Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Reviews
The controls feel right, the challenge is satisfying, the presentation is nostalgic, and there are numerous reasons to keep returning to it.
The night might be dark and full of terrors, but Curse of the Moon gives us some very effective tools to take down the evils that lurk within.
Curse of the Moon is the spiritual successor to Dracula’s Curse that no one saw coming. It’s a special game for early fans of the Nintendo Entertainment System and Castlevania series. I think this game will exceed players’ expectations, especially fans of Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden. At only $10, it’s a steal!
Init Creates and IGA did not have to go to this extent to make this backer stretch goal. The music is really good, even if it’s not quite as memorable as some other 8-bit retro games like Shovel Knight. And the enemy designs and general artwork are second to none in the retro space. If this game actually came out during the NES era we would still be talking about it today. But what it also does amazingly well is build up the anticipation for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night far above what it already was. I am not alone among the internet in expressing the sentiment that if this is what they produce with the prequel game, I cannot wait to see the final product. This is some next level advertising for a game, any way you think about it. While this game was free to backers, it is also only selling for $9.99 to everyone else. That is absurd value even if the game only takes about two hours to run through your first time. And like I said, there is quite a bit of replay value to be had even before you are just going through it again for fun (which is also very likely). I have zero intention of ever deleting this game from my Switch, not only because it takes up very little space (15MB), but it will just be fun to pull it up and start from the beginning when I’m taking a flight somewhere.
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.
A great return of Koji Igarashi. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is an awesome tribute for the classic Castlevania games.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
For Castlevania veterans and newcomers alike, Curse of the Moon is a simple and sweet gem that serves not just as a tribute but a fitting continuation of this very specific kind of game. It's not a clone, rather an appropriate successor.
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is an amazing retro game that is familiar and fun.
Bloodstained Curse of the Moon is a fantastic title that pays homage to the classics of the Castlevania series, offering a balanced, varied, and very solid title. We look forward to seeing how Ritual of the Night evolves.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The prospect of playing such a lovingly crafted tribute to the vintage heyday of Konami's seemingly abandoned Castlevania series more than makes up for a few out-of-place boss fights and a slightly too punitive death penalty. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon delivers a brief but effective burst of nostalgia, and thanks to its many creative modifiers it contains enough replay value to engage (and challenge) anyone who pines for gaming's bygone days. And this isn't even the "real" Bloodstained! As appetizers go, it's substantial — nearly satisfying enough to be its own main course.
Made with affection and artistry, this retro appetiser is a very pleasant surprise.
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon keeps the lifeblood of the Castlevania series pumping with a condensed, and appropriately retro homage. It might not blaze the trail on anything new like a few other recent Inti Creates projects have, but it does exactly what it needs to do, and helps bolster the new legacy of Bloodstained proper before it's even out.
Aside from the repetition, which is, in retrospect, how many gamers got longevity out of old Castlevania games, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a superb game. It is ideal for gamers who want an old-school challenge as well as an old-school game in both aesthetic and design.
Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon is undoubtedly aimed at a very specific audience, and you'll know if you're part of that just by looking at the screenshots. If those, combined with words such as these, make your heart sing, however, it's definitely worth your time. It's like Castlevania just decided to come soaring back into all our lives, and how can that ever be a bad thing? Exactly.
Classicvanias and retro action games fans can give a chance to Bloodstained : Curse of the Moon on blind faith. This game is a beautiful, really enjoyable - even if it can considered a bit short - and vibrant tribute to Castlevania III : Dracula's Curse with some great action and platofrming, beautiful 8-Bit graphics and musics, in a new setting that we hope will fulfill ita potential with Ritual of the Night.
Review in French | Read full review
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon may be a prequel to Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, but functions as a worthy homage to the NES Castlevania games.
All that said, Curse of the Moon is a very enjoyable old-school Castlevania homage that's well worth the price of admission—as long as you have nostalgia for those games. Those of you who have no patience for the first three Castlevania games in particular may want to give Curse a wide berth, but I daresay there are systems in place here that may tickle your fancy.
The perfect game that harkens back to classic days of the NES Castlevanias, with the same feel and style. It has some issues and is clearly made for the already built fan base, it’s still a lot of fun.
There's a big difference between being inspired by something and flat out copying it. Curse of the Moon copies Dracula's Curse and does a good job of it. So much so, that if you're a fan of Dracula's Curse, you might not even need to play Curse of the Moon. Compare that to Shovel Knight, which combined the best parts of series like Mega Man, Mario, and Ducktails, to be an excellent game in its own right which I recommend to everyone. Personally, I prefer the Shovel Knight approach to retro-inspired games, although Curse of the Moon is a great way to revisit a classic without requiring so much skill and patience to see it through to completion.