Nightmare Kart, which was known as Bloodborne Kart until its creator scrubbed the branding in 2024, officially has a release date.
Developer Lilith Walther, aka PSX Bunlith, announced on X/Twitter that the "legally distinct" kart racer will be releasing on May 31 on Steam and Itch.io. The announcement touts 20 racers, 16 maps, a full campaign mode with boss fights, and a versus battle mode. It also includes a short trailer that you can watch below.
??INTRODUCING: NIGHTMARE KART??
— ?✨ PSX Bunlith ??️⚧️ BLM ACAB ?? (@b0tster) April 2, 2024
Releasing for FREE 5/31/2024 on Steam and Itchio!!
➡️ 20 Racers!
➡️ 16 Maps!
➡️ Legally distinct!
➡️ Full campaign mode w boss fights!
➡️ VS Battle mode!
? THIS NIGHTMARE WILL NEVER END ?#NightmareKart ?️ pic.twitter.com/XR5ury6kxl
In addition to the release date, Bunlish shouted out Bloodbo... ahem, Nightmare Kart's soundtrack, which was composed by Evelyn Lark. To celebrate the release date announcement, Lark posted a sample of the title screen theme as well as a link to a video featuring the full song.
Check out the full video here! https://t.co/Eqq3y7VaGJ
— Evelyn Lark (BBKart is on Bandcamp!!!) (@TheNobleDemon) April 2, 2024
Nightmare Kart was originally set to release in January as Bloodborne Kart before being delayed to account for the branding change. The delay has had some benefits, though, allowing Walther to bump the racer count from 12 to 20.
Despite the name change, Nightmare Kart is spiritually a follow-up to the popular Bloodborne PS1 Demake that launched in 2022. The demake, which reimagined the modern horror classic with 32-bit visuals, was well-received by the community and Walther announced the kart racing project soon after.
As for Bloodborne itself, a sequel or potential remake feels further away than ever, with series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki saying that FromSoftware simply doesn't own the IP. So even if Nightmare Kart is ultimately legally distinct, it's a nice treat for fans who have been waiting for close to a decade for a follow-up.
Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
