My 1st impressions with BloodRayne Betrayal. A challenging game with great visuals and music.

User Rating: 7 | BloodRayne: Betrayal PS3
When I first saw Wayforward was making BloodRayne: Betrayal, I was ecstatic. Betrayal was looking to be like a Castlevania game, but with a badass female as the lead character. I really don't know much about the BloodRayne series itself, but if this was supposed to be there big comeback game I'd say Wayforward delivered, well, mostly anyway.

It's not really that I have a big problem with Betrayal, but there are a lot of things that kind of damper my spirits when playing this game. For instance, about 1/3 of Betrayal's levels have conflicting shades in the background that make it extremely hard to see your character and actions while playing through the game. I understand that it's largely there to be ascetically pleasing to the eye, but it also lowers my eyesight during gameplay, to the point I'm just guessing where I'm go. Some of the level design is also questionable, it's not really that it's flawed, but there are points in the game where you really question how it escalated so quickly. Whether it's a large wave of enemies, the death traps throughout the levels or a combination of the two, Betrayal will eventually let you know that it's not **** around. Course, these sudden spikes of difficulty are always welcomed with checkpoints, mostly in well placed areas. These checkpoints then allow you to practice these areas of difficultly over and over again till you get it right. This is, of course, I nice change of pace from the gaming industry as Betrayal doesn't baby you, nor does it ever become too difficult to pass. You'll just have a few frustrating moments, but eventually you'll be able to pass an area of difficulty as it becomes easier and easier the more you learn it.

However, the bigger problem is the somewhat odd physics Betrayal has, at certain points Rayne will end up with unpredicted momentum and can easily screw you over and kill you. Rayne is also kind slippery as a whole, so it's hard to stop on a dime like you would normally want to in a platformer such as this. Rayne also tends to get locked up in whatever move she is currently doing so she can't always dodge the way you would want her too, and her recovery is horrible as you can recover at the exact moment that another enemy hits you, leaving you unable to retaliate. Overall though, much of Betrayals problems can easily be conquered with practice.

While Betrayal doesn't really have much of a story going for it, much of its art direction does. Many of the backgrounds, which can be annoying, are also stunning to look at. While playing the game I was sometimes just distracted because of how pretty the background can look. Also the fact that I can't really see Rayne is somewhat bothersome because the camera is always in a locked position that makes sure that Rayne only covers a tiny part of the screen. Bosses in Betrayal are also rather hit and miss, it's not that the bosses aren't challenging or different, but that they lack a certain appeal. Rankings were also rather lackluster as much of the ranking system just seems harsh. While it certainly isn't noticeable at first, the fact is that you have to play to near perfection if you want the highest rank possible. I understand that I can't get higher ranks my first run through, but sometimes I legitimately try to do well, and I'll still get an F Rank because I didn't kill my enemies fast enough, collect treasure, or got injured. The game simply wants too much of me and in the end I don't care about the rankings because it's simply too hard.

I know I complain a lot about Betrayal, but I really did have fun with it. The music is stellar and the graphics are pleasing to the eye, for the most part. It also reminds me of my times with Castlevania and how hard it can be, and that's why I like Betrayal, its challenging. Sure it has a lot of trial and error moments, but in the end it feels more so challenging rather than tedious. If you set out and play this game just don't look to play to perfection as much of it is just too demanding and you'll just end up being frustrated in the end. But if you look at this game as a mountain to conquer, you'll find it to be an enjoyable experience.

Conclusion:
BloodRayne Betrayal is far from a perfect game, aside from excellent music and visuals the game has many glaring issues with combat, level design, and ranking systems. But Betrayal also provides to be a challenging game that ends up feeling very rewarding in the end, and with that note Betrayal is still a good game.