Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night's Shantae Crossover Explained

Summary

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night’s crossover withShantaeended up providing a few significant additions to the former title. WhileBloodstained: Ritual of the Nightreleased in 2019, it was only a few short months ago that it received what is expected to be its final major update. In addition to the maintenance that would be expected, it also brought about a crossover with well-known indie franchiseShantae. While none ofShantae’s characters made an in-person appearance, several gifts based on the series were made available to players. The crossover was a worthy addition to the final update.

Shantaeisn’t the firstgame to cross over withBloodstained. In fact, several other indie titles have been associated with it as well.Bloodstained: Ritual of the Nighthas areas based onKingdom: Two CrownsandJourney, featuring unique enemies and collectibles.Bloodstained’s protagonist Miriam also makes an appearance inBlasphemousfor a quest, as well as a summon after completing said quest. Possibly the most impressive crossover comes in the form ofChild of Light’s Aurora, who was added as a playable character with her own story. When it comes to crossovers,Bloodstained: Ritual of the Nighthas done well.

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Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night’s Crossover With Shantae Brings Welcome Additions

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Now Has Free Shantae-Themed Items

Players starting a new game after thesurprise update ofBloodstained: Ritual of the Nightwill find several items in their inventory by default:

Most of these items will be better than anything players will find on the Galleon or the initial area of the castle, providing a decent boost in the early game. Of course, players aren’t required to use these items if they don’t wish to, but theShantaeitems have a few extra traits in addition to being helpful tools for the first few areas.

Bloodstained’s Shantae Weapons and Armor Can be Upgraded Throughout the Game

Despite being obtained at the beginning of the game, theShantaegear won’t fall out of relevance afterBloodstained: Ritual of the Night’s early bosses. In a rare move for the game, the Half-Genie Outfit, Risky Blade, and Risky Pistol can all be upgraded by Johannes, similar to the weapons that require the 8-Bit, 16-Bit, and 32-Bit coins. If the player is willing to collect and spend the materials necessary to do so, the Half-Genie Outfit and Risky weapons could remain relevant throughout the game. Outside of the aforementioned 8-Bit weapons, most dear inBloodstained: Ritual of the Nightcan’t say the same.

Shantae’s Gear Offers Cosmetic Easter Eggs in Ritual of the Night

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night’s Shantae items also provide a few cosmetic bonuses when used. Outside of instances like the armor that turns Miriam intoShovel Knight inBloodstained: Ritual of the Nightor paid DLC, the player can rarely change Miriam’s main outfit. However, if they equip the Half-Genie Outfit, Miriam’s costume will change into one resembling Shantae’s, and it will also allow the Half-Genie accessories to be visible as well. In addition, wearing said outfit, its accessories, and Risky’s Bandanna will change Miriam’s status bar, making it sparkle while giving her image Shantae’s hair. It’s a fun addition that adds more character to the crossover.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Nightmay be done with major updates, but it’s finishing on a high note with theShantaecrossover. Since there are already plans for asequel toBloodstained: Ritual of the Night, one more batch of content plays to the game’s benefit. By giving players more items to experiment with, as well as the possibility of aShantae-themed challenge run, the crossover provided plenty, even without any characters crossing over.Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night’sShantaecrossover gives the game a good swan song.