Oh, Hey, The Long-Awaited Bloodstained Is Finally Out Now

They say the demons come out at night, and so does Miriam the demon slayer. Famed auteur Koji Igarashi’s spiritual successor to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, is out now–but you might not have realized it after some delays and the recent E3 hubbub.

Ritual of the Night recently underwent a huge graphics overhaul and made a brief appearance at E3 2019, but the buzz surrounding the game has been relatively quiet. Very few reviews have been published so far, with our own coming soon.

Iga released an announcement trailer, below, declaring Ritual of the Night will receive 13 pieces of DLC for free post-launch. The trailer goes through a variety of the game’s mechanics, including accessorizing, crafting, fighting, and posing. Zangetsu, the katana-wielding protagonist of Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, is one of three playable characters. The retro-style spin-off Curse of the Moon launched in 2018 as one of the original Kickstarter’s stretch goals. Yacht Club’s Shovel Knight will also make an appearance and may be another of the three playable characters, based on what’s seen in the launch trailer.

In a feature following a PAX East demo, we said the game is close to but not quite Castlevania. “On the whole, though, the classic sensation of quick, piston-tight platforming and combat has made the transition [to 3D]. Miriam’s variety of weapons feel alternately light and swift or heavy and thumping. The level design pitched a good balance of graceful platforming, tough combat, and occasionally a blend of both.”

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The Nintendo Switch version will launch next week on Tuesday, June 25.