Got to try it out. Had some framerate issues, but I’m not sure if that’s because the game’s still in progress, or because the fan on my card is borked.
That said, this looks and feels just about how you’d expect a CV game by IGA to look and feel like.
Saying LoS is the worst game in the series is crazy talk. But to be honest I’d rather only get 2D Castlevania games from here on out. The music in LoS was not bad, but still, it wasn’t Castlevania music for the most part. Anyway, Bloodstained is shaping up well in my opinion. I have faith in Iga and Yamane.
As expected, people are already speed running this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp_Div_JXuA
EDIT: Turns out, this is actually the benchmark for the demo speedrun contest.
Eh, it looks ok. Sad to see people are still relying on back dash spam to get around after 19 years of it since SotN. Any word on the music being recorded live? Those samples are pretty awful and it’s a shame we still don’t have a live Yamane soundtrack yet.
I’m pretty sure that if they had taken that out, more people would be complaining about the game not feeling like CV.
Did Iga ever bother saying why he included a back dash in his CV’s rather than a forward dash? I mean I would have preferred BS to have a dash akin to MMX as it’s more intuitive to now have to turn your back for optimal movement, but that is a very nitpicky complaint overall BS looks great like I legit love the art and especially the sound effects the squishy demons, the water sloshing around, the foot steps, just all that stuff really well done although it’s probably because I worked in a foley room lol that I enjoy it as much as I do.
It’s because he didn’t intend to have a movement option like that, the backdash is supposed to be a defensive move in combat to back away from an attack. Similar to why Legend of Zelda in every game before Skyward Sword never had a forward run but had things like very fast side steps and back walks that were faster than walking forward.
This. The mechanic is meant to enable effective hit and run tactics against larger enemies and bosses (especially since you can backdash cancel the recovery of attacks).
Now yes, they could have limited its use as a forward movement option, but IMO anything to that effect would go against the spirit of the genre.
Game already looks better than MN9. I hope this nigga Iga keeps plagiarizing himself so we get a competent game out of it.
Well…aside from the fact the zelda games had the pegasus boots which let you run forwards (and attack)…Harmony of Dissonance had a forwards dash. So it’s not like it would be unprecedented.
But usually the ability to move forward quickly is a late game tech. Like the wolf charge/black panther soul.
(Is it really so surprising that Igarashi still went with a back-dash though?)
Beyond what was already said, if some of the people in here are complaining that Igarashi is essentially ripping himself off when it comes to story and mechanics and enemies and such, then still having the back-dash here was basically guaranteed since it’s also what he knows best. No reason to avoid using it when it functions well even outside of the realm of speed-runs.
Speaking of which, Igarashi has also proven that he’s well aware that speed-running is a thing. Hell, there was the recent video from E3 where he was basically telling a speed-runner who complimented the back-dash on being the smoothest one ever with Igarashi stating that was the part of the intention.
All I can say is that I’m glad this back-dash doesn’t (currently) have any annoying noises to go with it, whether from the back-dash itself or the constant canceling of it.
Yeah I like general dashing a lot more than just backdash. Guess I am just too used to Megaman X style of movement.
(It’s not like forward dashing is guaranteed to not be in the game just because there’s a back dash.)
It just means that there won’t be a forward dash from the beginning, which is par for the course with Igavania games and, as far as I’m aware, Castlevania games in general.
As is also par for the course, as Kromo already pointed out, there likely will be some moderate-to-late game ability you get that can effectively act as an attacking forward dash. We’ll see though.
It’s hard to think of an Iga CV that doesn’t have some kind of way of moving forward quickly.
Backdash is generally given as an starting or early game ability because it helps people survive fights enemies that would be too strong for them (provided they have the skill to use the mechanic).
Eh…honestly you guys would be far more bothered if the game had a forward dash. This keeps the castlevaniaishness for those hardcore metroidvania fans. You’re gonna hit that button and the game is going to feel familiar enough while being in a new setting altogether.
I’ll concede that he is walking a very tight rope when it comes to bringing back elements from older games; especially if those are gameplay related. But it very well could be a case where not having it feels alot more abnormal.
Idk about you guys… But when i’m playing SOTN the one single button that gets used the absolute most is triangle.
It’s just that important to me 
backdashing was always intended as a defensive move. if people think it’s used for “optimal” moving speed, then complain how stupid it looks moving like that, they are themselves to blame for exploiting the mechanic that way. I dunno if its called ADHD or what, but any player that respects the natural flow of the gameplay, isn’t going to exploit backdashing to move faster unless it’s a situation where multiple backdashing can help them move out of harms way.
Bloodstained is not a realism simulator, but it still posesses realistic integrity in how the standard movement speed and natural intended pacing of the game is designed. if speed runners want to exploit unnatural short cuts to move faster, that is their decision, but it takes away from the atmosphere, and the rooms are typically only 1-3 screens wide, backdashing speedrunning means less time to let the backgrounds and travel sink in, so people get less out of the experience playing in the “must beat it as fast as possible” attitude.
they could had added a stamina system so backdashing can’t be abused, but I guess they intended it to be usable that way as an easter egg for speedrunners and those that don’t care about natural pacing, travel and exploration in an elegant style. there’s probably going to be power ups that enhance travel in different ways.
Speed runners don’t give a shit about atmosphere when they’re speed running.
They’ve played the game hundreds or thousands of times more than you. They’ve seen it and now they want to beat it.
Iga intentionally keeps the backdash working like that because of speedrunners. He actually likes the speedrun community and leaves little things like that in the game for them.