Blasphemous's next free update is a crossover with Bloodstained
Though uh oh, it's focused on platforming
The grim Catholic fantasy world of Blasphemous will get slightly more cheery and colourful with a free update bringing over Miriam, the kickwizard from Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night. Launching Thursday, the free 'Strife & Ruin' update will add a new mission to help her return home. It'll also bosh in a new Boss Rush mode and a retro-styled 'Demake' hidden area. Have a peek at it all in the new trailer, below.
Today's announcement says Miriam's mission will send folks through "a series of platforming challenges" to collect shards so Miriam can repair her portal home. "Filled with traps that force the player to hone their precision platforming abilities, those who pass the test and help Miriam return to her world will have a special reward bestowed upon them," it explains.
Platforming is certainly not one of Blasphemous's strengths, so I hope the reward is proper good. I'd like to suggest one of Miriam's many good hats, which the Penitent One would pop atop his own bloodcone.
Our former boy Brendy declared Blasphemous one of the best Soulslikes, explaining it "feels like a bitterly lapsed Roman Catholic and ardent metal fan travelled back in time and made a soulsy game in the era of pixel Castlevania." A crossover with a slighter newer form of Castlevania makes sense, in a way.
More throwback stylings will come with several new CRT-style screen filter options, as well as a whole new area. An arcade machine will be hidden somewhere, containing a game inspired by ye olde 8-bit platformers.
As for Boss Rush, yup, it's a Boss Rush mode. Finish the game and you'll unlock the option to battle a gauntlet of bosses and get scored on your performance.
The Strife & Ruin update is due to launch for free this Thursday, February 18th for PC, Switch, Xbone, and PS4.