The term ‘Metroidvania’ is used to describe just about any and every open-world platformer these days, but once upon a time it referred to a very specific thing: the non-linear Castlevania games put together under the guiding vision of Koji Igarashi. It eventually became a much broader thing, but there’s a certain flavor to Igarashi’s take on this formula that few games offer. Unfortunately, diminishing sales returns on the Castlevania series led to Igarashi being moved off the series and, ultimately, his departure from Konami. It’s hard to say if there will ever be another Castlevania game in that style ever again.
Fortunately, the talent behind a game is generally more important than any branding. Igarashi wanted to make another Metroidvania, and fans enthusiastically obliged when he went to Kickstarter to find the funding for it. A lot of stories like that have disappointing or even terrible endings, but Igarashi’s Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night ($9.99) seems to have largely gone as everyone hoped. A few bumps on the road, to be sure. It was originally set for a 2017 release but ended up coming in 2019 instead. A few of the planned versions were canceled thanks to the platforms being on their way out. The Switch version launched in a rather miserable state. A few planned features had to be changed.
The most important goal was achieved, however. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a fine game that feels just like the kind...