iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Belmont's Curse at MIDNIGHT. Very much excited~ My next several hours from midnight until sunrise and beyond are booked solid~ 💜

031

Reposted by 🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯

毒薔薇 skeb open! @dokubara.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Samurai JK Miriam chan

1933301

Reposted by 🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯

finalcake @finalcake.com · 15/07/2026

Jubilee 🎆

5953258

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I had no idea my Castlevania post about the discourse would resonate with people the way it did, but I'm glad it could hit for some people. Famitsu gave their scores on Belmont's Curse. 8s across the board, putting it on par *for them* with Silksong. Interesting. Looking very forward to it~ :3

020

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Say it again! Different only sucks when it ACTUALLY sucks. People have to pull their heads outta the sand -- or their own asses.

030

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I'mma be over here, both revisiting my favorites in the series I love, AND enjoying Belmont's Curse's demo, AND when the full game drops. I'll ALSO be playing Harmony of Despair again over the coming days, even if I'm running solo, for good measure. Miss me with all that nonsense.

060

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

-- without worrying about what anybody else thinks. If this nonsense born out of the need to be negative about SOMETHING is what I'd have to endure to further indulge in what I love with people that claim to also be passionate about it, then I'm fine not following the hivemind. Y'all got it. (cont.)

150

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

People like to say "Do what you love and surround yourself with people as passionate about the things YOU'RE passionate about. It's one of the keys to happiness." This disgusting discourse only reinforces my mindset that my introverted ass should stay right in my box, loving what I enjoy -- (cont.)

160

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

That EXACT SCENARIO has happened, and *now*, suddenly people are hating? Ludicrous. Where's all this energy been for literally *everything else* that's happened where the series could have used all this traction and (feigned) support? (cont.)

160

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

That it's made by the Dead Cells devs and is catching all this heat out of nowhere is ALSO insane, because when Dead Cells had its CV collab DLC, people hoisted it up to the high heavens, saying the devs should be allowed to make their own CV game. "Just give the series to these guys." (cont.)

170

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I played the Belmont's Curse demo and loved it. STILL trying to discover sequence breaks. It feels every bit like Castlevania to me as every other entry of the series has -- the elements that matter are still intact and the gameplay, artistic direction and presentation are all still solid. (cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Y'know -- the demo that would have players believe that it'd be an action-based hack & slash title that embraces elements of rock and roll in its design and flair, only for the game as a whole to wind up being an RTS game, giving people who had expectations from the demo a MASSIVE rug pull. (cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

-- lest we forget, people are judging EVERYTHING, be it music, gameplay, or artistic design -- on the *one area*, the ONE SLICE of the *demo*. If all games could be judged thoroughly by what their demos alone represent, we'd probably still be talking about Brutal Legend to this day -- (cont.)

150

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Even in regards to the music, which we only have for *one area and one boss fight*, it wouldn't be the first time AT ALL that the series has been bashed for dropping the ball on its musical approach -- and even THEN, we already know we're getting remixes of classic tunes in the game, AND -- (cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

While I grant that the demo should have been longer and given a little more than what we got, it's a decent enough slice to give people a feel for what the game is going to be like. And you know what? It has the elements that MANY would consider a Castlevania game specifically to have -- (cont.)

150

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

So FINALLY, we get to Belmont's Curse -- the newest entry in the Castlevania series in *12+ years*. And it seems like people are LOOKING FOR *ANY* reason to throw hate in its direction. We got a demo for the game that shakes out to being around 10 minutes in total playtime, give or take. (cont.)

150

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

This is important, because it ALSO catches the tag of "being good, but not being SOTN" that the GBA games and the DS titles all got, despite some of them genuinely being better on various levels than SOTN was and is. (cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

It unironically faces the *exact same issues* that SOTN and games after did, accused of "not evolving" and "trying too hard to ape what made SOTN great" -- despite it having so much to it that makes it stand on its own merits, and as one of the strongest offerings in the Igavania style. (cont.)

150

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Enter Igarashi, coming back with his dev team to present Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Made in part BECAUSE of a desire to prove that people still wanted Metroidvania games in that specific style, it broke records for Kickstarter, and by and large, was mostly well-received -- BUT -- (cont.)

150

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

So of course, we know Konami's been bugging over many years, only recently picking up the ball they dropped to say they're gonna get back to making games again. During this long period of tripping and tumbling like Smash Brawl enthusiasts, Castlevania remained largely dormant. (cont.)

150

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I railed against LoS on a narrative standpoint -- but when a demo came out, I still tried it, and was pleasantly surprised, and more than willing to try it in its totality -- and now, I LOVE those games, too, despite their flaws. (cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

This game ALSO was met with a divisive response, with many yelling at the top of their lungs that this game "isn't Castlevania", and YET, it remains THE best selling game in the Castlevania series to this day. I readily admit that being heavily attuned to the lore of the original series -- (cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Should they try pushing different kinds of games to try to appeal to different layers of the player base and be accused of "chasing trends"? Enter Castlevania Lords of Shadow. In a strong redirect, this total reboot with a heavy focus on cinematic storytelling and God of War-esque action-- (cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Which is *crazy*. It puts CV in a dumb spot. Do you stick to the 2D style people SAY the series SHOULD pursue, and be called out for "not evolving"? Reminder: Koji Igarashi, by his own admission, fell out with Konami in part 'cause they said people don't want these games anymore -- OR -- (cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

-- and it wasn't always looked at fondly. Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness, 2 of my favorites, commonly get ripped to shreds by people who say that Castlevania and 3D don't, and shouldn't mix. Upon release, they got blasted for "chasing trends that games like Devil May Cry set". (cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Between stage-and-score-based platformers with bottomless pits and near unfair enemy placement and open, non-linear adventure titles with RPG elements, multiple equippable weapons and different playable characters, 2D AND 3D, Castlevania has ALWAYS shifted playstyles -- (cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The OTHER focal point of the discourse, however, is that certain games don't "feel like" Castlevania -- another argument that baffles me, because it, too, is a series that REFUSED to stick to one rigid style. (cont.)

150

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Instead of acknowledging the improvements and changes these games brought forward, people hyperfocused on the thought that these games were "chasing SOTN's past glory", forgetting that even SOTN itself wasn't always looked at with reverence. Again, these good games had to fight to progress. (cont.)

150

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Even when Castlevania DID start settling in on making games that followed the SOTN formula with the GBA entries, THOSE were looked at as Castlevania not being able to move forward and evolve beyond what it did that made it successful. (Cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Not helping matters was that when we DID get new Castlevania games, they weren't followups to what SOTN brought, being closely followed by Castlevania Legends and the almost universally reviled N64 titles, which made the series feel to many that it was lacking a solid direction. (cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Between the shaky initial critical reception and Konami not really doing much for advertising in the U.S, it took word of mouth and a more positive tone THROUGH that to EVENTUALLY pull SOTN's sales figures and reputation up. (cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

3D games were on the rise, so the general consensus to SOTN was "It looks pretty for a 2D game, but Castlevania needs to get with the times instead of sticking with this antiquated style and direction." (cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

2nd: People act *now* like SOTN was immediately beloved and was ALWAYS perceived as amazing. It wasn't. In truth, sales and reception were bad to start -- (cont.)

150

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

As we know, though, Simon's Quest wasn't the best in its totality. It had issues. Konami, however, didn't throw the baby out with the bathwater -- it kept those aspects noted and used them in later games in varying ways. The game that benefitted the most from all it tried to do was SOTN. (cont.)

150

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

1st: For all that SOTN refined, it was NOT the first game in its own series to push the concepts of non-linear exploration, RPG-style leveling, multiple weapon types or interchangeable gear for use on offense or defense. That honor goes to CVII: Simon's Quest. (cont.)

160

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Castlevania SOTN, as most will tell you, is basically a holy grail or Metroidvania titles. If you ask the majority of people who are into that genre, this game is part of the reason it exists. The thing is, that sentiment confuses me for some really important reasons. (cont.)

150

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I was a sponge, absorbing as much as I could through whatever I saw in gaming related shows (shoutouts to the days watching X-Play), or gaming magazines I read, whether I bought them or had a subscription to them. That's why the modern day hype for one game in particular always baffles me. (cont.)

140

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

When so many others were losing their minds over the new MArio titles, I was knee deep in the Castlevania games that I had and actively was still playing. I kept up with new news as much as possible through the years, and when a game came out for a system I didn't have -- (cont.)

150

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

So, just to get it out of my system, for anyone who cares at all, but may be unaware: There are REASONS the Castlevania discourse bothers me so much. I literally grew up with the series as a core part of my childhood. I beat the first game on the NES when I was 3 years old -- with help. (cont.)

1126

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Seeing the discourse around Castlevania Belmont's Curse just makes me all sorts of annoyed. Genuinely, people don't know what they want, and are always so ready to cast total, complete judgment before seeing anything in its totality.

160

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Having people genuinely come to ask me for help with learning Peni in Tokon is very humbling to me. Also surreal in some ways. But good, especially if I *can* help people. :3

010

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Good morning!~ If you've got Peni sitting on full resources and your team's at the ready, and you catch a 2H, you can just straight up explode between 67-78k of someone's health. Make 'em think twice!~💜

000

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Hey, all!~ Peni Parker is super cool. Just a morning reminder! :3 Couple wall cling combos, one with and without a wallsplat, and a 90k combo!💜

000

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Good morning!~ I LOVE labbing with this character!💜

010

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Couple wall-to-wall Peni combos, one wall splat, one without, with a low M start. No Tokon assemble -- can be done in any round, but otherwise, full resources. A combo where I wish I could better explain a few nuances, 'cause it can be easy to trip up on a couple parts. =0

020

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Good morning!~ Have another Peni 90k! Like before, the Spider Beacon being random will shift how you route this in the middle, but you can still alter your combo routing to get 80k+!

010

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Pretty cool Peni 90k~ Mind that it requires a lucky Spider Beacon gadget draw -- otherwise, you'll have to change the route, though depending on HOW, you could still come away with 80k+.

000

🐯Aria Mikado [VTUBER]🐯 @ariamikado.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Oh, hey, Yet Another Magik TOD.mp4. Have fun~

011