Castlevania fans, you need to play this killer new game

digitaltrends.com:

It’s been a long time since Konami has given us a new Castlevania game. Sure, we’ve gotten some great rerelease collections to help scratch that itch (and a solid Netflix adaptation), but the series hasn’t pumped out a fully new game in over a decade. Thankfully, indie developers have stepped in to satiate that hunger. Games likeBloodstained: Ritual of the Night serve as excellent alternatives that capture the spirit of Castlevania.

If you’re looking for another game in that vein, you’ll want to give Blade Chimera a shot. It’s the exact jolt of whip-cracking, demon-slaying 2D action you’re craving.

Released last week on PC and Nintendo Switch, Blade Chimera is the latest release from Team Ladybug. The studio previously released the absurdly-titled Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, a standout 2021 Metroidvania that drew inspiration from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Blade Chimera follows up on that success with another pixel art action game that riffs on Castlevania while adding its own spin.

Set in a cyberpunk version of Japan,Blade Chimera follows a mysterious hero named Shin who is hired to kill demons. In a twist of fate, though, Shin befriends a demon named Lux who takes the form of a shapeshifting sword. That setup sets the stage for a typical action-adventure game where Shin slashes through hallways full of monsters and utilizes a slew of sword powers, from time manipulation to grappling, to explore a dark world.

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While its story is a bit of white noise at times, Blade Chimera excels as a 2D action game with just enough RPG layers to call Castlevania to mind. That starts with Shin’s two weapons slots, which can be filled with either long or close range tools. In