There is still content to be added to Bloodstained

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night still has some more journeys to undertake. Or, at least one. Bloodstained is getting a Journey crossover update on August 23, 2022.

The new crossover will add an entirely new section of the castle, dubbed "The Tunnels," inspired by thatgamecompany's Journey. ?Once players have found the area, they'll be able to explore the depths and discover new areas, though it will require some explorations and shard activities to navigate.

Once you reach the end, a final boss fight awaits. And upon beating it, you'll get an undisclosed special item that is inspired by Journey.

Alongside the update, the Bloodstained team is also issuing a few issue fixes and tune-ups. In order to access the new area, you'll have to progress decently far into the game. The entrance will appear after you've freed a certain character and gained access to the Den of the Behemoths, though it's not in the Den of Behemoths. Because ??it's a new and hidden area, The Tunnels will not affect map completion percentages or achievements.

Immortal life

This is a really neat update, and I do enjoy both Bloodstained and Journey. The surprise in this isn't exactly coming from these two mashing up together, but the fact that Bloodstained is still getting content updates.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night launched in 2019, after a fairly lengthy Kickstarter campaign. [Disclosure: I backed the Bloodstained Kickstarter at the "get a copy of the game" tier.] It's since had a bunch of crossovers, a retro-prequel game that got its own sequel, and a bunch of other content all associated with this Vania-style game.

I'm not really complaining, even though I haven't gone back to Bloodstained to check out any of the extra content. Despite years of Kickstarter development and more, Bloodstained is keeping it rolling with new stuff. We'll see what special tricks Journey brings to Miriam's arsenal next week.

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Is Miriam preparing another trip into the darkness?

A new financial report from holding company Digital Bros. makes brief mention of a possible sequel to 505 Games' gothic adventure Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, with development of the new title apparently already un??der?way.

Page 25 of the report, (which you can check out right here), celebrates the success of Koji Igarashi's mythical metroidvania, which launched on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in the summer of 2019, before receiving a mobile port last winter. Among the plaudits listed — including sales past the one million? m??ark — Digital Bros. notes that a "second version is in development".

It has to be said that "second version" is somewhat odd terminology over simply saying "sequel", so who knows quite what is being referenced with this statement. Bloodstained found a dedicated audience of lost Castlevania fans upon launch, with Shardbinder Miriam winning the hearts of many players worldwide. I am absolutely up for a potential Bloodstained sequel. With E3 season on the horizon, perhaps the details will become a little clea??rer in the coming weeks and months.

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Metal Geee... I mean...

NetEase and ArtPlay continue in their efforts to bring all of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night's console content to the mobile edition of Igarashi's great gothic platformer. Today sees the arrival of a new playable character, Zangetsu, who joins the Bloodstained roster on iOS and Android as a free download.

Voiced by David Hayter, who brings his "Solid Snake" tone to the party, Zangetsu is a demon-hunting samurai who frequently pops up as a part of protagonist Miriam's story. Equipped with various acrobatic abilities, his legendary swor??d - the Zangetsuto - and a wonderfully '90s surliness, Zangetsu eventually joins Miriam on her quest into the darkness.

To unlock Zangetsu as a playable character for Bloodstained mobile, all you need do is downlo??ad the new update and have completed the main campaign. Zangetsu will then be available to select from the New Game screen, bringing his swordsmanship, kunai daggers and grappling hook to bear for a fresh jaunt through the dark corridors of Hellhold.

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Free 'Strife and Ruin' update goes live February 18

Talk about a match made in Hell. The lovely Miriam, hero of 505 Games' Castlevania-like platformer Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is getting set to make a guest appearance in Team 17's critically acclaimed nightmare, Blasphemous. What a crossover!

The free update, titled "Strife and Ruin" will arri?ve on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on February 18, and will see the last Shardbinder visit in the land of Cvstodia, seeking help from protagonist The Penitent One. Miriam is trapped in the dismal and terrifying realm, and The Penitent One must help her by gathering lost shards from around the kingdom in order to rebuild the portal back to Hellhold, so our gal can finally return to her own world of abject misery.

But that's not all, as the Strife and Ruin update will also add a new Boss Rush mode to Blasphemous, challenging the finest knights to run a gauntlet of unholy guardians in the ultimate test of skill and endurance. Additionally, (and much like Bloodstained itself), a new 8-bit demake of Blasphemous is also available, acce??ssible via an arcade cabinet hidden somewhere within Cvstodia. Dig it out and you can experience The Game Kitchen's ??grim world in classic NES-esque glory.

This sounds like a fantastic freebie for Blasphemous fans, as well as perhaps one of the finest and most perfectly suited crossovers since Gris somehow visited Rainbow Six Siege.

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Any guesses on the button inputs needed to unlock it?

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night debuted its Castlevania-inspired stage-based Classic Mode last month, ??and if you were up to the task, ?there's another challenge to face: 1986 Mode. It's even stricter.

To unlock 1986 Mode, just start up Classic Mode and, while you're still on the title menu, enter these button inputs: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, Square, ??Circle. You'll see "1986 Mode" appear.

(If you aren't playing Bloodstained on PlayStation, substitute Square for the left face button and swap Circle for the right face b?utton. For instance, on Xbox, you??'d end the code with the X and B buttons.)

From the?re, you can hit "Start Game" and you should see an "86" ic??on when you select your difficulty.

From what I've played, 1986 Mode is more of a control-restricting variant of Classic Mode than anything else – but it's surprisingly cool in practice. It feels much more fitting. IGN was able to confirm some of the c??hanges, most of which have to do with Miriam's movement. She can't backflip, slide, readjust her jump mid-air, or leap onto staircases. You'll need to be precise with the whip, too.

The timing on this news is uncanny, as I just picked up the Castlevania Anniversary Collection on sale and started bouncing around the series this past weekend – so far I've made it through Castlevania and Super Castlevania IV, and I left off with Kid Dracula.?? I'll admit: I've ??been save scumming like a maniac.

After I finish my full playthrough of the compilation, I'll circle back to Bloodstained's 1986 Mode once I'm (hopefully) in tip-top shape. It's been a blast reliving thes?e memories. Bury me with my Holy Water.

@SwordOrWhip [Twitter]

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Defeat the Master

NetEase Games, in association with ArtPlay, has announced that new updates are now available for the iOS and Android editions of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, adding new modes and challenges to the Castlevania-like Gothic platformer.

A free update for all players adds three additional modes previously made available to Bloodstained on PC and console. Speed demons might want to try their hand at the clock-busting Speed Run mode, while fight fans can take on challenging back-to-back battles in the new Boss Rush mode. Finally, Sound Mode allows players to take a break from all the sword-swinging action, sit back, and bask in Bloodstained's wonderful soundtrack.

Additionally, a new paid update sees the arrival of the "IGA's Back Pack" DLC, adding powerful boss character "IGA" - a thinly veiled representation of Bloodstained head honcho and Castlevania creator Koji Igarashi. Defeating yer boy IGA will award Miriam with the "Insatiable" shard and a Belmont-like whip sword. The IGA's Back Pack DLC is available to purchase now at the cos??t of a single dollar.

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Which is all it really needed to be considering it's free

It's been great having continued reasons to revisit Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, especially as of late. I've been on a real Castlevania kick with the Game Boy Advance lineup and the perennial Symphony of the Night. The latest free content update for Bloodstained, Classic Mode, has far more of a retro feel.

Ther??e's something about a castle-storming hero looking off into the ??distance that just feels right.

I spent half an hour with the whip-cracking, stair-climbing, pitfall-dodging mode this afternoon and that's exactly what it's good for: a session or two of linear action-platforming fun. I'm cool? with that.

From the main Bloodstained menu, you can find Classic Mode listed under Extras – you don't need to have cleared the main campaign or anything. You'll choose between Easy, Normal, and Hard, and if you can't clear all five stages in one sitting, you can pick your save file back up later. I lef?t off with the third level, which ?culminates in a double boss battle that I wasn't adequately prepared for. Classic Mode has (infrequent) checkpoints on Normal; if you run out of lives, you're kicked back to the start of the level.

For better or worse, this is classic NES-era Castlevania, albeit with more modern visuals.

By that I mean the foes themselves aren't the real threat – many of the repurposed Bloodstained creatures will perish with a single strike of your whip or a sub-weapon like the throwing knife. Instead, you're far more likely to succumb to tricky back-to-back platforming section?s with bottomless pits.

Miriam?? has a fairly high jump in Classic Mode – and she ever so briefly "hangs" mid-air at the top of the jump to give you slightly more control. She can also slide or use a backflip ??to get out of trouble. There's just enough going on to keep things engaging without ever feeling too dull or too overwhelming.

If ?I have any nitpicks, it's that the bosses are a tad too simple, and the load times aren't v?ery short.

As for the level layouts, they're familiar in a good way. You're gonna want to pull out the handy old leap-into-a-diagonal-stair-climb maneuver that has served Castlevania fans well for so many years.

Classic Mode doesn't feel as fresh as something like the fantastic Curse of the Moon spin-offs, but considering it's a free update – the latest in a line of updates, I should add –? I'm pleased with it.

Props for styling the castle map like the oldies.

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Whip It

Our best gal Miriam will get to do her best Belmont impression this week. Developer ArtPlay has announced that the anticipated "Classic Mode" will finally be launching in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on Thursday, January 14th as a free update to all players.

Classic Mode will see Miriam attack Hellhold castle in a 16-bit style reminiscent of the Castlevania titles from the early '90s, such as Castlevania: Bloodlines and the superb Super Castlevania IV. The new mini-adventure will task our hero with storming the halls of Hellhold and laying waste to five deadly demons, while avoiding the enemies, ??pitfa?lls, and traps lurking in every corner of the kingdom.

The retro-infused add-on is the latest in a long line of free updates to the Gothic platformer, following on from the addition of a Boss Rush mode, Randomizer options, and a selection of alternate player protagonists. Also arriving in Bloodstained this will be a new area – Dead Lands – which will open up as part of a limited time crossover with Raw Fury's Kingdom Two Crowns. This event is also scheduled for January 14.

ArtPlay has noted that it will continue to bring updates to Bloodstained over the course of 2021, with work continuing on bringing the stability of t??he Nintendo Switch release in-line with other platforms.

Gremory has enlisted five demonic bosses to? protect his c??astle. Can you survive each level and defeat each boss?

Classic Mode launches January 14th.#BloodstainedROTN pic.twitter.com/PN1BNGfkzc

— Bloodstained: RotN (@SwordOrWhip) January 8, 2021

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Uneasy lies the head...

Team IGA's Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night will be getting more free content next week, as the fab action-platformer crosses over with Raw Fury's "micro-strategy" title Kingdom Two Crowns.

The crossover will take the form of a new secret area, hidden deep within the confines of Bloodstained's Hellhold Castle. According to a tweet from Raw Fury, our girl Miriam will have to? "acquire the crown" before seeking out th?e exclusive new area, "Dead Lands." A very short teaser offers a look at the strange new land.

The Kingdom Two Crowns crossover is just the latest in a long line of free content added to Bloodstained, following on from a variety of additional modes, character skins, and playable protagonists. This month will also see the addition of a rad-looking "Classic Mode," which will offer a mini-adventure recalling the heady days of the 16-bit Castlevania titles. Further updates, including ongoing Switch stability fixes, are to ?be implemented across 2021.

The Bloodstained x Kingdom Two Crowns event will go live in-game on January 14.

Thrilled to let you know Kingdom Two Crowns is coming to Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night! On January 14th a unique @kingdomthegame area will appear within the existing castle. 👑

Acquire the Crown then hunt for the new area🦇 #BloodstainedROTN pic.twitter.com/ycaBCaXkET

— Raw Fury (@RawFury) January 7, 2021

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Welcome to the World of Tomorrow

It is now - officially - a brand new year. I was starting to think that we'd never get here. I sincerely hope 2021 brings you much joy, success, and happiness. Do err on the side of caution, however. The date is merely a number, after all, and we are not suddenly auto-immune from the myriad problems that troubled the planet over the course of 2020. There is definitely hope ahead, and that's b?eautiful, but stay safe and be wary of falling into the "New Year = No Problems" mentality that some have chosen.

This week has seen me smashing through a selection of games new and old, in-between bouts of grumbling onto the scales and feeling blue about what the festive week has done to my waistline. I've been barrelling through the run 'n' jump chaos of Super Meat Boy Forever, (of which you can expect a review very soon indeed), while also chipping away at a 100% completion rate in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. The latter ??has seduced me with secret protagonist Bloodless, however, who now has me gallivanting around Hellhold Castle all over again. Curse her and her adorable guillotine parasol.

Anywhoo, I gotta get back to work. It's a new year and there is much to do. But thank you, as always, for taking the time to stop by. Be sure to dive into the comments and share with us the video games that are ringing in the new year for you. Whether you're picking through your backlog, playing some newly acquired releases, or just chilling with familiar favorites, fill us in on the action. We always, always enjoy hearing all about it.

Have a safe and? pleasant weekend, from all of us at Destructoid.

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Theme of Miriam

Publisher 505 Games and developer ArtPlay has shared some more footage of the incoming "Classic Mode", which is headed to gothic platform adventure Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night next month.

Classic Mode will see Miriam take on Hellhold and its ministry of darkness in old-school 2D platforming action, much akin to the fine Castlevania ?titles of? the SNES era. Fans of said games will immediately recognize the gameplay style in the tweet below, with footage of Miriam climbing staircases, leaping chasms, smashing candelabras, and taking on an army of monsters armed with a deadly whip. Simon would be very proud indeed.

Classic Mode is one of a selection of free DLC additions released for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night since its initial launch back in 2019. Igarashi's crowdfunded adventure has since received alternate protagonists, Randomizer and Boss Revenge modes, as well as a mobile port. More content is expected in 2021, including f??urther stability updates for the Nin??tendo Switch edition.

Classic Mode brings back old-school gameplay as you fight through five levels of demons and challe?nge Gebel's deadly bosses.

The new mode arrives for free in January!#BloodstainedROTN pic.twitter.com/8a76P7nVEp

— Bloodstained: RotN (@SwordOrWhip) December 23, 2020

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976-EVIL

Team IGA's great platform adventure Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is now available to purchase on mobile devices, squeezing the Gothic horror title right into your front poc??ket. The new port can be purchased today on iOS and Andr??oid for around $10 USD.

The mobile port of Bloodstained features the 2019 metroidvania in its entirety, as our hero Miriam traverses a grim, monster-filled kingdom en route to a showdown with her former pal Gebel. Bloodstained for mobile not only includes all previously released console ??DLC, but also sports a redesigned U.I. that offers a little more clarity for the smaller screen.

Developer Artplay notes that it has brought Bloodstained to mobile without compromising on visual quality or gameplay fidelity. Impressive. In the near future, Bloodstained for mobile will receive a?dditional features such as Boss Rush and Speed Run modes, as well as new playable characters.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is av??ailable now on P??S4, PC, Xbox One, Switch, and mobile platforms.

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Bloody Hell

Well, the shit's on now, right? November has already been quite eventful, not in the least bringing about the launch of the ninth generation of gaming. As somebody who was somehow breathing when the first generation was underway, it's been a trip. Everything always seemed like the ceiling, like games "couldn't get better." While some might argue that they haven't, the undeniable fact remains that the technology behind the incoming wave of modern classics is a step up from Gun Fight. Buckle up, it's gonna be a wild ride.

We've all been super busy at Destructoid the past couple of weeks, which has left very little time for personal gaming funsies. I did dive back into the Gothic splendor of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night once again, and made some serious progress from my previous meanderings. I also said hi to the divine Bloodless, who was recently added to the platformer as a playable character. Nice. Once Bloodstained is wrapped up, I can get back onto Control, as promised to you, our beloved community.

Speaking of which, you know the ?score by now, drop into the comments below and let us know what you've been playing, o?r have lined up, for the week. Maybe you're the proud owner of a brand new console, or maybe you're more than happy with your current backlog, thank you very much. Whatever your gaming plans, please share them with us below!

Have a safe and pleasant weekend, from all of us at Destruc?toid.

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Name your save file 'BLOODLESS' with all caps

Every now and then, I catch a passing glimpse of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and I think "Yeah, I could obsessively play that again." The moment hasn't come yet, but one of these days,???? it will.

Some of you might be at that point with ?the arrival of Bloodless, a boss-turned-bonus-playable-character. You can play as her with a new save file named "BLOODLESS." (Classic!) As for the lady in red's stat progression, be on the lookout for crystal globes to earn "new skills and improve her attributes."

This update is live on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and – you know how this goes – it's coming to Nintendo Switch in December. The developers also worked in bug fixes for Bloodstained's Randomizer Mode.

It's worth mentioning that Bloodless is bonus content th??at's separate from the "previous development roadmap." With that in mind, the game is still getting a new "unnamed playable character."

Realist?ically, I'm probably going to hol??d off until then.

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The cutest little hellscape you ever did see

NetEase Games has announced that the mobile version of Koji Igarashi's Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is almost g??ood to go. The Gothic adventure title, shrunken dow??n into pocket-sized form, will launch on the iOS and Android platforms in December, priced around $10.

Developer ArtPlay has managed to squeeze the entire kingdom of Hellhold, complete with all of its post-release DLC into the mobile port, claiming that it has made "no compromise" on visual quality of graphical fidelity. Bloodstained for mobile will utilize an overhauled inter??face and control scheme, complete with redesigned icons to benefit the reduced screen size. Ain't technology? grand?

You can check out a new trailer for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on mobile below. In other recent news, Team IGA announced that boss character Bloodless will be added to the playable roster on all platforms at some point in ??the coming we??eks.

Bloodstained: Ritual of t??he Night f??or iOS, Android launches in December [Gematsu]

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Blud eez too presush a teeng in deez toimes

Koji Igarashi's spooky platform adventure Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is set to get some new content this month. Joining the beauti??ful Creatures of the Night that make up the game's roster of playable characters will be the parasol-spinning vampire, Bloodless.

Encountered by protagonist Miriam ?in the Dian Cecht Cathedral, the beautiful but terrifying Bloodless is found soaking in a bathtub of claret-colored liquid - which I'm willing to bet ain't Cran-Apple. Bloodless' offense mostly consists of streams of the red stuff, with which she has deft control over. Also to hand is Bloodless trusty paraso??l, which itself is a deadly weapon in the dark one's hands.

While Team IGA did not offer any specific information as to when Bloodless will grace us with her presence, the developer noted that she would arrive in November, with more details arriving in the coming days. It's great to see Bloodstained still receiving fun new content well over a year after launch, giving fans another reason to take a fresh wander through the halls of The ?Hellhold once again.

Bloodless is on her way! Stay tuned in coming days for more news. pic.twitter.com/JC4w2Xv7Bw

— Bloodstained: RotN (@SwordOrWhip) November 2, 2020

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Pocket Gothic

Koji Igarashi's lavish adventure title Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is coming to iOS and Android. According to mobile publisher NetEase and developer ArtPlay, the dangerous and labyrinthine quest of Shardbinder Miriam will be arriving on ?the mobile platforms "soo??n."

Released for PC and consoles in 2019, following a long and somewhat troubled development period, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is Igarashi's first post-Castlevania?? release, and features the opulent surroundings, grim monsters, ??great music, and exploration elements that cemented the auteur's previous releases among the all-time classics. Players guide Miriam through a huge castle and its surrounding grounds, equipping new weapons, skills, and spells while defeating an army of hellish enemies en route to a showdown with the vengeful Gebel.

Bloodstained will feature a new mobile-optimized control system and a revamped UI for its small-screen debut, complete with new inventory "shortcut" buttons and simpler spell comm?and??s. The port will include over 120 monsters from the original release, as well as 107 weapons, 23 special skills, and all previously released DLC, making this platforming great a perfect time-killer for those long horse-and-coach journeys into the Carpathian mountains.

You can check out some early screens of the mobile port in the gall??ery below.

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It could still be pushed

Amid a very hectic and unpredictable schedule, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night has been getting updates periodically.

Zangetsu was added as a playable character a few months ago, on top of the previously-promised Boss Revenge (playable bosses) and Chroma Wheel (protagoni??st customization) modes. But the latter two were not fated for Switch, it seems, as that version has its own timeline (along with a few other wacky platforms like EA Origin, which has its own patch pipeline).

While the ??development team isn't quite ready to nail down a date yet, we do have a window: "later this month." Taking to Facebook, they noted that "Boss Revenge Mode and Chroma Wheel debut on Game Pass and EA Origin this week then later this month for Nintendo Switch." Crash fixes for other platforms are coming soon: crashes that the last patch introduced, mind.

As a reminder, a new landing page is open now that breaks down the status of each platform.

Bloodstained [Facebook]

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So much work to be done

[Update: It looks like the below issues will be fixed indi??vidually. A se??parate patch has been deployed on Steam/PS4/Xbox One that fixes errant achievement bugs: once you load your save data the achievements should pop. The Boss Revenge bug "will be part of a future update." That just leaves the NPC crashing bug as one of the last major known unsolved issues.]

Ah Bloodstained.

While the actual game is lovely, the team has been dealing with issues across various platforms for nearly a year now, especially on the tumultuous Switch, which?? is always behind the others in term?s of content cadence.

To function as a sort of "be all end all" solution to get people to stop pestering the team on a daily basis as to what version of whichever platform will be fixed on any given week, the studio has opened up a new "current status page" that you can now peruse for up-to-date info.

There you'll be able to spy on which version each platform is on (PC [Steam], PS4 and Xbox One, as usual, are t??he best supported), as well as what the current "top issues" are that the team is trying to squash. Those problems include a Boss Revenge mode crash, bugged achievements and items and NPC-related crashes. Several of those bugs were added in the last patch, but the team might need "more time" to get them under control ?as of this week.

The eternal struggle is real! While I'm not sure the Switch port will ever be fully under control, it would be cool to get a "Bloodstained: Fully Fixed Edition" at some point down the line.

Current Status [Bloodstained via Facebook]

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Boss Revenge and Chroma Wheel still TBD for Switch

Bloodstained is kind of like the Fallout 76 of the Metroidvania world: one ?patch enters, several new bugs le??ave.

The Bloodstained team has acknowledged some recent bugs, most notably crashes after interacting with NPCs, crashes while playing Bloodless in boss ru?sh mode and items negatively impacting achievements. There's no ETA on the fix right now, but it is in the?? works.

In other news, that same bugged boss revenge and chroma wheel mode is not yet implemented in the Switch version, so those bugs don't exist??. Sadly, that likely means that there's more work to be done in tandem with that Switch pa?tch, so it could be even farther out. Better late than buggy, but the Switch port just can't catch a break.

In fact, this could push back the 2020 roadmap, which was smartly labeled with "all plans subject to change" when it dropped in June. After this mess i?s sorted out, the next step for the third quarter is chaos/vers??us/classic modes, as well as a "special crossover."

Bloodstained [Facebook]

We are working on a hotfix to address the following issues occurring on Steam (1.15), PS4 (1.15) and Xbox One (1.0.1.5):

1. A crash linked to NPC interactions.
2. A crash linked to pausing while playing as Bloodless.
3. Extra items affecting achievements.

We will ?update everyone as soon as we have an ETA on the release of this hotfix.

Note: Boss Revenge and Chroma Wheel have not yet been released for Switch, GamePass or ?GOG and are not affected by the issu??es listed above.

 

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Boss Revenge and Chroma Wheel are the highlights

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is getting its delayed DLC drop today (on everything but Switch, which is coming at a later date), but there's actually two orders of business: the content itself and an under?lying update. We'll get to that.

First, the meat! Boss Revenge and the Chroma Wheel are the main courses. The former allows you to step into the shoes of several main campaign bosses (Andrealphus, Bathin, Bloodless, Gremory) and take on the game's heroes (Miriam, Dominique, Zangetsu). Think of it like a fighting game, where you go room-by-??room defeating each enemy, with ?each "fighter" bringing along their own moveset.

The Chroma Wheel is a lot simpler of a concept: it adds more cosmetic options into the fray, like a hair salon on top of more outfit coloring. To access that feature you just need to go visit Todd the Barber in the main game.

As for that aforementioned underlying up?date, the Zangetsu progress bug is now finally fixed in a roundabout way. Previously the Zangetsu update annoyingly required players to finish the full game before accessing him as a playable character. The problem is, a lot of folks started a New Game+ run and deleted their endgame save. If you didn't have the time to run the game all over again, tough.

Now, today's update fixes all that. You can just play speedrun mode, the randomizer, boss revenge and Zangetsu by default with no requirements. Boss rush, hard and nightmare difficulty still require completion. That's all reasonable, given that they mostly incentivize subsequent runs, while boss r?ush includes the final encounter.

Bloodstained [Facebook]

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You can always expect that constant

Recently, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night's development team released a "2020 roadmap" that gave us some sembl?ance of what's to come down the road.

First up is a boss revenge mode and a chroma wheel, followed by chaos mode, versus mode, a "special crossover" and classic mode in the third quarter, with another cr??ossover and the third playable character in quarter four. The former duo of DLC was due up recently: June 23, in fact, but that day came and went without a peep of the content.

Thanks to a tweet from the game's official account, we now know what's happening. Like pretty much every facet of this project it's been delayed due to a "last minute chroma wheel display issue." Now it's going to come sometime this week with details arriving soon. Confusingly, a tweet on June 27 noted that the DLC was comi??ng on "June 25-26," which seems to imply an actual new "July 25-26" date. We've reached out for full clarification on the matter.

Presumably, the Switch update will still be coming la?ter than the rest, as more polish is needed.

Bloodstained [Twitter]

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All the way through Q4 is planned out

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is still chugging along, having recently released the so-so Zangetsu DLC. But this is not the end of the line, as t??he team? still has a ton of Kickstarter stretch goal updates to deliver, not to mention the highly anticipated mysterious third character.

Taking to Kickstarter, Koji "IGA" Igarashi and his team announced that Bloodstained has now sold one million copies worldwide, and have decided to share the tentative 2020 roadmap with fans. Right now the plan is to deliver Boss Revenge mode and Chroma Wheel ("more in-depth character customization") on June 23 on all platforms except for Switch, which will get it in July.

After that versus mode ("A tense survival mode where players compete by indirectly attacking each another"), Chaos Mode ("A specialized boss rush for 1 or 2 players - the mode includes randomized drops and special sub goals that will grant more equipment when completed - collect the best, drop the rest as you build power to defeat all the bosses") and Classic Mode ("It’s Bloodstained 80s-style as Miriam faces off against a series of sub-bosses laid out across five harrowing stages and three difficulty levels") are coming in "Quarter 3, 2020," as well as "Special Crossover Content."

Then there's the coup de grâce: the third playable character that is "not Dominique" is coming in Quarter 4 of this year. As we know, these plans could, and probably will change. But for?? now it's great seeing it all lined up like this. The team also says that there are "bug fixes and improvements" on the way, as well as "paid DLC and a few other surprises." This game is far from done.

The post Bloodstained is getting a new free upda??te soon, 2020 roadmap finally unveiled appeared first on Destructoid.

Samurai Shenanigans

Publisher 505 Games has released the "Randomizer" update for the Nintendo Switch edition of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

??Released for P?S4, PC, and Xbox One back in early May, the new update will allow players who have achieved Bloodstained's "True Ending" with Mi??riam to re-run the adventure as brooding demon slayer Zangetsu. While Zangetsu has his own weapons and attacks, he unfortunately does not have his own story arc/cut-scenes. Still, it's a nice change of place to whiz through HellHol?d as a new character.

The Randomizer features will let players alter the parameters of the game, essentially creating a unique path through Bloodstained by shuffling item locations, save rooms, and quest givers, while tweaking the drops offered from defeated enemies. This will provide even the most hardened Bloodstained players with a fresh, new challenge. I just h??ope you find the voice-changer m??ask in double-quick time.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is available now on PS4, PC, Xbo??x One?, and Nintendo Switch.

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Previously, it was up in the air

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night just launched its Zangetsu and randomizer DLC on PC, PS4 and Xbox O????ne, but you might have noticed an omission: the black sheep port of the family, Switch!

Originally the date for the Switch update was "the end of May or the beginning of June," but that's since changed...a few ti?mes. Confusingly, as is the case with this game's marketing, a tweet went out that the Switch update was coming out "next w?eek," but was since deleted.

A follow-up notes: "Sorry, had dates mixed up. Zangetsu is coming to Switch at the end of the month. My apologies." Dates are often "mixed up" in Kickstarter updates as well, leading to corrections for when content might arrive. For those of you holding out for the free update to hit Switch, heed t??he warnings of th??e folks who downloaded it already and located a pretty big glitch.

The DLC requires players to "finish the true ending/boss" before unlocking it, but even if you already did that, it still might not unlock until you finish it after acquiring the update. So, word of warning, don't save over your endgame save file with New Game+, and if you need to, get to the very end and save outside of ??the final boss door.

Bloodstained [Twitter]

The post Bloodstained’s Zangetsu DLC Switch window shortened to ‘the end of the month’ appeared first on Destructoid.

It's a shame, because the game's core is fantastic

Bloodstained is a great game, but its developmental process will go down in history alongside of Mighty No. 9 as an example of what not to do when managing a Kickstarting a project (admittedly, less intensely, as Mighty No. 9 was a complete disaster of a campaign up to the bitter end).

Amid numerous delays, communication issues, bug fixes and a rush to get an unfinished port to market, Bloodstained didn't have a great pre-launch period. It isn't having the best post??-launch time either.

Support for Bloodstained has been absolutely all over the place.

I get that developmental resources might not have been abundant for lead studio ArtPlay, but laying out plans to fix the Switch version after it launched as a broken mess, then changing those plans completely weeks later wasn't a great look. In the past year (we're just one month away from the first anniversary), Kickst?arter Backpack DLC was delayed on individual platforms, there was no version parity for months, the Xbox One edition had a weird HDR bug that made the game look? worse and all sorts of weird issues (in one case, gamebreaking) sprung up for any given edition.

A lot of that is ironed out, but the damage was done. Much of ArtPlay's resources were devoted to plugging up the Switch edition as best they could; but now we're getting actual new content this week in the form of a playable Zangetsu and a randomizer mode. Just like the aforementioned communication eff?orts, part of it feels rushed and half-measured.

Zangetsu, voiced by David Hayter, was a fan favorite of many Bloodstained players. He offered what is arguably one of the more memorable boss fights in the game, tasking players with picking up the basics of locomotion and restrained combat if they hadn't already. He returns this week in the form of a second playable character, akin to the "Richter Mode" in Symphony of the Night. To acc?ess him, you'll need to beat the "True Ending,?" so go ahead and do that now if you were expecting to dive in at the zero hour.

On paper, Zengetsu is fine. His moveset (which you can view above in full) is vastly different from previous protagonist Miriam's, and I think ArtPlay succeeded in giving us a "more action-oriented playstyle" to zip through the castle. He doesn't have to worry about laboriously attaching spells or acquiring them: instead he just rips and tears (and slices) everything in his path. He doesn't have to worry about anything actually, as it's all unlocked at the start: no keys needed, with the blood pool pre-drained, with high-jumps by default to sequence break to your heart's content. He's a ton of fun to play, notably because Bloodstained, as a whole, rules.

But where the seams start to come apart is how he's actually implemented in such an underwhelming manner. Zangetsu has no new dialogue, which feels like a waste of Hayter's talents. He has no cutscenes; nothing tethering him to the story. He has no real excuse for being there, and there's zero sense of immersion when playing as him. A boss fight mirror with himself could have been a cool opportunity to expand the lore, but it kind of just happens. This is forgivable, as past Castlevania entries have flirted with this approach.

But because things can't ever be simple with this game, players have encountered a bug where, upon booting it up even after having completed the true ending, they don't have access to the new content. Right now the official fix is "beat the last boss again," but if you don't have a save file right before it because you overwrote it with the New Ga?me+ save: tough. Some veterans might relish the challenge at speedrunning again, others might not even bother. Luckily I keep a 100% file right near the end to mess around with (and literally just in case there's some weird requirement for accessing anything).

The randomizer is a bit more justified. There's no pretense of a narrative here: you just select random knobs and buttons and have at another entropic playthrough where everything is scattered at your whim. While it's not nearly as enticing as the "random dungeon" mode that would have completely changed everything, the cas??tle itself is very ?well designed and the randomizer slots in nicely. If you haven't played it in a while, this is the way to do it.

Said knobs include things like swapping save rooms, moving around key items, changing the ultimate goal, randomizing items: the whole shebang. Once you feel ??like you've created the perfect dungeon (well, co-created, given the limitations), you can share it via a "seed" (like many other randomizer tools offer in the modern era). That's pretty much all there is to it. It's neat. Limited and not as grand in scale as the original Kickstarter goal, but neat.

I still stand by the fact that Bloodstained, for all its behind the scenes flaws and bugs, is one of the best Metroidvanias in yea??rs. But as this DLC drop shows, it could have been so much more. It is free for everyone, though! That's a huge plus.

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Nintendo Switch fans have to wait a little longer

I haven't been able to justify another Bloodstained playthrough this year, but I'll have a bulletproof rationale for resuming the grind soon enough. The long-time-coming Zangetsu and Randomiz??er Mode update – a freebie, not paid DLC – releases May 7, 2020, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC players.

One not-so-small caveat: the equivalent Nintendo Switch update is lagging. It might not release until "the end of May or the beginning of June," according to 505 Games senior community manager Jason Ryan. It's been a less-than-ideal journey for Bloodstained Switch owners, and it's not over yet.

"We are still w??aiting to get a confirmed date for Switch and will announce it as soon as we are able."

To unlock Zangetsu, you'll need to have cleared the original True Ending? with Miriam. He has MP-based abilities and was "designed to be a different experience than playing as Miriam." A "fast-paced" secondary playable character wit?hout shards, equipment, or consumable items sounds enticing.

That said, it's sli?ghtly disappointing to hear that Zanget?su won't have new story cutscenes.

As for the Randomizer (which was conceived as a roguelike mode until plans changed), it's a chance to "adjust eig?ht different game parameters to mix up your experience as you play through the main story."

The most interesting-sounding elements are Items, Key Items, and Save / Warp rooms, which can be shuffled around the map, but you can also tweak the Enemy Drops, Shops, Quests, Crafting, and Goal. Today's post announcing the update timing has a nitty-gritty breakdown for each parameter.

For instance, for Items, you could pick Retain Type ("a chest that originally held a Whip may now hold a Rapier, but will never hold an HP consumable"), Retain Method ("items found in chests will shuffle among themselves, items hidden in walls will remain hidden in walls, etc."), or &ndas??h; if you're in a chaotic mood – Total Random (items can spawn anywhere, "regardless of the original item in said location").

Once you tune the different settings to your tastes, Bloodstained will create a seed th??at can be shared with othe?rs. It shouldn't take long for the community to come up with fun (and also "fun") remixes.

Publishing Update: Zangetsu and R??andomizer Mode are coming ?soon! [Kickstarter] [Thanks, Jonathan]

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Now it'll be 'Randomizer'

It's been a while since our last Bloodstained update.

The development team was hard at work fixing the Switch version (there's still more work to be done) and getting the other versio??ns in sync with? each other. This week's Kickstarter update addresses both of those notions and more.

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, the update touches on a big change that was originally promised in the Kickstarter campaign: a roguelike game mode. That mode is "not currently compatible" with the current incarnation of the game, and has been canned. Instead, there will be a new "randomizer" mode that will arrive with the Zangetsu playable character DLC for free. You can randomize things like item spawn methods and enemy drops (more info here), with the option to share a level seed with others. Next up, a correction: boss revenge mode will not come at the same time as Zangetsu, despite an earlier update stating it would. Instead, it will arriv??e in the next content update.

In better news, all versions seem to be synced up now and have content parity with version 1.04. Going forward, content drops should be in sync. And that's really it. There's no date for any of this, as developer ArtPlay and publisher 505 Games has? learned the hard way that making any promises is a road to disappointment. They even mention in the lat?est post that they're going to be doing less "updates about updates" for their Kickstarter and more substantial news pieces going forward.

This whole project has been a fascinating case study, along with Mighty No. 9, of common crowdfunding missteps. Thankfully in the end, despite jank, Bloodstained will be remembered more fondly.

Publishing Update [Kickstarter]

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1.04 will go live on Switch in January

Bloodstained is such an o??dd beast; but then again, it is a Kickstarted game when that r?oute was all glitz and glamour and no consequences.

The game actually came out (after years of hubbub) earlier this year in June, but since then the development team and publisher 505 Games have been fixing the game's various bugs (especially the clunky Switch port) with "all hands on deck." It's plain to see that actual content updates?? have been put on the backburner, and since then nearly every platform of the game has been out of sync, version-wise. IGA and his team have taken to Kickstarter to update everyone on how that process is going leading into 2020.

IGA says that work is still underway on the Zangetsu (new playable character) update, as well as two modes: which includes Boss Revenge. The other playable character and promised modes are still happening too, ??and IGA states that the team wants a "re?gular cadence of content" once there is full platform parity. More concrete info will come in 2020.

For now, Xbox One is up to update 1.006, which finally allows those players to access the Back Pack DLC the PC platform had at launch. PS4 is on 1.04 right now, which includes balance updates, bug fixes and an improved map system. Allegedly the version fiasco will be fixed in January: as it's even spilling into other regions (in Japan 1.04 is called somethin?g different).

For Switch, 1.04 is "nearly complete" and is scheduled for January. Having followed these patches closely a? slight delay (one to two weeks) is probable, so don't get your hope?s up too much.

Development Update: Updates on updates and more [Kickstarter]

The post All versions of Bloodstained are being updated soon, but we still don’t ?have a DLC release window appeared first on Destructoid.

PS4 and Xbox One on offer

We've got some copies of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night up for grabs in today's contest!

Have all of you good little gamer boys and gamer girls been keeping up with the hottest games this year? It's time to slap together those GOTY lists, after all! I'm way, way behind on all of the games this year. If you're anything like me, you're going to love the next couple of days, as we've got keys for some of the hottest GOTY contenders to get you al?l caught up.

Today, we're featuring Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Years in the making, IGA's callback to the classic Castlevania 8-and-16-bit (and 32-bit, I gues?s) titles finally hit shelves this year, and to much aplomb. If you missed it the first time around (like ?me lol) then now's your chance to check it out for yourself!

What a wild ride. IGA spent years getting this thing funded, and produced. Through Kickstarter, then publishing, then swapping out dev teams, it's pretty amazing that this one released at all, let alone it being actually super awesome. In classic Castlevania fashion, you'll play as a be-whipped hero who sidescrolls their way through a labyrinthine castle, filling out parts of the map, taking out monsters, and doing it all over again once you get new abilities. This thing isn't just a love letter to the genre -- it is the genre.

Check out these game features:

• Biggest Igavania EVER
• Tons of weapons, spells, & equipment
• Craft, Cook, & Upgrade
• Full cosmetic customization
• Celebrity voice actors (David Hayter!)
• Orchestra soundtrack by Michiru Yamane
• Rich story with alternate endings
• New Game Plus
• Nightmare Difficulty
• 8-bit Level

??Like what ya see? Of course ya do. It's a GOTY contender for a reason, you know.

To enter to win your copy, comment below telling which platform you'd like to win, and your GOTY and why. Is it Bloodstained? Is it Untitled Goose Game? Is it Lord of the Rings: Return of the Sneak King? If that o??ne ever comes out, I'll cry tears of joy.

We've got three PS4 NA and three Xbox One keys to give away. Winners will be drawn Monday, December 23. Don't have a Dtoid account? Sign up today and get your hands on a Game of t??he Year contender!

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is available now for PS4 and Xbox One. Hit up our sister sites, PlayStation Enthusiast and Xbox Enthusiast, for more chances to snag a copy.

The post Contest: Round o??ut your GOTY list with a copy ??of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night appeared first on Destructoid.