BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites review

BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites was originally released for PC way back in 2011. WayForward has upgraded its original game with high-resolution visuals, modern features, and all-new voice acting. The game tells the story of Rayne who has been called upon by The Brimstone Society for one last mission as they battle through a giant underground castle. After her backup falls to enemy forces, it’s up to Rayne to go head to head with Kagan; her own father.

BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites is a 2D platformer where players go from start to finish of each level; sometimes being confronted by a boss before moving forward to the next area. Each level also has hidden collectibles to find along with treasures nested into breakable red orbs. While reaching the end of the level is the main goal, you also have to collect as many treasures as possible, along with performing well in combat, in order to get the high score.

Obviously, Rayne is quite apt at defending herself. The combat is mainly managed via the X button where mashing it will allow you to kill and dismember incoming enemy forces. Using a direction with the joystick or d-pad will allow you to diversify your attacks and create combos. Our vampire protagonist also has a nifty gun for long-range attacks. Your gun has limited ammo, but thankfully, dead enemies will drop new bullets to refill your gun. Rayne can also perform a high jump (more on that below) and wall jump certain walls.

Unfortunately, not everything is perfect. The combat gets repetitive and tedious within the first few levels. Also, the overly complicated high jump where you have to run towards one direction then press the opposing direction with the jump makes things more complicated than they should be. I mean; why not just let players press the jump button twice? I get they wanted to be stylish, but they sacrificed an intuitive mechanic for style.

BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites looks great. WayForward did a stylish job of bringing Rayne back to life; character models are as detailed as possible. Given that the game centers around a cathedral, the levels are well designed with their gothic vibe. The soundtrack is fine; nothing noteworthy. It’s gothic-inspired for the game’s premise.

Unfortunately, BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites is a rare miss from WayForward. The game’s limited, repetitive combat is tedious, half-unresponsive movement and overly annoying controls to perform a higher jump will prove as a frustrating experience. Perhaps it’s the game showing its age, but unfortunately, there are so many better 2D platformers out there. Unless you’re a longtime fan of the series, this is a bloodsucker you’d want to stick a dagger through the heart.