There's a new Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night character on the horizon. Starting from tomorrow, you'll be able to download a free update that adds the heroine from a rather well-liked mid-2010s platforming RPG, although we're not sure when the character will hit the Switch.
Who is the new Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night character?
After Artplay and 505 teased the addition of a new character "not from the world of Bloodstained" late last year, we now know who we're getting. The new Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night character is Aurora, the heroine from 2014's Child of Light. This latest update has been delayed for quite some time, but now it looks like it's ready to land, although not on Nintendo Switch just yet, it seems. As you might expect from a new character, Aurora will have her own mechanics and progression system, too.
Aurora will fight using her sword and her little floating friend Igniculus, who will also act of his own volition when she's fighting. She'll also have access to the Light Ray ability, which shines a directional beam of light in front of her and deals damage to enemies caught in its glare. If you're looking forward to playing as Aurora, you won't have much longer to wait; she launches tomorrow as a free update for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Aurora will be available on all platforms except Nintendo Switch, for which a release date for Aurora has yet to be determined. All you have to do to play as her once the update is complete is choose her from the menu when starting a new game.
What is Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night?
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a spiritual successor to Koji Igarashi's non-linear Castlevania titles. After an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015, the game spent another four years in development before being launched in 2019. Reception was roundly positive (except for the underpowered Switch version), and the game has since continued to be updated with new content, including new characters and extra gameplay modes. It's well worth checking out if you're a fan of games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night or other Metroidvania platformers.
You can grab Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night right now on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. If you've already had your fill of Igarashi's platformer and you're hankering for more, then you'll be pleased to know that a sequel was confirmed in May last year, although we don't know when that's coming just yet. It's also worth looking at the spinoff Curse of the Moon platformers, which ape the old-school NES Castlevania games in the same way Ritual of the Night takes its cues from Symphony and its successors.
