Johnny vs. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2

[@StepperBox]

"You can play as a corgi in a mech." Well damn. I'm sold.

[@benjovi356]

PUPPY ROBOT!!!

[@auralunaprettycure]

I’m pretty sure it’s a reference to a baby in a mech from one of Konami’s arcade games. It was a beat em up I don’t remember the name

[@ZNemerald]

I hope he becomes canon in the ritual canon to

[@TransKingFormers]

@@auralunaprettycure captain commando from capcom

[@alexmcneill6445]

I just now realized what bothers me about the new thumbnails... It's missing the "VS" symbol between Johnny and the game he's tackling. Lol

[@highvoltage7797]

I also think the new intro and avatar are lacking in comparison to the last few.

[@light-uq9ws]

@@highvoltage7797 yea I like the new one but I vastly perfer the previous one

[@TheAwesomeHyperon]

I NEVER NOTICED THAT

[@M644theawesome]

Ruined forever now, thanks

[@jakegarman4526]

Johnnys old logo and old intro are better than the ones he has now.

[@tannerprice2018]

3:12 “...In true Shovel Knight fashion, or Scrooge McDuck if you’re old,...” Not old, Johnny. *...cultured.*

[@Da_ComputerMonster]

_Always learn from the best..._ *Looks to the Moon, as Moon theme starts to play*

[@Michael-590]

Don’t forget Cranky Kong.

[@hheecckk526]

no no hes right. old. your old. im old

[@adlaistevenson2623]

Being truly cultured means being familiar with Scrooge McDuck not from DuckTales, but his original comics.

[@chrisgardeski7740]

Push Butt

[@DementedDuskull]

"I really like Dominique, she's a little squishier than Zangetsu" What do you mean by that Johnny.

[@mrvoorhees96]

;)

[@8bityoshiiYT]

Hehe boi

[@lh9591]

The only thing I can think of is maybe she lands differently? In Super Mario 2, I would definitely describe Luigi as squishier than Mario. Or maybe her bounce back after getting hit has more give? She’s squishier so doesn’t bounce back as much?

[@DementedDuskull]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXWxq514idKUb9U

[@nintendopwns1]

lh9591 “squishier” here as Johnny used it means frailer - less defense or health

[@archmagetyler]

“I want more of this, GIVE THEM MORE MUNNY!” classic humor based Johnny breaking out again.

[@RayShadow278]

Dominique's spear moves are *really* giving me some Megaman Zero vibes, particularly Zero 1 since that's where you get the Triple Rod

[@zeroattentiongaming820]

Robert being long ranged with a wall jump gave me vibes of what I imagine an 8 bit X could be like. Hachi's punch animation makes me think of an 8 bit ride armor too.

[@TheSegaKoolaid]

Shouldn’t be surprising, Inti Creates did make the Zero games after all.

[@Raiden3651]

@1:26, maybe the Zangetsu future ending segways into Gunvolt 3.

[@popnlocknes]

Definitely some triple rod vibez

[@KuroNoTenno]

@@Raiden3651 It probably opens up the possibility of Zangetsu being in the third Mighty Gunvolt instead.

[@dieseldust27]

Nxt installment, Curse of the Moon 3 should be in 16-bit

[@jdude9314]

Yes! Hopefully, if a future Bloodstained is made that way, it could be more akin to Super Castlevania 4 and Rondo of Blood. Hey, I can dream, can’t I?

[@Da_ComputerMonster]

Nah, It's gotta be for the 4th. (Cause Super Castlevania)

[@thegreenmessor3809]

Indeed

[@Nic5Cyprus]

And the fourth should be a remake of the first and be called Super Curse of the Moon IV

[@dieseldust27]

@@jdude9314 To be honest, I really like the graphics on Rondo / Dracula X. IV's sprites are too big for my taste

[@gengargamer5657]

Me: *sees Dominque and her gameplay and color palette* Fairy Leviathan from Mega Man Zero is that you?!

[@AnotherLuckyStar]

6:41 Well, you said there were *over* seven stages. Eight and Nine are technically numbers above seven, so this checks out.

[@zwataketa]

"Dominique." Everyone disliked that.

[@jennySeidel7494]

I don't get it.

[@JoshtheOverlander]

@@jennySeidel7494 Neither do I, but then I haven't beaten Ritual of the Night yet. Probably should get on that.

[@toooydoeur]

@@JoshtheOverlander she big evil

[@ForrestFox626]

I like Johnny using a Simpson's clip for the reaction! 😂

[@valiensr1037]

I know I did

[@Semmelklees]

3:42 "I really liked Dominique, she is a little squishier than Zangetsu..." oh yeah, SHE IS! * honk *

[@sketchbookonline2040]

Man, the callback to the Castlevania 3 review put a big ass smile on my face

[@alimowla3204]

1:45 accurate reaction. 9:35 i love the little chuckle there.

[@Burtzman20]

So glad you mentioned the hover and that I'm not the only one having problems with it. I'm so used to platformers where you hold the jump button to get the max amount of height, but Hachi's hover activates while you have the jump button held down, you really have to press the jump button and let go quickly to avoid activating it. The hover activating when I didn't want it to got me killed SO many times...

[@Zitsanrael1117]

Now that Curse of the Moon has a sequel, here's hoping Ritual of the Night gets one in the next couple of years too. I enjoy the classic Castlevania format as well (although Castlevania III can go die in a fire), but I just LOVE me a good Metroidvania.

[@ForrestFox626]

Sadly, we might be waiting awhile for that game.

[@Da_ComputerMonster]

*One Eternity Later...*

[@DarkLink1996.]

Pro-tip, give CV3 another shot, but play the Japanese version. It's MUCH better

[@Raiden3651]

It did. Order of Ecclesia

[@Nathan-rb3qp]

Castlevania 3 is awesome.

[@SilverDimos]

After that Treehouse stream, I needed this

[@MrDrzjayrod358]

Yeah definitely paper Mario was the highlight

[@fraudhoward1409]

yeah man that digimon game was really something lmao

[@arbyw.1889]

Bakugan tho

[@skullythekidd0175]

Same

[@fraudhoward1409]

oh dang it was bakugan I forgot lol

[@Magitek1112]

Robert kinda reminds me of Hammer from the Castlevania Sorrow duology. He's got a green color scheme, is bald, and is a soldier who uses guns. It's kinda neat to me because Hammer was meant to be playable in the Julius Mode of Dawn of Sorrow, but it never came to pass.

[@TheLonelyGoomba]

Just played through this game. So has been interesting going back to this review now I've played it. The only thing I disagree with really is the final chapter, I never really felt like I had to revisit stages much. I just played through them all in a linear fashion as I did Chapter 2. Then swept the stages again so wasn't really any need to backtrack more than once. (well, I replayed the first 3 stages again then decided to just finish the game and not bother with the rest). So really it just felt like an improved Episode 2 with more paths and characters. There's no real reason to get all the items outside of just helping you complete the game. However I didn't bother with Chapter EX so far, which probably contributed to me not being worn out. Another 2 playthroughs probably would wear me out a bit.

[@TheBlueTyphoon17]

9:37 That brings back memories

[@awsomemodels]

0:47 lol why did i laugh so much at that ? 😂

[@frogglen6350]

My reaction to seeing this out "JESUS THAT WAS FAST" -Butter Team Four Star

[@theinimitablejora522]

I mean... not as fast as me, since... you know, I’m... the fastest in the universe...

[@satyamSaha]

The Javelin actually reminds of the Triple Rod from Megaman Zero 1 (another game made by Inti Creates), it functions similarly and it probably where they got it from.

[@Call0045]

Dominique is no Shovel Knight. She's literally Zero's Triple rod from MMZ1!!

[@Demonskunk]

I felt the same way. The game is fantastic, but it kinda overstays it's welcome. There's also a final mode that lets you play with a single character, and each character apparently has a unique final boss and ending.

[@OrangeLightning86]

9:37 Nice callback. Even the same font.

[@ACBlackJ0ck]

Corgi in a mech? I'm instantly sold.

[@SUPERPIXELPLANET]

Dude, it’s insane how seeing this after the Nintendo Treehouse felt like I got my head out of water after nearly drowning for 30 minutes

[@Chromakaze]

Johnny says future but really Zangetsu got transported to the Azure Striker Gunvolt universe, which is signalled by the Sumeragi Group's building being in the middle of the city. Also because ASG is Inti's own flagship IP, so any and all references to it is fine by me.

[@SentyPurr]

PROTIP: When playing the final episode, remember that any upgrades you picked up will be saved, and you really don't need to finish a stage to keep it.

[@MailmanSSB]

Playing the game right now and really enjoying it! Though this game is wayyyy harder than the first one...

[@AzureMoebius22]

Agreed on the difficulty part. I already miss Alfred’s flame shield spell

[@homuraakemi103]

People probably complained that the first one was too easy...

[@TheT3rr0rMask]

Due to cheap design. The first one was hard but fair, this one feels so sporadic and cheap. Was pretty frustrating

[@ultraspinalki11]

@@TheT3rr0rMask Welcome to how old 2D Castlevania games were!

[@Tommy-zh8ko]

For me, all was well until the volcano stage...

[@Michael-590]

It looks as though Dominique will be the best character to play as, just as Miriam was the best character to play as apart from Ultimate Zangetsu in the first game. I also like that Dominique is on the side of good in this game as she is the hottest female character in the Bloodstained series in my opinion.

[@JoakimOtamaa]

It's the glasses and blond hair, right? Some kinky nun stuff added and olé!

[@HubPie3]

"You can play as a Corgi in a mech." ...Fuck, I need this game now.

[@DakinRinone]

"Or scrooge mcduck if your old." Damn that one hit me way to hard lol.

[@Jewsh]

1:13 Wrong. You can not only kill or recruit potential allies, you can just ignore them as well. So it is entirely possible that this game follows an ending where Zangetsu ignored one or two allies - in that case the first game ends with everyone alive.

[@jd2792]

Nope if you ignore them all in the ending they take an explosion for zangestu and still die

[@Jewsh]

@@jd2792 Hence me saying "ignored one or two allies" - in that case everyone lives.

[@yourehereforthatarentyou]

lol

[@matthagen67]

3:11 Well, that makes me old xD the first think I thought to myself seeing that mechanic was: that looks totally like Uncle Scrooge's pogo-jumping in Duck Tales 1 & 2 on NES. Later on in the game, we also get jumping moai heads as enemies which also was a nice throwback to the Mu level of DT2.

[@ConductorElcrest]

This takes place in an ending where he only gets two partners and leaves behind the other one. That ending he surprisingly lives

[@yourehereforthatarentyou]

yeah, but which partner(s) get left behind, canonically? has it been said?

[@yoman8027]

@@yourehereforthatarentyou AFAIK it's an amalgamation: Zangetsu recruited everyone but Gremory didn't try to posses him.

[@ChristianDeLarge]

You are a great reviewer, man. Keep this shit up. No matter what you are going through. You’ve found your voice. Keep it up, brother.

[@hazbaska1]

Thank you for this super in depth review! After 50 searches, your review answered my questions that even FAQs couldn’t! Thanks for your hard work :)

[@waffletoast215]

I love the callback to the Castlevania 3 review from way back in the day.

[@jacobmonks3722]

1:02 forgot to edit out the cursor lol. I was just wondering when you would talk about this game because I greatly enjoyed both your other Bloodstained videos.

[@meathir4921]

1:00 This take place after the ignore all characters ending.

[@meathir4921]

Also Zangetsu in the future was a nod to how he appears in one of the Gunvolt games (the structure seen is the Sumeragi HQ).

[@Hi_Just_Fred]

I think it's not ignore all of them but ignore 1 or 2 of them.

[@MsDAmusic]

Ill be honest, I liked it better when it was simply "Johnny VS X". Now the titles féel clutered

[@TheAwesomeHyperon]

I’m mixed on it.

[@trueblueryu5713]

I kind of like the subtitles since they at least are at the end. Might get confusing if there’s a really long game title later, though

[@ibilesfighter3.16]

Yeah, it really just feels like an antdude clone since he does the same thing, so I feel like this has no more personality compared to earlier videos when it felt more personalized.

[@TheHDEpics]

@@ibilesfighter3.16 ikr i hate nitrorad clones omg!!!!! all these copying copycat carls make me wanna hae a fucking hernia!!!! grr!!!111!!

[@Uncompromising_Mode]

Apparently it helps for youtube ratings, and since it doesnt really have any negative effect on the video Im perfectly fine with it.

[@XeErmine]

Robert reminds me of Hammer from Castlevania Aria of Sorrow. He was a weapon & item salesman. While he doesn't use it he had an rpg.

[@enlongjones2394]

And they at one point were planning on making him playable in Dawn of Sorrow. See, DoS had a Julius Mode, like in AoS. Only, this time it was a callback to Castlevania 3, with Julius recruiting a few allies to take on the castle. You had Julius Belmont in place of Trevor, Yoko Belnades in place of Sypha, and Alucard as hinself, albeit with his sword from Symphony instead of his bats from CV3. The only one missing was a Grant Danasty analogue, but some voice lines left in the game imply they were going to make Hammer fill that role. Why they left him out I can’t say; maybe they just couldn’t figure out how to make him play like Grant in a way that makes sense. And Robert feels like that concept is realized; his gun is like a modernized version of the throwing knife Grant has in the Japanese version of CV3, and he can cling to walls and jump off of them, albeit not as well as Grant can.

[@IcyWind14]

Curse of the Moon 1 has like six different endings. The one you get for recruiting one or two allies, but ignoring the rest ends with everyone alive and well, perfect for transitioning into CotM2.

[@majoraOX]

I don't know if you care but the "future" in the curse of the moon 1 ending is actually depicting the azure striker gunvolt universe, with sumeragi tower being that big building in the center.

[@ForrestFox626]

So, cross promoting?

[@yoster39]

It follows the "ignore 1 ally" ending

[@SuperArcadeBros]

Okay Johnny has a superpower to make reviews faster then humanly possible. You can't convince me otherwise.

[@BugsyFoga]

A Wild Sequel appears out of nowhere!!!!

[@VincentHernandez2121]

Ironically I was watching your Castlevania III review before watching this one, so I lol'd at your callback of this game's difficulty. (9:35)

[@jaredargento1511]

A corgi in a mech is something I didn't know I needed in my life, but I can't complain.

[@JoakimOtamaa]

Too bad that hover move just doesn't work properly. I don't know if its fixed after all this time. If it worked like in Rayman 2 I wouldn't mind. Double tapping X works wonders.

[@Epsilonsama]

Not gonna lie, I had no idea this game even existed but I saw my news feed mention it and I went ahead and bought it without reading or watching any reviews, which is something I rarely if ever do. That's how much I trust the people involved making this.

[@benjovi356]

Enjoyed the new intro. Thanks for such a good review.

[@Galacticaknight201]

I am so glad you reviewed this game early because I really wanted you to. This game is splendid! For the most part, I hope they make a third one if they keep this quality up.

[@MoonGhostDoodles]

13:04 Me when telling people to buy Bug Fables Would be great to see you cover that game someday Johnny!

[@AwesomeNick94]

Hachi's hover becomes consistent when you realize that if the jump button is being pressed at the height of your jump, you'll always begin to hover. This also works exactly the same way when switching characters mid jump.

[@dprototype6431]

I’m seeing a lot of MMZ similarities. Zangetsu has a three hit combo and Dominique straight up has Zero’s Triple Rod’s pogo attack.

[@thermostash3948]

I had no idea what this series is but I still watched the video so let that be a testament to how good your video’s are

[@MsMvsS]

The corgi in a mech reminds me of GatoRoboto, the metroidvania released a few years ago by devolver digital.

[@brandonnetwork]

New intro is lit, and the thumbnails are epic.

[@redshift912]

Your videos haven’t been showing up on my feed ... but I’m gonna watch them all now !

[@Paul-lp7fr]

"But are there Bakugan?"

[@DakinRinone]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 god that was a terrible call by Nintendo and wayforward

[@heroesdemise4929]

I can only imagine. I've only ever gotten to the end stages of Castlevania 3 (stupid hard game), but I thoroughly enjoyed my plays of it.

[@michaelrhett4958]

“I want more of this!” Me when I finish a Johnny vs video

[@ForrestFox626]

That is what a backlog is for.

[@chiko6888]

You should definitely look into Crosscode. The game recently got released on consoles so it would be the best time to make a review on it.

[@duyngo7697]

Arent they still developing the game? I remembered the game end on a cliffhanger? Maybe wait unitl the game is fully completed then make a review on it

[@chiko6888]

@@duyngo7697 the game is fully complete, the only thing being made atm is the postgame dlc.

[@mjc0961]

@@chiko6888 So it's not complete yet.

[@duyngo7697]

Ryan Fanstone i havent played destiny so idk. But about the crosscode game, it has postgame dlc about what happend after the ending (it ends on cliffhanger). Technically... the game is not finished yet

[@walkerpierce5446]

Petition for the corgi to be in the next metroidvania Bloodstained.

[@Zerobasssoul]

Can't wait to do 5 playthroughs in one sitting again and that brings a smile to my face

[@AdventurerAlm]

Good review, Johnny! Oh, and as to the confusion about the continuity. I think this game might actually pick up from the ending you get when you recruit only one ally in CotM, and leave the others behind; alive. Since, in that ending everyone lives and gets a happy ending.

[@JoakimOtamaa]

You can actually recruit two allies and ignore one for the same results. That's how I prefer playing it, with Miriam and Alfred.

[@mrsonicspeed101]

wow you’re non stop right now delivering us with some quality content!

[@zariaalhajmoustafa2573]

When we see the the handheld Castlevania review

[@TheSomberGamer]

I cant wait for this game. Gonna buy it twice, digital and physical through Limited Run!

[@Dante-nc8zn]

Jeez Johnny is killing it with these uploads

[@ty_sylicus]

Love the retro music cover!

[@ShadowWarriorLuke]

Well this certainly came out of nowhere. The idea of a ride armour in a Castlevania-like game is... intriguing to say the least.

[@carloscruz7628]

watching this after I played the game. I honestly love what they do with the characters in this game. Also off topic but I’m curious as to how Johnny feels about kingdom hearts melody of memories.

[@Shadowlordreaper]

Potential Meme Identified: 13:04

[@blackdragoncyrus]

This game is so much harder than the first, I wish they changed the way Hachi's jumping controls so it lets you hold down the button to hover mid-jump.

[@JustJohn816]

WHOA when does Zangetsu go to the future??? The first CotM??? Swim suit Dominique LETS GOOOOOO

[@jruler93]

In the ending of CotM 's Nightmare mode, complete with a reference to Mega Man 2's intro.

[@JustJohn816]

@@jruler93 I dont even remember that and I 100%ed COTM

[@tsyumamatsuthehavenofguard32]

...it took me a minute to realize this

[@jruler93]

@@JustJohn816 I don't remember if the camera was panning up or down, but I remember Zangetsu waking up atop a skyscraper, then staring at a cityscape in the background.

[@ForrestFox626]

I love the fact a stretch goal game from a Kicktarter game got a sequel and maybe even become its own franchise! 💜💙🎮

[@yourehereforthatarentyou]

i greatly prefer classic castlevania over igarashi's styled castlevanias, so i was happy to hear about this sequel, and i *really* hope curse of the moon styled bloodstaineds keeps getting games

[@ForrestFox626]

@@yourehereforthatarentyou Why not both?

[@LagrimaArdiente]

Glad to see the series continue.

[@Azurefistify]

The game takes place after the good ending of the first game. Basically play the game with 1 or 2 extra characters doesnt matter who on hardcore and then you get the ending where everyone survives.

[@FluddGate]

Agree with what Johnny is saying about EP3 I just started it up before watching this video and upon loading into the first stage I picked I immediately felt burnt out. Definitely gonna take a break before jumping into it.

[@oggamez1]

Pogo stick action is like Zero with the Triple Rod lol

[@BigSmoke-xh5hi]

That new intro is pretty amazing

[@HarbingerYT]

With Hachi's hover, it seems to work if you hold the jump button instead of tapping it in mid-air.

[@tipulsar85]

Well it's going onto the Steam list.

[@keen7youtubeistoast796]

You are 100% right with the hover, and I felt like there was something wrong with it. After unlocking him, I just messed around a bit, jumped in the air and punched... to find myself hovering for no reason. Also, yes, while double tapping works, it's not recommended, since he only hovers at the peak of hist jump. If you wanna hover while he moves upwards or downwards in the jump (or just while falling), it won't work. And yeah, holding the button is just too sensitive.

[@azulejoa]

12:07 got me good.

[@spacemanwun9316]

Eugh Johnny really on his grind putting out constant bangers!! Keep it up brother👍🏽

[@jonnay8133]

I liked the Tee Lopes intro with you drinking your coffee.

[@GoldStorm07]

Rather than viewing it as a chore to complete, pace out your gameplay by waiting a week or two between episodes. There's certainly a ton of replay value altogether.

[@ForrestFox626]

I get the feel he has had this code for awhile.

[@fenomozo9108]

He was rushing for the review, maybe taking it sometime as you say is better for the gameplay.

[@TheT3rr0rMask]

Felt like a chore to me. Inti made this like Megaman 10 where the difficulty feels more cheap than balanced. COTM1 was so well designed this just feels unfair at so many points

[@JoakimOtamaa]

​@@TheT3rr0rMaskYeah I have no intention to replay more than Episode 1, that was the only one I had real fun. *Dominique gets trapped for eternity*, "Oh no... anyway!"

[@Made2Slash]

She got good physical coverage.

[@SegaNintendoGuy64]

Well that was the quickest uploads on a Johnny VS video I've seen, At the time of my comment his Spongebob Rehydrated review was literally 3 days ago.

[@jacobmonks3722]

I think Mega Man 11 was also only like 3 days after his Mega Man X8 video.

[@teneesh3376]

I wished the difficulty options were more flexible. I like certain elements from casual and veteran. So having some of them locked behind the difficulty options is not my prefered cup of tea. Like I would prefer infinite lives, knockback and the item drops of veteran mode

[@vwgolfer1873]

just stumbled upon your channel (i know im late af) but man i love your writing and the production too great intro im subbed for life - Matt

[@GameplayandTalk]

I just started Episode 2 and appreciate the rise in difficulty. Though now knowing there's an Episode 3 where you want to backtrack, I'm not so sure I want to keep playing, haha.

[@shelbyherring92]

Whoa, digging Dominique's redesign... Kinda gope they make that an alt skin for her in RotN... Speaking of, get a chance to play that Zangetsu campaign?

[@captainmega6310]

Gope? Calm down there

[@Chokah]

Ok, were you going for "Hope" or "Grope" there? I mean I liked her design in ROTN but damn man!

[@shelbyherring92]

lol, I meant "hope"...🤣 Damn fat adult thumbs... can't text like I used to. I'm gonna keep that in. REMEMBER FOLKS: Double check your comments before you hit "done" or "submit".

[@c9875]

9:37 That is all.

[@PolarPhantom]

For the past two or three days I've been going at this game and beating it multiple times. Each character is fun and I like that.

[@gregtaylor9957]

These vidoes have really helped me decide if a game is worth a damn or not. Its because of Johnny that i got the Bloodstained games at all. Keep it up.

[@tequilafeline6552]

Gotta say i love this one but for different reasons when compared to Bloodstained 1. Hachi seems to carry or be able to carry most of the game and dominique comes in close second for traversal reasons. The layout and wackyness closer to castlevania III than the first. It's more of a feeling than it is a fact. This time around music is still good but nowhere near as catchy as the first. Wish every boss in the second came with a short music track entrance like the bosses in the bloodstained 1. Difficulty spike can get insane on the later levels like the tomb or clock tower. Episode 2 is such a chore without dominique and her awesome healing spell. It was very fun being able to pick your own route in the EX episode since i always went for gebel and the old man first. 2:35