Thunder rolls as lightning strikes from the heavens. A casket creaks open in the distance. The sharp screeching of spinning blades blocks your path. You might think these are the sounds coming from Castlevania. That is not the case, though, as these are some of the obstacles awaiting you while battling through the walls of BloodRayne: Betrayal, the new game from WayForward available via PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.

Normally a Bloodrayne game would be your average 3D action adventure  sold mainly by the assets of a voluptuous vampire vixen named Rayne. While you still play as a beautiful vamp in this game, you do so in 2D, rekindling memories of the past video game adventures.

There are numerous nostalgic nods to other 2D games that it can sometimes be hard to keep up. Whether it be dodging firing cannons ala the flying airships of Super Mario Bros. 3 or fighting through tight corridors, reminiscent of battles with Abobo in Double Dragon, there are fond memories found for any longtime gamer. Betrayal offers even more nostalgia by also borrowing heavily from the MegaMan and Castlevania games.

Nostalgia isn’t the only reason to play this adventure, though. WayForward has crafted a fun-to-play game here. Great action segments and intense platforming are present all the way through the game. Betrayal also features a unique gameplay feature that allows you, as a vampire, to suck the blood out of your enemies to replenish your strength. Even better, if you decide to just bite your enemies, you turn them into walking time bombs whose time of detonation is at your choosing. Add in some interesting boss battles and you’ve got a solid addition to the BloodRayne series

While the game is great, it is not without its flaws. First off the game is short enough for a skilled gamer to finish in one night. Also, the only items to collect are hidden skulls that will give you more ammo slots or increased life. There are also chests to collect in the forms of various blood containers, but they’re  often not worth the trouble of obtaining. It would also have been nice to upgrade to a larger arsenal of guns, swords and possibly relics that could help in your gameplay. But all of that would have only complicated things given the length of the game.

But considering its low price ($14.99), as well as its beautifully rendered scenes and a pretty good musical score, Betrayal proves that 2D gaming is alive and well in an ever-growing 3D market. It would be great to see Konami take a similar throwback approach with its next Castlevania game

Bloodrayne  Betrayal is available for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Rated T. www.bloodraynebetrayal.com.

Review by Jason Von Stein