Summary
Sony’s Summer State of Play recently wrapped up, revealing a lineup of new and forthcoming titles set to drop throughout the rest of this year and into the next. Among them wasBloodstained: The Scarlet Engagementfrom ArtPlay, the studio founded by the legendary Koji Igarashi, who fans likely know as one of the visionaries and creators responsible for numerousCastlevaniatitles, including perennial favorite and grandfather of the Metroidvania genre,Symphony of the Night.Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagementwill be the latest entry in the franchise that serves asCastlevania’s spiritual successor, and the upcoming installment looks to improve upon many of the already solid foundations of the previous game,Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
Along with showing off its new characters, world, and combat mechanics, thetrailer forBloodstained: The Scarlet Engagementcontained some striking visuals, particularly in its bold cinematic cutscenes. These sections appeared to boast a high bar for production value and stylish presentation, and based on them,The Scarlet Engagementcould end up inspiring future 2D games to lean into this approach to create truly cinematic titles within the genre.
Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagementcurrently has a 2026 release date for PC and Xbox Series X|S as well as PS5.
Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement Makes a Great Case for Fully Cinematic 2D Games
Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement Improves on Ritual of the Night With Incredible-Looking Scenes
As a prequel,Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagementis set two centuries prior toRoTN. It follows the journey of Leonard Brandon, a member of the Church’s Black Wolves, and White Stags knight Alexander Kyteler, as they strike back against theDemon LordElias and the army of evil creatures spawning from Elias' supernatural castle and wreaking havoc across the realms. This grandiose setup aligns well with the ambitious story presentation glimpsed in the preview.
When it was released in 2019 after anextremely successful Kickstarter campaign,Bloodstained: Ritual of the Nightfelt and played in many ways exactly how a modernMetroidvania from the mind of Igarashi would be expected to. It contained numerous classic design elements underneath a vibrant and colorful art design married to its tight and responsive combat and platforming. However, it did not have extensive or elaborate cutscenes, instead keeping more to the classic text-based dialog boxes for character interactions and important plot beats.
While the 2.5D levels and gameplay on display inBloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement’s reveal looked more polished than ever, perhaps most notably and surprisingly were the equallyeye-catching cinematics. Viewed out of context, one might be forgiven for thinking the scenes were from something like an epic AAA RPG by Bethesda or FromSoft, rather than what is technically an indie or AA-level studio.
Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement Could Spark a Chain Reaction of Highly Cinematic 2D Games
The series has already previously dabbled with cinematic elements, though to a lesser degree and more directly related to gameplay. Certain sections and stages ofBloodstained: Ritual of the Nightwouldshift camera anglesand pivot perspectives to impart a greater sense of scale and life to the environments.The Scarlet Engagementseems to double down on this too, as there are slow-motion shots that zoom into the characters unleashing a devastating and presumably special ability.
Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagementwill no doubt continue to refine the established fluid and responsive mechanics, but it seems like ArtPlay has also put a lot of attention and work into dynamic and gorgeous cinematics to bridge its story with gameplay.The Scarlet Engagementcould thus be indicative of things to come as developers look at new ways for modern 2D games to place greater emphasis on story-related cutscenes. There are also a few other games in a similar vein, like theupcomingNinja Gaiden: Ragebound, that are striving to combine classic 2D design with current high-end production values and presentation, and this could very well be the start of a new trend for such titles.
