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BloodRayne: Betrayal Preview for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

BloodRayne: Betrayal Preview for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Simulated Exsanguination!

During E3, I had a chance to check out some of the many throwback titles that make up the 2D Renaissance that’s been taking place for the last few years. One such title was BloodRayne: Betrayal. I even got to talk very briefly to Shawn Velasco, Designer/Director on the project.

Fans of the series may remember that the last entry was made in 2004—by the former industry standard, that’s almost a full generation and a half ago. It should come as no surprise, then, that there were more than a few changes to the fundamental gameplay mechanics. In fact, Betrayal barely resembles its predecessors. Most noticeably, Betrayal cuts back to two dimensions. That’s not to say this is a bad thing, however.

BloodRayne: Betrayal Screenshot

Considering WayForward’s legacy and the glut (the good kind) of retro-style 2D platformers that have been released of late, I had to ask about the team’s influences going into this project. Stryder was certainly one that was apparent to me. “I’ve heard a lot of Stryder,” Velasco said about the comparisons that he’s heard made to Betrayal. “I’ve heard a lot of Castlevania, obviously. When you have a gothic vampire game, I think that’s an inevitable comparison.” It was also immediately apparent that Capcom’s Mega Man X series had an influence on Rayne’s abilities, as she could wall jump and dash much like the Blue Bomber.

There’s a very specific reason that all of these influences are so readily detected. According to Velasco, “When you’re making a side-scrolling game, there’s the right way to do it and there’s the wrong way to do it. And if you do it the right way, well, that’s the same way that a lot of other really great games did it.”

BloodRayne: Betrayal Screenshot

As for the in-game action itself, it’s definitely a hack and slash title. Rayne’s arm blade scythe deals make quick work of most of the baddies, and she’s got a pistol with limited ammo for ranged attacks. You could also infect your enemies and send them away to “greet” their comrades with a friendly explosion. This is, of course, if you prefer not to drain them of their blood to refill your health meter. Speaking of blood, I can’t remember seeing this much in a side-scroller for a while now. (Strangely enough this game will be rated “Teen” according to Velasco.) Every kill filled the screen with it. Because of the particle system that’s running in the game’s engine, it was all animated realistically enough. When I say realistically, this is assuming gallons of blood spew out of the orifice where your enemy’s head sat prior to his untimely decapitation. Maybe “believable” is a better word.

Aside from the fact that Betrayal is now a 2D-sidescrolling hack and slash, the biggest changes can be seen on Rayne herself. The series’ titular character has gone from overt and “whorey” to a toned-down “hot” with an emphasis on her ability to dispense beatdowns. The art style of the previous games has been abandoned in favor of hand-drawn characters and backgrounds, with a few particle and lighting effects thrown in for good measure. The attention to detail is astonishing; Rayne herself has 4,000 frames of animation alone. To put that into perspective, A Boy and His Blob had 4,000 frames of animation in total.

BloodRayne: Betrayal Screenshot

Speaking of the art style, Velasco told me, “it’s all hand-drawn—these are 2D images—and then our goal, of course, was to make it look like a graphic novel. WayForward is located in Valencia, which is just north of here right next to CalArts… that’s where Disney gets all of their animators, so we have a lot of really awesome elements… Once we decided to hone in on this [art style,] we went full bore on it.” There is definitely a graphic novel feel to the game, and, surprisingly enough, it’s a great fit for the BloodRayne universe.

However, I still had to ask why such a change would be necessary now. “It’s been a long time since anyone’s seen BloodRayne,” Velasco replied, “so WayForward is the company that developed the game and we’re a company that specializes in this type of game, you know, side-scrolling action.” With Contra 4 and A Boy and His Blob under their belt it’s hard to disagree. These are two titles that received widespread praise among both fans and critics. The 2D side-scrolling format actually makes a lot of sense for this project.

At any rate, BloodRayne: Betrayal is shaping up to be a reboot fans should be able to get behind, and newcomers might also be able to enjoy without the needless tedium of trudging through the main character’s backstory. Expect more info in the months to come.

Game Features:

  • Kill evil vampire scum in 15 challenging levels across multiple unique acts, including The Forest, The Attic, and The Freaky Ballroom.
  • Meet new characters along the way, including a mysterious shape-shifter.
  • Feed on enemies and refuel your blood reserves in gruesome new ways including the Blood Fountain.
  • Solve environmental puzzles including Blood Seal, Grinder Switch, and Rising Blood Tower.
  • Punishing combat skills deliver Rayne’s intense brutal fatalities.
  • Full arsenal of lethal weapons including Rayne’s signature arm blades and super guns.
  • Battle a variety of new enemies and deadly bosses including Flying Parasites, Blood Balloons, Elite Guards, and more!


  • BloodRayne Isn’t Dracula Backwards

    Rayne is a dhampir, the daughter of a human woman and a vampire. She’s not exactly dealing with divided loyalties, however. In BloodRayne and BloodRayne 2, the two 3D action adventures in which she’s already starred, Rayne has shown herself to be firmly on the side of the humans, even hunting down her own vampiric father and half-siblings.

    BloodRayne: Betrayal Screenshot

    The BloodRayne series has been absent from the scene for a few years, only showing up in a number of unfortunate Uwe Boll film productions. That’s about to change, as Majesco has entrusted WayForward Technologies to take the series in a new direction. Rather than a 3D action game, BloodRayne Betrayal will be a downloadable 2D side-scrolling hack and slash/platforming game.

    While it may at first appear that BloodRayne is treading upon the sacred ground of the Castlevania series, there are a few key differences that set BloodRayne Betrayal apart. It appears much faster-paced than Castlevania, with an emphasis on combat over platforming. It’s also a great deal bloodier. In the gameplay footage available so far, blood spurts liberally from everything that Rayne carves up with her trademark wrist knives, Rayne regains energy by drinking blood, and the game’s traps and puzzles seem designed to create maximum carnage. Betrayal certainly doesn’t seem to be going for old world charm or atmosphere, evoking instead the feel of the very American grindhouse flick.

    BloodRayne: Betrayal Screenshot

    The story, such as it is, is that Rayne has been recruited by the vampire-hunting Brimstone Society to stop a vampire massacre. The vamps are pretty out of hand in Rayne’s world, so she’s been doing this kind of work for a while. Rayne has a partner this time, who is apparently a mysterious shapeshifter. This has led to speculation that Betrayal could feature co-op gameplay, but there’s been no official word that the game is anything but single-player.

    After the likely-brief story setup, BloodRayne Betrayal will be getting down to its action-packed business. There will be fifteen levels in the game, with such names as The Forest, The Attic, and The Freaky Ballroom. All will feature evil bloodsuckers and their allies, which Rayne will carve up using a large arsenal of weapons and various vampire-themed combat moves such as Infection and Bite. There will be platforming and environment puzzles involved; the trailer showcases a number of deadly-looking circular saw blades that Rayne must avoid while navigating the area and fending off bad guys.

    BloodRayne: Betrayal Screenshot

    From what we’ve seen so far, BloodRayne Betrayal’s graphic design is top-notch. The background and creatures in the game appear reminiscent of the work of Hellboy artist Mike Mignola, which is a high compliment for a game featuring things that go bump in the night. In motion, it looks like a graphic novel come to life, which is especially exciting to those of us who think that quality 2D visuals have been sadly rare in the Western gaming market lately.

    Overall, BloodRayne Betrayal looks like a sleek entry into a neglected gaming subgenre. It takes the fast-paced platforming popularized by recent indie games like ‘Splosion Man and Super Meat Boy, melding it with over-the-top hack and slash combat. In place of the series’ former mediocre 3D graphics, it features some very stylish 2D work that will especially appeal to comic book fans. If Betrayal’s gameplay is as good as its graphic design, fans of side-scrolling action and platforming games should be in for a good time.

    Game Features:

  • Kill evil vampire scum in 15 challenging levels across multiple unique acts, including: The Forest, The Attic, and The Freaky Ballroom.
  • Feed on enemies and refuel your blood reserves in gruesome new ways including the Blood Fountain.
  • Solve environmental puzzles including Blood Seal, Grinder Switch, and Rising Blood Tower.
  • Battle a variety of new enemies and deadly bosses including Flying Parasites, Blood Balloons, Elite Guards, and more!

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