Castlevania hasn’t had a new game in…forever. In these dark times Bloodstained Ritual of the Night along with the Bloodstained series (The Curse of the Moon games) is here to fill that void. Created by the ex Producer and Senario Writer of the Castlevania series, Koji Igarashi, this Gothic Horror Metroidvania Spiritual Successor is one that Castlevania fans should know. In this video I take a deep dive into the Legacy of Bloodstained so far, its history and development along with how is succeeds Castlevania in almost every way but name. Had so much fun making this one I hope you all enjoy!
Chapters:
0:00 Spiritual Successors
1:26 The Bloodstained Series Takes Charge!
2:48 Succeeding Igavania
4:15 Avenging Castlevania
6:04 Succeeding Classicvania
7:27 Striving Legacy
9:07 Dawn of Reflection
#RitualoftheNight #Castlevania #Metroidvania #CurseoftheMoon #kojiigarashi
I post updates about new videos and progress on my Instagram, also just memes and whatever I’m interested in. Consider following! https://www.instagram.com/bigoggabogga/
Tracklist in order of Appearance:
Theme of Amaterasu – Marvel vs Capcom 3
Dragon Canyon – Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Slash – Castlevania The Dracula X Chronicles
EG Control Room – Shadow the Hedgehog
Juste Belmont Successor of Fate (Arranged Version) by Geoffrey Gunn
Simple Rating (Theme of Karin) – Street Fighter Alpha 3
Mighty No. 9 Main Theme
Lurk – Melty Blood Actress Again
Footage Used:
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night – Gameplay Trailer – Nintendo Switch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziyxCRvqeIg&list=LL&index=55
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night – Release Date Trailer | PS4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d79KArgmgcc&list=LL&index=54
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 – Launch Trailer – Nintendo Switch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn0Dt76gJas&list=LL&index=52
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Trailer – Nintendo Switch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1ywb6cQWQ8&list=LL&index=51
Axiom Verge – Launch Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_n8IyHE3og&list=LL&index=49
Infernax
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js2BELOER38&list=LL&index=46
Bayonetta 2 (All Cutscenes) & DMC 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1SQPqt96hk&list=LL&index=44
Hollow Knight – Release Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAO2urG23S4&list=LL&index=41
Kickstarter Development Update 3 for Ritual of the Night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLpMwEAiw7Q&list=LL&index=39
Dark Souls: Remastered
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Woe0PYZPxRw&list=LL&index=37
Gameplay Programming At Ubisoft
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNpxtl8KReg&list=LL&index=36
Super Metroid (SNES) – Full Game Metroid Dread
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB317FOcU0Y&list=LL&index=34
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes – Kickstarter Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RutrB3Jkf2g&list=LL&index=31
GBA – Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (Soma Cruz)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyKw8elT0v0&list=LL&index=25
Bloodstained Classic Mode
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqBxSmScpD0&list=LL&index=23
Crissaegrim Madness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPInFqUbt7M&list=LL&index=24
Castlevania (NES)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOTUVXrAOE8&list=LL&index=22
IGA Boss HARD Mode
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39s5Pqjpqgk&list=LL&index=19
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-03op_-pmdo&list=LL&index=15
Zangetsu mode & Bloodless Mode
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjn-skKyny8&list=LL&index=12
Castlevania Lords of Shadows 2 (E3 2012)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKsEPoJMuKY&list=LL&index=10
Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoC_SFRqrsg&list=LL&index=8
Castlevania III – Dracula’s Curse [All Paths] Trevor Belmont Sypha Belnades Alucard Grant Dynasty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMAOTdG5bII&list=LL&index=9
Dracula Roasts Richter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pc7GNnloSQ&list=LL&index=7
Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-x0HgqxdGk&list=LL&index=6
Kingdom Two Crowns: Dead Lands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOYDv0OjZ5c&list=LL&index=4
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night – Child of Light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2iexutUqIM&list=LL&index=3
Castlevania Portrait of Ruin , Dawn of Sorrow , Harmony of Dissonance , Symphony of the Night , Rondo of Blood , Super Castlevania , Grimoire of Souls , Vampire Killer , Dracula’s Curse , Dracula , Netflix , Lords of Shadow , Trevor Belmont , Harmony of Despair , Julius Belmont , Bloodlines , Simon’s Quest , Castlevania 64 , Bloodstained 2
source
Do you think Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night should have a different artstyle for the sequel?
I really wished konami would see how good bloodstained did and hire Iga one more time to make the 1999 castlevania game, at least to give us some closure. Oh, well. I hope the sequel gets announced soon. I believe it will go the route of castlevania 3/ ecclesia, going through different external routes until finally getting to the castle.
Can't wait for bloodstained 1999
Hachi is dracula confirmed
I've seriously considered getting the game, but since I only have a switch its been a tough decision
Well… I don’t have much words other than Curse of the Moon being a good evolution and spiritual successor to the classicvania format… though I have no clue how they’re going to continue the story after our main man cut the moon in half
Ritual of the Night um… how do I say this?… it feels like the game tries to experiment and expand upon Symphony of the Night and Dawn of Sorrow… but it also tries to play it safe? It’s a good game though I wish it didn’t try to be SOTN 2.0
Zangetsu always seemed to me like IGA's combination of Julius Belmont and Getsu Fuuma, even though Fuuma is not directly a Castlevania character, in aspects like his move-set (being like Fuuma's) and personality being like Julius' (I think? It's been a while since I've played RotN lol, so my memory is fuzzy on the events Zangetsu appeared in)
Man, great video, Bloodstained is amazing! I’ve been running randomizer with Miriam non stop, so much fun! And truth be told, I prefer Bloodstained to Castlevania. There, I said it.
I would certainly be happy to see Castlevania make a comeback, but in a way, I’m glad it seems to be dead for the time being, because that pushed IGA to make Bloodstained, free of the old continuity and its baggage. I love Castlevania and all its characters, but it’s nice to think we might be able to focus on the ongoing adventures of Miriam—especially as she continues to put appearances in other games.
Goodjob!
A crossover would be awesome, but we all know that will never happen.
Another Banger Video bro, they're always a blast to watch
3:13 what about portrait of ruins >:(
After playing each on their release dates it just felt like playing new CVs. My only problem, since I'm one of those lore weirdos, is the worldbuilding and lore. One of the things sticking me to CV is the overarching story, its deep lore that expects you to notice things between games and even make your own little headcanons. I can spend all day in CV's sorld and never get bored. Bloodstained's world and characters don't really do it for me.
Sure CV has the benefit of decades of games to have gradually built off of while BS has only three games atm, but booting up CV4 for the first time as a kid I was so intruigued by the simple "Belmont vs. Dracula" plot, imagining what the past games have depicted. Dracula is, off the bat no matter what, an iconic and threatening figure to have as a villain. In BS we have….. Gremory? ROTN's story is laid back and fun, does it's job, but the Curse games could've provided more weight to it if they stuck to the prequel route instead of becoming a seperate universe. I love the nuanced storytelling between Curse 1 and 2 but then I'm left thinking ROTN just kinda exists.
Not to sound dissapointed, I'm beyond satisfied and happy with BS as a series so far. Gameplay and style are up there, and like I said it just IS new Vania content. They took the term spiritual successor, tried to blur it into successor and it works for me. Just hope they take more worldbuilding into consideration for ROTN's sequel.
I personally would love to give Castlevania the much-needed revival that it’s been needing and deserving. I’d put as much love and attention as IGA and every other brilliant writer did, if not more.
I'm hoping for a more revolutionary sequel to ROTN. Now that Igavanias have returned to home consoles, there are a plethora of avenues that IGA can go down compared to his time at Konami where most of his games were delegated to handhelds. A Co-op style Igavania has so much potential to be groundbreaking if executed properly.
zzzz Bloodstained game lore zzzzz
Did you hear about the leaked documents about castlevania bloodlines, apparently it had a lot of information on castlevania lore, like how the morris clan came to be and a few other families tied to the belmonts
It’s great to see you branch out and talk about other games your interested in. Great work as always!
Great Video! I love Metroidvania games and recently started playing Bloodstained for the first time. So far I'm having a blast! I haven't played any of the Castlevania games yet. Maybe I will give them a try afterwards.
Really like the change in tempo with the new video. Thanks for making this and keep up the excellent work.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night encompasses all of my favorite entries of the Castlevania series. I don't mind how explicitly it wears it's source materials on it's sleeves, but I concur with the desire to see the franchise break new ground. That said, if Konami won't push the boundaries with the Castlevania series, then let Igarashi take on the mantle with _Bloodstained_.
Also, Child of Light ranked in my personal top 10 role playing games for a long time. It's got a Grandia like combat system that's fairly easy to learn (and master, it's not a hard game). It might be my nostagia goggles talking since I haven't played it in roughly eight years, but I highly recommend it and would love to hear your thoughts on it.
Bloodstained is awesome
Great Video!
Igarashi succeeded in creating his own game. While keiji inafune had Failed miserably with mighty no.9
You’re getting so good at this broski
The artstyle isn't for everyone and the music was Yamane's most disappointing effort IMO, but still had a few stand out songs. However mechanics wise, it is best Igavania game, personal top 2 overall along with Ecclesia. I really want a sequel.
"original continuity"? IGA's timeline is not, not at all, the original continuity. It might take some of (and only some) the original series games but those were heavily retconned (I mean ffs Trevor and Christopher became two different people, that's not a small retcon, every version of Selena was totally removed, that's not a small retcon, to say nothing of the total reframing of the series narrative and total removal of the cinema aspect which was, y'know, kind of the whole point of the series). IGA also took games in that were not in any capacity canon to the original continuity (Rondo, SotN, Bloodlines) whilst removing what Konami had seen as the original series' revival (N64 LoD), in fact the three games that weren't canon that he took in became arguably the 3 most important to his version of the lore and story outside debatably CV3!
Then you get into the reframing the series as this singular continuing "epic", the Japanese Schoolboy reincarnation of Dracula, the shift away from horror and into dark fantasy, the gameplay and pacing shift, the art style and tone shift, I mean seriously I get that IGA's take is by far the most popular but it is not in any way the original. And fans have really started to go all revisionist history on the earlier games before IGA (like the CV wiki is so full of misinfo and just flat out missing info it's a bit ridiculous especially as it's otherwise a really well put together wiki) whilst anything that comes after IGA's version is being discredited just for not being his version under this insane idea that IGA's was the original! I literally just commented referencing this issue on another one of this channel's posts and I really enjoy this channel but no, IGA's timeline was not is not and never has been the "original continuity" and it's absolutely been a disservice to the rest of the franchise that fans are so married to IGA's take that they have developed this narrative in the first place. This dates all the way back to the mid 00s and it's only gotten worse. There is a reason that SotN was allowed to be made the way it was, and that was because to Konami it didn't matter because it wasn't mainline Castlevania – the game isn't even supposed to be mainline Castlevania, so this narrative is really ridiculous.
For me bloodstained became castlevania the moment i heard music. It was as magnificent as in every castlevania. I love every bloodstained game released, they are SO good. They actually made 2.5d with 3d models work pretty good. Could look better, but it already sounds and plays almost perfectly.
Town Quest system from Ritual of the Night was cringe though. I almost hated "kill the enemies to avange", "cook food" and "bring item in memory" quests – they take completely out of experience and overwhelm while providing nothing but MMO-esque checklist in return. References in it were fun though.