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 (opens in new tab), 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 (opens in new tab), but anyone that pledged more than $28 to Ritual of the Night—the second richest video game Kickstarter ever (opens in new tab) behind Shenmue 3 (opens in new tab)—can claim a code. To find out how, read this Kickstarter update (opens in new tab).

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

Samuel Horti

Samuel Horti is a long-time freelance writer for PC Gamer based in the UK, who loves RPGs and making long lists of games he'll never have time to play. He's now a full-time reporter covering health at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. When he does have time for games you may find him on the floor, struggling under the weight of his Steam backlog.