Info about BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites:

Official game description:
  
Original developer WayForward has upgraded its 2011 classic 2D hack ‘n slash platformer with high resolution visuals, modern features, and all-new voice acting performed by original BloodRayne cast members Laura Bailey (Rayne) and Troy Baker (Kagan). Bloodrayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites distills the best parts of the BloodRayne series into a bloody, twitchy, action-packed 2D hack ‘n slash adventure through fifteen challenging stages.  
The Brimstone Society has summoned Rayne for one last mission to lead a group of soldiers into a giant underground castle to do battle against none other than her own father, Kagan. When the soldiers prove ineffective against Kagan’s supernatural menaces, it’s up to Rayne to run, jump, cut, and feed her way through gruesome foes, deadly traps, tricky platforming sections, and horrifying bosses. It’s Rayne’s last job — will she “clean house” or find herself six feet under?  
*   All-new A-List voice acting: Original BloodRayne cast members Laura Bailey and Troy Baker reprise their roles as Rayne and Kagan, alongside other talented voice actors who bring new life to the original written dialog.
*   Higher resolution character sprites, and support for HD displays (up to 4K) help make Fresh Bites the definitive Bloodrayne Betrayal experience.  
*   New difficulty options: Play with a newly rebalanced difficulty tuned for a fun and engaging experience, or sink your teeth into the punishing original difficulty mode if you’re looking for a tough-as-nails challenge.

Release date: Sep 8, 2021

Categories: 2D Platformer, Hack and Slash, Side-scrolling, Action, Precision Platformer, Fast-paced Combat, Boss Fights, Metroidvania

Feature scans:
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The Steam Deck experience with this game is mixed. While the game generally works well and is compatible with Proton, there are significant performance issues, including struggles with upgraded graphics and crashes. Additionally, users find the controls cumbersome, particularly during platforming sections, which detracts from the overall experience.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $1.00 - $5.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that the community generally feels the game is only worth purchasing when it is on sale. Multiple reviews mention waiting for a sale, with one review specifically suggesting a sale price of $1. This indicates that the perceived value of the game is significantly lower than its full price. The sentiment that the game is not worth its full price and should be bought on sale is a strong indicator that the community considers a fair price range to be much lower than the current base price.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 12.0h
  - Story completion: 9.0h
  - Session length: 1.5h
  - Endgame: 2.5h
  - Reasoning: The evidence provided suggests several playtime metrics. The first quote indicates that the reviewer has completed the game twice, which implies a significant investment of time, likely around 10-15 hours for game completion. The second quote highlights a difficulty spike after chapter 11, suggesting that the story completion time is substantial but not excessively long, estimated around 8-10 hours. The third quote mentions spending a lot of time on repetitive tasks, indicating that session lengths can be long, possibly around 1-2 hours. The fourth quote suggests that the game is suitable for short action sessions, implying that endgame content might not require extensive playtime, estimated around 2-3 hours.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is perceived as tedious and boring from the beginning, with repetitive combat and poorly designed platforming sections that do not improve significantly over time.
  - Stance: Never clicks
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: 0h 0m
  - Friction: repetitive combat; poorly designed platforming sections; tedious gameplay
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: N/A
- Player Archetypes:
  - Franchise Fan (buy)
    - Motivation: Love for the BloodRayne series and desire to support its revival.
    - Playstyle: Engages with the game out of loyalty to the franchise, often recommending it to other fans.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: franchise fan; super fan
    - Reference games: BloodRayne series; Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
  - Old-School Challenge Seeker (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of challenging gameplay and appreciation for the game's art and music.
    - Playstyle: Seeks out games that offer a good challenge and can be enjoyed in short sessions.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: old-school player; challenge seeker
    - Reference games: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night; other metroidvania games
  - Technical Critic (deep sale)
    - Motivation: High standards for game quality and technical performance.
    - Playstyle: Analyzes and critiques games based on technical aspects and comparisons to other titles.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: technical expert; critical player
    - Reference games: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night; other metroidvania games


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- High-quality graphics and visual design (weight 0.51): The game features great graphics, excellent designs, and a polished visual style. Players appreciate the remastered graphics, atmospheric design, and overall visual appeal.
- Return of original voice actors (weight 0.33): The return of Laura Bailey and Troy Baker as voice actors for Rayne and Kagan is highly appreciated by players.
- Adjustable and balanced difficulty (weight 0.33): The game offers adjustable difficulty levels, including a more permissive casual mode, making it accessible to a wider range of players.
- Appealing and unique art style (weight 0.33): The game's art style is appealing and unique, with hand-drawn designs and a pleasant graphical style. Character designs are particularly noted for their appeal.
- Fluid and enjoyable gameplay (weight 0.3): The gameplay is fluid, challenging, and enjoyable. Players appreciate the ease of play and the rebalanced mechanics.
- Side-scrolling hack and slash gameplay (weight 0.29): The game features side-scrolling hack and slash gameplay, reminiscent of Castlevania. Players find this style fun and fast-paced.
- Satisfying and complex combat mechanics (weight 0.22): Combat in the game is described as complex, satisfying, and well-designed. Players enjoy the combat mechanics and find them engaging.
- Excellent soundtrack and music (weight 0.17): The game features an excellent soundtrack and interesting music, enhancing the overall atmosphere.
- Excellent 2D action platformer (weight 0.14): The game is praised as an excellent 2D action platformer with fantastic gameplay.
- New and simplified achievements (weight 0.13): The game introduces new and simplified achievements, adding to the replay value and player engagement.
- Unique vampire theme (weight 0.1): The game's unique vampire theme and artistic style set it apart from other games.
- Unlimited lives and frequent checkpoints (weight 0.1): The game includes unlimited lives and frequent checkpoints, making it more forgiving and enjoyable.
- Interesting and varied levels (weight 0.1): The game offers a variety of interesting levels, each with unique design elements.
- Fun and unique bosses (weight 0.1): The game features fun and unique bosses, adding to the challenge and enjoyment.
- 120 FPS support (weight 0.09): The game supports up to 120 FPS, providing a smooth and high-quality visual experience.

Common complaints:
- Poor platforming mechanics (weight 0.66): The platforming sections are criticized for being poorly implemented and overly difficult. Players find these sections demanding and frustrating due to the need for extreme precision.
- Unresponsive and imprecise controls (weight 0.62): Many players report that the controls are unresponsive, imprecise, and uncomfortable. This includes issues with delays and a general lack of intuitiveness, making the game difficult to play.
- Disgusting and repetitive level design (weight 0.28): The level design is criticized for being disgusting and repetitive. Players find the levels uninspired and unwelcome, contributing to a boring experience.
- Frustrating gameplay experience (weight 0.19): The overall gameplay is described as frustrating and unpleasant. Players feel that the game has significant downsides and weak points that detract from the experience.
- Lack of progression and enemy variety (weight 0.17): Players report a lack of progression and enemy variety, making the game feel repetitive and uninspired.
- Lack of significant story (weight 0.16): The story is criticized for being barely there and lacking significant content. Players feel that the narrative is weak and uninspired.
- Negative sentiment towards franchise (weight 0.15): Some players express a strong dislike for the BloodRayne franchise, criticizing its story and overall quality. This sentiment affects their perception of the game.
- Counterintuitive jump mechanics (weight 0.14): Players find the jump mechanics counterintuitive and difficult to get used to. This includes issues with high jumps and the lack of double jumps.
- Non-English review bombing (weight 0.14): There are reviews in languages other than English that express frustration and anger, but they do not provide constructive feedback related to gameplay.
- High price for existing owners (weight 0.13): Players who own the original version of the game feel that the price is not justified. They compare it unfavorably to other DLCs and updates.
- Broken invincibility frames (weight 0.1): There are issues with invincibility frames during hits, making combat more difficult and frustrating for players.
- Finicky combos (weight 0.1): The combo attacks are criticized for being finicky and difficult to execute, adding to the frustration of the gameplay.
- No widescreen support (weight 0.09): The game lacks support for widescreen and ultrawide aspect ratios, which is a drawback for players with modern displays.

Gameplay feedback:
- Fast-paced 2D combat (weight 0.3): Combat in the game is fast-paced and occurs in a 2D side-scrolling environment. The mechanics are focused on hack and slash style.
- Precision platforming challenges (weight 0.29): The game includes precise platforming sections with high jumps and challenging obstacles. Players need to time their movements carefully.
- High difficulty levels (weight 0.28): The game is known for its high difficulty, offering two difficulty modes and challenging gameplay.
- Castlevania-style gameplay (weight 0.27): The game features 2D side-scrolling gameplay with Metroidvania elements, similar to the Castlevania series. Players can expect a mix of exploration and action.
- Platformer-slasher mix (weight 0.25): The game combines platformer and hack and slash elements, creating a fluid and fast-paced action experience.
- Combo and dash mechanics (weight 0.25): Combat includes combo mechanics and a dash mechanic, which can feel unusual but adds depth to the gameplay.
- Control mechanics (weight 0.15): The game includes various control mechanics for character movements and actions, which some players find unusual or difficult to master.
- Challenging enemies (weight 0.15): Enemies in the game are numerous and challenging, with some attacks being difficult to avoid.
- Unique boss fights (weight 0.11): Players will encounter unique bosses that provide significant challenges and require specific strategies to defeat.
- Vampire theme and setting (weight 0.1): The game is set in a vampiric world, which influences the storyline and atmosphere.
- Criticism of bird sections (weight 0.1): Some players find the bird sections in the game to be excessive and poorly designed.
- Multiple chapters (weight 0.09): The game features multiple chapters, with some players noting specific chapters as particularly challenging.
- Variety of levels (weight 0.09): The game offers a variety of levels, each with different challenges and changes in environment.
- Remastered version (weight 0.08): The game is a remaster of the original, featuring updated graphics and mechanics.

Performance notes:
- High FPS and resolution support (weight 0.3): The game supports up to 120 FPS and high resolutions, including 4K, providing a smoother and more visually appealing experience.
- Poor and awkward controls (weight 0.3): Players have complained about poor controls, awkward button placement, and a weightless feeling of movement, which can make the game difficult to play.
- Performance issues and crashes (weight 0.23): Some players report performance issues, including game crashes and general technical problems that affect gameplay.
- Widescreen support issues (weight 0.14): The game may not support ultrawide aspect ratios, which can be a drawback for players with widescreen monitors.
- DirectX 12 Renderer requirement (weight 0.06): The game engine utilizes DirectX 12 Renderer, which may require players to have Windows 10 Operating System.
- Texture issues (weight 0.05): There are mentions of texture-related problems, although specific details are not provided.

Recommendations:
- Highly recommended game (weight 0.27): Many players highly recommend this game, especially for fans of side-scrolling action games and those who enjoy vampire themes.
- Recommended for new players (weight 0.19): The game is particularly recommended for those who haven't played the old version, suggesting it's a good entry point for new players.
- Adjust to difficulty and controls (weight 0.15): The game is considered worth it if players can adjust to the difficulty and controls, with some suggesting specific control adjustments for better gameplay.
- Control and animation suggestions (weight 0.09): There are suggestions to reduce the time to turn around and add animation cancels, indicating some players have specific control and animation preferences.
- Recommended for hand-drawn style fans (weight 0.06): The game is recommended for those who enjoy hand-drawn styles, indicating a unique artistic approach.
- Not for precision platforming dislikers (weight 0.06): The game is not recommended for those who dislike precision platforming, suggesting it has challenging platforming elements.
- Better than the 2011 original (weight 0.06): The game is considered a better option compared to the 2011 original, suggesting improvements and enhancements.
- Try all three games (weight 0.05): Some reviews suggest trying all three games in the series, indicating that the series as a whole might be worth exploring.
- Not for hack n' slash beginners (weight 0.05): The game is not seen as a good branching point for those looking to get into hack n' slash games, indicating it might be more suitable for experienced players.
- Worth it for first-time HD players (weight 0.05): The game is considered worth it for those playing the HD Remastered version of BloodRayne Betrayal for the first time, indicating a positive experience for new players to this version.
- Hope for Bloodrayne 3 (weight 0.05): Some players express hope for a real Bloodrayne 3, indicating a desire for the continuation of the series.
- Refund request due to bug (weight 0.05): There is a mention of a refund request due to a bug, indicating some players have encountered significant issues.
- Request for Japanese menu art (weight 0.04): There is a request for Japanese main menu art as an option, indicating a desire for more customization or cultural representation.
- Special discount for original owners (weight 0.04): There is a mention of a special 40% off for owners of the original game, indicating a discount incentive for returning players.

Other player notes:
- Link to a YouTube live (weight 0.05): This feedback mentions a link to a live stream on YouTube. It may indicate that players are sharing or seeking live content related to the game.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.31): Players are primarily frustrated by the game's poor controls, which are described as uncomfortable and causing physical discomfort. The difficulty is also a major issue, with many players finding it absurdly high and repetitive, leading to frequent deaths. Additionally, technical problems such as bugs and crashes contribute to the frustration.
- Disappointment (weight 0.14): Players feel disappointed due to the lack of significant improvements in the remaster, with many noting that the game does not meet their expectations. Issues with controls, combat mechanics, and character design also contribute to this sentiment. Furthermore, the lack of interesting moves or abilities as players progress and the poor quality of rewards for completing the game add to the disappointment.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.12): Players enjoy the game's unique vampire theme and gameplay style, along with its nice combos and art style. The smooth combat and attractive character design are also highlighted as positive aspects. Additionally, the game's strong Symphony of the Night vibes and improved balance contribute to the enjoyment.
- Excitement (weight 0.08): Players are excited by the game's complex combat and fluid gameplay, as well as its fast-paced action and music. The intense action and enjoyment of the game's story and mechanics also contribute to this excitement. Improved visuals and additional achievements add to the overall excitement.
- Appreciation (weight 0.05): Players appreciate the game's graphics and soundtrack, as well as its core gameplay loop and enemy design. The improvements in the remaster and the fun combat are also highlighted. Additionally, the retro style and soundtrack contribute to the appreciation.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.04): Players feel satisfied with the improved graphics and added voice acting in the remaster. Finishing the game and achieving high ranks also contribute to this satisfaction. The overall positive experience with the game adds to the sense of satisfaction.
- Frustration (weight 0.04): Players are frustrated by the clunky controls and slow character rotation. Illogical game mechanics and bugs, such as the one in Chapter 2, also contribute to this frustration.
- Disappointment (weight 0.04): Players feel disappointed due to non-intuitive controls and platforming. The lack of personality in the voice acting and the high price not being justified also contribute to this disappointment. Additionally, the game being incomplete and having performance issues add to the overall disappointment.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Players appreciate the game's visual and artistic design, as well as its good graphics and interesting music. The return of original voice actors is also highlighted as a positive aspect.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.03): Players feel nostalgic due to fond memories of the original game and affection for the character Rayne. Enjoying the improvements in the new version and memories of the PS3 version also contribute to this nostalgia.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Players are angry due to specific sections of the game being poorly designed, such as the bird sections. Negative sentiments towards the developers also contribute to this anger.
- Criticism (weight 0.02): Players criticize the lack of significant improvements in the remaster and consider the price to be high. These factors contribute to a critical view of the game.
- Disgust (weight 0.01): Players express disgust towards the level design, finding it particularly unsatisfactory.
- Pain (weight 0.01): Players find the game's difficulty to be a painful experience, contributing to feelings of discomfort.
- Stress (weight 0.01): Players feel stressed due to the game's difficulty and visibility problems, which make it challenging to progress.
- Anticipation (weight 0.01): Players are anticipating the release of BloodRayne 3, looking forward to future developments in the series.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Players admire the game's pleasant graphical style and great soundtrack, finding these aspects particularly noteworthy.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Players feel bored as the game did not hook them, leading to a lack of engagement.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Players have hope for the possibility of a future Bloodrayne 3, looking forward to potential future developments.
- Happiness (weight 0.01): Players are happy with the return of voice actors and remastered visuals, finding these improvements particularly enjoyable.}