Timeless Castlevania vibes with a modern co-op twist
Its worth pointing out that player two will have their own Zangetsu (an immediate benefit over solo play), co-op is drop-in (dont mind the “One Player” and “Two Player” triggers in the beginning), and theres a New Super Mario Bros.-esque bubble mechanic if a gamer desires or needs to remain for a bit.
Inti Creates couldve done “more of the exact same” and called it a day, however the brand-new characters lend Curse of the Moon 2 a lots of versatility, the co-op assistance is good, and the subtle improvements can be discovered everywhere if you go back to play the initial game after investing a weekend with the follow up.
Curse of the Moon isnt simply some quaint offshoot of Bloodstained. Its leading the charge.
You should reassess if youve only played one but not the other. And if youre questioning just how much more mileage Inti Creates might potentially get out of its Castlevania III homage, I have terrific news.
If Curse of the Moon just starred its sword-slashing lead protagonist Zangetsu, it would still be respectable, but not almost as remarkable or enjoyable. The very first games character-swapping conceit is back for round two, and not only does the initial roster return, there are 3 new playable characters.
Like the last game, youll cut down devils in 8 densely-packed levels, choosing up recruits (and permanent upgrades to your health and energy reserves) along the way to each manager fight. The world-map progression is direct, but the levels are layered with alternate routes, character-specific shortcuts, and secrets. In terms of follow up refinements, the checkpoints are more clear and thoughtful, the one in charges are more fancy (and they have health bars), and the multi-playthrough payoff is much more powerful.
” One more playthrough.”
Even if Konami has firmly planted itself on the sidelines, its a darn great time to be a vampire hunter.
Modern Castlevania fans have the IGA-led Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and timeless Castlevania fans have the 8-bit-style Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. The latter is a single-sitting action-platformer that wouldve been a perfect leasing back in the late 80s or early 90s.
If someone falls off a cliff or takes a few too many arrows to the head, that specific character will be cleaned from the board, but as long as a minimum of one player is standing, their colleague can quickly rejoin after a short hold-up and attempt to keep the battle going. Whats more, you will not need to fret about lacking “continues,” and like in the initial Curse of the Moon, theres a helpful “no knockback” alternative.
I can consider one platforming-heavy screen (in the lava level) and one manager (with a chaotic attack pattern) that were a little too pesky for their own excellent, however otherwise, I took pleasure in almost every minute.
Between the spear-stabbing Dominique, the bomb-chuckin sniper Robert, and Hachi– a pet in a mech that can stomp on spikes, hover in place, and momentarily go invincible– theres a character for every playstyle. Everyone has an individual life bar, but they share a typical mana-like resource for special attacks.
The potential for close-calls and last-second returns is very high. This is a lively co-op video game.
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 (Nintendo Switch [evaluated], PC, PS4, Xbox One) Developer: Inti CreatesPublisher: Inti CreatesReleased: July 10, 2020MSRP: $14.99.
I cant stress enough how huge of an offer two-player support is in a game like this. Its the very best. Its so well done here, Im retroactively bummed Konami didnt experiment more with co-op in Castlevania.
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2s outdated visual may be at first off-putting to a co-op partner who does not have any specific fondness for old-school gaming, but pass em a controller anyway — this game is tasty and structured enough that retro skeptics can happen and have a fun time.
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 isnt the type of modernized retro video game youll tear through when or twice only for it to slip out of sight and out of mind, never to be touched again. Over the weekend, I happily cleared the sequel four times– twice alone, two times in local co-op– and its still calling my name.
[This evaluation is based upon a retail construct of the video game offered by the publisher.]
Every single character– particularly Dominique and Robert– has a location and a time. Its surprising how much Curse of the Moon 2 motivates communication.
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As I alluded, replayability is a huge top priority for Curse of the Moon 2. Youll have access to various characters on each of the 4 primary playthroughs (the last of which has a pair of amazing bonus offer stages), so if youre fretted you missed Miriam, Alfred, and Gebel, dont sweat it. Theyll reveal up in due time.
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Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 evaluated by Jordan Devore.
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 can take an hour or two to beat depending upon which playthrough youre doing and which paths you take through the levels. Entirely, Ive invested something like 8 hours in this game, and theres still (a minimum of) one trick I still need to unlock on the menu. Im hooked.
At times, I felt absolutely overpowered (in a good way). Other times, I couldnt rely on my old techniques to bypass powerful opponents or circumvent nasty platforming onslaughts.
9.
SUPERB.
A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, however they are minimal and wont cause massive damage.How we score: The Destructoid evaluations guide
Modern Castlevania fans have the IGA-led Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and traditional Castlevania fans have the 8-bit-style Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. As I alluded, replayability is a big priority for Curse of the Moon 2. Its unexpected how much Curse of the Moon 2 encourages communication.
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Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 can take an hour or two to beat depending on which playthrough youre doing and which courses you take through the levels. Altogether, Ive spent something like 8 hours in this video game, and theres still (at least) one trick I still require to unlock on the menu.
