Bloodstained is back after 6 years with 3D cutscenes that look like they’re from a different era of videogames

I almost didn’t recognize Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement as a Bloodstained game, partly because it’s been six whole years since the last one and partly because the aesthetic is all over the place. The past six years have also been full of Castlevania-likes that feature a lot of the same gothic imagery and it feels like every five minutes a new soulslike with evil knights and dragons shows up. But when the title finally appeared, it was clear that the OG, Koji Igarashi, was back with a new game.

I’m not entirely convinced on the look yet, however. The original Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night mixed visual styles too: there are 2D treasure chests plopped into 3D hallways as if they’ve been painted onto the scene. Damage numbers and items are the same way, but all the monsters and NPCs are rendered in full 3D. It’s a weird style that doesn’t really commit to a fully retro look or a fully modern look and instead sits uncomfortably somewhere in between.