Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Developers: ArtPlay, WayForward Technologies Publisher: 505 Games Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Amazon Luna, Android, iOS, Google Stadia Released internationally: June 18, 2019 (Steam/PS4/XB1), June 25, 2019 (Switch), October 20, 2019 (Luna), December 3, 2020 (iOS/Android), July 6, 2021 (Stadia) This game has unused animations. This game has unused areas. This game has unused playable characters. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused models. This game has unused text. This game has revisional differences.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night follows in the footsteps of the Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter, in which a legendary developer (in this case, Koji Igarashi) attempts to create a spiritual successor to a famous series that was put on ice by its owner.

Unlike Mighty No. 9, however, Ritual of the Night was a success, in spite of a lengthy development cycle that involved multiple developers and multiple delays, stretch goals that weren’t delivered until much later than expected (if at all), a subpar Nintendo Switch port, and many complaints of "poop" graphics. Overall, the game is considered to be a Kickstarter success story and was well-received by critics and fans alike, who consider it to be a worthy successor to Castlevania.

To do: Document the backer demos. Write down all of the scrapped items, shards and arts in "PBMasterStringTable". Check if there aren't any more. Make a sub-page for revisional differences. Make a sub-page for Classic Mode II's leaked version. Look for more unused stuff in older versions? Make videos for Classic Mode I & II's test levels.

Sub-Pages

Classic II: Dominique's Curse/Developer Notes

Internal Project Name

The internal project name of the game is ProjectBlood, as stated by the file "\Core\Sound\ProjectBlood.uexp" as well as many files using the abbreviated prefix "PB".

Unused Graphics

Buer Ball

Added on update 1.3.1, clearly meant for the "Extra Mode" menu screen, presumably a mini-game involving demon Buer's bounce physics. Despite still having the graphic in the files, all references to it on PBSystemStringTable.uasset appear to have been overridden by Versus mode after update 1.5.

Unused Models

A model for the Waystone meant to appear as an item drop in Classic Mode II: Dominique's Curse, never actually appears in-game.

Unused Playable Characters

While Dominique got a whole game mode of her own in Classic Mode II: Dominique's Curse, it would appear the original plan for her would have been far less ambitious and just have her be playable in the main game like in Zangetsu Mode (despite of ArtPlay's attempts at dissuading from the idea that she was the third planned playable character.) Evidence of this includes HUD elements and a savefile icon as well as a fully-voiced cutscene for her final encounter against Miriam (both of which can be activated by modifying the game's memory values through CheatEngine). However, unlike other playable characters she doesn't appear to have any abilities in her pause menu, whether because these weren't finished or because they were meant to be unlocked throughout the game (like Bloodless). In updates after 1.3.1, trying to load the game as Dominique will make the game hang at the loading screen.

HUD

Face_Dominic	frameDominic

Save Icon

FaceCoin_Dominic	In-Game

Cutscene

English	Japanese

Unused Animations

The crows at the Castle Entrance use the model from a scrapped enemy and have an unused idle animation.

In-game	In-game (Zoomed-in)	N3048_Stay

Unused Text

Entries for multiple items, enemies, and shards meant for the Archives not seen in the final game.

Enemies

ID	Name	Explanation	Notes
N2005	Focalor	A demon who presides over water.	Featured in Curse of the Moon as a boss, conspicously the only one missing from Ritual of the Night, yet referenced by Bloodless' win screen on the Boss Revenge Mode. It posseses a checkpoint flag in the Speedrun Mode strings. Design documents suggest it was meant to be fought on Subterranean Caverns area. Eventually became a boss in Dominique's Curse. The lack of a medal item suggests it's not considered a real boss.
N2011	Thracula	A vampire lord returned to his rightful throne.	Scrapped boss. Based on its proximity to O.D. and IGA's IDs, it was probably meant to share the same body-type and animations.
N3026	Gold Morte	A lesser demon that has fused with gold and gained great power.	Stronger variant of the Morte demon, likely meant for Gold farming.
N3027	Bloodbath Morte	A morte that has baptized itself in blood to become invulnerable.	Stronger variant of the Morte demon, likely a reference to the Blood Skeletons from Castlevania.
N3036	Giant Simian	A murderous ape made immense through arcane experimentation.	Stronger variant of the Simian demon, likely meant to appear at the Den of Behemoths.
N3046	Glasya-Labolas	A demon with the body of a beast and huge wings. Savors every kill.
N3047	Marchosias	A winged wolf demon who breathes scorching flames.
N3048	Dark Crow	A sinister crow that hungers for blood and for flesh.	Its model was repurposed for the murder of crows at castle's entrance. Their actual idle animation isn't used in-game.
N3049	Malphas	A demon who takes the form of a jet black crow. Prefers lavish abodes.	Stronger variant of the Dark Crow demon.
N3050	Giant Crow	A sinister crow made immense through arcane experimentation.	Stronger variant of the Dark Crow demon, likely meant to appear at the Den of Behemoths.
N3060	Botis	A horned, blade-wielding serpent demon.	Appears as an enemy in both Classic Mode and Classic Mode II as a White Dragon expy.
N3061	Andromalius	A serpent demon who flies about incessantly.	Stronger variant of the Botis demon.
N3062	Chicomecoatl	An ancient serpent god who has sworn by corn.	Stronger variant of the Botis demon. The Material Monster Horn is internally referred to as "Chicomecoatlhorn".
N3068	Cerbera	A demonic plant with human form.	Stronger variant of the Moco demon, still referenced in the item description for the Fell Leaf (referred to internally as "CerberaLeaf").
N3069	Datura	A demonic plant that attacks with poisonous vines.	Stronger variant of the Moco demon, still referenced in the item description for the Fey Leaf (referred to internally as "DaturaLeaf").
N3094	Berith	A crimson, demon warrior astride a griffin just as red. [sic]
N3097	Murmur	A demon warrior who commands a griffin. A gifted trumpeter.
N3118	N/A	N/A
N4001	Rainbow Elemental	The ultimate elemental. It shines with all the colors of the rainbow.	Stronger variant of the Elemental demon(s).
N4002	Hati	A maniacal wolf that continues its rampage no many how many swords pierce it.	Stronger variant of the Gieremund demon.
N4003	Hanzo	A legendary ninja from the Far East.	Stronger variant of the Assassin demon.
N4004	Matarisvan	An invincible knight that wields a fiery flail.	Stronger variant of the Dullahammer demon.
N4005	Luison	A wolfman who appears only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights.	Stronger variant of the Wolfman demon.
N4007	Arion	A horse mantled in searing flame.	Stronger variant of the Gamigin demon, likely meant to appear at the Inferno Cave.

Items

ID	Name	Explanation
Andromaliusfluid	Botanic Blood	Fluid taken from a tree demon.
ArmsRecipe001	Bronze Equipment/R	A recipe for bronze equipment.
ArmsRecipe002	Iron Equipment/R	A recipe for iron equipment.
ArmsRecipe008	Orichalcum Equipment/R	A recipe for orichalcum equipment.
ArmsRecipe010	Cotton Equipment/R	A recipe for cotton equipment.
ArmsRecipe013	Emerald Equipment/R	A recipe for emerald equipment.
ArmsRecipe014	Sapphire Equipment/R	A recipe for sapphire equipment.
ArmsRecipe015	Ruby Equipment/R	A recipe for ruby equipment.
ArmsRecipe016	Diamond Equipment/R	A recipe for diamond equipment.
ArmsRecipe017	Alexandrite Equipment/R	A recipe for alexandrite equipment.
ArmsRecipe021	Ultimate Equipment/R	A recipe for the ultimate equipment.
CastleMap1	Castle Map 1	A partial map of the demon castle.
CastleMap2	Castle Map 2	A partial map of the demon castle.
Comboring	Combo Ring	A ring that increases your strength with each successive hit.
CloakingTonic	Cloaking Tonic	Magical medicine that renders you invisible for a period of time.
DishRecipe001	Nipponese Dish/R	A recipe for a Nipponese dish.
DishRecipe009	Pie/R	A recipe for pie.
DishRecipe012	Fried Food/R	A recipe for fried food.
DishRecipe013	Hot Pot/R	A recipe for a hot pot.
InnocentWhite	Invisible Overcoat	An overcoat that makes it difficult for enemies to see you.
Medal019	Thracula Medal	Proof that you have triumphed over Thracula.
PictureHat	Picture Hat	An elegant and ornate hat.
RagdollRounds	Ragdoll Rounds	Strange bullets that contort targets and send them flying.

Shards

ID	Name	Explanation	Rank Effect
Adail	Serpent Tail	Manifest a serpent's tail.	Increased range
RamblingBlade	Rambling Vines	Attack with a belladonna's vines.	Increases the number of projectiles casted at once.
SerpentRicoche	Serpent Ricochet	Send a serpentine demon bounding in the designated direction.	N/A

Techniques

ID	Name	Explanation	Weapons	Controls	MP Cost
ARTS_12	Dragon Kick	Attack enemies by executing a kick in midair.	N/A	N/A	N/A

Unused Maps

Multiple test maps for Classic Mode:

• "Classic_Gym" contains a set of platforms, including spinning cogs and an up-and-down platform. A statue holding a candle in the center which when destroyed will reveal one of the secret bonus points items (the crown). An upper area can be accessed, which contains insta-death guillotines and many destructable blocks, all containing health refilling items. Back in the lower area, there's a door gate after two unstable platforms (one respawnning-one, the other permanently lost), which leads into a room which contains a boomerang subweapon among other things, behind the breakable blocks there's a door gate leading into a long hallway filled with Lance Armor enemies, both bellow and above the player (likely to test their attack behavoir).
• "Classic_Cinematic_Test_1" seems to be an animation test for the ending cutscene.
• "Classic_Cinematic_Test_2" uses the same map as Classic_Cinematic_Test_1, but contains a candle which drops an invencibility potion in the middle.
• "Classic_ForcedStairs" contains a set of stairs in the middle of the stage to which the player will always cling onto automatically, whether from the floor or when jumping, without pressing up. Due to this, it's also not possible for the player to jump down the stairs by pressing down + jump. In the game proper this effect is applied to all of the non-suspended staircases.
• "Classic_Objects" appears to be a duplicate of Classic_Gym but without the statue at the center of the first room, without any other breakable blocks in the upper room other than the default Unreal cubes, without the unstable platforms, and it completely lacks the Lance Armor room.
• "Classic_Spline_Testing" contains a set of candles which provide mana and all of the projectile subweapons, moving further into it shows that the level was made to test a path-tracking camera. It also appears that the player becomes stuck after walking inside the inner path.
• "Classic_Subweapons" contains a set of platforms and candles which drop mana and all the projectile subweapons. Additionally, on the left side of the room there's a bunch of breakable blocks contaning health refilling items.
• "Classic_Items" contains a room filled with candles which drop all possible items in the game, including all of the secret bonus points items (alongside an invisible one, which should be the Lucky Cat statue), a 1-Up, health refill, a stage-clear heart (has no effect), all of the subweapons, the screen-clear laurel, an invencibility potion and common bonus points items.
• "Classic_LevelWarp_Test" will start with the same basic structure as Classic_Cinematic_Test_2, but once reached the center of the room it will load the player into the regular game starting from the second screen of the first stage.

Oddities

• When playing the game at an ultrawide (21:9) aspect ratio, Zangetsu makes an appearance during the ending sequence. While this is clearly a hint that he did survive by the end of the story (his footsteps can be heard and his shadow is faintly visible during the ending when playing the game normally), his off-screen appearance becomes random as a result.

• In Classic Mode II, the NPC portraits in the "Info" sub-menu appear to have weirdly high exposure levels in-game. The actual assets don't have this issue.

In-gmGame

ui_icon_NPC_Groundskeeper_active	ui_icon_NPC_Lion1_active	ui_icon_NPC_Lion2_active	ui_icon_NPC_MerchantField_active	ui_icon_NPC_Ninja1_active
ui_icon_NPC_Ninja2_active	ui_icon_NPC_TownFly1_active	ui_icon_NPC_TownFly2_active	ui_icon_NPC_TownWalk1_active	ui_icon_NPC_TownWalk2_active