It is not a secret I love BloodRayne, even going as far to do retro review of it last year. I even based on the main character of a vampire novel I’m sitting on, on her. So its only natural I take a peek at Bloodranye Betrayal: Fresh Bites, the third game, which is quite different from the rest. Bloodrayne and Bloodrayne 2 were made back to back. Bloodrayne 2 bombed, I remember reports were of it selling 10,000 copies at time. Not surprising considering the 2004 holiday season was jammed. Still, it effectively killed the game series(Uwe Boll movies didn’t help), It was dead until 2011, when Wayforward released Bloodrayne Betrayal, a 2d action platformer. It was very different, and very hard. I never really got into it then. Fresh Bites, is a slight revamp, with the voice acting(including original actress Laura Bailey), and revamped the combat difficulty.
The reason I never got into it is the platforming aspect of it. While the combat is mostly glorious, as it should be in a Bloodrayne game, the platforming is not. The platforming controls are finicky and things get really hard, dare say it unfair. Bouncing off enemies or doing a backflip is a chore, and where your life depends on it, good luck. It was bad in the original, and it was bad now. The original pair of games were combat focused. Biting Nazis never got old. And they were good. Bloodrayne Betrayal turns more into a platformer the further you go, and it just isn’t very fun. Sorry Rayne, but is true.
Honestly, I’d have preferred BloodRayne stopped at the second game, or if they were going to make a third, make it like the other two. Bloodrayne Betrayal just does not work. It pains me to say it, but this is not essential BloodRayne, and a Not Recommended.
Overall: Re-imagining BloodRayne as an action platformer in BloodRayne Betrayal just does not work.
Verdict: Not Recommended.
| Platform | Nintendo Switch |
| Release Date | 9/9/21 |
| Cost | $19.99 |
| Publisher | Ziggurat |
| ESRB Rating | T |
