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It looks like I’ll be pushing my Top 5 Octoberween Game Titles of 2019 a little late again. Life has a way of making things difficult. One day I’ll be able to get these kinds of blogs out much sooner but till then let’s get to my choices. As before I try to find games that are not exactly fully price or possible hidden gems, so they can make anyone’s budget for some great non-mainstream gaming goodness. Enjoy!

I have a confession to make. I love me some Castlevania. It’s no surprise that I’ve come to enjoy the series overall as time has passed since its creation. It’s been one of my main staples in gaming when it comes to my enjoyment of the Octoberween season. It’s the perfect melding of action platforming and gothic horror themes. It’s not survival horror and its game genres have changed over the course of its inception but at its core all the games in the series have been worthy to be called Castlevania. From the induction of the “metroidvania” style of gameplay, to its 3D outings, to the lesser loved games that have been removed from the franchise timeline I’ve come to enjoy them all. It’s not a shock to myself when I end up choosing at least one of the games from the Castlevania timeline as an Octoberween Games Title pick for any given year. Last year alone I ended up choosing a digital re-release of two games from the series. If you happen to check out prior blog entries into my Top 5 and before it Top 11, Castlevania has been a mainstay.

Regardless of this though, and despite the huge catalog of games to choose from, any future entries in the series seems to be a thing of the past with Konami deciding to no long take producing video games seriously. The most recent Metal Gear and Contra games as of this writing should be confirmation of this…

So what’s a gamer to do when it comes to wanting that “castlevania” balance of style and gameplay for the modern era? Sure I could replay some of the older games or indulge in some re-releases of the franchise that have become available this year. But to expect something new for the series would be expecting too much out of life, unless I’m into foreign gambling machines that is.

It looks like I’ll have to look elsewhere to have my action adventure platforming itch scratched. Depending on your mindset that might be harder to satisfy though. It’s hard to find a game that mixes the horror theme stylings, spooky music themes and compelling storylines found in hunting down creatures of the night. Some games may have some of the elements mentioned but not all yet thankfully we do have a contender to the thrown that could continue the legacy, in spirit at least, in what made castlevania great. In fact we have two games that could fit this bill this time around. In the end though I had to pick only one of them despite me being able to play both of these games this year. Sure I may get to enjoy both of them this year but I felt I had to pick only one of them for my Top 5 Octoberween Game Title picks for this year. So with my choice made allow me to speak of the greatness that is Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon for the PS4/Xbox One/PS Vita/PSTV.

 

Offered as a stretch goal offering for the successful Kickstarter campaign for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a considered spiritual successor to Castlevania seeing that the former series producer Koji Igarashi is behind these games, Curse of the Moon is an 8 bit inspired prequel to Ritual of the Night that captures the essence of one of the best 8 bit Castlevania games for the time; Castlevania III. From the moment you start up the game and see/hear the title screen boot up you know you’re in for a retro treat. If you haven’t guessed I’m a huge fan of the Castlevania series, especially the classic retro offerings of the series. I’d play these games whenever I could during prior Octoberween nights when I was younger. It would consist of me renting any given title I could from the local or area video store for as long as I could. I can still recall those long nights after watching a scary movie of me popping in one of the older (8-bit) or at the time newer (16-bit) Castlevania titles that I was able to get ahold of. Allowing the game to pull me in with its setting, music, themes and gameplay. It might seem simplistic at the time but for me this was horror gaming immersion as its best. Why do I mention this again you may ask? This is mostly due to the fact that I got the exact same feeling when I played Bloodstained: Curse of the Night for the first time. The game is faithfully portrayed as a retro castlevania title but with updated visuals that would make any 8-bit/16-bit system jealous. Its updated 2D goodness fits very well with the game’s setting as you play Zangetsu, a swordsman who seeks revenge against demon kind for the curse that was placed on him by one of their own. As you travel the levels similar to what was done in Castlevania III you’ll run into other characters who you can either kill, ignore or befriend on your quest to end the big baddie at the end of the game.

Gameplay wise it’s basically and updated version of Castlevania III. You control the player characters as you fight your way through the level, finding branching paths within the level that either make traversing the level easier or harder for you depending on which character you have/choose at that time. The enemies found in the game practically similar enemy times you’d find any retro castlevania title. They’ll have similar attack patterns and almost look like classic foes without being too bluntly obvious.  For all intents and purposes this is basically Koji Igarashi’s version of Castlevania III if he had the chance to make it back then, which is saying something given that his sequel game Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is again considered the spiritual successor to Castlevania.

The only differences is how the game functions given the use of modern technology. The game has layers parallax scrolling that no game back then had the capabilities to do. I swear that when I play this game on my PS Vita, the graphics are created in a way to give the feeling of 3D depth within the 2D space, as if certain levels pop out of the screen if it were on a Nintendo 3DS’s 3D screen slider. I really don’t notice it that much when I play the game on my PSTV, PS4 or Xbox One though. Choosing other characters in game is a lot quicker as well with just a press of either the left or right triggers on the controller. No pressing on the select button and waiting a few seconds for the game to cycle to your back up character. As for the characters they play just like you’d expect if you’ve played certain 8 bit titles from the bygone age. Miriam is basically a Belmont replacement with her whip attacks, Alfred is the physically weak but powerful spell caster, and Gebel being your discount Alucard. I’ve heard that some try to compare Zangetsu the swordsman to Grant Dynasty the pirate but I felt that Zangetsu played more like Ryu Hayabusa from the NES Ninja Gaiden games, with his abilities to use various sub-weapon attacks that felt more ninja based than Belmont. Zangetsu may feel out of place at first but depending on how you play/approach the game you’ll come to understand why his move set is what it is.

Gameplay mimics just like what you’d remember if you’ve played a tough as nails 2D platform game with some exceptions. There is an actual casual mode that removes the challenging (some call cheap) knock back damage that one receives if hit/attacked by an enemy. It’s a nice mode to include to help newbies get theirs bearings on how games like these played back in the day or if one wants to see what the story has to offer in game without much getting in the way of that. But if you’re a veteran to these kinds of games there is a mode for you to that is also called “veteran”. Coupled with 3 different game difficulties to try, I myself only able to unlock 2 of the 3 as of this writing, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is versatile enough to fit anyone’s game type.

The story itself is a bit lackluster given it’s only meant to be prequel to Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. It doesn’t offer much in the means of meaty, grand story arcs but it does offer enough to give you an introduction to the world of Bloodstained so that you’ll be ready for what’s to come later. If anything the game does feel a bit short by modern gamer standards. You’re given 8 levels to play through with very little of variety in how to tackle these levels. You can’ exactly change the order in how to approach these levels or find different paths to said levels but the branching paths within each of the levels help to give some variety as mentioned above, depending what character you have at the time depending if you haven’t lost them to an ill-fated jump or loss of life. But even there the game has you covered with the “Curse of the Moon” feature in game. It’s basically an over glorified rewind button that allows you to replay a prior level if you feel you can do better or want to try out a different path. I myself didn’t feel much need to use the feature given my multiple save files and the game giving you extra lives like its Halloween candy. That or I’m just that awesome playing the game on nightmare mode.

The replay value for Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is very high depending on how you play the game. Depending if you ally/ignore/kill Miriam, Alfred, and Gebel during your gameplay, you’ll be given different endings to the game that’ll choose the fate of Zangetsu or give you a chance to change his fate with a replay of the game’s levels similar to Capcom’s classic Ghost n’ Goblins games minus the “haha not real Satan taunt”. I’m still trying to figure out how to unlock the third play difficult despite allying/killing Miriam, Alfred, and Gebel in my normal and nightmare difficulties. I’m hoping playing the game ignoring my allies will help to unlock it. If not there’s always the internet to show me how to do it?

The music to this game fits the mood perfectly for a title like Bloodstained. It has the same ambient tunes and gothic tones that feel like they could’ve been left over tracks from other Castlevania titles. While none of them sound exactly like songs you’d find in Koji Igarashi’s prior involvements, they fit well with what he’s trying to convey with his spiritual successor creation. Its music I can’t wait to hear being remade/remixed in the future.

Overall this game is an excellent replacement for a series that is now laying dormant, or worse being used for gambling machines and mobile phone titles. Though this game was released on a variety of systems, I found myself buying Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon for both PS4 and PS Vita which came with PSTV compatibility. I bought them separately and regretted nothing in doing such, more so when I ended up getting the game free on Xbox One thanks to Microsoft’s Games with Gold program. Yet despite having the ability to play Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon on consoles I found myself playing the game more on my PS Vita given my current lifestyle of less time being dedicated toward games, choosing to use what time I have to play on my handhelds between work/home life. It makes me understand why some would want to have this game for the Nintendo Switch. Give it time I just might end up getting this game on 3DS later on.

If you want a taste of what old skool retro 2D Castlevania gaming was like but want a shiny new coat of paint with a spiritual successor to the franchise then you can’t go wrong with Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. It’s an excellent example of what 2D gaming could be like now given the advances with technology and what can be done with a new IP that isn’t shackled down to a prior creation yet pays enough homage toward the fallen that it’ll make any old skool fan feel like a kid again. It’s short enough to not take up a lot of your time toward other Octoberween gaming activities and helps to introduce you to a new gothic world that doesn’t need an old vampire to be spooky. Given that the game was released earlier this year it’s not exactly cheap at $9.99 if you were not lucky enough to get it as a backer reward title, or worse try to buy a physical copy from Limited Run Games. But as digital titles go that’s not too shabby. I was only able to get the PS4/PS Vita versions due to using a 50% off code during check out at that the time. It would’ve been nice if Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon was a Playstation Cross Buy purchase but given it’s going toward a studio that made Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, I’m more than happy to play a little extra. Now does this mean I’ll end up playing Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night as well this year given that it’s on Xbox Game Pass? We shall have to see….

My Top 5 Octoberween Game Titles for 2019

5) Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon – Price: $15.99 from PS4 and PS Vita version for me with 50% off code at check out. Free with Microsoft’s Games with Gold program on Xbox One.

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