I can’t say that I was too surprised when it was announced back in October that Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night ($9.99) would be coming to iOS and Android. After all, it is the spiritual successor to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, a game which itself launched on mobile back in March and was surprisingly playable and also extremely handy to have in your pocket at all times. The exact same thing can be said for Bloodstained.
Now, being that Symphony of the Night is considered one of the greatest video games in history, it would be kind of hard to actually TOP it, but Bloodstained is an excellent follow-up. At a basic level all you really need from a game like this is a reason for a big castle to appear and bad guys to start wreaking havoc everywhere, and Bloodstained provides that nicely while also making the story and characters pretty compelling.
What we’re really here for though is action platforming with heavy doses of loot and RPG elements, and that is where Bloodstained shines. You are constantly collecting new gear, leveling up your character, and facing off against cool enemies in very well-designed levels. This feels like Symphony of the Night on many levels, and it’s a comfortable feeling. But I don’t want to talk too much about the game itself, as it’s been out for quite a while now on a number of platforms and that information is out there if you want it. Plus I’ll have to save something for Shaun’s forthcomi...