Seven years after Katana Zero’s release, its long-promised DLC has outgrown the label entirely. Creator Justin Stander took to social media on October 22 to confirm he’s “still working hard” on the project — and that it has become something much bigger than an add-on: “We made it bigger. It’s the size of a full sequel, plus a soundtrack of over 30+ new songs,” Stander wrote. “More updates to come. Thanks for your continued support!”
The Hollow Knight: Silksong Comparison Is Doing a Lot of Work
GamesRadar says the project has “pulled a Hollow Knight: Silksong” — the beloved follow-up that also started life as a modest expansion before expanding wildly. The difference, for now, is that the Katana Zero DLC is still DLC, not a standalone sequel. But the scope creep is very real: in 2020, Stander said the DLC had already grown to three times its original size. By last year, it was “nearly” as big as the base game. Now it’s the size of a full sequel — with more than 30 new songs on top.
Still Free — and Fans Are Begging to Pay
The plan, as Insider Gaming notes, is still to release the DLC for free — GamesRadar’s subtitle says it plainly: “Still coming. Still free.” The DLC has been teased for years, receiving a trailer in April 2025 that confirmed it was still coming and would remain free, and there’s still no release date. The community’s reaction to the update, meanwhile, has been the inverse of most DLC discourse: the replies are full of fans asking Stander to charge money for it — one viral response simply reads “LET ME PAY YOU MORE MONEY.”
The Game That Started It
Katana ZERO, released by Askiisoft and Devolver Digital more than seven years ago, describes itself as a “neo-noir, action-platformer featuring breakneck action and instant-death combat” — GamesRadar’s shorthand for its appeal is a mix of Hotline Miami’s heart-thumping brutality and Sekiro’s sword-slashing parries, delivered in gorgeous pixel art with a cryptic story and a banger soundtrack. It sits on Overwhelmingly Positive Steam reviews and an 83 on Metacritic, and it’s available on Nintendo Switch platforms. The short, gorgeous trailer that dropped last year remains the last look at the DLC — until Stander’s next update, whenever it comes.