Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a Castlevania inspired action-platformer headed by Koji Igarashi, a veteran designer with numerous Castlevania games under his belt. Ever since the project successfully secured $5,545,991 via Kickstarter it has received a steady slew of updates, but the most recent one is particularly exciting.

The reason behind this is that the latest update has an actual in-game level to show off, rather than just concept art or rough animations on a dull gray background. The first level is set on the Galleon Minerva during a raging storm, and if you're interested in seeing it here's the video in all of its early alpha glory:

I'll be the first one to admit that the animations are currently far too clunky, but I can't deny how gorgeous the game looks, even in this early of a state. Unlike Mighty No. 9, I actually see genuine potential in Bloodstained to become just as good, and hopefully even better than the Castlevania games it draws inspiration from.

If you'd like to give it a try, and perhaps even fight a couple of enemies, Bloodstained will be on the E3 floor ready and armed with a playable demo. For those of you that prefer the comfort of your own homes while gaming I also have some good news. All backers at $60+ tiers will be emailed a Steam demo key after June 13, just make sure to fill out your backer survey before that date, or you might just find yourself out of luck... and a demo key.

Finally, if you're up for some fancy screenshots of the Galleon Minerva stage, there's quite a few of them on the Kickstarter Update page, so I would suggest you head over there next.