Disagree. I may have a bit of bias and may have the unpopular opinion here, but the gameplay of NoR sucks. It's so slow and clunky that I simply can't even compare them on a gameplay level. I only say they're alike in ways because the protagonists look alike and share the same visual style. Bloodstained's gameplay, however, far outclasses this on every level.
Yeah, you definitely can't go into this expecting anything comparable to a Metroidvania in terms of combat, as from the ground up it seems to be far more built around mimicking a Souls like system. Of course, funnily enough in 2D a Souls game does become more Vania like, especially in terms of level design, but with the stamina, parry, and dodge system in the game, even the way items/stats function its pretty clear what its trying to imitate. Whether it does that well or not is entirely up for debate and subjective really, though I have to say in terms of a hentai game its one of the few good ones out there from what I've played. With an english translation, and the full product it could definitely be up there in terms of the greats, and something I'd even play for the gameplay itself alone. The challenge some sections offer, especially when keeping yourself at lower soul levels, is already enough to have me working overtime here and there in terms of difficulty.
Regardless, not really using this as a way to discredit what you're saying, in general its definitely not quite as polished as something like Bloodborne/Souls games, and even some of those have gotten a bit of a reputation as feeling clunky at times from those who either don't enjoy, or don't take the time to learn the games. For me its a nice change of pace from the more direct clones of a traditional metroidvania style like you see in Unholy Sanctuary and such, though that also might partially just be due to the fact I've never really spent much time with the genre, pretty much only having played Metroid Fusion on the GBA ages ago.
In the end though, to be completely real, its still those wondrous H-animations that keep me around, and the promise of what this game could really shape up to be by the end. Between this and Succubus Heaven, I've definitely got a lot to look forward to in terms of H-games inspired by Souls.
