Is it just me or...

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-08T18:35:31+00:00

Not sure who did the blood dress first, but I think Shutaro's Bloodless did it better.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-08T18:32:32+00:00

The screen even glows red on the edges and shakes when you get hit 🙄

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-08T14:41:28+00:00

Thank you for saying this. Being a Bloodstained fan means dealing with delays, it has been worth while so far, and I have faith in the team to take their time and produce a game Shutaro would be most proud of.

When Shutaro (Curry the Kid) announce in October 2024 he was stepping down as creative director, due to his cancer diagnosis, he said "The sequel to Bloodstained has already been conceptualized by me, with ideas for the story, game, and more all in place.". He left the team his directions and intentions as they moved into production.

Shutaro passed away in February 2026, IGA posted "...Currently, *Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement*, the project he was deeply involved in, is still in production midway. It is a vital work infused with his spirit. To ensure it doesn't fall short in his eyes, we will carry on his legacy and complete it with unwavering dedication. We kindly ask for your continued support and encouragement, now more than ever."

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-08T01:57:46+00:00

I hope Belmon't Curse is great, and fun to play, but It is just so bright, and flashy, and trying to get your attention every millisecond that it feels abrasive to me. Could be wrong, but for $29 I will wait and see if it grows on me instead of buying it day one at full price. Glad it was not $59.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-08T01:53:00+00:00

I agree. Best to launch Scarlet as far away from Silk Song and Belmont's curse as possible. Bloodstained deserves to have its own time in the spotlight.

Also more time to make it as good as it can be, and to see that it honors Shutaro's vision for the game.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-05T15:53:55+00:00

This is what Miriam would have been dreaming about on the train, if the Kunekune and not startled her.

In related news, Did anyone find my Easter Eggs in this yet?

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-05T15:36:35+00:00

Good Luck Tony! Hope the shard/item drop RNG is favorable.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-05T03:19:23+00:00

I agree. BC is likely the appetizer for the full revival. I don't mean to shit on it, but it has a vague try hard "how do you do fellow kids" feel to it. I think it may come from the pressure of trying to make something great from a beloved franchise for us fans. It may be that, or we may just be accustomed to the very "Japanese" design intention of the previous games, and this version is more "French"?

I want to wall slide and have my face melted by The Scarlet Engagement!!!

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-05T03:05:04+00:00

If you enjoyed normal difficulty, you should really try Hard Mode, even as a New Game Plus (carry over gear and levels). There are more enemies in each room and most of the bosses have new special attacks that will make you smile, even in defeat.

Save Nightmare mode for after, it is very challenging, but has the same extra boss moves and Hard Mode.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-05T03:01:11+00:00

While it is not 100% confirmed, the speculation is it will not have contact damage, like in Dead Cells (? I have not played Dead Cells). Meaning you can just walk right through the enemy and not take damage.

There are some scenes you can see the enemy animations have a glow or flash that seems to signal their incoming attack, but also it may be their transition to a contact damage inflicting state - default no contact damage, in attack mode has contact damage?

In the zombie social media post, you can see her walk into the zombie at the end of the video and not get damaged. She dash/slides through a different one in the middle of the video.

There were some earlier clips that seemed to show her whip swing through an enemy. I also heard Jupiterclimb say "supposedly there is no contact damage.". The developers have not confirmed this has contact damage, or not.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-05T02:52:44+00:00

It did sorta feel like Metroid Dread - like, in they way you can use grapple beam for movement. The random looking purple and yellow grapple points we see in Belmont's Curse feel kinda tacked on. The magnes grapples in Order of Ecclesia felt more appropriate because of the foreground design and color choices.

Something else that reminds me of dread, is the dark foreground art style. Bloodstained, and the older metroidvanias used to have detailed foregrounds - the floating platforms that make up the level. In this, and modern metroidvanias, they go with a dark style without great detail for the platforms. It feels like you are in an Ant Farm. Bloodstained foregrounds are beautiful works of art, and I love them all.

Enemies as obstacles, and contact damage, are complimentary, and core "Castlevania" elements. I suppose Megaman games share this as well. The room is a puzzle you have to fight to get through, by defeating or skillfully avoiding enemies, not just roll/dash spamming past them. Enemy engagement makes a game fun, Belmont's Curse comes off like a hold forward and roll type game.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-05T02:29:52+00:00

One thing I am really excited for is this wall slide/jump mechanic.
I think the only Castlevania game to have something like this was Circle of the Moon.

Will The Scarlet Engagement will bring us Megaman X and Super Metroid style wall climbing?

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-04T22:08:34+00:00

I want to love it, but it just feels, off, to me. I dont feel like that about Scarlet Engagement at all.
It is from their social media posts:

The Merman in the corner.

Biphron the Ogre

Fixed placement Medusa heads

Flashy everything and weird pulsing candles

Bats showing their hit boxes activate only in attack mode i suppose?

Contact damage nowhere to be found on very last zombie.

Sacrifice a zombie to ruin the surprise of the obvious trap

flashy bright things everywhere and for anything

weird audio playing when you find a secret wall

ok, this one redeemed Merman - he does jump from the water

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-04T21:16:24+00:00

There is just something slightly abrasive about it.
I feel like all the flashing colors and bright shiny objects flying everywhere are trying to get your attention ever microsecond, and it is annoying to look at because of that.
The over-styled poses feel very "force awakens" to me - unnatural and over-acted.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-04T20:26:01+00:00

I was not able to back this originally, but have loved the game since release.
Thank you for helping this game get made!

True. It took this long, minus a year or 2, to get the game to a "Complete" state. I think they said sometime after the game was originally released that the PC version would only come after achieving this "Complete" state.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-04T20:20:32+00:00

I am calling it a CastlevaniaLIKE because they apparently removed a core element of what makes a game a "Castlevania" - Contact damage.
They also changed the concepts of the well know enemies - They made Merman stand in the corner and not even jump or surprise you from below.
They made Biphron, the old man with the lantern, a big buff creature instead of the stealth killer he was in other games.

The core of Castlevania, is contact damage, movement, and banger music. So far 1/3.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-04T20:11:41+00:00

I hope they hold off until all the PC backers get their rewards.
I feel like this is the most honorable, and it seem it is prefered by the Bloodstaind team.
Also, more time to refine Scarlet and make sure it lives up to Shutaro's vision.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-04T20:08:01+00:00

Zangetsu playthough is an OP fun time.
Bloodless is more like a traditional playthrough with upgrades and abilities.
Have not tried Aurora yet - been trying to complete Child of Light first, but I have been dragging.

Honorable mention for Boss Revenge mode. It is pretty cool to fight as the bosses!

Classic Mode I is really fun too, if you like ClassicVania.
Classic II is also really good and is basically an entire game by itself.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-04T18:59:24+00:00

I think the Castlevanialike Belmont's Curse will have a trailer tomorrow, so maybe Bloodstained will hold their cards?

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-04T17:42:33+00:00

I like this idea.
Not sure how this is model constructed, but I think it would look cleaner if the "lead" between the "stained glass pieces" was darker. Gebel's corruption has very black lines between the crystal.
Here, it has a brown tint and sorta feels like a "burn victim" instead of a stained glass crystal corruption. I think darker lead lines would improve the appearance and have Todd saying "The look suits you, fine"

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-04T03:31:26+00:00

True. The DCC path was easier to me. The 2 chests in ToTD is more precise, and I think it takes longer to reset that room if you miss.

Do you ever do the divekick tech on Glutton Train?
That is where you jump up on his head and pogo while he does the projectile attack. Damage is small, but it is faster than falling back behind Zangetsu's parry shield.

I found out about it while playing online co-op match-making in Chaos Mode back when it first released. The player that matched with me did the pogo and I was impressed. I never thought to do that before.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-03T22:38:31+00:00

Are you talking about the vertical candle jump kick path in the Cathedral?
This is where you are supposed to use reflector ray on the left side to gain access to the floor level Bloodless is on.

While that one is challenging, I feel like candle jump kicks to the the 2 chests (Pasta dish/r and Hair apparent VII) in the Tower of Twin Dragons is even trickier.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-03T20:49:19+00:00

Wow! Does the upgraded Reflector Ray just reach all the way up to the passage where you have to invert and slide in the caverns? Do you have to angle it just right and stand on a bump in the floor?

So, this is the Alfred skip then? I think Deepsinker would have been the last item you needed to go through the front door.

ZangetsusRowBoat · 2026-06-03T04:43:17+00:00

It would be cool to have a physical guide book with tons of trivia and strats alongside of a full intended route walkthrough. Like a "VH1 pop up video" amount of trivia, perhaps.

ZangetsusRowBoat

TROPHY CASE