Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2

 Switch
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Switch Player
    Aug 3, 2020
    70
    Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 is a sequel in the complete sense. It offers a familiar nostalgic-driven experience, but now with new playable characters and more challenging levels. It is more of the same, for the good and the bad.
  2. Game Informer
    Jul 24, 2020
    70
    Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 may as well have come out in 1989. It looks and feels like a game from three decades ago. If that was the only goal, it succeeds with flying colors. Unfortunately, that’s not a very ambitious goal, since the market full of side-scrolling 8-bit inspired gems that cleverly blend genres and make use of modern gaming conventions. Curse of the Moon offers a few hours of mindless action, but there are better nostalgia trips out there.
  3. DarkStation
    Jul 24, 2020
    70
    Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 is a somewhat uneven sequel. On one hand, its new playable characters create some of the most ingenious stretches of retro platforming in recent memory. The myriad abilities at your disposal create an open-ended experience, and dismantling tricky challenges with your broad toolset is one of the game's greatest pleasures. But difficulty spikes and a few sequences that clash with the game's fixed trajectory jumps can make some stretches feel a little tedious. At its best, the game synthesizes the appeal of NES platformers with great boss fights and simple but nuanced systems. At its worst, it emulates the frustrating elements of games from this era with a little too much accuracy.

Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Best Switch Game of 2020

User Reviews

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User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 35 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 35
  3. Negative: 4 out of 35
  1. FilipWit
    Jul 28, 2020
    10
    I absolutely love this game and I think it's a masterpiece. But there's a lot you might want to know before playing.

    First up is that    I absolutely love this game and I think it's a masterpiece. But there's a lot you might want to know before playing.

    First up is that there's a really big difficulty spike after around the 1/3rd of the game. After that the game stays REALLY HARD. Like, NES Castlevania 1 hard, or maybe even Castlevania 3. However, the game is always fair, it's just really unforgiving. There's 2 difficulty settings and make no mistake, the "veteran" difficulty lives up to its name. There is no shame in switching to "casual", it can save your nerves and a lot of time. "Veteran" really requires you to learn the ins and outs of everything in the game, to fully understand all abilities and skill of each character, enemy and boss. Learning that was VERY rewarding for me, but many might find it too difficult so that's important to keep in mind.

    Second is that the game takes around 20 hours to TRULY finish. There's many "final" bosses, but to reach the final final boss you have to kinda beat the game 3 times. On the second run there's the difficulty spike, and every run has different level design, but the themes of the levels and bosses at the end of them stay the same.

    Third is that, personally, I think reaching the end is super worth it. The ending section is absurd amazing in all the right places and the true final boss is one of my favourite final bosses in gaming. There's a ton of unexpected things in the ending, and they are only in the ending section, so to really see everything this game has to offer you have to reach the "secret" final boss.

    If you like hard platformers and Castlevania aesthetic, then this game is a must buy.    … Full Review »
  2. alucard5
    May 8, 2023
    10
    Wonderful game, great story, music, gameplay. A love letter to classic Castlevanias. I wish these developers make sequels for Bloodstained. IWonderful game, great story, music, gameplay. A love letter to classic Castlevanias. I wish these developers make sequels for Bloodstained. I have enjoyed this game much more than main Ritual of the night. Zangetsu is the coolest character, I also love Gebel and Robert, while Miriam, Dominique and dog are fairly uninteresting.… Full Review »
  3. ericiidx
    Nov 30, 2022
    7
    Overall, this was a nice treat! I didn't play Curse of The Moon 1, but I had no trouble getting into the unique multi-character play style. IOverall, this was a nice treat! I didn't play Curse of The Moon 1, but I had no trouble getting into the unique multi-character play style. I enjoyed working my way through the levels, which are designed nicely to benefit the characters' differing abilities and movement. However, I did think there were a few too many gotcha's (usually involving bottomless pit deaths) and a few of the bosses just weren't fun (lava snake immediately comes to mind.) The core gameplay is still fun. A nice game at a good price.… Full Review »
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