[Update]: The project successfully reached its $500,000 funding goal within the first five hours. It currently sits at $673,669.
[Original]: Famed Castlevania designer Koji Igarashi left Konami last year, which immediately led to speculation on his next project. Well, Igarashi has officially launched the Kickstarter for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
The top of the Kickstarter page features a personalized message from Igarashi and states the following:
Those "classic gaming principles" will be put to good use, as Bloodstained is "exploration-focused, side-scrolling platformer featuring RPG and crafting elements." It looks to channel the spirit of past Castlevania games in both structure and tone.
As for the story, Bloodstained puts players in the role of Miriam, an orphan with an alchemist curse. She must kill a series of demons in a castle created by Gebel, an old friend perhaps corrupted by the same curse.
Igarashi will be joined by Castlevania composer Michiru Yamane, and Japanese company Inti Creates will assist in the development of the game. Inti also helped in the development of Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9.
The Kickstarter campaign for Bloodstained lists $500,000 as its funding goal, which would allow Igarashi to develop the game for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. If fans can hit the $850,000 mark, voice actor David Hayter will play the role of Gebel.
The Kickstarter has been live for less than an hour and it's already passed $100,000, so it looks like Bloodstained will easily reach the $500,000 goal. The question is, how much more will it make?
