Hardcore Droid
  • Home
  • Spotlight
  • Reviews
    • Action
    • Strategy
    • RPGs
  • Most Hardcore
    • Devices
    • Gifts
    • Gadgets
  • About Us
  • Dragonheir:Silent Gods title
    Dragonheir: Silent Gods Review
  • Outerplane key art
    Outerplane Review
  • She wants to suck my blood feature
    She Wants To Suck My Blood? Review
  • PTTA2 Cover Art
    Please, Touch The Artwork 2 Launching On Mobile and PC Early Next Year
  • Mobile Suit Gundam U.C. Engage feature
    Mobile Suit Gundam U.C. Engage Review
  • Another Eden: A Cat From Beyond Time and Space
    The Cliffs of Wyrmrest Update Releases
  • MK Onslaught Feature
    Mortal Kombat: Onslaught Review
  • code geass title
    Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Lost Stories Review
  • warcraft rumble
    WarCraft Rumble Review
  • On Air Island: Survival Chat Characters
    On Air Island: Survival Chat Review
  • top-three-smartphones-0
    Top Three Smartphones with Large Screens for the Ultimate Mobile Gaming Experience
  • csgo-crash-0
    How to Play CSGO Crash Game on Mobile
  • Spongebob Squarepants Stumble Guys Featured
    SpongeBob SquarePants is Coming to Stumble Guys
  • racing master car 2
    Racing Master Beta Begins
  • best-detective-apps
    Eight Best Detective Apps for Android
Hardcore Droid
Hardcore Droid
  • Home
  • News
    • News
    • Spotlight
    • Interviews
    • Consoles
  • Reviews
    • Action
    • Adventure
    • Strategy
    • RPG
    • MMOs
    • Racing
    • Indie
    • Hardware
  • Best Of
    • Top 10 Games
    • Best RPGs
    • Best Action
    • Best Puzzlers
    • Best Strategy
    • Best Indie Strat
    • Best Indie RPGs
    • Most Hardcore
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Game Jobs
    • Archives
    • Attributions
    • Opportunities
  • Action
  • RPG

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Review

  • January 4, 2021
  • Jack Brassell
Bloodstained-Ritual-Of-The-Night-00
Spread the love

Dead On Arrival

Taking inspiration from the Castlevania series, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is solidly a Metroidvania-style platformer. Players must battle their way through a demon-infested castle. The original gothic side-scrolling action platformer was funded through Kickstarter and was developed by Koji Igarashi, who is known for producing the Castlevania series. The game boasts beautiful if macabre graphics. However, despite its inspiration, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night lacks depth.  What’s worse, NetEase’s Android port suffers unresponsive controls that hammer the nail in the proverbial coffin of what could have been an engaging title.

Players take on the role of Miriam, a young woman who has just awoken from a decade long sleep. Miriam is a victim of the dark alchemist’s curse, which is slowly crystallizing her body. Miriam unfortunately is a rather bland protagonist lacking personality and depth.  Upon awakening, Miriam learns that her friend, Gebel, who was also a victim of an alchemist’s curse, has summoned a demonic castle. Now, Miriam must traverse the deadly castle and defeat its master to save both herself and humanity. It’s an interesting enough premise despite Miriam’s blank slate personality.

Bloodstained-Ritual-Of-The-Night-01

By Blade or Shoe?

Gameplay is straightforward: just tap the attack button to use your equipped weapon and dodge incoming attacks by jumping or sliding. Combat is easy enough to master; however, it’s simply not an engaging experience. Players will find plenty of weapons throughout the demon-infested castle. Wield daggers, swords, whips, guns, and even weaponized shoes against the demons which lurk around every corner. I must admit I found weaponized shoes to be a fresh addition to side-scrolling combat, though the novelty wears off rather quickly.

Players will also unlock shards throughout the game. Shards are crystalized demon abilities that Miriam can absorb. Some shard abilities, like double jump, are passive, while others allow Miriam to utilize special attacks. The Cerulean Splash Shard, for example, enables Miriam to shoot a water projectile at her enemies, while Blood Steal lets her steal her enemy’s blood to regain health. Shards are one of the most intriguing aspects of the game.

As you progress through Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, you’ll unlock new techniques such as the Flashing Air Kick. To use a technique, you must tap the correct combination of buttons—similar to using special moves in Mortal Kombat games. Sadly the game’s poor controls made initiating techniques rather tricky and ultimately frustrating.

Bloodstained-Ritual-Of-The-Night-02

Unresponsive Controls

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night would be an enticing title if not for its poor controls. A game in the Metroidvania style, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night relies heavily on platformer mechanics. Unfortunately, I found the controls—namely the ability to jump—to be unresponsive. It’s incredibly frustrating when Miriam simply won’t jump onto the desired platform, especially when this prevents you from progressing in the game. This is doubly frustrating, considering the game costs $9.99 to download.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night has potential. Unfortunately, the unresponsive controls make jumping from platform to platform feel like a chore. Should the developers fix the controls, the game would likely be fun. However, as of now, it’s nearly unplayable.  The backgrounds are hauntingly beautiful, and the concept of shards is interesting. That being said, Miriam isn’t a compelling character, and honestly, who wants to play a platformer in which the jump controls are so flawed? Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night may be spooky, but the only thing you’ll be screaming for is your money back.

Is It Hardcore?
2

No.

No. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night lacks the depth of the Castlevania series, which inspired it. With unresponsive controls, it’s a chore to play.

Related Topics
  • Android Action Games
  • Android Role-Playing Games
Jack Brassell

Jack is a self-proclaimed nerd with a lifelong passion for storytelling. An aspiring author, Jack writes mostly horror and young adult fantasy. When she isn't writing or playing games, she can often be found binge watching Parks and Rec or The Office, proudly considering herself to be a cross between Leslie Knope and Pam Beasley.

Previous Article
Moon Raider Android Review 00
  • Action
  • Platformer

Moon Raider Review

  • December 31, 2020
  • Daniel DeAngelo
View Post
Next Article
Gate-of-Mobius-Launches-On-Google-Play-00
  • News

Gates of Mobius Launches on Google Play

  • January 4, 2021
  • Macy Pingree
View Post
You May Also Like
Dragonheir:Silent Gods title
View Post
  • Reviews
  • RPG
  • Strategy

Dragonheir: Silent Gods Review

  • Juan Carlos Huyke
  • November 30, 2023
Outerplane key art
View Post
  • RPG
  • Strategy

Outerplane Review

  • Daniel DeAngelo
  • November 29, 2023
She wants to suck my blood feature
View Post
  • Reviews
  • RPG
  • Simulation

She Wants To Suck My Blood? Review

  • Tamanna Chandel
  • November 29, 2023
MK Onslaught Feature
View Post
  • RPG

Mortal Kombat: Onslaught Review

  • Trevor Wells
  • November 28, 2023
GrandChase Mayden Official Showcase Artwork
View Post
  • News
  • RPG

Secret Service Agent Mayden Joins GrandChase

  • James Bell
  • November 19, 2023
Reverse: 1999 Title
View Post
  • Reviews
  • RPG

Reverse: 1999 Review

  • Michael Licon
  • November 16, 2023
Street Figter collab
View Post
  • News
  • RPG
  • Strategy

The Street Fighter Series Punches into Puzzle & Dragons

  • Tamanna Chandel
  • November 14, 2023
Tower of God Feature
View Post
  • RPG

Tower of God: New World Review

  • Trevor Wells
  • November 12, 2023
The Latest
  • Dragonheir: Silent Gods Review
  • Outerplane Review
  • She Wants To Suck My Blood? Review
  • Please, Touch The Artwork 2 Launching On Mobile and PC Early Next Year
  • Mobile Suit Gundam U.C. Engage Review
  • The Cliffs of Wyrmrest Update Releases
  • Mortal Kombat: Onslaught Review
  • Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Lost Stories Review
  • WarCraft Rumble Review
  • On Air Island: Survival Chat Review
Meta
  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Hardcore Droid
  • Reviews
  • Spotlight
  • Hardcore
Core Gaming on the Android OS

Input your search keywords and press Enter.