Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 80 | 11 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 80 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 94% | 89 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 100% | 97 | 4 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 11 reviews sampled · 10 total reviews in window · weighted 5.8 up / 0 down · computed 5h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (30)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 90
“The controls feel right, the challenge is satisfying, the presentation is nostalgic, and there are numerous reasons to keep returning to it.”
read full review ↗ - 80
- 80
“Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon is undoubtedly aimed at a very specific audience, and you'll know if you're part of that just by looking at the screenshots. If those, combined with words such as these, make your heart sing, however, it's definitely worth your time. It's like Castlevania just decided to come soaring back into all our lives, and how can that ever be a bad thing? Exactly.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The perfect game that harkens back to classic days of the NES Castlevanias, with the same feel and style. It has some issues and is clearly made for the already built fan base, it’s still a lot of fun.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The wait for Ritual just got a heck of a lot easier.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“As far as throwbacks go, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a worthwhile venture. It captures the essence of yesteryear's classics, while offering numerous options to comfort an audience that might be unfamiliar with that time period. The game is also quite entertaining, and the replay-value is quite high. Still, it is not possible to shake the feeling that something is missing. It's as if the developer decided the safe choice was the right one, and left all of the risk-taking up to the player. Will this game be remembered in thirty years? Only time will tell.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“All that said, Curse of the Moon is a very enjoyable old-school Castlevania homage that's well worth the price of admission, as long as you have nostalgia for those games. Those of you who have no patience for the first three Castlevania games in particular may want to give Curse a wide berth, but I daresay there are systems in place here that may tickle your fancy.”
read full review ↗ - 86
“I had a feeling that Curse of the Moon would be a title that I was going to enjoy, but I wasn’t aware of how much I would immediately love this game.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The 8-bit graphics, the chiptune sound design, and the old-school gameplay harmoniously mix together to make a game that feels like it loaded straight off a cartridge.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a great adventure that builds upon the foundation of some NES classics.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The night might be dark and full of terrors, but Curse of the Moon gives us some very effective tools to take down the evils that lurk within.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Curse of the Moon is the spiritual successor to Dracula’s Curse that no one saw coming. It’s a special game for early fans of the Nintendo Entertainment System and Castlevania series. I think this game will exceed players’ expectations, especially fans of Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden. At only $10, it’s a steal!”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Fintendo
Nintendo Life
Kinglink Reviews
VGChartz
Cubed3
NintendoWorldReport
Forever Classic Games
GameLuster
Easy Allies
Niche Gamer
Nintendo Times…and 18 more tracked reviews.