First Impressions: "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night," by Artplay (Koji Igarashi)

From The Manufacturer:
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a gothic horror action side-scrolling RPG set in 9th century England. A paranormal force has summoned a demon-infested castle, revealing crystal shards infused with tremendous magical power.

Play as Miriam, an orphan scarred by an alchemist's curse which slowly crystallizes her body. To save humanity, and herself in the process, Miriam must fight through the castle and defeat the summoner, Gebel. Collect, craft, and unlock a vast array of weapons, equipment and loot to defeat the countless minions and bosses of hell that await!

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Things I Like:

• It's a Metroidvania by the godfather of the genre.  He even appears in the game as a DLC boss.
• With that being said, I can't say his inclusion was worth the $10 asking price.  The hardest of the hardcore may enjoy earning "IGA'S MEDAL," which is awarded for beating the boss without taking damage.  As a more casual player, however, I just don't feel the compulsion to do that.  
• I've seen Bloodstained described as, "gaming comfort food," and I think that description is apt.  The game has yet to do anything to break the Metroidvania mold in my playthrough, but the mechanics are all well implemented and serve as a "greatest hits," of the genre (for the most part).
• With that being said, certain annoying game mechanics also return (most notably, the random drop rate of specific items and spells, thereby requiring a fair amount of grinding to get the best stuff, especially in the late game).
• The game stars a strong woman (Miriam), which is nice.
• I appreciate the various accessories and equipment changes Miriam's look.  There is even a "demon barber," named Todd (lol) who can change everything from Miriam's hairstyle to outfit and eye color.
• With that being said, there are only two "armors" that change the main outfit Miriam wears.
• The catalog of enemies is varied, though many end up just being palette swaps of each other.  Shovel Knight even makes a (presumably) unofficial appearances as a "Shovel Armor."
• The game has multiple difficulty modes (Normal, Hard, etc), though every difficulty beyond normal is unavailable until the game is beaten for the first time.  I would strongly suspect that clearing the game will unlock new modes and playable characters.
• Getting the, "bad ending," unlocks boss rush, for example.
• I'm told that a 2nd playable character, Zangetsu, is coming as DLC, but I have no idea when.

Things That Could Be Better

• I think the jump is a bit finicky in the game, especially in the early game.  This issue is negated as the game progresses via abilities like the ever-present double jump.
• The game seems to have a bit of a balance problem; it took me several tries to beat the first two bosses, while I've defeated every boss since on my first try.
• This was balanced out in the end-game, though, with a few bosses taking more than 5 tries.  Then again, after grinding for certain materials I was so heinously over-leveled I bet the true final boss without a single health item.
• The voice acting is hilariously bad (verging on "so-bad-it's-good, actually).  Every character has a varying levels of faux-British accents.
• Some characters have particularly grating voices, like the little girl that accompanies the shop-keep.  Also, the sync between the voices and mouth movements in the game are hilariously bad (especially the character named "Greenthumb").
• The story is nothing to write home about, and is a touch convoluted.  
• To that point, when certain characters died, I wasn't moved at all; I simply wasn't invested in them.
• Over the course of the game, you can unlock various familiars.  These creatures will follow you around and generally be helpful during normal gameplay.  With that being said, the volume balance for them is very loud, and the noises they make are repetitive.  Also, they often move /
  "react" so slowly I (the player character) defeat what they would attack before they ever hit.
• I'm a little peeved I can't play the game on Switch, because I heard that version of the game was a mess.  I ended up buying the game for PS4, but I think it would be well-suited to a handheld context.
• Even on a PS4 Pro, though, there are still occasional graphical hiccups / slowdown.  The ended being a really problem only once, when a boss somehow phased through the ground and I had to reset the game.
• Some of the level / puzzle design is obtuse (e.g. what to do with the photograph).
• There is a section with a timer that really don't need it: the train section.  I get that it is supposed to add tension and excitement to the proceedings, but since there was no narrative reason for said timer that I could discern, its inclusion seemed forced.
• A lot of the games bosses also appear in the 2D Bloodstained game.  This wouldn't be a bad thing, if the 2D versions didn't look heads and shoulders better, and had more clearly defined / better implemented mechanics (Bathin comes to mind immediately).  In other words, winning against the 2D bosses had a lot more to do with pattern recognition and timing, while winning against their 3D counterparts seems to have more to do with mashing the attack button and downing health potions, at least in the early game (and when over-leveled in the late game).
• (nit-pick) Some enemies that are particularly low to the ground can only be hit with an attack while pressing down and forward.  I found this awkward, and wish I could've just pressed down.
• (nit-pick) Depending on the weapon you have equipped, there is no default upward attack.  This can make some airborne enemies difficult to deal with.  This is especially annoying when these enemies clip through a room's walls and are essentially invulnerable.
• (nit-pick) Certain accessories clip into each other when equipped (e,g, the stone mask and most hats).

Conclusion:
Fans of Metroidvania games are sure to like this game, though they likely don't need me to tell them that.  The game isn't ground-breaking, and is easily eclipsed by 2D counterparts (like Symphony of the Night).  It also has some lingering issues (technical, story, etc).  I also really wish the Switch port could've been better, because I think a game like this can really shine on a handheld system.  With that being said, I am glad that this game exists because: 1) it proves that a Kickstarter campaign can lead to a good game, and 2) it is helping to keep this particular flavor of nostalgia-fueled Metroidvania alive and relevant in the late 2010s.

Final Score:
7.5/10