Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night ("new Castlevania")

[Sarge]

True, true. But then, that was before I could even get into Infinity Engine games, and before MrPopo was super-awesome and gifted me a copy.

I guess I'm just trying to figure out if I'm going to be at any advantage monetarily at the tier I'd back at versus waiting for the finished product, like I did with Shovel Knight. I do think the game will probably turn out pretty good, it's just a question of how good. I also wish I had an idea on what the actual retail price will be, and if the physical copies are backer-only. If physicals are, that'd probably push me over the edge right there.

[MrPopo]

WHY IS THE DISC $60?

The Kickstarter edition of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night won't be sold at retail. It comes in an exclusive slipcase and it's preloaded with backer-exclusive content—the Swordwhip, the only weapon powerful enough to unite Teams Sword and Whip, and a super-secret boss who you'll have to foil to earn it.

Give him your monies.

[alienjesus]

Man, I want a swordwhip. I don't really have that time of money to throw down for a game on a console I don't own though.

I'm enjoying the revival of all these series on Kickstarter, but it is a bit sad we have to pay for not-Castlevania and not-Mega Man and not-Banjo-Kazooie instead of getting new entries in those series.


Im hoping the kickstarter support for all of these might show some of these big companies the appetite is there for this stuff, but I'm not optimistic it'll happen.

[Gunstar Green]

WHY IS THE DISC $60?

The Kickstarter edition of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night won't be sold at retail. It comes in an exclusive slipcase and it's preloaded with backer-exclusive content—the Swordwhip, the only weapon powerful enough to unite Teams Sword and Whip, and a super-secret boss who you'll have to foil to earn it.

Give him your monies.

It's taking everything I have not to right now.

I'm enjoying the revival of all these series on Kickstarter, but it is a bit sad we have to pay for not-Castlevania and not-Mega Man and not-Banjo-Kazooie instead of getting new entries in those series.

I think it's for the best. Fan favorite series are essentially being reborn with more creative control.

[Sarge]

WHY IS THE DISC $60?

The Kickstarter edition of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night won't be sold at retail. It comes in an exclusive slipcase and it's preloaded with backer-exclusive content—the Swordwhip, the only weapon powerful enough to unite Teams Sword and Whip, and a super-secret boss who you'll have to foil to earn it.

Give him your monies.

Crap. Looks like I'll be buying, then. Not immediately, pray tell. If I'm out $60, I better look at some higher tiers and see what kind of bonuses are interesting.

[Hazerd]

I'm debating whether I want to jump in on the madness or not. It's an awfully long time before the product hits, and there's really no telling if it's actually going to be good. Yes, I'm really cynical these days. I'm also really, really skeptical of Mighty No. 9 right now. But Shovel Knight turned out amazing.

Id love to back a kickstarter, but im not waiting 2 years, also im waiting for the VGS Retro console kickstarter and see what options are available.

Money doesnt grow on trees!

Also there is other kickstarters id love to be part of.

[Nemoide]

Why is the PC version for Steam if it comes on a disc? I DO NOT UNDERSTAND!

I have neither an Xbone or PS4, nor a particular desire to own either one. But OH MAN, I love Igarashi's work on Castlevania and even though this CLEARLY DOES NOT NEED MY SUPPORT at this point, I really want a fancy-pants physical copy...

TO BACK OR NOT TO BACK... nnnnnggggg I'LL HAVE TO GIVE IT THOUGHT.

[Tanooki]

Principle alone I won't back, I don't back kickstarters. Seen enough drama and changed plans, plus it's panhandling. But, that all aside, this project looks stunning, much like Mighty 09. It's a nice divine wind from Japan where a wronged game developer in the employ of the big company gets screwed with one too many times and they say F U and go off and do it on their own...in style. Bloodstained, Mighty 09, the two big fish game makers for the formerly excellent do little wrong big fish of the 80s and 90s doing what they were being strangled over. Sadly people are paying now for a game that won't even exist for two years (ugh) when it does finally grab the funding from all parties, but when it does arrive it looks to be spectacular.

I'm pleased as hell to see a physical release.

PS4 or Steam...toughy. Problem is, it's kind of f'd up to have a physical release tied to STEAM DRM-ware. It's not unheard of, Civilization 5 and the Alpha Centauri sequel from a little over a year ago did this annoyingly. You get a game, you can install from the disc or not, but in the end Steam is required to exist and be logged into for it to work. The up side still the PC version is guaranteed to work longer than the console game as those systems will be far sooner retired and replaced over a computer.

[Sarge]

I'm not sure I'd use the word "panhandling". I mean, in that case, you're not actually getting anything in return. There's a chance with a KS that you actually do get something, regardless of whether it's actually what you expected or not.

The right comparison in my mind is "venture capital". It's not traditional venture capital, and reading all the interviews tells me they effectively sought that first (i.e. publishers). When they didn't get that, you go the non-traditional route.

I'm quite glad that crowd-funding exists. Sure, there are those that go awry, but if you treat it as an investor (and in this case, the pedigree is certainly there), then you're less likely to throw money at something that will fail and be terrible or not be made at all.

[Gunstar Green]

If everyone had the "panhandling" attitude about Kickstarter, games like this wouldn't exist. They even said in the celebration stream they've been doing that they were turned down by every publisher they approached to make this game.

Yes, crowd-funding is a source of drama and risk but it's also given us some fantastic products like FTL and Shovel Knight that would have otherwise remained a dream or at the very least would have been significantly less developed.

If people would treat Kickstarter like an investment instead of a pre-order store I think much of the drama would disappear. There needs to be an understanding that your investment doesn't necessarily entitle you to a successful product. With that in mind it's perfectly understandable why people wouldn't want to use Kickstarter and probably a good reason why some people shouldn't use Kickstarter.