) was ported to PlayStation 2 by Hamster, who are now bringing it to PS4 via their Arcade Archives series. -
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (2003)
Lament of Innocence was the series' first entry on PlayStation 2, and instead of building upon Symphony of the Night's success, Konami decided to try yet again at creating a 3D action game. It turned out being a rather okay, yet repetitive, action title that isn't anything special. It's not bad, there is just so little to recommend about Lament of Innocence or any reason to really play it in 2016. -
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (2005)
The same can be said for the 2005 follow-up Curse of Darkness. While there is definitely some novelty of seeing the world of Castlevania be represented in a 3D space, these just aren't good action games. They can't compare to titles like God of War or Devil May Cry, and instead were middle of the road games that offered little for anyone who wasn't already a huge Castlevania fan. -
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2014)
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 was supposed to be the grand follow-up to 2010's shockingly good Lords of Shadow. Instead, MercurySteam offered up a disappointing sequel that seemed to have lost the magic that the original had. Boring enemy design, terrible stealth sequences, and a disappointing modern day city made for a sequel that wasn't as good as what it was trying to improve upon. -
Castlevania Chronicles (2001)
Released for the original PlayStation in 2001, Castlevania Chronicles is a remake of a 1993 PC title that was only released in Japan. It's a solid action game (although very disappointing considering it was released after Symphony of the Night). What's really cool is that it also serves as a historical release, as it not only has the remake with added features, but also includes the unaltered original title. -
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (2011)
Multiplayer Castlevania seems like an awesome idea, but sadly Harmony of Despair showed that it was one that was easily screwed up. Instead of building upon Koji Igarashi's successful formula, the 2D title had a loot grind instead of leveling up mechanics. This really hurt the game's overall potential, but there's still some fun to be had here. -
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate HD (2013)
Originally released on Nintendo 3DS, Mirror of Fate is a 2D Castlevania game taking place between the two Lords of Shadow titles. It's not nearly as good as its handheld predecessors, but some fantastic combat (it's shocking how well it works) makes this an enjoyable title nonetheless. It also features a solid story that shows off several different Belmonts, and really sets the scene for Lords of Shadow 2. -
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (2007)
Released on the PSP in 2007, The Dracula X Chronicles is a remake and port of the 1993 PC Engine title Rondo of Blood. It's a damn good Castlevania game, and well worth playing for anyone who prefers the classic style of Castlevania games. It even includes Symphony of the Night as a bonus (although I'm only counting Rondo of Blood for the purpose of this list), so it really was a portable tour de force. -
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (2010)
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was the first 3D Castlevania game to actually be good. Developer MercurySteam created a fun, violent action game that featured some of the best storytelling in the entire series, and it all paid off due to the game's phenomenal ending. While it never became the successful spin-off series that fans hope it would be, Lords of Shadow can still be remembered as a mighty good time, and more tragically a tale of what could've been. -
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)
Considering what else has been brought to PlayStation consoles, Symphony of the Night was an easy choice for the top spot. Considering how good the 2D PlayStation title is, it's pretty disappointing to see that it was never properly followed up on PlayStation systems (as the GBA got all of the great games). In 1997, Symphony of the Night offered up something new to the Castlevania formula by adding Metroid-style exploration and RPG elements into the mix, and it created something so special that it's still a blast almost 20 years later. Play this game.
