"Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night" is adding a new playable character and a randomizer this week that allows players to adjust several aspects of the game. The randomizer, which replaces the original roguelike mode, was included in a Kickstarter stretch goal that was ultimately cancelled due to incompatibility with the finished game.

The randomizer controls eight parameters. It can change the location of key items, general items, stores, and save rooms, as well as shuffle items and shards dropped by enemies. It can also select three (spoiler alert) end goals as the primary victory state. It's a shame that you can't randomize enemy placement, but there should be enough variety in the mix to make it worth playing again. If you are particularly happy with the parameters you set, you can generate a seed code to share.

These shuffled playthroughs will then be playable as new characters. Zangetsu will be unlocked upon achieving the "Good Ending" of the game. He had already appeared in Ritual of the Night as an NPC and was the main playable character in the 8-bit spin-off Curse of the Moon. He never uses any shards in Zangetsu, and is a relatively straightforward man with a trusty sword and magic-based special abilities. All consumables, equipment, crafting, treasure chests, quests, and cutscenes are disabled.

A free update will be released on May 7. If you haven't played the previous version of the game, it is definitely worth your time if you are a fan of the old "Castlevania. Bloodstained: ROTN is a faithful recreation of the 2000s Metroidvania experience. Fans of the particular experience will love it, but for those who aren't, it's a little too old-fashioned."