Curse of the Moon Stage 2

**Frigid Hell** is the second stage in *Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon*.

## Overview

The setting of the stage begins in a mountainous forest region in the dead of night. The crescent moon illuminates the night sky as Zangetsu and Miriam travel down a linear rocky path toward a small brick building that looks as if it had been abandoned. Up to nine cyhyraeths and two sentient candles that rain down balls of fire are the first in the area to try and impede the party.

Passing through the door will lead to another section of the region where a view of a lake can be seen in the horizon, There, the crescent moon reflects in the water. After making short work of four Shield Outsiders, the duo will then be able to freely make through their way into a subterranean chamber that contains a fork in the road. Luckily for Zangetsu and Miriam, another semi-sentient skeleton provides guidance by pointing toward the door on the right.

The room beyond that door will lead to an area covered in plant life and a small but dangerous river where Toads are swimming along its currents. Most of them stay underwater and easier to hit, although if their eyes are visible, they will jump out of the water in an attempt to attack the party directly. A breakable wall containing a Large Heart will wait on the other side of the river. Head on downstairs where you then be guided to travel left according to the skeleton pointing in that direction. Shortly after crossing another portion of the underground river, Zangetsu and Miriam will then be free to advance further down into the cavern. On a side note, walking in the opposite direction of the current allows either member of the party to fight it. Standing still will allow the current to push them near a waterfall in either direction where they may fall to certain death.

The next area in the cave starts off with an enormous abyss for Zangetsu and Miriam to navigate through using stone platforms shaped like squares to jump across. Four Scyllas and the occasional Ghost will temporarily impede their progress, but only if they strike them down quickly enough, they may be able to avoid falling off a platform. The duo makes it to the other side and proceeds downstairs where they are greeted by three more Shield Outsiders after jumping off a wooden platform that is supported by six logs.

The journey will become perilous once Zangetsu and Miriam step through the door on the right. The cavern’s background is as pitch black as night and stalagmites hang from the ceiling in this section. In addition, the duo encounters their first five bats, which will attack them if they unwittingly approach them while sleeping. If a party member does not strike these tainted mammals fast enough, they can quickly consume a majority of their health. Another bottomless pit lies ahead and with no platforms to jump across, a floating blood-soaked tile is the best way to bypass this danger. Don’t let a few bats knock off a member of your party, though. It’d be a shame to lose a comrade in a single fall into this abyss. In the next room, Zangetsu and Miriam will encounter three Barbatos ready to fire up to three arrows at a time should they step closer to it. To survive their plight with minimal to no damage, pressing the attack button as quickly as possible should not only prevent the arrows from striking a member of your party, but it will also dispose of them before they get ready to fire again. Don’t forget to be mindful of the sentient candles that flicker above your head as well.

The lowest floor is colder than the rest of the cavern for ice crystals blanket the platforms. The environment is coated in monochromatic blue to provide it with a chilly and frostbitten vibe, hence its name of the overall stage. After the duo arrives in this section, they will encounter two ice golems that will cause icicles to rapidly slant upward if one of them slams its fist down on the ground. The last section of the stage leading to Focalor is more or less a straight path that leads the party down to the end of the frostbitten corridor. They will be able to take in the view of a blue lake in the background just before the encounter as soon as they manage to defeat the lone bat and the occasional cyhyraeth. In Nightmare Mode, the moon in the night sky is full because the plot picks up where Regular Mode left off.

## Enemies

* Cyhyraeth
* Dullahammer Head
* Ghost
* Toad
* Barbatos
* Scylla
* Shield Outsider
* Giant Bat

## Items

* Heart
* MP Max Up

## Gallery

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## Trivia

* The name of this stage and the underground lake seen in the background where Focalor is fought might be an allusion to Lake Cocytus, the lowest circle of Hell in the narrative poem, Divine Comedy.