Earlier this month we shared the release date announced for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, which will arrive on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on June 18, with the Nintendo Switch release slated for June 25. But as game releases go these days, fans can expect much more than just the game release. And so the publisher for the game, 505 Games, has announced in a Kickstarter update, what fans can expect after the release in June, in terms of post-launch content and support. They have also announced that pre-orders are now live, with the base price available at $39.99. You can pre-order from the official website.
Kickstarter backers should note that all their order addresses will be locked in and final on Friday, May 31, 2019 @ 11:59pm US PT. So if you're a backer and you should make sure you have correct address set. Although the publisher is working hard to achieve all physical and digital copies and reward, there's been a slight delay for the Amano poster backer reward. It will still come, but there's no date set.
The publisher also announced stretch goals that will come after the final release and include free content upgrades for all game owners, not just backers. Right now the developers are working on a day-one patch that will include Boss Rush and Speedrun mode, as well as the Pure Miriam outfit.
They shared a list of extra content that will come in future patches. There's been no content cut from the stretch goals, but you can reach out to confirm or clarify if you believe something is missing. The content includes two additional playable characters, local and online multiplayer for certain co-op and vs. modes. There are also four extra modes planned: roguelike, chaos, classic, and Boss Revenge. The developers will soon share news and announcements with a release window for these updates.
The first DLC for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night will be Iga’s Back Pack, which will also launch on June 18, and it will include backer exclusive content for $9.99. This DLC was only developed after a survey made by the publisher, where the fan community approved the exclusive content DLC being sold to other buyers and players. The DLC will allow players to fight the game's creator, Koji Igarashi, thereby earning the powerful Swordwhip weapon upon defeating him.
Backers also have the option to buy FuturePak steel cases for $14.99, which are being sold by certain retailers. This is a limited supply for backers, as only 800 cases are available for sale. The cases feature a glossy metal rendition of Mana Ikeda's box art for the game, and when fully opened the case allows the art to be displayed on an internal hinge. It also holds game disks and Nintendo Switch cartridges. The publisher will soon announce when this exclusive backer item will be available for sale.
However, there is some controversy over these steel cases, considering that there's a limited number of them for backers, and they still require extra payment. Retail physical copies published by 505 Games have the Steel Case included at the $40 base price. The physical version for backers was $59.99 and included the backer exclusive content as well as the companion game Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, plus a slipcase, not the steel case, which is $14.99 extra. Meanwhile, the retail version is $39.99, and you can pay $9.99 for the DLC, plus $9.99 for Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon to have all the content for $15 less than the backers other than the slipcase.
Are you excited for the post-launch support and content for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night? Is there anything else you'd like? Let us know in the comments below!