Bloodstained: Ritual of the Nightwas released in 2019 and was well received by fans of a certain other franchise. Despite being a new IP,Bloodstainedwas produced and written by Koji Igarashi, better known as IGA, who was behind some of the bestCastlevaniagames. As such, there are countless similarities in game play, which isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s exactly what most people who were eagerly anticipatingBloodstainedwere hoping for. The developers leaned into the inevitable comparisons, even going as far as essentially remaking the originalCastlevaniawithBloodstainedassets in Classic Mode, which was included as a free update a few years ago. After five years of continued support for the game with new updates, the final update has arrived in the form of new premium DLC:Classic II: Dominique’s Curse.
It’s High Time For a Return to Castlevania
Classicvania II: Dominique’s Quest
Like the original Classic Mode,Classic II: Dominique’s Curseis a new adventure with retro-inspired game play.Dominique’s Cursetakes place after the events ofBloodstained: Ritual of the Nightand it’s advisable for those who haven’t completed the latter to jump ahead to the next paragraph. Following her defeat at the hands of Miriam, Dominique has awakened in Limbo. Dominique is not happy at all about her current state in the afterlife, and embarks on a quest to defeat Bael to return to her own world and extract her revenge on Miriam. The story is largely told through villagers and hidden pages, and while it does build on theBloodstainedlore, this is not a game where the narrative takes center stage.
Classic II: Dominique’s Curseis heavily inspired byCasltvania II: Simon’s Quest.It’s not a one-to-one remake like Classic Mode is with the original, but the similarities are so prevalent it’s clear that this isBloodstainedin the style ofSimon’s Quest.Whether this is a good or bad thing is entirely up to the individual player.Simon’s Questbroke away from the original game into a nonlinear format. It set the foundation forCastlevania: Symphonyof the Nightalmost a decade later, butSimon’s Questwas often criticized for its lack of direction and being too cryptic, part of which was the result of bad localization.Dominique’s Curseisn’t as bad in these areas asSimon’s Quest,but it is still cryptic. One’s opinion ofSimon’s Questis a good baseline indicator of how someone might feel about this DLC, thoughDominique’s Cursedoes improve on a lot of complaints about the 1987 game.
Dominique’s Cursebegins in a peaceful village occupied by its various demon residents. Towns are generally a safe place where the player can purchase items and save their game, along with gathering information from the villagers. This is only during the day, as there is a day and night cycle and all villagers become hostile when the Death Moon rises, which the inclusion of such a mechanic shouldn’t be that surprising. When the player is ready to venture out in the wilderness, they have the choice of which direction to travel.
One of the choices has weaker enemies, but the player can choose how they wish to explore the world. The acquisition of certain abilities is needed to reach certain areas, but beyond those barriers, the player doesn’t need to adhere to a strict order of completing objectives. In order to reach Bael’s lair, Dominique needs to venture into four dungeons and defeat the Duke of Hell in each of them.
Bring a Silk Bag to…
The gameplay ofDominique’s Curseis similar to retro games, but with a contemporary feel. Like the games that inspired it, Dominique has a basic attack and an assortment of special weapons, most of which mimic the function ofCastlevaniasubweapons. Platforming feels clunky as the jump mechanics have a set height and distance, and changing direction midair is not an option, at least not until the double jump ability is acquired. Because the basic mechanics are going for the retro feel, they lack the fluidity of some of the more recent games IGA has produced. But as Dominique progresses, she unlocks new moves that can help with combat and traversal, which helps the game play feel more connected toBloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
Simon’s Questwas notorious for being cryptic to a fault. The translation was infamous for how unhelpful the villagers were and didn’t provide any real guidance.Dominique’s Curseisn’t that bad. In keeping with tradition, it doesn’t hold the player’s hand, but figuring out what to do isn’t too difficult. There are clues about which villagers are lying, and there is an item that reveals the lies and also shows secrets such as which blocks are breakable. There are cryptic things like a path only being open at night or having to kneel in front of a specific gravestone, but these are a lot easier to figure out now than they were in the game that influenced it. Exploration during both day and nighttime will likely lead to naturally uncovering most secrets.
CompletingDominique’s Curseisn’t a terribly long task. Even with its cryptic nature, it will probably take most players somewhere in the four to six hour ballpark to get to the end. But likeSimon’s Quest,there are three different endings which are based on the player’s performance. Unless someone is using a guide or obsessively looking for every secret, the Bad ending is likely to be the conclusion of organic game play. The second ending is obtained when the player collects all sixteen hidden pages but has some unfinished business. The best ending is when all pages are found and the player enters the final dungeon with their save file saying 99 percent completion. Getting all three endings can add extra time to the game, but going back to collect all missing pages and other secrets isn’t a huge time sink, as different items and abilities can assist with finding secrets and spotting lies told by the villagers.
Not a Terrible Game to Have a Curse
Bloodstainedmust be a mixed blessing for Iga. It’s a great new IP with its own interesting lore, and an IP that fans hope will expand with many sequels. Constant comparisons to the past work ofCastlevaniaprobably became old quickly (sorry about that), though, but at least it’s something that the development team seems to have accepted and leaned into.Dominique’s Curseis a modern take onSimon’s Questand nails it. It keeps many of the key features, such as the day-night cycle, mansions to explore, non-linear exploration and townspeople that just can’t be trusted. The way to progress forward or finding a hidden item or ability isn’t always clear, but unlikeSimon’s Quest,it isn’t cryptic to a degree where things are likely to become frustrating. In a nutshell, it keeps all the elements that made the black sheep of the 8-bitCastlevaniatrilogyintriguing and unique, but addressed the areas that garner the most criticism in a way that makesDominique’s Cursemore accessible and enjoyable.
Dominique’s Curseisn’t a hard game, but does have a certain degree of old school difficulty, which will result in many cheap deaths. Once Dominique jumps, it’s at a set height and distance, and direction cannot be changed midair or while falling. When this is combined with the fact that taking damage knocks Dominique back, it’s easy to find her falling to her death. There are also many traps in some later dungeons that deliver one hit kills. This never gets too frustrating as entering a new area creates a checkpoint, and while continuing does cost Dominique half her coins, there are still unlimited continues. The soundtrack is not as memorable as the main portion ofBloodstained: Ritual of the Night,but there’s still great music to be heard.
Closing Comments:
Classic II: Dominique’s Curseis a fitting finale forBloodstained: Ritual of the Night. It continues the story of the base game in an interesting manner while paying tribute to one of the more divisive classicCastlevaniatitles. Making a game in the style ofSimon’s Questwas a risky move, but the execution was exactly what it needed to be.Dominique’s Curseperfectly captures the retro vibe. The overall feel ofSimon’s Questhas been transported toBloodstained, where all the positive aspects of the classic title have been maintained and the main areas of criticism have been improved to make this a more accessible and less cryptic experience. As a retro-inspired title, the more simplistic approach to game play may be off-putting to people who want something that plays like a more contemporary metroidvania, but for those who have enjoyed theBloodstainedthrowbacks to classicCastlevaniagames, this is one that shouldn’t be missed.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - Classic II: Dominique’s Curse
Version Reviewed: PlayStation 4
Classic II: Dominique’s Curse is a retro inspired DLC expansion to Bloodstained: Ritual of Night. Guide Dominique through Limbo in her quest to defeat Bael and regain her freedom.
