Say the name 'BloodRayne' and it leaves a sour taste in most gamers’ mouths these days. I vaguely recall one of the movies, I think she had to fight Nazis? From what I remember, the video games weren't much better. BloodRayne: Betrayal is here to change that. Think you’re a hardcore gamer? How about challenging yourself? WayForward’s BloodRayne: Betrayal will make even the toughest gamers sweat.

As a side scrolling 2D game on PSN, Betrayal has a dark overlying theme surrounded by a vivid atmosphere. The enemies seem like they belong in a horror themed anime. Dripping and spraying blood is everywhere. Combine these elements with the creepy atmosphere and you don’t want to be playing this game alone or in front of a younger audience.

The main character Rayne, who is a half-human/vampire is here to hunt down a vampire lord who is also her father. She is depending on her twin blades as seen in the other games along with her quickness and agility to get through the levels. The combat reminded me a lot of DMC4 or Bayonetta, it flows and when combos are executed right everything fits together. There's nothing like bouncing several enemies in the air shredding them to bits and dicing through the next one in line. Rayne is very agile which helps in taking down groups of enemies as quick as possible.

I wish both the Magnum and the stun gun were more effective as ranged weapons. Ideally, they needed more ammo and a faster fire rate. You can also drain enemies of their blood for health, or bite them enough and they become an infected, living bomb. Due to the constant on screen action, I never had enough time to explore infecting stunned enemies.

BloodRayne: Betrayal feels very polished for a 2D game. Did I mention it is fun? The biggest gripes I have with the game is although Rayne is agile her only defensive move is a dash which takes some time to master using. She cannot duck or block, which makes some fights very irritating. The checkpoints are too few in some levels. The platforming elements are entertaining, but if you hesitate at all while trying to execute that perfect wall jump or black flip jump you will die. In some of the later levels, I lost my cool and said some choice words.

Best part of all you get a rating at the end of each level. I got a lot of “F”s which are never good. Want a higher score? How about going for bigger combos and don’t die as much. At $15 it's a good price if you are a fan of good 2D platform/dark action games and I recommend picking it up. WayForward has done an excellent job. As a gamer if you have been burned by other games or movies in the series at least check out the demo, you might be pleasantly surprised.

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