I guess this makes sense. It's a fantastic game that works well in short bursts, especially with its collectathon nature that gives you something to do for a few minutes while waiting for the bus (for people brave enough to take the bus in 2020) even if you're not going to delve deeper into the castle.

On the other hand I can't imagine playing this with touch screen controls. I didn't think it was a super tough game, but some of those boss fights require a lot of precision and while grinding would probably be okay on an iPhone I would not want to play through the whole game that way. If it had cross save to other versions that would make it ideal, but it hasn't been announced, though it does include all previous DLC that has been released. I'm also sure it will be way cheaper on IOS and Android than it was on the consoles and PC, since $40 games get buried on those platforms.

I will say that I wish they'd done a better job fixing up the Switch version, which by most accounts is still problematic. It's not a super graphically impressive game so you'd think it could run well on a system that can handle Doom and Breath of the Wild.

I just would honestly love a sequel to this game. I was just watching the Vinnyvania playthrough last night and it reminded me how fantastic it was. Even with all the jank and the terrible story it really scratched that Castlevania: SOTN itch in a way few games have.

Konami should also put out a collection of all those Gameboy Advance/DS Castlevania games but I doubt they ever will.

In some ways I am kind of glad that the switch version was such bullshit (disclosure: I was a KS backer for Vita who switched to Switch before the graphics update and being locked in like a year before release with no way to switch platforms) because it reminded me that there are so many better metroidvanias out there and that the genre has evolved to the point that the only reason to play an "igavania" is for nostalgia reasons or because I never got around to playing the second Soma game (one day... maybe)

That being said: Controls were stiff and unresponsive enough that I think touchpad is fine. Although contorting your hand to do the right-stick weapons seems like it would be hell. But also remember that gamepads for phones are dirt cheap and basically required for anyone who does more than tap games. Hell, even I have a clip for one of my spare 8bitdo controllers.

@gundato: You may not like the game but the consensus was that it was very good. It was #5 in GOTY last year and it made a number of individual lists. Personally I thought it was incredible and I really don't think that the genre has "evolved" past it, especially since it's not a direct copy of Symphony of the Night despite the similarities. The controls can be stiff at times, but that feels like an intentional choice, and the real joy of the game comes from mixing and matching all the different shards to make weird and broken builds rather than super smooth and precise action.

In terms of using a physical controller with a phone...you certainly can but I don't think I've ever seen anyone actually doing that in public, and for the most part if you're in a place where you can use a controller there are better ways to play the game (which most people interested it probably own.) Maybe for people who don't own a Switch and travel they bring a controller for their phone.

I wonder if there are any stats on how much IOS gameplay in general is done with a controller.

@bigsocrates: I mean, that is fine. I don't care about consensuses since I am playing games for myself and not for the standard gamer persona.

And as someone who replayed Symphony a few weeks before trying Bloodstained AND loved Timespinner... the genre really HAS evolved. I appreciate that a lot of people prefer the older style but... I like that nothing reaches the level of Dead Cells but a lot of games get close.

And I haven't tested on a busy train (since I haven't been on a busy train in like 8 months (and tend to just read on my phone in those cases anyway)) but when I find mobile games worth playing at home reaching over and grabbing a controller and snapping on two parts of the clip goes pretty fast. And folk who REALLY want the switch form factor (which I actually do, but not 60 bucks do) can grab the razer kishi or the other thing

Like, of all the things to criticize that game and the dev/publisher's priorities for, mobile isn't one. It is probably still enough to play on a touch screen and the folk who would care have plenty of gamepad solutions.

@gundato: I feel like Dead Cells is a totally different genre. It has some Metroidvania elements, and it does the dashy slashy thing, but the fun from Dead Cells comes from the intense and fluid action and a certain amount of unlocking, while the fun in Bloodstained comes from exploration and building out your character. I am also way more of a Bloodstained person than a Dead Cells person, though I like Dead Cells okay. But it's not an evolution of the Metroidvania, it actually has more in common with the NES style Castlevanias in some ways.

In terms of playing at home...that makes sense but I just don't know how many people fall into the category of:

1) Only has an IOS device (since this game is on basically all other platforms.)

2) Would be interested in Bloodstained.

I feel like if you're the kind of person who would like Bloodstained you're likely to have another platform that's better for playing at home, which is why I think that the main IOS use case is just to be able to grind away on the go, where you are more likely to run into the touchscreen issue.

Bloodstained was OK but it felt a bit long in the tooth, and the sidequests became boring RNG grinds.

I enjoyed Dead Cells for the two hours it took to beat, and I lost interest almost immediately after that. Getting more abilities wasn't enough for me and it just felt pointless after that.

I love Curse of the Moon and got the platinum. So what I'm saying is I want a Curse of the Moon 3.

I couldn't imagine playing any of them using touch controls, really, so that port is not for me.

Glad more people get to play this game, but does anyone seriously play these games on a touchscreen or is there a standard phone controller I'm unaware of? Like the Xbox controller for PC?