The Bloodstained Zangetsu update is almost here after nearly a year of waiting. This long-awaited patch will contain a new playable character, the titular Zangetsu, as well as the Randomizer mode that lets players customize their experience. The update will hit the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on May 7 and sometime either at the end of the month or the beginning of June for the Switch.
Players who have beaten the game and gotten the “good” ending will be able to play as the David Hayter-voiced Zangetsu instead of Miriam. Zangetsu is not a shardbinder like her, meaning he will use magical sword attacks instead on top of his regular melee moves. ArtPlay revealed in its official post that he will have more of a focus on fast-paced combat. However, that’s not the only change as “consumables, equipment, crafting, treasure chests, quests, and story cutscenes” will all be disabled when playing as Zangetsu, which means the game is quite bare when playing as the swordsman.
The Randomizer mode is the other big addition in this update. While not quite the roguelike that ArtPlay initially promised, this mode will let players randomize or change how the game plays. This goes from making crafting random to mixing up where the save rooms are. There are multiple ways to remix the game and players will even be able to share their modes with a custom code.
ALSO: Bloodstained roguelike mode axed in favor of Randomizer mode, co-op still missing
And while console and PC owners only have to wait a few days for this content, Switch owners have to sit out a bit longer. This has been the case with the port since launch as it came out in quite a troubled state. The game hit parity in January 2020 and allowed for the shorter wait times between updates as the teams “can all work on the same content.”
While this is an important milestone, Bloodstained still has some more Kickstarter goals to hit like its co-op mode, online asynchronous multiplayer, third playable character, Boss Revenge mode, and more. However, these Kickstarter games can go on for quite some time as Shovel Knight, another critically acclaimed crowdfunded success, took over five years to complete its journey.
