Launching a KickStarter campaign for a game can be successful, but there can also be pratfalls, depending on if the project has enough justifiable hype behind it, or if there’s enough interest to bring it to fruition. However, in this case, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night looks to become the biggest project for the crowdfunding site to date – and that’s good news for its creator and producer, Koji “Iga” Igarashi.

We previously talked about Bloodstained last month, where the game got off on the right foot by raising $1.5 million in its first 24 hours alone – a record that surpasses other success stories like Yooka-Laylee and Mighty No. 9 with ease. But now, with just hours to go, the Bloodstained project has cleared $5.5 million in overall funding, which will set a new record when it comes to games funded by KickStarter.

There are two factors to consider when it comes to the game’s overall success in funding. The first is strong word-of-mouth. Igarashi is the developer of the fan favorite Castlevania franchise, including the smash 1997 release Symphony of the Night, which introduced an open-world “Metroidvania” approach, with an emphasis on exploration. Bloodstained looks to have a lot in common with that game, along with a traditional side-scrolling art style that instantly appeals to Castlevania fans, even if it is an entirely new game.

The second factor lies with the consistent rewards and goals introduced with the program. With each new goal met, Igarashi and his team were quick to add new ones to keep fans entertained, including bringing in specific talent (like Metal Gear Solid voice actor David Hayter) and introducing nostalgia-based goodies, like a separately released Bloodstained prequel and various soundtrack options.

One more factor to consider is availability for other platforms. Bloodstained was initially introduced as a project for specific systems, like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but with certain reward tiers, Igarashi and company promised to bring it to other systems, including the Wii U (with help from the team at Armature), PS Vita and Nintendo 3DS. Now that these goals have been met with ease, the game will have bigger exposure on even more platforms.

So what does this mean for future campaigns It indicates that, with the right push and word of mouth on social media, KickStarter funding works. Sure, there are certain factors that have to be met, such as providing the right level of information of the game (to which Igarashi had no shortage of with Bloodstained) and maybe even a certain hint of nostalgia with a familiar game series (like Mighty No. 9 had with the Mega Man series – since both were put together by producer Keiji Inafune).

So what now With the campaign wrapping up, Igarashi and his team will get straight to work on Bloodstained so it can meet its 2017 release date. In the meantime, he’s likely to post updates on his progress, so fans will know just what kind of adventure they’re in for. If it’s anything along the lines of Symphony of the Night, however, they have nothing to worry about.

Check out the original KickStarter pitch video below.