Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night released on June 18th to massive critical reception, becoming one of the highest-scored games of the year on OpenCritic. A few days later, on June 25th, the slightly delayed Nintendo Switch version of the game launched, to far less praise. Rampant framerate problems and crashes happened to plague the Switch release, to which the development team released a version 1.01 patch to fix certain issues. Sadly, the patch didn't seem to resolve the fluctuating framerate or even the random crashes. After concerns began to flood the internet, publisher 505 Games announced that they would be putting all their focus into fixing major issues for Bloodstained on the Switch, in order to allow the game to be enjoyable regardless of platform. Smaller patches will be distributed throughout the coming days, to try to increase game performance as soon as possible, so that players don't have to wait for one large patch that addresses every problem.

Source

 

[Sakitoshi]

they should fix the vita version. and with that I mean make it as they first promised.

 

[lexarvn]

The items getting stuck and not being able to be picked up is an issue on the PC version as well.

Not sure about the switch version, but on the PC version, you automatically get the items that got stuck (and only the items that got stuck) when you leave the room.

 

[sarkwalvein]

Meh, just cancelled my order that for some reason still wasn't dispatched.

I'll get it on PS4 Pro.

 

[Xzi]

I had a hunch things might turn out this way. Requested a Switch key for Curse of the Moon and a Steam key for Ritual of the Night for that very reason.

 

[samcambolt270]

How bad is it really? Has anyone here played it and knows?
Framerate issues are very common on ports to Switch and I haven't seen anyone else actually care enough to fix framerate issues. Is it that much worse than for example Doom? Bad enough to be unplayable?

Doom doesn't drop to 5 fps in places. The framerate problems aren't everywhere in the game, but it can get unplayably bad in places. The outside of the tower, for instance, has so much slowdown that's quite literally unplayable for me without the zoom in glasses as they actually fix the slowdown. There are around two or three places in the game from my experience that go to literally sub 10 fps. There are also lots more issues that need to be fixed. Crashes aren't too common, but do happen. Input latency can get pretty high and stuttering are very common in late game. There are also places in the game where it can take 15-20 seconds to go from one screen to another, and in one case, if you don't hold jump literally the entire time, you'll fall back through and have to wait through it two more times if you want to get in that room. I wouldn't call it "unplayable," but it's certainly inexcusable.

 

[cucholix]

Anyone with Freebird or the sys-clk. Can they see if overclocking helps with the performance?

No difference with freebird, although I didn't test any stage with major framerate problems

 

[AbyssalMonkey]

Bloodstained on Siwtch is a buggy mess. Not only for any random crash here and there… but also "items drops" get stuck on walls, the character keep bouncing out of bound (you can defeat the Twin Dragon from behind) and the hit box is as random as it can.
Plus any weird decisión over game design, like the way you need to advance in underwater. The late game is extremely confusing on terms of design.

The game design is confusing at best and backwards at worst. I'm currently at 80% map completion and assuming I have one or two zones left to complete. Throughout my entire time so far with the game, There have been 4 parts where you can have a complete map (to the best of your ability) and then have zero direction in where you need to go or do next.

Spoiler

The passplate
Underwater Travel
The Aegis Armor (Looked this up, found out I was literally 2 steps from getting it)
After you get the Zangestuto (where I'm currently at, exploring more before I just decide to look it up)

There's a fifth arguable that is the room where you need the double jump to ascend upwards but the game doesn't tell you that there is a path up on the map. I give this one a pass because it's literally 3 rooms before the boss that you kill to get the double jump, and you are scaling the tower anyway. The game is basically telling you "get the double jump and continue scaling".

What makes this even more baffling is that during this entire time, Dominique is telling you where to go when you don't need any clues. If you continue to explore the map you would run into the areas anyway. It winds up being that the game gives you guidance exactly when you do need it and none when it's absolutely required. Like, instead of telling me about the places I'm going to find out anyway, give me a vague hint on the places that give zero context on what to do next. Furthermore it complicates things when these situations arise because it makes the player second guess themselves thinking that the path they are headed on isn't the correct way.

Spoiler

The passplate for the train simply says "You need something to pass through here". That would be fine and all if the item was in a god damn chest. In no way does it imply I need to talk to OD or even a castle resident to figure out what the fuck to do.

The underwater travel would be so much better if the first squidbro had a 100% drop chance to give a shard and you were FORCED to fight one. The room with the underwater horse right before the warp would have been perfect. I went through the entire underwater area found the warp and never saw one until I decided to start grabbing all of my shards for completions sake.

The Aegis Armor. I know I need to eventually pass the spikes, but I don't know if I need to find and kill another boss to get an ability or not. Am I even supposed to be up here yet? The last hint was for the invert, but that has nothing to do with passing these spike. Maybe I'm supposed to come here later? What the actual fuck were they thinking. Not only does it not appear as a chest on the map, but the map tile can't even be revealed until after you have the gear anyway. I thought it was simply an extra. Oh and that entire area is buggy as hell to use invert on. You can invert on the sides of the towers, walk on a straight line and then it snaps you to a spiral.

For Zangestuto, he implies that you should go fight Gebel now and that will cause the game to progress, but it's just a bad end, just slightly different that the previous one.

 

[sarkwalvein]

The Doom port is far superior in every way.

Bloodstained is probably the worst performing/worst looking game Ive played on Switch.

The Sexy Brutale

 

[samcambolt270]

The game design is confusing at best and backwards at worst. I'm currently at 80% map completion and assuming I have one or two zones left to complete. Throughout my entire time so far with the game, There have been 4 parts where you can have a complete map (to the best of your ability) and then have zero direction in where you need to go or do next.

Spoiler

The passplate
Underwater Travel
The Aegis Armor (Looked this up, found out I was literally 2 steps from getting it)
After you get the Zangestuto (where I'm currently at, exploring more before I just decide to look it up)

There's a fifth arguable that is the room where you need the double jump to ascend upwards but the game doesn't tell you that there is a path up on the map. I give this one a pass because it's literally 3 rooms before the boss that you kill to get the double jump, and you are scaling the tower anyway. The game is basically telling you "get the double jump and continue scaling".

What makes this even more baffling is that during this entire time, Dominique is telling you where to go when you don't need any clues. If you continue to explore the map you would run into the areas anyway. It winds up being that the game gives you guidance exactly when you do need it and none when it's absolutely required. Like, instead of telling me about the places I'm going to find out anyway, give me a vague hint on the places that give zero context on what to do next. Furthermore it complicates things when these situations arise because it makes the player second guess themselves thinking that the path they are headed on isn't the correct way.

Spoiler

The passplate for the train simply says "You need something to pass through here". That would be fine and all if the item was in a god damn chest. In no way does it imply I need to talk to OD or even a castle resident to figure out what the fuck to do.

The underwater travel would be so much better if the first squidbro had a 100% drop chance to give a shard and you were FORCED to fight one. The room with the underwater horse right before the warp would have been perfect. I went through the entire underwater area found the warp and never saw one until I decided to start grabbing all of my shards for completions sake.

The Aegis Armor. What the actual fuck were they thinking. Not only does it not appear as a chest on the map, but the map tile can't even be revealed until after you have the gear anyway. I thought it was simply an extra. Oh and that entire area is buggy as hell to use invert on. You can invert on the sides of the towers, walk on a straight line and then it snaps you to a spiral.

For Zangestuto, he implies that you should go fight Gebel now and that will cause the game to progress, but it's just a bad end, just slightly different that the previous one.

Yep, these are absolutely legitimate gripes with the design. I would like to point out that they actually intended it to be this way. Iga games always have ridiculously obscure ways of completing them, and while I agree they are frustrating, it wouldn't be an igavania without them.

 

[banjo2]

SWITCH VERSION IS A PORT?

Haha, a week's wait and they didn't even get proper screenshots.

 

[AbyssalMonkey]

Haha, a week's wait and they didn't even get proper screenshots.

It's clearly a screenshot in dev mode too. The map%, time played, equipped gear, level, and location all don't match. They couldn't even be assed to take a cap from the actual gameplay.

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

IDK how the fuck they couldn't get a game like this running on the Switch at 60fps at the lowest settings possible.

Probably just programmers not familiar with unreal engine. I still don't know why is such a popular game engine anyway. Honestly I wish that people developed their own game engines and used it since they know best. But it seem like everyone either wants Unreal engine or Unity for their games, if they don't want to create their own, or develope existing ones further.

Capcom has MT Framework that they used on previous generation of consoles like Marvel vs capcom 3, Devil May Cry, Monster hunter, lost planet, dead rising, etc. But here we are with ps4 and xbox one and now is only been used for Mega Man 11 and almost nothing else.

Without trying to sound ignorant, I don't quite see the appeal of the unreal engine. Is it a easy and accessible tool kit? Is it the graphics? Does it do something other engines can't do? Is it cheap to obtain license for?

 

[Darth Meteos]

If anyone will fix it, it's Iga-Sensei

 

[btaggs]

I read an article saying there was a game breaking bug if you started a game before the 1.2 patch and then applied the 1.2 patch. I have been waiting to start it until the 1.2 patch comes out. It seems odd that they haven't released it on the switch. Has anyone encountered this bug?

 

[Risteing]

I read an article saying there was a game breaking bug if you started a game before the 1.2 patch and then applied the 1.2 patch. I have been waiting to start it until the 1.2 patch comes out. It seems odd that they haven't released it on the switch. Has anyone encountered this bug?

For what I know, that was a bug on PS4/XONE version of the game. Switch still do not have 1.0.2 version live.

 

[XDel]

In that case I will wait for a later, bug fixed, cart release.

 

[Nekomaru]

I personally would've just not said the Wii U/Vita would be supported at the time, because the Wii U is the WiiABU, and the Vita is only good for Persona 4 Golden, a game that should've had a simultaneous PS3 release alongside the Vita version.

The issue with Vita (and actually Switch in handheld mode too) is battery life. You have to compromise resolution and performance with it. Once you use relevant plugins (VitaGrafix full resolution unlock + L0LIcon overclock + VitaBright brightness fix) - and are prepared to stay close to a power source lol - Persona 4 Gold is the ultimate experience both as handheld and on PS TV. You can play the original P4 disc on phat PS3 or get the digital one as PS2 classic so the lack of a port doesn't hurt so much. What I don't like is that Sony and Nintendo considers players to be utter morons and gives no performance/overclocking settings whatsoever... Wasted potential.

 

[Glyptofane]

I had a hunch things might turn out this way. Requested a Switch key for Curse of the Moon and a Steam key for Ritual of the Night for that very reason.

I'm one of the idiots who went all in for Switch. This was before I vowed not to buy any more multiplatform games on Switch. I got Bloodstained on Monday, but still haven't opened it and am trying to decide whether to suck it up and just play it or eat my mistake by going out and getting it for PS4 or maybe Steam.

 

[Xzi]

I'm one of the idiots who went all in for Switch. This was before I vowed not to buy any more multiplatform games on Switch. I got Bloodstained on Monday, but still haven't opened it and am trying to decide whether to suck it up and just play it or eat my mistake by going out and getting it for PS4 or maybe Steam.

Tough call. The PC version does seem to have the best optimization, but the others will probably fall in line with some patches.

 

[samcambolt270]

I read an article saying there was a game breaking bug if you started a game before the 1.2 patch and then applied the 1.2 patch. I have been waiting to start it until the 1.2 patch comes out. It seems odd that they haven't released it on the switch. Has anyone encountered this bug?

From what I understand, the 1.0.1 patch on switch essentially is the 1.2 patch. You don't have to wait for it.