Bloodstained: Ritual of the Nightwas one of the standout releases of 2019. A new IP helmed by Koji Igarashi, aka IGA, it was a spiritual successor to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Bloodstained was often thought as being a new Castlevania in everything but name, which was a comparison that became even more applicable thanks to the 8-bitBloodstained: Curse of the Moonspinoffs and the Classic mode that was added in update 1.20. Classic mode was essentially a remake of the original Castlevania, with Bloodstained environments and characters, and should be played by anyone who was eagerly anticipating Bloodstained due to their Castlevania fandom. After five years of continued support and updates, it’s a bittersweet announcement to say that the final update has arrived with the Classic II: Dominique’s curse DLC.
Review: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is everything Castlevania fans could possibly want and is a great 2D action platformer in its own right.
Classicvania II
Classic II: Dominique’s Curse is a premium DLC expansion, expanding on Bloodstained’s lore by allowing the player to experience a new area with retro gameplay action. Similar to the original Classic mode, Dominique’s Curse delivers more retro gameplay but with a bigger map. The story for Classic II begins where Ritual of the Night ends, bridging the events of Bloodstained to this new nostalgic experience. After facing defeat at the hands of Miriam, Dominique falls into Limbo. She seeks to escape to the mortal realm where she can claim revenge, that is after she steals Bael’s power.
Dominique must acquire powerful artifacts and abilities to achieve her goals, but beware the lunar light, as things become more dangerous when daylight dies into night. Based on thelaunch trailer, it looks like the gameplay is similar to Classic mode, but takes more inspiration from Simon’s Quest and Dracula’s Curse.
Classic II: Dominique’s Curse DLC is available for all platforms and can be purchased today from the online store for all platforms at $9.99 USD / €9.99 / £7.99 GBP. Bloodstained: Ritual of the night is available on PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One and PC via Steam and GOG. Twelve new trophies/achievements are available in this new content. Stay tuned to Hardcore Gamer for continued coverage on Classic II: Dominique’s Curse.
