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BloodRayne: Betrayal Review for Xbox 360

BloodRayne: Betrayal Review for Xbox 360

Lady In Red

Calling BloodRayne a half-hearted video game that only had the lead female character’s sex appeal going for it would be like calling Bayonetta Game of the Year material. It’s just not true. This is not to say Bayonetta is a horrible game by any means, nor is it to say that the original BloodRayne titles didn’t have their faults. But the BloodRayne series simply had a lot more going for it than a lot of people like to give it credit for.

It’s a downright shame that the BloodRayne franchise, with its badass female vampire protagonist, has been away this long, leaving us with only Uwe Boll’s horrendous feature films as representatives of Rayne’s character. In fact, I would have been pleased if we simply saw some more cookie-cutter action adventure installments. BloodRayne: Betrayal, however, is exactly what the franchise needed—a nice makeover with stylized Castlevania side-scrolling action and lots of blood.

BloodRayne: Betrayal Screenshot

Rayne is still a hot vampire chick hell-bent on killing all the other vampires; that much hasn’t changed. Only in Betrayal, all this vampire-killing revolves around a castle that players will need to gain access to before facing numerous gory attacks and ultimately meeting the villain that waits at the end of the game.

The story is definitely better than the BloodRayne feature films, but it relies fairly heavily on the player’s knowledge of Rayne right from the beginning. Yet if you want to just ignore the story entirely, you’ll just need to accept that Rayne is a very angry vampire that wants to kill the other vampires and be on your way. Then again, my assumptions about what new players need to know about Rayne could merely be a reaction to Hollywood’s desperate attempts to defang and literally glitterize vampires.

BloodRayne: Betrayal Screenshot

But enough about the story. BloodRayne: Betrayal is only minutely about the “Vampire Ball.” It’s much more about the action—the sweet, bloody action. It’s rich with stylized violence, from the fountains of blood spewing from decapitated vampires to the bloodsucking by which Rayne replenishes her health. My favorite examples of this stylized aesthetic are during the scenes in which there are only silhouettes on screen. It’s a semi-nod to old school Kung Fu films where the fatal blows were handed out in the shadows. Here it is just another example of the level Way Forward went to deliver a unique yet familiar experience so new and old fans would be able to find a common medium.

In all honesty, though, there’s not much else to say other than that this game brings to mind the 2D Castlevania titles. In fact, this becomes the only major complaint I have with BloodRayne: Betrayal—it’s a little too much like Castlevania. And this means situations will arise where no matter what you think you are doing, or what buttons you thing you are pushing, they simply don’t seem to respond in a way that makes sense right away. I’m not saying the controls are wonky or ill-conceived; they’re just a little too finicky and too reliant on the precision and rote memorization of the player. For example, you will often find yourself thinking you pushed the sequence to get Rayne to perform a backflip jump, but she just sort of skips instead. You will eventually be performing these actions with ease, but the learning curve is a bit higher than it should be in a simple side-scroller.

BloodRayne: Betrayal Screenshot

There are 15 levels of brutal non-stop action, and players will have a few reasons to want to go back through the game after the initial, second, and maybe even third playthrough. Aside from trying to pad their achievements/trophies collections, players will also search for bright red skulls in each level. Collecting five of these—many of which are very well-hidden—will allow players to choose to increase Rayne’s health or the number of bullets she can carry. It might not exactly be the greatest reason to go back through the game, but when you can have this much fun mindlessly hacking at vampires and other nasty creatures of the night, why wouldn’t you want to?

BloodRayne: Betrayal Screenshot

Visually striking, BloodRayne: Betrayal breathes new life into Rayne and the world she lives in. Reimagining Rayne’s world with an anime/manga allows Rayne and her enemies to feel more alive. The backgrounds are sharp, crisp, and rival other side-scrolling games currently on the market. Rayne, in my opinion, has not been represented this well in a very long time; I’d say it’s even refreshing to see this spin on her character. The solid mix of classical music and explosive guitar riffs set the pace for the game, enhancing the kinetic charge of the fast-paced combat.

BloodRayne: Betrayal may not be all that revolutionary. In fact, it’s probably safe to assume the developers wanted to play it safe with this title. I can’t fault them for their logic, either. Betrayal succeeds on so many levels that you won’t complain after seeing something that’s already been done before. It might be familiar, but it’s never obnoxiously so.

This game allows you to mindlessly kick the crap out of things while playing as a badass vampire chick. If that sounds like something you’d like, then BloodRayne: Betrayal will not disappoint. And if this doesn’t sound like a great way to spend a fall afternoon, then you may be one of the undead yourself.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.2 Graphics
Beautiful update to the series. The dark anime approach really works well for the franchise. 3.7 Control
Simplistic enough, but might be something of an acquired taste. 3.8 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Sharp gothic overtones provide a solid mixture of new age Goth metal and classical melodies. 4.3 Play Value
Gameplay reminiscent of Castlevania and featuring a hot vampire chick. Seriously, what’s not to love? 4.2 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

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.
  • Infection: Enemy vampires bloat and explode when triggered.
  • Heel Stomp: Instant-kill enemies after laying them out.
  • Drain: Bite and drain your enemy’s blood to restore your health.
  • 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!

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