Rosenkreuzstilette -Blades of the Rose Cross- Hits Steam with Mega Man-esque Action

A new — well, new-ish title by the name of Rosenkreuzstilette -Blades of the Rose Cross- has arrived on Steam, thanks to the localization efforts of Darksquid Media and AGM Playism. Described as “a love letter to classic gaming,” there is clearly one inspiration which seems to stand above all others, at least in the gameplay department. Have a look at the official release trailer and see for yourself if you can figure out what it is:

If you’re still having trouble, then I kindly ask you to look at the banner adorning this very website — or even just its name — and see if that helps.

While the gameplay is Mega Man-esque without question (and some of the enemies and traps even look like they were lifted directly from one of the Blue Bomber’s adventures), music and some aesthetic choices speak more to the fan of Castlevania in me, and there’s probably more scattered in there as well.

The game was originally created by a two-man team and released in Japan all the way back in 2007, which gave one fan by the name of Hadriex ample time to produce the following trailer as well:

Says Hadriex in the description: “The text is referring to the game’s story and how the Holy Empire treats the Rosenkreuz, and could not possibly be me taking pot shots at any other Mega Man-based games or anything. *cough* Mighty Number *cough cough* 9.”

Of course not.

Executive Producer Leif Landevag (perhaps better known to some of you as TDOMMX) has been a fan of Mega Man for quite some time, at one point even making an effort to provide a more accurate translation of the original Mega Man X game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. More recently, Leif has written an article for Clyde “Tomato” Mandelin’s Legends of Localization wherein he talks about the journey from those humble beginnings to this full-fledged official Steam release of a game which draws influence from a game so many of us hold dear.

If you’re interested in checking out the game and supporting their endeavors, there are two ways to go about it. The first is to purchase the game on Steam, where it is currently discounted from it’s normal $9.99 USD price to $8.99 (or $10.99 CAD to $9.89). The same deal also applies if you choose the second option, which is to get it directly from Playism’s English page, which is also free of Digital Rights Management (DRM).

Either way, if you’ve played the game before or are giving it a shot for the first time now, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below! And if you like what you see, be sure to spread the word, too! The more people aware of it, the better for all involved!

LBD "Nytetrayn"

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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