V Rising sparked a storm of hype after hitting Early Access on May 17, 2022. Since then, it’s had a quiet run, but now the game’s back with a vengeance. Stunlock Studios has partnered with Konami for a Castlevania crossover, which pits your tree-chopping vampire against an iconic hunter.
The Legacy of Castlevania event will debut alongside the full launch of the game on May 8. This crossover brings Simon Belmont into the game as a boss. You’ll know him as the protagonist from the very first game in the Castlevania series. Making him the antagonist here is not only apt but also a nice twist. We don’t yet know much about the details aside from Belmont wielding his iconic morning star. Most bosses in V Rising unlock new abilities for your undead charmer, so we’re expecting something similar here.
Along with the free update, there’s also going to be a paid DLC pack. This lets you add Castlevania vibes to your castle building and character design and includes some music. It’s exciting. As long-term Castlevania fans, which everyone should be, it’s nice to see the series getting some kind of representation. It’s just a shame we’re not getting a proper game from Konami.
There’s been practically no movement from Konami in the last few years. Along with other huge franchises, it’s a shame the studio relegates Castlevania to cameo status. The last proper Castlevania game was Bloodstained, which isn’t called Castlevania because it was an indie game made by the series creator. Both we and the beloved IP deserve more.
It’s even stranger when you consider how good the Castlevania Netflix shows have been. We defy you to watch them and not get the urge to jump into a new game. That’s just not something we can do, though, so we’ll just have to get by with crossovers like this one. On the plus side, V Rising is a ton of fun. If you’ve never played the game, its full release in a few weeks is a great chance to try it out. Also, long live indie games. With the likes of Last Epoch out there, at least we’re still getting amazing experiences to enjoy.