Bloodstained: ROTN developers address lackluster Switch port, multiple updates on the way

[NotLiquid]

This was posted in the OT, but it probably deserves a new thread I imagine, since many people were interested in getting that version of the game. People have already reported on how Bloodstained's Switch port is... sub-optimal, to say the least. The developers have addressed the port in question in a new Kickstarter post (as well as a Twitter thread), and the plan for improving it.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iga/bloodstained-ritual-of-the-night/posts/2547316

We have been listening to the feedback regarding Switch performance. Our goal is for everyone, regardless of platform, to be able to enjoy the game and have it run smoothly. We want to live up to your, and our, expectations.

Throughout the QA process we have been addressing performance issues in the game. Update 1.01 was published to Switch prior to launch to add content and improve performance. It did not accomplish as much as we had hoped and we need to do more.

To address the concerns brought up by the community we are immediately shifting resources to improve performance and stability for the Switch. You can expect a number of small updates that will improve different areas of the game rather than waiting longer for one big update. We will have more details as we dive into the work.

We thank you for your patience and apologize for the inconvenience.

Jason "Question" Ryan

Sr Community Manager – 505 Games

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[FlowersisBritish]

Thanks for mentioning this, i was mainly looking at getting it for the Switch but if this is the case then i guess PS4 it is.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

I hope the people who bought it on Switch eventually get to a point where it's not definitively the worst version. Nothing sucks more than paying full price for a game and finding out that your version plays significantly worse than it does elsewhere.

That said, Bloodstained needs a lot of work in general, so hopefully the patches fix a lot of what's wrong with it.

 

[Etrian Darkness]

Guess it is too much to hope for a 60fps patch at some point.

I'll pick it up on PC eventually.

 

[DecoReturns]

Aww. Hadn't kept up with the news and I backed the Kickstarter, choosed the switch verison.

Didn't really think it would end up being so lackluster honestly. My copy is coming soon, but I might just wait until it's gets a few improvement patches.

 

[Jom]

The patches are definitely welcome, but at the same time that means this game isn't going to really be physically preserved very well.

 

[NekoNeko]

i mean good but you shouldn't launch like that.
delay it if you must. will buy when they sorted it out.

 

[LossAversion]

Seems to be pretty commonplace with Switch ports these days. Release in a poor state, fix it later (if we're lucky). Getting kind of tired of it honestly and it has made me hold off on a lot of games recently.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Seems to be pretty commonplace with Switch ports these days. Release in a poor state, fix it later (if we're lucky). Getting kind of tired of it honestly and it has made me hold off on a lot of games recently.

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Honestly, Bloodstained is kind of a mess everywhere. Switch obviously got the worst of it, but the game needs a lot of work in general.

 

[Cynn]

I hope the people who bought it on Switch eventually get to a point where it's not definitively the worst version. Nothing sucks more than paying full price for a game and finding out that your version plays significantly worse than it does elsewhere.

That said, Bloodstained needs a lot of work in general, so hopefully the patches fix a lot of what's wrong with it.

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Switch will always be the bar none worst version compared to the others but making it at least good on its own merits would be nice.

There's two areas on X1X with weird out of place slowdown I hope they fix some time but 99% of it's perfect so I say all hands on deck for the Switch is a good idea right now.

 

[Deleted member 11637]

Darn :(

I guess I could get it on PS4, but I still want to wait and see if they can clean up the Switch version.

 

[Kouriozan]

Now I'm curious to know how the Wii U version would have ended up, current Switch version does look pretty worrying so I hope they can improve it a lot.

 

[Reinhardt Schneider]

I'm holding off until those updates. I really don't like what i see and read about it.

 

[karmitt]

I'm happy they're responsive like this, but they probably knew perfectly well what the state was prior to release. Here's hoping they can get things fixed soon - I don't own any version yet, but I'm getting on Switch if I get it at all.

 

[YolkFolk]

Pretty disappointing how they've handled the Switch version to be honest. I'd go as far to say it's really poor management on their own behalf as well.

Switch should have arguably been the priority platform as there's a chance that sales would have eclipsed the combined total of the other platforms as we've seen before.

Instead it arrives late and unoptimised. There are more impressive games technically on Switch, including indie titles, which have no where near the same issues.

 

[Instro]

The Switch version was always going to be a bit rough. Hopefully with the additional patches it will be ain a better state. I wouldn't be expecting 60fps though. Maybe with the supposed Switch revision later this year it will get there.

 

[Hu3]

i mean good but you shouldn't launch like that.
delay it if you must. will buy when they sorted it out.

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They already delayed the switch version. People are getting anxious.

 

[JonnyTorso]

On the back burner it goes. Shame, I was really excited for it, but playing it for a bit today I think I'll wait. Not really holding out for 60fps or anything given how rough it looks at 30, but if it can be more responsive and not crash I'll dive back in.

 

[NekoNeko]

They already delayed the switch version. People are getting anxious.

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that was less of delay and more of a "please don't review this version" kinda deal.

 

[hussien-11]

I'm very angry about the Switch version, i was waiting for this game for a very long time, Iga games on handhelds are part of my love for this hobby. i regret ordering the Switch version before actually seeing how it is. the point is though, i wanted to play this game on a portable, not on a TV.

they probably delayed the Switch version one week to avoid negativity against the game in its first week, and i bet this "response" was prepared.

they should improve more than the performance alone, it should've been better, no excuse to why this isn't 1080p though i thought it was because they wanted to keep visual fidelity and it is not even the case.

if they don't improve this game in a way that is acceptable to me i will never buy a Bloodstained product again regardless of the platform.

 

[Arion]

Theory, they delayed the switch version by a few days so reviewers wouldn't review the switch version and the metacritic wouldn't be affected as badly.

 

[Glio]

Depending on how it ends up, maybe I'll buy it later.

 

[cw_sasuke]

Explains why they released it a week later - they didnt want the subpar version to muddy the public perception of the release.

Still boggles my mind that they werent able to release a Igavania in a quality state nearly 3 years after the Switch was unveiled.
Could have been a big Switch release for them.

 

[Busaiku]

Yeah, I was PS4 and Vita as a backer, switched to 2 Switch copies (one to scalp), and the copy I kept is having a rough time.

 

[papercan]

crazy when you think that the majority of their potential fanbase is on the switch yet it's the version they seemingly left to nail down until last...
Really hope they can fix it

Seems to be pretty commonplace with Switch ports these days. Release in a poor state, fix it later (if we're lucky). Getting kind of tired of it honestly and it has made me hold off on a lot of games recently.

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Especially crazy when their potentially biggest fanbase probably owns a switch and wanted to pick it up on that system.
You would have thought that the switch version would be higher on the list of things to sort out rather than ship it however and fix it after release.

 

[wrowa]

Oh man, I'm so glad you are so outright and honest about the Switch version, because after all you care about your backers's experiences and all that. So much so that you waited until after the game's out to admit that you didn't achieve as much with the Switch version as you've hoped. That's always a sign of being honestly sorry.

 

[IronicSonic]

I'll wait then

 

[Deleted member 437]

Theory, they delayed the switch version by a few days so reviewers wouldn't review the switch version and the metacritic wouldn't be affected as badly.

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Clever if true. I'll give them that.

 

[JAlpsWanderer]

Still waiting on my Switch copy.

What are the issues?

 

[JigglesBunny]

I'd love to see that cancelled Vita version.

 

[Altered]

One week hold off for this shit? Guess I'll buy it in 2020 since this year is packed

 

[kubev]

The patches are definitely welcome, but at the same time that means this game isn't going to really be physically preserved very well.

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This is why I hate the insistence on physical copies. I understand the need for physical copies at launch, but I really wish more games that were expected to launch in a rough state would go digital-only initially and save the physical copy roll-out for when all of the content and stability patches were finished.

Also, I really hope this serves as sufficient proof that the Switch version of the game isn't anywhere close to where it should be. It bugs me when people seem to be incapable of criticizing something they enjoy, and the number of people claiming that the Switch version is totally fine and recommending that unsuspecting buyers choose that version is a serious problem. I'm glad the development team is so open about the game's issues, and I'm thankful for the people who gave feedback. It's totally possible to like something and still not be completely pleased with the state of it.

 

[QuigleyMcShine]

It's Mario Maker week anyway. Switch only players can keep themselves busy for a few weeks to see how updates shake out.

 

[Corporate Clown]

I'm very angry about the Switch version, i was waiting for this game for a very long time, Iga games on handhelds are part of my love for this hobby. i regret ordering the Switch version before actually seeing how it is. the point is though, i want to play this game on a portable, not on a TV.

they probably delayed the Switch version one week to avoid negativity against the game in its first week, and i bet this "response" was prepared.

they should improve more than the performance alone, it should've been better, no excuse to why this isn't 1080p though i thought it was because they wanted to keep visual fidelity and it is not even the case.

if they don't improve this game in a way that is acceptable to me i will never buy a Bloodstained product again regardless of the platform.

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Do any Switch games run 1080P in portable mode? Why would you expect this game to? You said you don't want to play on a tv so I'm assuming only portable resolution matters to you.

 

[Pilgrimzero]

Still waiting on my Switch copy.

What are the issues?

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It's not 60fps. The horror.

 

[Deleted member 51691]

Still waiting on my Switch copy.

What are the issues?

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Muddy textures and inconsistent framerate

Edit: Input lag and various other missing content and bugs. Not sure why the Switch version wasn't the target platform. Games like this typically sell best on Switch.

 

[The Main Event]

Too little too late I'm afraid as I went with the PS4 version instead.

That being said I won't rule out double dipping for portable play down the line if the improvements are significant.

 

[bbq of doom]

Still likely going PC, but I am looking forward to seeing what improves.

 

[Baphomet]

Welcome company is soo OP I love it.

 

[Altered]

Still waiting on my Switch copy.

What are the issues?

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Input lag with pro controller

 

[Vamphuntr]

It's not 60fps. The horror.

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Some areas are basically a power point experience like the underground river.

 

[JD_Lars]

Played my physical copy yesterday and played up past the first section to get to the hub area.
Handheld mode on the Switch is...it's hard to look at right now.

There's lag on button inputs. There's weird artifacting and audio cuts when triggering voice-acted NPC interactions. There's aliasing everywhere.

Despite all that I can see that there's a good game buried in the pile somewhere.

I'm not expecting 1080p60fps, but if they could get it to 720p60fps or 1080p30fps I think it could be a title worth recommending to other people.

I'll wait on patches before playing again but I can't play it in the state it's in now.

 

[Glio]

Theory, they delayed the switch version by a few days so reviewers wouldn't review the switch version and the metacritic wouldn't be affected as badly.

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There are different metacritics for each version. The metacritic in PS4 is not the same as in Switch.

 

[YOUarcade]

Muddy textures and inconsistent framerate

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I think people have also been complaining about bad input lag, which for me would be the worst problem. I get that it's the Switch and maybe there's a lot going on that we can't see that's causing slowdown, lower res, etc. I could get used to frame drops, but if they can figure out the reported input lag first, that would be jolly.

 

[hussien-11]

Do any Switch games run 1080P in portable mode? Why would you expect this game to? You said you don't want to play on a tv so I'm assuming only portable resolution matters to you.

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You misunderstood what I'm saying. i knew it was going to be 720p and i ordered it because it didn't matter much to me as i will be playing in portable mode for most of the time, but it doesn't mean they could not or should not achieved better results.

I thought they sacrificed resolution so they could at least keep visual fidelity up with other versions and it turned out that this is not the case. it doesn't look good, it doesn't perform good, it is just a poor version of the game on a platform that is probably very important for this type of game.

I'm very disappointed.

 

[Deleted member 19702]

How 505 handled the Switch is embarassing. I hope they have the decency to acknowledge they fucked up this version and don't blame the audience for not buying it like some devs usually do to get away from their mistakes on Nintendo platforms.

 

[karmitt]

Pretty disappointing how they've handled the Switch version to be honest. I'd go as far to say it's really poor management on their own behalf as well.

Switch should have arguably been the priority platform as there's a chance that sales would have eclipsed the combined total of the other platforms as we've seen before.

Instead it arrives late and unoptimised. There are more impressive games technically on Switch, including indie titles, which have no where near the same issues.

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Yeah I don't get this. If they were going to support Switch, they should have used it as the real base spec, and work upwards to provide higher resolution and frame rate elsewhere.

Native resolution and locked 30fps should have been the target here, or possibly 60fps with a reasonable subnative res. Probably no chance we'll see anything like that from updates

 

[skillzilla81]

It's not 60fps. The horror.

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It's not 60fps. It looks terrible. It's got some of the worst input delay I've experienced. It feels absolutely horrible to control. It's not even a solid 30fps, which should be a given because of all the graphical concessions they've made.

It's bad enough that they have said they're going to divert resources to fixing it, but yeah, go ahead and shoo it away under the disingenuous complaint that "it's not 60fps." lol.

 

[-shadow-]

Do any Switch games run 1080P in portable mode? Why would you expect this game to? You said you don't want to play on a tv so I'm assuming only portable resolution matters to you.

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Kinda? Hyrule Warriors actually renders at 1080p in handheld mode and scales down to 720p. As far as I'm aware, this is the only game on the system that does this.

 

[Hu3]

Muddy textures and inconsistent framerate

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Add to the list: input lag. The game crashes on many stances, also bugs like missing text in conversations and reading lore. Some areas the game run like molasses.