505 Games and ArtPlay have announced the release date for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night update 1.5, which will also serve as the game's final major free update.
The long-awaited update will launch on May 9th (and one week later for the Switch) and will bring two new game modes, as well as some free cosmetic items and some premium DLC based on WayForward's platforming franchise Shantae.
Chaos Mode is the first new gameplay mode. It'll pit you (and, optionally, a friend) against a series of randomized challenges, giving you the chance to earn upgrades by completing optional objectives before each boss.
The second new gameplay mode is a rather intriguing player-versus-player affair appropriately named Versus Mode, in which two players battle to survive against waves of demons.
While both players are fighting the demons independently, each can collect powerups that affect the other's screen. You can fill your opponent's screen with fog, for instance, or reverse their controls.
Free cosmetics for Miriam are also being added, and this update arrives alongside the aforementioned Shantae DLC, which features cosmetics to make you look like either Shantae or her nemesis Risky Boots.
Although this will be Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night's final update, one more piece of paid DLC is being planned for the game as well.
The aptly-named Classic Mode II will follow the game's original Classic Mode, but it will feature "a bigger map and its own canon storyline", making it well worth a play if you want to know what happens next in Ritual of the Night's world.
We'll get more info about this mode, as well as the gameplay modes being planned for update 1.5, in the coming days. Until then, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is available across PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. You can check out my review of it here.
