BloodRayne: Betrayal stars Rayne, a half Human half Vampire hybrid known as a Dhampir. In this installment she’s been recruited by the Brimstone Society to investigate why vampires have been gathering en masse. What lies in wait is 15 chapters of challenging fights, aggravating jumping puzzles, and surprisingly little explanation as to what happens with the story.
The first thing that is noticeable about the game is the graphical style. It’s far-flung from the other games set in the BloodRayne series and is much more akin to it’s fellow side-scroller Shank, though with a more Gothic tone. It’s very nice to look at and, despite the fact that the backgrounds are repeated ad nauseam, they are very detailed and add to the gameplay experience and the overall tone of the game.
When it comes to the story there isn’t much to go over. The Brimstone Society recruits you to hunt some vampires. That’s about it. There are only two characters introduced in the game, though one returns from a previous BloodRayne game despite being dead with no explanation as to how he is alive here and now, and the other is shown to us throughout the game like we are supposed to know him but I’ve never seen him before, nor has Rayne. A few ridiculous bosses and some expected story twists later and you are at the end credits. The story is easily the weakest part of the game. There isn’t even a good point in the series to insert this game in, meaning this game is most likely non-canon.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the soundtrack is easily the best part of this game in my opinion. From the splash screen that you see when you go to load up the game, all the way to the end credits, there is some fantastic music going on. Throw in the fact that when you enter a secret code you even unlock an 8-bit soundtrack which also sounds fantastic and you’ve got yourself a great musical experience. I give a big hand to the game’s composer Jake Kaufman. Fantastic work Jake! Fingers crossed that the soundtrack is available for download soon because it really is that good.
Finally, we come to the gameplay. Word around is that this game is hard, but that’s not exactly true. This game is challenging. There is a difference between the two and this difference becomes evident as you actually play the game. When you first load it up you might start tearing your hair out as enemies literally decapitate you and chuck your body all over the screen. Once you make use of the dash button(L2), and trust me you will use this button more than you can imagine, you should adapt to the game’s playstyle and quickly turn the tables on your adversaries.
Final Thoughts
When I first started the game I didn’t like it, aside from the music, but as I played more I warmed up to the game. Sadly it can’t keep my interest as to really want to go back and get the highest rank on every stage, which is very difficult I might add. Overall a $15 price tag feels a tad too heavy for this game and $10 feels much more appropriate. People have said this is much like Castlevania. To that I say go spend $10 on Castlevania Symphony of the Night and pocket the remaining $5 and you’ll have a better experience.
Final Score: 6.5/10
glory by the gram 