| Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Inti Creates |
| Publisher(s) | Inti Creates |
| Director(s) | Hiroki Miyazawa |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Designer(s) | Hiroki Yunoki |
| Programmer(s) | Ryota Nakayama |
| Artist(s) |
|
| Writer(s) | Koji Igarashi |
| Composer(s) | Michiru Yamane Ippo Yamada Aoi Takeda Takumi Sato Hiroaki Sano Ryo Kawakami Ryo Yoshinaga |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | 3DS, NS, PS4, Vita, Windows
|
| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a 2018 platform game developed and published by Inti Creates. It is a companion title to developer ArtPlay's 2019 game Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and was conceived to fulfill the promise for a retro-style accompaniment to Ritual of the Night after its Kickstarter campaign exceeded crowdfunding goals. 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. It features an 8-bit aesthetic and gameplay style similar to Castlevania games on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), particularly Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989).
The game was developed in six months, revealed at a Japanese indie game festival, and released two weeks later. Critics found the game a satisfying homage to Castlevania III. 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. A sequel, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2, featuring Zangetsu and three new additional characters, was released in July 2020.