Bloodstained's final two Kickstarter stretch goals arrive next week, five years after release
Chaos Mode and VS Mode both in 1.5 update.
If, like me, you haven't been paying that much attention to Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night since the buzz around its release started to fade, you might be surprised to see developer ArtPlay has just shared a brand-new post-launch roadmap - providing a date for the game's final two Kickstarter stretch goals - some five years after leaving early access.
It's now been a little under nine years since Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night smashed its Kickstarter target, securing $5.5m in funding, and it turns out ArtPlay is still ticking off its promised campaign stretch goals. The end is in sight, however; Bloodstained's 1.5 update - which Artplay is calling the "final update to the game" - launches on 9th May (the Switch version arrives a little later on 16th May) and adds the final two stretch goals promised to backers in all the way back in 2015: Chaos and VS. modes, which were, at one point, set to arrive in 2020.
Chaos Mode, as per ArtPlay's announcement, supports solo and co-op play (online and local) and sees players battling through a series of randomised rooms to defeat demons and bosses. VS Mode, meanwhile, is a "special PVP mode" that pits two players against waves of demons. Souls earned by defeating enemies can be used to purchase attacks that will negatively affect a player's human opponent, with victory going to the player that survives the longest.
Both modes arrive next week in Bloodstained's 1.5 update, and will be accompanied by three paid cosmetic packs and one free pack changing Miriam's appearance. And while ArtPlay calls 1.5 Bloodstained's final update, it's apparently still not quite done yet; Classic II: Dominique's Curse - a version of Classic Mode featuring a bigger map and its own canon storyline - will release as premium DLC afterward, with more details to follow.
ArtPlay is also currently working on a Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night sequel, but we've not heard much about it since it was confirmed by publisher 505 Games back in 2021.