Ayami Kojima, the much loved artist for many of IGA's Castlevania titles, revealed that she will make time in her incredibly busy schedule to make a special box-art for the game, as her way of supporting her old friend, to say thank-you to the fans who supported IGA, and was simply sorry she couldn't commit more of her time to the project.
The record-setting success of the project. IGA made it clear he was very worried that the game wouldn't succeed, and he was putting a lot on the line purely on the belief that the style of the games he liked to create still had an audience with fans, something publishers had told him when they rejected greenlighting his project. Then the Kickstarter was launched, and hit double its target in one day. The sheer scope of the success shocked and amazed IGA, and told him that there was not only still a market for his work, but old and new fans alike wanted him to keep making his projects.
The staying power of David Hayter's fanbase proved great enough that the stretch goal to have him voice Big Bad Gebel (in the earlier draft, now he voiced Zangetsu while Gebel is voiced by Ray Chase) was reached within the first day of the crowdfunding campaign going live. This goes double after Konami infamously cut him as the voice of the iconic Snake of Metal Gear in Metal Gear Solid V.
The fact that this game was met with warm reception is immensely relieving, considering all the drama surrounding other Kickstarter games, and this game's own long development.
One fan, Xombie Mike, came up with the idea of sending donuts to IGA and other members of the company. This was met with approval by employee, Mana and became a funding drive to buy Krispy Kreme donuts for the team. The fandom enthusiastically pitched in, and so IGA is now a few donuts heavier. The story can be found in the Bloodstained official forum, under the thread "DONUTS! (Funded)".
The Game
In the prologue cutscene, Miriam and Johannes are talking about Gebel and how he was a good person. Johannes laments that the torment he went through "would break even the best of souls". Then we have this which crosses over with Tear Jerker.
Johannes: Miriam, I want you to know that I'm sorry. What my brothers subjected you to... There's no forgiving it. Miriam: It was their transgression, not yours. You...you always took care of us. Johannes: Obviously not enough.
Doing various quests for the villagers can count as such. Abigail sorrowfully asks for items to bury in place of the villager's bodies, and sounds almost happy when you get them all. Susie also expresses gratitude at how far you've gone to make her feel better, and hopes that Miriam will have someone willing to do the same for her in her life.
Miriam's personality. It's obvious all throughout the game that the poor girl has suffered much in her short life, but it becomes especially uplifting to see her giddy and excited about new things such as cooking new foods and something as simple as photography.
Compare her to Shanoa, the only other heroine for the Castlevania series. While both have suffered a lot, Shanoa remains almost brooding and empty due to the seal on her emotions, while Miriam has snarker tendencies, moments of playfulness and, if her poses after holding Up for a moment or two are any indication, a slightly flirtatious nature. Miriam in general comes off as significantly more lighthearted of a character during these situations for these types of games than any we've seen thus far.
◊ Seeing a Castlevania-sprite-style Miriam being seen off by four of the greatest heroes of Castlevania as they pass the torch to her is both tragic for fans of the series but also incredibly sweet.
