Why Bloodstained IS Castlevania

[@StockeTepes]

Do you think Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night should have a different artstyle for the sequel?

[@James-oj6ru]

In my opinion… _yes,_ the cel shading is just… not good looking enough, it looks fine but it could be better as the supposed _Symphony of the Night successor,_ that and it looks ugly at times Perhaps tweak the shading engine to have a more Celluoid style (like KOF XV or time art) or shading style akind to Ayami Kojima’s art. _I’m not expecting it to go back to sprite art though, that’s kinda impossible nowadays_

[@williamhououin]

I really like how it looks honestly, I would rather want better animations than a different art style

[@natew5593]

I’d like to see a more traditional 2D look for the sequel, but if not, whatevs, I’ll buy it anyway

[@DragonKingX78]

I would prefer hand drawn 2-D sprites but would be fine if it the same as the first.

[@GeorgisTrying]

Yes

[@projectmessiah]

Can't wait for bloodstained 1999

[@StockeTepes]

It’s definitely possible for the series to build up to an event like it, probably yearssss from now but that would be so cool

[@Rihcterwilker]

I really wished konami would see how good bloodstained did and hire Iga one more time to make the 1999 castlevania game, at least to give us some closure. Oh, well. I hope the sequel gets announced soon. I believe it will go the route of castlevania 3/ ecclesia, going through different external routes until finally getting to the castle.

[@StockeTepes]

Yeah agreed, that’s going to be its own video topic sometime in the future. As for Bloodstained I hope it goes for a more Order of Ecclesia route as well!

[@DragonKingX78]

@@StockeTepes goes for a a more Oder of Ecclesia route? in what way?

[@lingux_yt]

@@DragonKingX78 stages outside the castle! that was cool

[@williamhououin]

Man, great video, Bloodstained is amazing! I’ve been running randomizer with Miriam non stop, so much fun! And truth be told, I prefer Bloodstained to Castlevania. There, I said it.

[@3ndg4m3]

I would certainly be happy to see Castlevania make a comeback, but in a way, I’m glad it seems to be dead for the time being, because that pushed IGA to make Bloodstained, free of the old continuity and its baggage. I love Castlevania and all its characters, but it’s nice to think we might be able to focus on the ongoing adventures of Miriam-especially as she continues to put appearances in other games.

[@StockeTepes]

100%

[@Masked_Dedede_]

Zangetsu always seemed to me like IGA's combination of Julius Belmont and Getsu Fuuma, even though Fuuma is not directly a Castlevania character, in aspects like his move-set (being like Fuuma's) and personality being like Julius' (I think? It's been a while since I've played RotN lol, so my memory is fuzzy on the events Zangetsu appeared in)

[@TylerVanCleve]

Another Banger Video bro, they're always a blast to watch

[@Deku_231]

Great Video! I love Metroidvania games and recently started playing Bloodstained for the first time. So far I'm having a blast! I haven't played any of the Castlevania games yet. Maybe I will give them a try afterwards.

[@sigmorffromgis777]

Absolutely love love love Castlevania. Thank you so much for posting these & for sharing about Bloodstained as well. ❤

[@craigsideleau4800]

I'm hoping for a more revolutionary sequel to ROTN. Now that Igavanias have returned to home consoles, there are a plethora of avenues that IGA can go down compared to his time at Konami where most of his games were delegated to handhelds. A Co-op style Igavania has so much potential to be groundbreaking if executed properly.

[@TheT3rr0rMask]

After playing each on their release dates it just felt like playing new CVs. My only problem, since I'm one of those lore weirdos, is the worldbuilding and lore. One of the things sticking me to CV is the overarching story, its deep lore that expects you to notice things between games and even make your own little headcanons. I can spend all day in CV's sorld and never get bored. Bloodstained's world and characters don't really do it for me. Sure CV has the benefit of decades of games to have gradually built off of while BS has only three games atm, but booting up CV4 for the first time as a kid I was so intruigued by the simple "Belmont vs. Dracula" plot, imagining what the past games have depicted. Dracula is, off the bat no matter what, an iconic and threatening figure to have as a villain. In BS we have..... Gremory? ROTN's story is laid back and fun, does it's job, but the Curse games could've provided more weight to it if they stuck to the prequel route instead of becoming a seperate universe. I love the nuanced storytelling between Curse 1 and 2 but then I'm left thinking ROTN just kinda exists. Not to sound dissapointed, I'm beyond satisfied and happy with BS as a series so far. Gameplay and style are up there, and like I said it just IS new Vania content. They took the term spiritual successor, tried to blur it into successor and it works for me. Just hope they take more worldbuilding into consideration for ROTN's sequel.

[@StockeTepes]

Agreed. Generally I feel like Castlevania is far more appealing & accessible. The simplicity of the early titles helps with that a lotttt too. Bloodstained definitely needs to do more to differentiate itself from its inspiration, and stand out while doing it.

[@AntiChris]

Really like the change in tempo with the new video. Thanks for making this and keep up the excellent work. _Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night_ encompasses all of my favorite entries of the _Castlevania_ series. I don't mind how explicitly it wears it's source materials on it's sleeves, but I concur with the desire to see the franchise break new ground. That said, if Konami won't push the boundaries with the _Castlevania_ series, then let Igarashi take on the mantle with _Bloodstained_. Also, _Child of Light_ ranked in my personal top 10 role playing games for a long time. It's got a _Grandia_ like combat system that's fairly easy to learn (and master, it's not a hard game). It might be my nostagia goggles talking since I haven't played it in roughly eight years, but I highly recommend it and would love to hear your thoughts on it.

[@fresshstart5521]

It’s great to see you branch out and talk about other games your interested in. Great work as always!

[@TheExFatal]

My favorite thing about Bloodstained is that it's a minifranchise - they could've just made the Igavania and leave it at that, but no, they made not one, but TWO classicvanias too, and both were great. Not only that, but there's also a DXC-like 2.5D classicvania mode inside of RotM, and there's another one coming as DLC

[@That_Ifrit_Guy]

Easily one of my best backed projects~

[@RockPaperShiv]

Hachi is dracula confirmed

[@SaintKnight42]

I love this game, i just picked it back up recently. The two retro style bloodstained games are great too! ❤🖤

[@hyperturbofox17]

Great Video!

[@yourfriendlyneighborhoodhomos]

You’re getting so good at this broski

[@StockeTepes]

Much love bro 🖤

[@chudzors]

If Konami just made a Castlevania based on Julius Belmont in 1999 we would be more than satisfied

[@TheDapperDragon]

And now, one year later....nothing. Absolutely tragic.

[@GrayFoxHound9]

For me bloodstained became castlevania the moment i heard music. It was as magnificent as in every castlevania. I love every bloodstained game released, they are SO good. They actually made 2.5d with 3d models work pretty good. Could look better, but it already sounds and plays almost perfectly. Town Quest system from Ritual of the Night was cringe though. I almost hated "kill the enemies to avange", "cook food" and "bring item in memory" quests - they take completely out of experience and overwhelm while providing nothing but MMO-esque checklist in return. References in it were fun though.

[@StockeTepes]

"Avenge the Death of Julius" as the IGA boss fight made me depressed. Great reference to Julius never getting his 1999 game 😔

[@BOINGtheGAMER]

Goodjob!

[@strikethesayain4638]

Did you hear about the leaked documents about castlevania bloodlines, apparently it had a lot of information on castlevania lore, like how the morris clan came to be and a few other families tied to the belmonts

[@StockeTepes]

Yes! Although the English translation is…not good, I think it’s a super interesting insight on the development around Bloodlines release. I’m curious how much IGA and his team referred to it after Symphony of the Night

[@christlevania5933]

A crossover would be awesome, but we all know that will never happen.

[@StockeTepes]

I’d say "never say never", but, Konami 😔

[@McGomezAddams]

Bloodstained is awesome

[@Anakunus]

What? There is Curse of the Moon 2? I _have_ to try it some day. By the way, Harmony of Despair, which was the last Castlevania game of the old canon, was released in 2010, not 2008.

[@ashwolf2006]

Igarashi succeeded in creating his own game. While keiji inafune had Failed miserably with mighty no.9

[@Edible132]

I've seriously considered getting the game, but since I only have a switch its been a tough decision

[@James-oj6ru]

Well… I don’t have much words other than Curse of the Moon being a good evolution and spiritual successor to the classicvania format… _though I have no clue how they’re going to continue the story after our main man cut the moon in half_ Ritual of the Night um… how do I say this?… it feels like the game tries to experiment and expand upon Symphony of the Night and Dawn of Sorrow… _but it also tries to play it safe?_ It’s a good game though I wish it didn’t try to be SOTN 2.0

[@StockeTepes]

TRUE that solo run with Zangetsu was crazy. I’m curious how Inti Creates will follow it up, but I have a feeling they’ll find an engaging way. As for RotN I definitely get it like I said at the end. I hope the sequel really does branch out more and becomes its own.

[@DragonKingX78]

I love this game, hope the sequel is at least as good.

[@silentvoice6737]

3:13 what about portrait of ruins >:(

[@StockeTepes]

One of the best too haha, my favorite story in Castlevania for sure. I think out of the Igavanias Bloodstained doesn’t take as much from it as some of the others

[@johanandersson8646]

Best metroidvanias period???(the Igavanias) That's just your love for Castlevania talking...

[@dommoore6180]

"original continuity"? IGA's timeline is not, not at all, the original continuity. It might take some of (and only some) the original series games but those were heavily retconned (I mean ffs Trevor and Christopher became two different people, that's not a small retcon, every version of Selena was totally removed, that's not a small retcon, to say nothing of the total reframing of the series narrative and total removal of the cinema aspect which was, y'know, kind of the whole point of the series). IGA also took games in that were not in any capacity canon to the original continuity (Rondo, SotN, Bloodlines) whilst removing what Konami had seen as the original series' revival (N64 LoD), in fact the three games that weren't canon that he took in became arguably the 3 most important to his version of the lore and story outside debatably CV3! Then you get into the reframing the series as this singular continuing "epic", the Japanese Schoolboy reincarnation of Dracula, the shift away from horror and into dark fantasy, the gameplay and pacing shift, the art style and tone shift, I mean seriously I get that IGA's take is by far the most popular but it is not *in any way* the original. And fans have really started to go all revisionist history on the earlier games before IGA (like the CV wiki is so full of misinfo and just flat out missing info it's a bit ridiculous especially as it's otherwise a really well put together wiki) whilst anything that comes after IGA's version is being discredited just for not being his version under this insane idea that IGA's was the original! I literally just commented referencing this issue on another one of this channel's posts and I really enjoy this channel but no, IGA's timeline was not is not and never has been the "original continuity" and it's absolutely been a disservice to the rest of the franchise that fans are so married to IGA's take that they have developed this narrative in the first place. This dates all the way back to the mid 00s and it's only gotten worse. There is a reason that SotN was allowed to be made the way it was, and that was because to Konami it didn't matter because it wasn't mainline Castlevania - the game isn't even supposed to be mainline Castlevania, so this narrative is really ridiculous.

[@SomeOne-ke6vq]

Right, so what's the proper continuity then?

[@dommoore6180]

@@SomeOne-ke6vq what do you mean the “proper continuity”? That’s the point - there isn’t one. There’s a most popular continuity, which happens to be the IGA timeline, but that only existed from 2002-2010. Then there’s the original games which were their own thing up to 1993, where we got totally separate lines (Dracula X, Bloodlines, 64, X68K). Then there’s LoS and now the Netflix show. The iga timeline is one of many.

[@SomeOne-ke6vq]

@@dommoore6180 That's correct, I don't get what your point is with that long wall of text. Do you hate the official chronology of the game's events dating back to Leon Belmont?

[@dommoore6180]

@@SomeOne-ke6vq No I just dislike people misrepresenting the series as just the IGA timeline and pretending everything else is secondary, or pretending the IGA timeline was the original timeline - which it was not.

[@zephryus]

lol, NO it isn't! it's just a highly inspired clone.

[@sercho9499]

Bloodstain apologist. Game is bland and boring and that makes me angry since i was so hyped when it was announced and when i played it, turned out it was shet. Specially compared to good metroidvanias like hollow knight and blasphemous.

[@SuxMenner]

zzzz Bloodstained game lore zzzzz

[@StockeTepes]

It’s definitely not the most exciting at the moment lol. I think, in the future, it can turn into something really appealing

[@youstupidideot]

My hope since IGA first made Bloodstained was that Konami would sell Castlevania to IGA so he can finally finish Castlevania. I need it, he needs it and the world needs it.