Bloodstained Curse of the Moon (Switch) Review

An Excellent Tribute to an All-Time Classic

Since my earliest days of gaming with my mom on the NES, I have loved Castlevania, despite the fact that I had never bested that challenging first game. Over the years the series has evolved, but for the most part, it has remained a favorite. Now that Konami is pursuing other ventures (erroneously, but they are probably still banking millions) and one of the main minds behind stellar entries like Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow Koji Igarashi (Iga) has moved on to his own game Bloodstained. Therefore, when it was announced that Inti Creates would be the ones to attempt this release, I couldn’t help but be excited. 

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was a standout Kickstarter campaign, easily hitting the goal needed and more. However, it has long been in development and has still yet to release. This is where Inti Creates steps in with a bit of a surprise announcement that they were able to make a prequel story with Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, but rather than the hand-drawn art, this game hearkens back to Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse in style and execution. 

Of course, those who had been following the Kickstarter knew that an 8-bit game was on the way due to a stretch goal, but I had honestly forgotten. 

For those familiar with Castlevania III, Curse of the Moon feels like a logical next step by adding a few modern design elements while sticking with the framework of an NES game. Longtime fans even have the option of Veteran Mode, which has traditional knockback, limited lives, and a whole lot more challenge. My initial playthrough on Veteran Mode took about four hours or so and there were definitely a few areas that were rough, but I never lost all of my lives. This was likely due to extra lives being easy to reach in really tough spots, but I like to think it was my skill that kept me alive. 

Of course on the normal game mode, there is no knockback, making everything a little easier to manage, but ruining some of the game’s strongest moments in my opinion. 

There is nothing quite like getting rocked into a pit by knockback only to come back a few lives later and nailing the timing like a champ. It makes the player slow down, analyze the situation at hand, and adapt with a particular character, weapon, or approach. Timing is everything in Curse of the Moon, so be observant and conscious of that idea to succeed.  

Some areas of the game can be frustrating.

Players are able to switch between four characters on the fly with the shoulder buttons. Each with their own properties and unique sub-weapons. Most of the sub-weapons are useful, but the damn useless dagger returns for Miriam and it still bums me out when I pick it up on accident. Attacks have delays just like NES Castlevania and jumping is a committed arc that cannot be adjusted in mid-air. Add in clever level design that encourages exploration and using other characters to reach new areas and it makes for a great time for retro players. 

Pallette-wise, this game is beautiful. Using that classic design to the fullest. Visually, it’s hard to complain about anything on screen and in handheld mode on the Switch, everything worked just fine with smooth as butter performance throughout. 

The soundtrack has yet to sink into my subconscious as the Castlevania ones have, but I have not spent near as much time with Curse of the Moon as I have similar games. That said, put it next to similar games and it would be hard to distinguish which tracks came from this modern title. 

Narrative-wise, it will be interesting to see how this plays into the upcoming Ritual of the Night. Plot arcs are simple, but with the game’s multiple modes there is some variety and enough mystique to be interesting. 

There were a few bits of level design that were irritating, especially in a later segment that involves a worm-like blast that breaks apart the stage. This is fast-moving, hard to predict, and halts progress into trial and error. There are a few moments where the background will reveal where it’s coming from, but for the most part, it’s all a surprise and just makes for frustration. 

While the story in Curse of the Moon is simple, it does leave the player wanting more.

There are a couple of other smaller segments like this, where there is precision platforming and tons of knockback potential from enemies. I also found myself over leaping platforms to fall down the other side with Miriam, who has a high jump. 

When I found the alchemist Gebel, I thought he would be a waste of a character. However, I was surprised to find that his abilities were all solid and had their perks in certain situations. This is the case for every character, so learning what can be accomplished with each is a must for victory. Some obstacles are more challenging though depending on what character is used. 

Some of the biggest challenges in Curse of the Moon are the bosses, who all have interesting, seemingly impossible patterns. Again though, with careful consideration and patience, the patterns can be solved. A few bosses have some moves that seem cheap, but having access to four health bars from each of the four characters can make things easier. Of course, losing a character can make things harder as there are fewer options and less health all around, so it’s important to keep them all alive before a boss. 

One aspect of each boss fight is that all of them have a desperation attack that happens once they are defeated. For those who just finished a boss, this can be incredibly annoying as these attacks are also hard to predict and can do a ton of damage. Meaning, one can get all the way through a stage, only to lose out due to this dirty trick. Once a player knows what’s coming, these attacks do not pose much of a threat, but it can be annoying. 

Each of the bosses was a mix of spectacle and just clever design. I’m not sure how they fit into the story, but that’s not the main appeal for Curse of the Moon anyways. 

For those not bothered by going through the game’s stages multiple times, there are a few different modes and endings to try out. Once those are accomplished, I recommend looking into speedruns, as many of the game’s designs complement that style of play. Speedrunners like our friend Strizer86 already have shown that the game has potential as a run. 

Where will Zangetsu be in the upcoming Ritual of the Night?

I had a feeling that Curse of the Moon would be a title that I was going to enjoy, but I wasn’t aware of how much I would immediately love this game. It is an instant classic that has renewed my excitement for Bloodstained: Ritual of Blood. For the price, it’s hard to pass up. 

For more information on Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, check out the official website. A digital copy was purchased by the writer. 

SCORES

GAMEPLAY - 9/10

VISUALS - 8/10

SOUND - 8/10

CONTROLS - 9/10

REPLAY VALUE - 9/10

OVERALL - 8.6/10