Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a game that’s packed full of secrets, as befitting its roots as a spiritual successor to the Castlevania series. There are secret areas with various useful upgrades and hidden monsters that can give you special shards, but the ultimate find is of course the very special secret level. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night 8-bit Nightmare is its name, which will give you some clue as what to expect. We’ll show you exactly where it is.
What is Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night 8-bit Nightmare?
8-bit Nightmare is the name of Bloodstained‘s retro secret level. As the name suggests, it’s a level with throwback 8-bit graphics, but even more specifically: It’s a gigantic homage to the very first Castlevania game on NES, which is appropriate as Bloodstained itself is a spiritual successor to the later 2D Castlevanias. It’s also incredibly tough, so you may need to be a high level to beat it.
Where to find the 8-bit Nightmare retro secret level
If you’re an obsessive secret-finder who bashes every wall in the game in the hope of it shattering (like us), then you may discover it by accident. The tricky thing about the 8-bit Nightmare level location is, it’s actually hidden within another secret area! Up in the Hall of Termination area you’ll find the area above with a Fast Travel room above a save room, connected to a thin room with a lot of staircases. Right at the top of this area, smash the roof. You’ll climb into a secret area with one enemy and a lot of goodies, including Celeste’s Key.
But that’s not all! Head to the left of this secret area and smash this wall too. Beyond it is yet another secret room, with a painting of producer Koji Igarashi and a glowing bookcase. Examine the bookcase, and you’ll be whisked off to the 8-bit Nightmare retro level. Good luck!
