505 Games and ArtPlay have announced new Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night crossover DLC that will allow you to dress as everyone's favorite half-genie hero.
Per an official announcement on the game's website, the game's long-awaited 1.5 update won't just include brand new gameplay modes; it'll also come complete with a free set of items and weapons to let you dress up as Shantae herself.
The Half-Genie Cosmetic Pack, as it's called, will include a number of items, each of which can be individually equipped if you prefer only to wear parts of the look rather than the whole kit and caboodle. It'll also be completely free.
As well as Shantae herself, the upcoming crossover will also include items that let you dress as Shantae's nemesis Risky Boots, including Risky's iconic pistol and blade combo, as well as her bandana.
If you equip yourself with one item from the new set in each slot, you'll gain access to "a special Half-Genie status bar" to let you celebrate the Shantae franchise in style.
This is far from Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night's first crossover; the game has also crossed over with indie darling Journey, strategy sim Kingdom Two Crowns, and poetic RPG Child of Light, to name but a few.
If you haven't come across Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night before, it's a Metroidvania created by Castlevania legend Koji Igarashi.
The Metroidvania platformer takes many cues from Igarashi's Castlevania games, including a sprawling non-linear map to explore, the ability to use monster shards for new spells, and more.
It also boasts music from Castlevania's Michiru Yamane, whose work you might recognize from Symphony of the Night, Rondo of Blood, and other Castlevania titles.
There's still no timeline for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night update 1.5, which is also when the Shantae DLC will arrive, but the devs say that the release of said update is "getting close". More info, as well as a final roadmap for Ritual of the Night, is coming "soon", according to the devs.
In the meantime, you can grab Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, as well as mobile devices. Check out my review here to see whether it's worth your time.
