The game, which will be available as a digital download to backers who donate at least $28, is Igarashi's first major project announcement since he left Konami last year. While Konami still holds the right to that series' trademarks and its characters, it doesn't have a lock on the 2D action/platform/RPG mashup that Igarashi helped revive years ago. The mockup screenshots for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night paint a familiar picture for Castlevania fans, full of gothic environs, hand-drawn characters, undead warriors, magical weapons, and, of course, whips. Koji Igarashi-the series' longest-running producer and the guy who got credit for revitalizing the series by working on PlayStation classic Symphony of the Night-launched a Kickstarter on Monday for a game that resembles Castlevania in everything but name. Now, its seeming collapse has received another stake through the heart: a new Castlevania-like game is being made by that series' most important producer. Classic Japanese game developer Konami hasn't had a very good month.

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