Classic Mode

Classic Mode (simply titled Bloodstained in-game) is an Extra Mode featured in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. It is a more linear arrangement of the areas of the Hellhold of the main game, where the player progresses through each stage in a determined order. This mode pays homage to classic gameplay styles that inspired the Bloodstained series. It was added to the game in Update 1.20.

Overview and gameplay[]

To play Classic Mode, choose "Extra Mode" from the main menu, select "Classic Mode", and then select between three difficulty modes: Easy, Normal or Hard. The mode is available from the beginning and doesn't require any special conditions to unlock. Choosing either Normal or Hard difficulty will allow the player to face against one last, true final boss, Dominique, who is absent during an Easy playthrough.

In Classic Mode, the player travels through levels loosely based on the areas from Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night's version of the Hellhold castle. This mode is comprised of five stages set in a determined order, where the player has to advance from a starting location, make their way to its end, and fight an end area boss, which once defeated, allows access to the next stage. The player progresses through the game in this manner until they reach the final boss at the top of Gebel's castle.

The player's moveset in this mode has been modified to emulate those from classic games that inspired the Bloodstained series; namely, the classic linear titles from the Castlevania series. The player once again controls Miriam, but she now uses the Sword Whip in its "whip" form as her only weapon, her moveset has been limited mainly just to attack and jump, and most of her other special skills are no longer present. Miriam can still backdash and slide, and pressing Jump twice will make her perform a backflip which is not possible in the main game. If Miriam turns around in mid-air before using it, the backflip functions practically as a double jump similar to the Blood Moon. For ranged attacks, Miriam now makes use of special "Abilities" (sub-weapons) that can be obtained from destroyed candles. She can only have one Ability at a time; if she is already carrying one and picks up another, the latter will replace the former and this will be lost. Abilities include the Dagger, Bone Arc, Unholy Fire, Ruinous Rood, and the Time Shard.

Health can be restored by finding food dishes hidden behind certain destructible walls within the environment. Abilities are fueled via the player's supply of Mana Roses, which are mainly found by destroying candles. Some Abilities consume more Mana Roses than others. An extra life is awarded the first 30,000 points, and then every 50,000 points. Stages are timed, and if the player fails to complete a stage within the given time, they'll lose a life.

In this mode, the upper section of the screen displays a classic themed heads-up display (HUD) that shows Miriam's HP, the area boss's HP, a box at the center showing the Ability currently held, the player's current supply of Mana Roses, their remaining lives, their score, and a timer showing the remaining time given to finish the level.

When a stage is completed, the remaining seconds on the timer and remaining Mana Roses will be added to the player's score (each Mana Rose is worth 100 points).

After completing Classic Mode, the player will be graded on time, score and number of deaths.

Stages[]

Stage	Name	Boss	Music
1	Stage 1	Giant Bat	Valiant Stride
2	Stage 2	Giant Dullahammer Head	Abyssal
3	Stage 3	Doppelgangers	Brave Trigger
4	Stage 4	Wolfman and Simian	Zeal
5	Stage 5	First half: Gremory Second half: Gebel (first phase), Dominique (second phase; Normal and Hard difficulties only)	First half: Sinister Sign Second half: Everblack

Notes[]

The Sword Whip has a hidden ability in this mode where the whip produces an electrical shock. To perform this move, hold Forward, press the Attack button, and then press Forward again.
- This move seems to be inspired by the special whip attack from Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, where it is possible to slightly extend the length of the whip by pressing Forward after performing a whip strike.
- To perform the electrical whip attack while crouching, hold Down, Attack, and while crouching press Forward and Attack again.

References to the Castlevania series[]

The introductory cutscene of this mode shows Miriam praying to the angel statue in Arvantville and then standing up and preparing her Sword Whip while staring at Gebel's castle in the distance. These are references to the intro cutscene of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, where Trevor Belmont is first seen praying to a cross in the starting village, as well as the cover artwork of the original Castlevania, where Simon Belmont is seen from behind with his extended whip in hand and staring at Dracula's Castle in the distance.
The layouts of most of the stages in this mode are directly based on those from the original Castlevania and Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, having platforms, items and enemy types on similar placements.
Each of the special Abilities Miriam uses in this mode are based on the five classic sub-weapons of the Castlevania series:
- Dagger = Dagger
- Bone Arc = Axe
- Unholy Fire = Holy Water
- Ruinous Rood = Cross
- Time Shard = Stopwatch
Other items based on Castlevania include:
- Yen Bag = Money Bag
- Mana Rose = Heart
- Invisibility Potion = Invisibility Potion
- Clear Screen = Rosary
- Heart = Magic Crystal
Miriam's backflip is most likely inspired by Richter Belmont's backflip from Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.
The ending and credits of this mode pay homage to those of Super Castlevania IV. The ending theme, "Echoes", has a very similar musical structure to "Ending Theme", and the ending shows small gameplay samples that freeze after a short time and then display the names of the developers.