Almost a decade after the game’s Kickstarter campaign first launched, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is about to get its final update. The Castlevania: Symphony of the Night spiritual successor from former series producer Koji Igarashi released in 2019 and has been getting steady content updates ever since. These patches have mostly been about adding features originally promised in the Kickstarter campaign, including stretch goals. This last update is much the same, but it will send the game off on a high note with the addition of the ability to play with, or against, friends.
Developer ArtPlay announced the last update in a May 2 blog post on the game’s official website. Update 1.5 will be released for PlayStation, PC, and Xbox on May 9 and one week later (May 16) for Nintendo Switch. Version 1.5 of Bloodstained will introduce two exciting new game modes.
The first, Chaos Mode, is essentially a boss rush in which players fight through a series of randomized rooms to defeat demons and bosses. The mode can be played solo or in local and online co-op.
The second, Versus Mode, pits players against each other but not in an all-out brawl. At the beginning of the match, players will enter a room exclusive to the match battle. Then, they’ll be pitted against waves of enemy hordes in a battle to see who can survive the longest. When defeating enemies, you gain souls which you can then use to upgrade your gear or purchase attacks that will negatively affect your opponent, with effects such as reversing their controls. Naturally, whoever holds out the longest wins.
In addition to these two game modes, update 1.5 also adds four cosmetic packs. One is free and three are premium packs. It appears that the dev team still has one more treat in store, though, as the blog post teases Classic II: Dominique’s Curse, a new premium DLC that will add a bigger map and new storyline with Classic Mode gameplay. That doesn’t have a release date yet.
As the blog notes, Chaos and Versus modes are the final stretch goals for the game. Once Version 1.5 is released, the team will work on shipping out a physical PC version, giving some backers their last promised reward. After that, ArtPlay will have finished a nearly ten-year journey with Bloodstained.
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