Nightmare Kart is coming to Itch.io and Steam on May 31, 2024, for free following a delay in its release due to a branding issue as it was originally named Bloodborne Kart.
The game's developer, Lilith Walther, who is also known as PSX Bunlith, announced the news about the title on X, formerly known as Twitter. She noted that the game is now a "legally distinct" kart racer that will come with 20 racers, 16 maps, a full campaign mode with boss fights, and a versus battle mode.
Nightmare Kart Gets a May 31 Release Date
(Photo : Lilith Walter, PSX Bunlith / Screenshot taken from official X account)
The post also included a short teaser trailer that shows off a couple of the game's characters and its retro-style visuals. On top of the release date, Bunlith touted Nightmare Kart's soundtrack, which was composed by Evelyn Lark.
Lark posted a sample of the title screen theme as well as a link to a video that features the entire song as a celebration of the announcement of the game's release date. She added that the theme was built from the ground up, according to IGN.
The creepy kart racer was originally planned to launch in January earlier this year under the title Bloodborne Kart. However, it was delayed to account for the branding change but this actually had some benefits, including allowing the developer to increase the number of racers from 12 to 20.
Even with the game's name changing, it is a spiritual follow-up to the popular Bloodborne PS1 Demake that was released in 2022. That title, which reimagined the modern horror classic with 32-bit visuals, was well-received by the gaming community.
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The entire legal drama between Walther and Sony forced the former to remake the game's shockingly large cast of Bloodborne characters. She said that she needed to scrub off the branding, which required a short delay.
Despite being free, Nightmare Kart seems to be a full-fledged indie game in terms of content. There are technically 21 racers in the game, but the last character, who is Walther's fursona, Bunlith, can only be accessed using a cheat code. She is considered a secret bonus character that is traditional in classic games, said PCGamer.
A Rebranded Bloodborne Kart
Walther also shared the process of making Nightmare Kart legally distinct from Bloodborne, noting that she started with the menu rebrand. She said that she also had to swap "the starting 'fansoftware' joke logo out with a temporary texture."
Nightmare Kart started out as an April Fools' Day joke in 2021 before it transformed into a full-fledged project the year after. The game featured the combined aesthetic of FromSoft's Gothic Souls game with the design sensibilities of something like Mario Kart to give players a unique experience.
Walther said that the game was essentially complete when she received the message from Sony telling her to remove the branding and change the characters. The developer noted that she was always afraid of a full cease-and-desist letter from Sony as they worked on Nightmare Kart.
However, she noted that the gaming company letting her release the game, albeit changed legally, is something that she considers unprecedented. Walther also noted that she would love it if she would be able to release a "full complete version" of the game sometime in the future, according to Kotaku.
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