Topic: bloodstained: ritual of the night

@Ralizah I think that Curse of the Moon is a separate game with separate story. Like alternate universe and stuff.
They are not connected.

But it is confusing yes.

However the environments could use some work. Many if them look the same. Also little empty.
The best ones are Minerva Galleon and the Caves.

@Zuljaras Everything I've read has said it's a prequel to RotN. Hence my confusion.

The environments are the usual spread in a Castlevania game. And, visually, the different areas are pretty distinct.

Certainly better than the samey dark corridors in SotN.

@Ralizah haha come on! SotN is a timeless masterpiece. The SotN castle has a soul compared to RotN.

Difficult to compare 2d with 3d. In direct comparison SotN is still vastly supperior!

@Zuljaras The difference is that you're nostalgic for SotN, and thus are willing to look past its flaws.

They're not difficult to compare. They're both somewhat non-linear, exploratory side-scrolling action-platformers with items, equipment, leveling, and the use of 3D visuals (very limited in the case of SotN) on a 2D plane.

SotN's environments are boring, classic or not. RotN's environments are already much more visually distinctive.

@Ralizah I don't blame you since it was originally a prequel, but plans did change to be a spin-off before Curse of the Moon got released. It was in an official blog post last year (???), but news sites kept reporting it as a prequel and it just stuck. Not that I blame them considering it was buried under a different obscure place, but hey.

The 3D aspect also really does help lend itself to gameplay in some sections, too.

@EvilLucario That explains it, then.

The first encounter with samurai Solid Snake was surprisingly challenging. Although upgrading my gear ensured I didn't lose a second time.

I really like how well integrated the more obviously 3D elements of the background are into the environments. Reminds me of the pseudo-3D scrolling sections in Bloodlines.

It's interesting that Miriam's body doesn't seem to change when you equip different clothes, but you can see helms/headpieces/etc. on her model.

I'd hardly call it nostalgic, if I saw a screenshot, I could tell exactly where it is based on the backround. Now Aria of Sorrow, on the otherhand...

But yeah, IGAvania isn't always top-grade when it comes to visual variety, but they usually get the job done.

@Ralizah Probably I am nostalgic but still lets agree to disagree.

SotN is a staple in the series. Probably if they redo SotN is till look somewhat RotN. I actually will prefer that over the RotN castle. But Konami will never allow that.

If IGA team pushed for more polish they could hope to reach the SotN scores but the launch of the game was not the best.

& just got the invert shard....

The bad news are that the BASE PS4 version crashed on me 2 times for the whole 100% run. For now the BASE Switch version crashed 2 times for just 14% into the game.

@Tsurii Yes. I am testing both versions without updates.

I do not care for performance issues but crashes are something entirely different.

I guess the Switch needs those STABILITY UPDATES faster.

@Zuljaras A lot of classic franchises are held hostage by Konami, unfortunately. And all of the humans running the joint have been replaced by flying monkeys.

Anyway, I don't think any post-SotN Vania-style games will ever reach that level of acclaim again. RotN is a very cool return to form for this style of game, but it's hardly unique or special. You can't turn around without tripping over Metroidvania-like experiences. Whereas there really was nothing out there like SotN when that first released. Super Metroid had a similar style of gameplay, of course, but that didn't have the RPG aspects that SotN so successfully integrated into the formula.

@Ralizah Absolutely true. Actually this is exactly what the fans are looking for. To feel that Castlevania thrill again. To explore a new Castle again with old and new twists. As long as there are fans those games will come in old and new shapes. Just look at that wonderful Hollow Knight and the other "Metroidvanias" that reap success because of Super Metroid and Symphony of the Night

From my brother's console:

Did the publishers mistakenly put the wrong build onto the game card? He said it updated to 1.1, but I can't help wonder if there would be implications when updating from such an early build - he experienced a game crash already (like the majority of everyone else who owns the game).

Totaly agree with this.
Also awesome you double dib!!!

@DenDen At the end I will report here how many crashes I've got during the Switch (unpatched) run.

Looking foward for it, no crashes for me yet (update version)

Almost grabbed it at Wal-Mart last night. But might be best i finish secret of mana first since the collection was quite a bit of coin

You got a nice taste of games good sir

@DenDen thanks my friend. I figured I dropped $40. I should at least finish 1 game in the collection before i move into some thing else. Plus i also had mm2 preordered so im playing that as well. As well as skyward sword. So im content............for now at least lol