Halloween came early this year. Publisher 505 Games announced this morning that Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, the gothic horror Metroidvania developed by ArtPlay, is getting a free update featuring a crossover with thatgamecompany’s award-winning adventure Journey. You read that right. Bloodstained and Journey.
Right off the bat, it’s a match that seems downright uncanny. Bloodstained and Journey are wildly different in terms of gameplay, texture, themes, characters… nearly anything you could think of. Yet Bloodstained‘s update rolling out today will highlight:
…a new location inspired by the stunning, somber environments that resonated with Journey fans worldwide. Rising tapestries, a rich desert background, and other iconic design motifs lend Bloodstained a more contemplative, labyrinthine mood.
The brief promises that the fast-paced combat Miriam so deftly displays will still be on point, despite the slower-paced, more serene, contemplative setting borrowed from Journey. This bit of news couldn’t help but catch my eye. Journey is in my top 10 favorite games! Despite being less overtly religious than Bloodstained, thematically, it’s the only game I’ve played that gave me a kind of “religious experience”. Truly a transcendent game, if you can get yourself to slow down, stop, and smell the sand.
As for Bloodstained, that game is also great, though I never made it all the way through. It already took cues from Castlevania to come up with a new experience, and I know it can do the same with this new crossover, however unexpected and seemingly dichotomous. This will definitely provide some impetus to finish it, reach the new Journey area, and defeat the new boss!
You can read more about the update by visiting the official Bloodstained and Journey blog page.
Red formerly ran The Well-Red Mage and now serves The Pixels as founder, director of content, lead writer, and podcaster. He has undertaken a seemingly endless crusade to talk about the games themselves. It can be done, even in the midst of a culture obsessed with the latest controversy, scandal, and news cycle about harassment, toxicity, and negativity. Pick out his feathered cap on Twitter @thewellredmage or Mage Cast.
