Developer Inti Creates announced Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 during the New Game Plus Expo today. The retro sidescroller action game is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC “soon.”
The first Curse of the Moon came out in 2018. It was actually a stretch goal for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, which followed in 2019. Ritual of the Night takes its inspiration from Castlevania’s non-linear, RPG-inspired entries like Symphony of the Night. Curse of the Moon, meanwhile, mirrors the more linear, challenging games in the franchises’ earlier days, like Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse.
Koji Igarashi, the developer behind the Metroidvania-style Castlevania games and Ritual of the Night, is providing the story for Curse of the Moon 2. The sequel adds three new playable characters, including a corgi piloting a steampunk mech. So that’s incredible.
Honestly, I love both styles of Castlevania games, but I preferred Curse of the Moon over Ritual of the Night. We’ve seen a lot of games take inspiration from classic Castlevania, but nothing else has captured that essence as well. That makes Curse of the Moon one of my new most anticipated games.
The title is also helping Inti Creates celebrate its 25th anniversary. The studio specializes in making retro-inspired games. Their catalog includes hits like the Mega Man Zero series, Mega Man 9, and Master Blaster Zero.