The 8-bit spin-off of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is out now

If you want to whet your appetite for Koji Igarashi's Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a spiritual successor to the Castlevania series, then you might want to check out an 8-bit spin-off that arrived on Steam this week.

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon looks and sounds far more old-school than Ritual of the Night, and it's inspired by the early Castlevania games. That means you control multiple characters that you unlock as you progress, and each one will be able to cut a different path through the world.

You'll be able to switch between characters on the fly after you unlock them. You start with Zangetsu, a demon slayer with a sword, a whip and a projectile weapon. Later, you'll find whip specialist Miriam, half-man half-bat Gebel and Alfred, an alchemist that create copies of himself.

It's $10 on Steam, but anyone that pledged more than $28 to Ritual of the Night—the second richest video game Kickstarter ever behind Shenmue 3—can claim a code. To find out how, read this Kickstarter update.

Watch the video below to see Igarashi talk about Curse of the Moon. Gameplay footage starts at 1:40.