The Castlevania/Bloodstained Thread: Whip It Good

AriesWarlock · April 14

Reception has been good

DoctaMario · April 16

I had someone on Reddit reply to a 3 year old (!) post I made about emulating Curse of Darkness vs actually buying it because it's not all that good and he couldn't believe I was saying that. He didn't believe that it was a common complaint of the game to have bloated garbage-y levels.

That game really is a shame. It had a lot of good things going for it but they took the one complaint everyone has about Lament and made it 10 times worse.

Edited April 16 by DoctaMario

RSG3 · April 16

27 minutes ago, DoctaMario said:

I had someone on Reddit reply to a 3 year old (!) post I made about emulating Curse of Darkness vs actually buying it because it's not all that good and he couldn't believe I was saying that. He didn't believe that it was a common complaint of the game to have bloated garbage-y levels.

That game really is a shame. It had a lot of good things going for it but they took the one complaint everyone has about Lament and made it 10 times worse.

I actually tried playing through it late last year via emulation and I gave up, and it was right after finishing an LOI run on the same Emulator. It was boring. The similar looking areas do suck a lot of the joy out of exploration, and I actually think the combat was worse. Hector felt to me a lot more stiff and clunky compared to Leon and most of the enemies i fought either weren't very aggressive or they were flying and annoying to fight. The few bosses I fought weren't much fun either.

Maybe it gets better later on, I don't actually remember, but LOIs areas where small enough that by the time you where tired of them they where over. The rooms may have been boxes and hallways but they where small and short and kept the combat contained most of the time where as Curse had hallways that just never ended.

Oh and I think all of LOIs bosses are good to really good (none are quite great tho) while what i fought in Curse was very nothing special. I may need to give it more time I don't remember, but I'd rather play something else anyway.

Camacho · April 16

The utter blandness of the level design in those two is truly baffling. They clearly played DMC before making both of them, and yet they still botched the execution.

Camacho · April 16

2 minutes ago, RSG3 said:

I actually tried playing through it late last year via emulation and I gave up, and it was right after finishing an LOI run on the same Emulator. It was boring. The similar looking areas do suck a lot of the joy out of exploration, and I actually think the combat was worse. Hector felt to me a lot more stiff and clunky compared to Leon and most of the enemies i fought either weren't very aggressive or they were flying and annoying to fight. The few bosses I fought weren't much fun either.

Maybe it gets better later on, I don't actually remember, but LOIs areas where small enough that by the time you where tired of them they where over. The rooms may have been boxes and hallways but they where small and short and kept the combat contained most of the time where as Curse had hallways that just never ended.

Oh and I think all of LOIs bosses are good to really good (none are quite great tho) while what i fought in Curse was very nothing special. I may need to give it more time I don't remember, but I'd rather play something else anyway.

I do remember enjoying Dracula's castle more than the rest of the game due to there being way more enemies and less wide open space.

AriesWarlock · April 16

DoctaMario · April 17

On 4/16/2024 at 1:33 AM, RSG3 said:

I actually tried playing through it late last year via emulation and I gave up, and it was right after finishing an LOI run on the same Emulator. It was boring. The similar looking areas do suck a lot of the joy out of exploration, and I actually think the combat was worse. Hector felt to me a lot more stiff and clunky compared to Leon and most of the enemies i fought either weren't very aggressive or they were flying and annoying to fight. The few bosses I fought weren't much fun either.

Maybe it gets better later on, I don't actually remember, but LOIs areas where small enough that by the time you where tired of them they where over. The rooms may have been boxes and hallways but they where small and short and kept the combat contained most of the time where as Curse had hallways that just never ended.

Oh and I think all of LOIs bosses are good to really good (none are quite great tho) while what i fought in Curse was very nothing special. I may need to give it more time I don't remember, but I'd rather play something else anyway.

Yeah I only actually beat the game once. I started a few other times but never finished them because I just got so bored. It's such a shame because the ID thing was cool and the steal system was actually a really great idea, and the combat isn't too bad, it's just not as flashy as LoI's is. Some of the weapons you get have cool movesets although they aren't DMC levels of deep.

The thing that chapped my ass about the game was that there were hallways and rooms with NOTHING In them. No items, no enemies, no set pieces, nothing. It was like they weren't really supposed to be there in the first place and we're added last minute after it was too late to really do anything with them.

Trevor mode was kinda cool too, but again, I just never had the gumption to make it all the way through.

Lament would have been a top 10 CV game if the level design were fixed though. That game did pretty much everything right except for that.

Camacho · April 17

A super challenging piece used in Belmont's Revenge.

AriesWarlock · May 2

The final update

https://playbloodstained.com/chaos-and-versus-mode-new-cosmetics/

Chaos Mode

Chaos Mode is local or online co-op action that you can play solo, with a friend or be matched with other players on the same system.

Versus Mode

VS Mode is a special PVP mode created just for Ritual of the Night.

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At the beginning of the match, players will enter a room exclusive to the match battle. Wave after wave of demons will begin to attack both players. When you defeat the demons, you will gain souls. Souls can be spent at the central statue (shop) to upgrade your weapons, armor or items.

You will be able to purchase attacks that will negatively affect your opponent. Fill their room with fog, reverse their controls and more! The winner is the player that survives the longest.

Versus Mode supports local and online play with friends or matchmaking with other players on the same platform. Please note that Chaos and Versus Modes do not support cross-platform play.

DoctaMario · May 3

Vs mode sounds fun as hell

Hecatom · May 3

On 4/14/2024 at 11:33 AM, AriesWarlock said:

Reception has been good

Only on switch?

AriesWarlock · May 3

11 minutes ago, Hecatom said:

Only on switch?

And Steam, for now. It's 60% off right now.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1782150/OVERLORD_ESCAPE_FROM_NAZARICK/

Hecatom · May 3

12 minutes ago, AriesWarlock said:

And Steam, for now. It's 60% off right now.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1782150/OVERLORD_ESCAPE_FROM_NAZARICK/

Gonna check it out when I get home from work.

JGreen · May 9

Have any of you guys tried out Animal Well? Looks like there have been lots of positive reviews.

I posted a couple reviews below:

Spoiler

AriesWarlock · May 10

DoctaMario · May 10

Bloodstained Vs and Chaos modes are live on PS, SuXbox and PC. I tried Chaos mode out a bit yesterday and it seems pretty fun. I haven't played this game in ages but I love that they're still bringing out these modes, it really gives you a good reason to keep playing. Would be cool to see the multiplayer aspects take off a bit.

RSG3 · May 10

Do you need to pay for things like Chaos Mode and such?

Edited May 10 by RSG3

AriesWarlock · May 11

7 hours ago, RSG3 said:

Do you need to pay for things like Chaos Mode and such?

Doesn't seem like it. On the roadmap there's only two premium items, skins and a new classic game:

Edited May 11 by AriesWarlock

AriesWarlock · May 25

Get the latest details below.

Quote

■ Game Overview

When the past catches up to you in various forms, desolation becomes strength.

Blade Chimera is a brand new original metroidvania by Team Ladybug, the team behind the critically acclaimed 2D metroidvanias Touhou Luna Nights, the Touhou Project fan game which has sold over 50,000 copies, and the Record of Lodoss War fan game Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth-.

In Blade Chimera, the demon Lux transforms into your trusty weapon—the Lumina Sword, which you will have to use to interfere with the past, create new platforms, and shield yourself from danger to explore a desolate world.

Other than the Lumina Sword, you will also have access to other weapons such as swift daggers and long-range guns. Find the perfect weapons to suit your fighting style.

This game features a skill tree system. Upon leveling up, you will receive points that can be spent on unlocking skills that will aid you on your journey.

The whole game is depicted in Team Ladybug’s critically acclaimed gorgeously animated pixel art, in which each and every frame of every gunshot is painstakingly detailed. Feast your eyes on the harsh yet beautiful dystopian cyberpunk world.

Release Delayed to August 2024: Joining Steam Next Fest in June!

Blade Chimera was originally planned to release in spring 2024, but in order to further polish the game and improve on its quality, the release date has been postponed to August 2024. The game is chock-full of story and gameplay content alike, and Team Ladybug’s signature pixel art is being further refined. We’re terribly sorry for the delay, but we hope the improved Blade Chimera will be high-quality and be able to entertain a wide audience.

The newly released trailer showcases many new boss battles and gimmicks, all painstakingly designed by Team Ladybug. It offers a sneak peek into the world of the game… but in order to let more players get their hands on the actual game experience, Blade Chimera will be joining Steam Next Fest in June (next month!) with a public demo. Please check out the demo too when it releases!

■ About the Game

Play as Shin, a Demon Hunter who has lost his memories and is now exploring the world together with his sword—the transformed Lumina demon Lux—recollecting memories about yourself, your missing wife, and skills you’ve forgotten.

Each time you recollect a lost skill, Lux changes form according to the will of her wielder, making Shin stronger and granting access to more areas of the world.

The Story

The game takes place in the near future, where warped monsters and ghouls have appeared from nowhere, swarming cities and forcing humans to battle against these creatures they’ve termed “demons” in an all-out Demon War. After 30 merciless years of war, the surviving humans have banded together under the Missa Association, a religious group formed by a leader who knows the secret to fighting the demons. Cities and civilizations continue to thrive despite the now regular sightings of bizarre monsters.

Three years ago, a man known as Shin was rescued from among the rubble in a cryopreserved state. With no recollection of his past, he quickly becomes one of the association’s best warriors and protectors.

However, when Shin comes across the brilliantly beautiful demon named Lux, she feels strangely familiar. This sensation of deja vu leads him to take her in, even if it means going against the creeds of the association.

From that very instant, the past begins to slowly unfold, revealing the events that caused the city to take on its current form…