Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a gothic horror action side-scrolling RPG set in 19th century England. A paranormal force has summoned a demon-infested castle, revealing crystal shards infused with tremendous magical power. Play as Miriam, an orphan scarred by an alchemist's curse which slowly crystallizes her body. To save humanity, and herself in the process, Miriam must fight through the castle and defeat the summoner, Gebel. Collect, craft and unlock a vast array of weapons, equipment and loot to defeat the countless minions and bosses of hell that await!
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All the stories are true, Bloodstained is not at its best on the Switch, and it's sad it wasn't optimised for it properly. They should have cut back on their over indulgment of graphical enhancements for the more powerful consoles so that it runs flawlessly on the Switch. Remember, this game borrows so much from the Castlevania series - a staple of Nintendo systems over the decades - that the Switch should have been the priority. Considering retro styles are so popular these days, there was no need to be so ambitious and, indeed, a PS3 level of graphics would have been totally sufficient. The plus side is the game still looks great, and it plays well in most situations. Boss fights lead to the main issues of slowdown. In fact, it's perfectly playable, and I've no regrets getting it on the Switch. In essence, the question is whether you want portable play or mostly play on a TV. For me that portable aspect was crucial. If it's not for you and you have a PS or XB, get that version there. If you only have a Switch, then still get it, especially if you love the Castlevania series. It is perfectly fine to play, using a Metroid style exploration system, offers great action and suspense, and introduces a few innovative ideas. Remember, the future of gaming is in the past!
A really enjoyable game but not worth the $54 AUD price tag I bought it for. It's much cheaper in the online shop for $34 AUD. You play as Miriam who is not actually a demon girl, despite the cute horns, and you fight your way through demons to try and save the young man that used to be like an older brother to you and uncover secrets in the castle. It's a great Castlevania game and if you like side-scrolling fighting games, you'll love this. However I have to say the switch copy has issues - loading times between different screens on certain stages is absolutely awful and it shut down on me randomly a couple of times. The graphics don't look amazing on the nintendo switch screen which makes me wonder why when other games look so much better.
But despite my issues, it was a fun game. I just wouldn't pay the money to own a physical copy - get yourself a digital copy instead and save some $$$.
Fantastic entry to the Igavania/metroidvania style of game, with heaps of character customisation, tons to collect and and secrets to find, and an absolutely enormous map to explore. Only issue I really have is some framerate inconsistancies in different parts of the game, particularly while in handheld mode. Overall though, a fun game, with a ton of content to play through, and worth the money if you're a fan of the genre
