Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon 2 is out now

Classic Castlevania vibes live on in Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon 2, a sequel to the retro-inspired spinoff that Inti Creates developed for Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night. The 8-bit styled platformer has all the whip and gun action of its predecessor, now with local co-op.

Swordsman Zangetsu is back and so is his grudge against demons. As with the original, you can swap playable characters with different abilities to find new paths through the demonic stronghold. The cast from the first Curse Of The moon is back alongside new friends Dominique the exorcist, Robert the sharpshooter, and Hachi a magic suit of armor controlled by a corgi. Yup, guess we're just playing that one with a straight face.

Newly added for the sequel is local co-op for two players, meaning you can partner up with a pal to tackle demons with two sets of abilities. Just don't fight over who gets dibs on the corgi, alright?

As for the original Curse Of The Moon, Dave says it gets the boss fights right. "What Curse Of The Moon does extremely well is make bosses really feel like a big deal," he says. "Even if you manage to kill a boss, each has a unique desperation attack that will reduce your health to one bar in the main game if it hits you, while dodging it grants you an extra life. It adds a climactic end to every boss battle." Reckon we can expect more of that in the sequel.

You can snag Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon 2 over on Steam for £13.49/€14.99/$14.99.