Scarlet Engagement Argues for a True Cinematic 2D Game

Sony’s Summer State of Play recently wrapped up, revealing a lineup of new and forthcoming titles set to drop throughout the rest of this year and into the next. Among them was Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement from ArtPlay, the studio founded by the legendary Koji Igarashi, who fans likely know as one of the visionaries and creators responsible for numerous Castlevania titles, including perennial favorite and grandfather of the Metroidvania genre, Symphony of the Night. Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement will be the latest entry in the franchise that serves as Castlevania‘s spiritual successor, and the upcoming installment looks to improve upon many of the already solid foundations of the previous game, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

Along with showing off its new characters, world, and combat mechanics, the trailer for Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement contained some striking visuals, particularly in its bold cinematic cutscenes. These sections appeared to boast a high bar for production value and stylish presentation, and based on them, The Scarlet Engagement could end up inspiring future 2D games to lean into this approach to create truly cinematic titles within the genre.

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Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement Makes a Great Case for Fully Cinematic 2D Games

Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement Improves on Ritual of the Night With Incredible-Looking Scenes

As a prequel, Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement is set two centuries prior to RoTN. It follows the journey of Leonard Brandon, a member of the Church’s Black Wolves, and White Stags knight Alexander Kyteler, as they strike back against the Demon Lord Elias and the army of evil creatures spawning from Elias’ supernatural castle and wreaking havoc across the realms. This grandiose setup aligns well with the ambitious story presentation glimpsed in the preview.

When it was released in 2019 after an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night felt and played in many ways exactly how a modern Metroidvania from the mind of Igarashi would be expected to. It contained numerous classic design elements underneath a vibrant and colorful art design married to its tight and responsive combat and platforming. However, it did not have extensive or elaborate cutscenes, instead keeping more to the classic text-based dialog boxes for character interactions and important plot beats.

While the 2.5D levels and gameplay on display in Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement‘s reveal looked more polished than ever, perhaps most notably and surprisingly were the equally eye-catching cinematics. Viewed out of context, one might be forgiven for thinking the scenes were from something like an epic AAA RPG by Bethesda or FromSoft, rather than what is technically an indie or AA-level studio.

Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement Could Spark a Chain Reaction of Highly Cinematic 2D Games

The series has already previously dabbled with cinematic elements, though to a lesser degree and more directly related to gameplay. Certain sections and stages of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night would shift camera angles and pivot perspectives to impart a greater sense of scale and life to the environments. The Scarlet Engagement seems to double down on this too, as there are slow-motion shots that zoom into the characters unleashing a devastating and presumably special ability.

Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement will no doubt continue to refine the established fluid and responsive mechanics, but it seems like ArtPlay has also put a lot of attention and work into dynamic and gorgeous cinematics to bridge its story with gameplay. The Scarlet Engagement could thus be indicative of things to come as developers look at new ways for modern 2D games to place greater emphasis on story-related cutscenes. There are also a few other games in a similar vein, like the upcoming Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, that are striving to combine classic 2D design with current high-end production values and presentation, and this could very well be the start of a new trend for such titles.