Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

Lore & Background

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon follows Zangetsu, a cursed swordsman hunting down demons for revenge, as well as three other playable characters named Miriam, Alfred and Gebel. The game was developed in six months, revealed at a Japanese indie game festival, and released two weeks later. It was conceived as a companion title to the larger Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a Metroidvania game by former Castlevania series producer Koji Igarashi. When funding for Ritual of the Night was crowdfunded through Kickstarter, one of the stretch goals promised a retro-style prequel minigame. To fulfill this promise, Curse of the Moon was developed by Inti Creates, a team of ex-Capcom employees led by president Takuya Aizu, who had experience creating games in a retro style before, including Mega Man 9 and Blaster Master Zero. The game's overall gameplay and artistic design was primarily managed by Inti Creates, with Igarashi only giving some scenario and setting oversight to ensure a connection to Ritual of the Night. The team aimed to recapture the essence of 8-bit Castlevania games, adding gameplay elements and features that would have been impossible on 8-bit hardware, such as very large sprites and more parallax scrolling.

Reader's Guide

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon received positive reviews, with critics praising it as a satisfying homage to Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. Some felt the game adhered too closely to its inspiration, while others praised new options and game modes for adding a modern feel. The game was found to be short albeit fulfilling for its purpose as a prelude to Ritual of the Night. Critics noted that the game successfully reproduced the feel of the original Castlevania games while also sporting a more modern feel with faster, less rigid movement, and more forgiving gameplay. IGN wrote that the game 'treads a thin line between homage and outright theft' and believed it was a successful tribute, perhaps done 'a little too accurately for its own good.' The A.V. Club agreed, writing that Inti Creates successfully borrowed Castlevania III concepts and characters but tweaked them 'into a form that feels both familiar and modern.' PC Gamer contrasted the game to how Shovel Knight built upon the foundations of classic games, writing that Curse of the Moon 'merely walk[s] in the footsteps of those 8-bit favourites.' Hardcore Gamer called it 'one of the finest 8-bit inspired games on the market.' The game's multiple endings, based on how the protagonist treats the other travelers, and the unlockable 'Nightmare' mode added replay value. A sequel, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2, featuring Zangetsu and three new additional characters, was released in July 2020.

Did You Know?

• The game was developed in about six months.
• It was revealed at BitSummit, an annual indie game festival in Kyoto, on May 12, 2018, and released two weeks later.
• The game features multiple endings based on whether Zangetsu allies with, ignores, or kills the other three characters.
• A sequel, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2, was released in July 2020.

Origins & Development

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon was born from a crowdfunding promise. When Koji Igarashi's Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night exceeded its Kickstarter goals, one stretch goal pledged a retro-style accompaniment. Inti Creates, a studio led by Takuya Aizu and staffed largely by former Capcom developers, stepped in to deliver. They had already proven their retro chops with titles like Mega Man 9 and Blaster Master Zero. Initially supporting Ritual of the Night's development, the team pivoted to Curse of the Moon in earnest after finishing the original alpha shown at E3 2016, eventually dropping out of the larger project entirely by late 2017. The entire game was crafted in roughly six months. Igarashi provided light oversight on scenario and setting to maintain a narrative link, while Inti Creates handled the bulk of design and art. Aizu later reflected that what began as a planned prequel evolved into something closer to a spin-off, with the timeline set a decade before Ritual of the Night's events.

Gameplay & Design Philosophy

The game is a 2D side-scrolling platformer that deliberately channels the spirit of NES-era Castlevania, especially Dracula's Curse from 1989. Stages branch into multiple paths converging on a single boss, and players can recruit up to three companions—whip-wielding Miriam, magician Alfred, and vampire-like Gebel—each with distinct weapons, health pools, and attack styles. Switching between characters is instant, but a fallen companion is lost for the remainder of the level, forcing strategic decisions or a full stage restart. True to the classic formula, the player character is knocked back upon taking a hit, and unlimited lives can be toggled on or off. What sets it apart from a pure retro recreation is the deliberate anachronism: Aizu noted that players tend to remember 8-bit games looking better than they actually did, so the team added oversized sprites and layered parallax scrolling that the original hardware could never have supported. A boss rush mode and additional difficulty options round out the experience with a modern sensibility.

Narrative & Character Dynamics

Zangetsu, a cursed swordsman driven by vengeance against the demons who hexed him, anchors the story. As he hunts across the game's stages, he encounters Miriam, Alfred, and Gebel, and the player's treatment of each—recruiting, ignoring, or killing them—shapes which of several endings unfolds. In every path, the archdemon Gremory awaits in the final stage. If all three companions are allied, Zangetsu absorbs Gremory's devastating attack, becomes corrupted, and is left behind while the trio escapes. If he travels alone, the three arrive to sacrifice themselves in his stead. Mixed choices yield a bittersweet escape as the castle crumbles at sunrise, yet his curse persists. Choosing to kill all three and absorb their power transforms him into a new dark emperor. Unlocking the Nightmare mode—by completing the game with all three allies—sends Miriam, Alfred, and Gebel back to slay the corrupted Zangetsu and finally free his soul from the moon's curse.

Reception & Legacy

Critics largely embraced Curse of the Moon as a satisfying love letter to Castlevania III, praising its tight stage design, character variety, and faithful capture of 8-bit platforming rhythms. Some reviewers felt the game leaned too heavily on its inspiration, offering little beyond what the 1989 original already delivered. Others countered that the added game modes, difficulty toggles, and modern visual flourishes gave it a fresh identity while honoring its roots. The game was widely acknowledged as short, though its brevity was framed as fitting for its role as a prelude to the far larger Ritual of the Night. Its most tangible legacy came in July 2020 with Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2, which retained Zangetsu as the lead and introduced three entirely new playable characters, confirming that the retro companion formula resonated with audiences and deserved a full sequel rather than remaining a one-off Kickstarter bonus.