Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is an action platformer released in 2018 developed by Inti Creates. The game is a prequel / side-story to the upcoming game Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and features retro NES inspired graphics. The game is heavily inspired by the Castlevania series, particularly Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.

You play as the cursed swordsman Zangetsu as he sets off on a journey to kill demons. Along the way, the player encounters other characters. The player can choose to team up with these characters, kill them to gain unique abilities, or ignore them entirely. Allies have unique abilities and attacks, and can be switched between at any time. If one character dies, that character can not be used until every other character dies or if the level is completed.

There are 8 levels, with Nightmare mode having an alternate final stage. Many stages have alternate routes that can only be reached with specific characters or abilities. Skeletons will often appear, pointing towards the most efficient route.