Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is getting Journey crossover DLC

Turns out Child of Light isn’t the only cult classic from nearly a decade ago to guest star in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night; out of nowhere, Bloodstained’s developers have announced a new boss area to be added in a free update next week inspired by Journey, the award-winning adventure game from 2012 developed by thatgamecompany.

“Bloodstained’s castle is built on a foundation of magic and mystery. Just when you think you’ve explored it all, there’s always another discovery to be made. On August 23rd, the castle reveals its latest secret…a brand-new crossover boss area based on Journey, the award-winning videogame by thatgamecompany!“, reads the official announcement. “This new section of the castle, The Tunnels, is inspired by the imagery and level design of Journey, but with a Bloodstained twist. Hidden behind a secret entrance, the Tunnels are large and will require exploration and shard abilities to navigate.”

Unlike the other recently-released Child of Light DLC, this is a new area added on to the main campaign of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Once you have unlocked the Den of Behemoths area, a new room with a doorway will be marked on your map. Inside this area lies a cavernous maze and a bonus boss. Completing this new challenge will reward the player with a mysterious Journey-inspired equippable item for Miriam. Due to its DLC nature, this area will not count towards map completion percentages or achievements.

It’s hard to argue with free content, especially when it is inspired by Journey. The developers behind Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night have evidently not stopped churning out substantial free content additions despite the game being 3 years old at this point. If you’re a fan of Journey, or just want another excuse to dive back into Bloodstained, this free update will be available on August 23rd 2022.