Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (New Metroidvania by Koji Igarashi) Kickstarter

[fuse]

Kickstarter update just now...

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

[Yakumo]

Don't care
Where are the Japanese releases? We still haven't even received our free Xbox or PsN download codes yet.

[fuse]

I dropped Fangamer an email about that last week as I'm waiting for that version too. Here's what I got:

As per Kickstarter Update #87 the Japan & Asia release of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night has been delayed. Initial estimates indicate a delay of a few months to release the game publicly in Japan & Asia. Everyone on the Bloodstained team regrets and apologizes for this inconvenience, publishing the game in Japan & Asia as soon as possible is a top priority for all of us and we’re taking the following steps to address this for our backers in the short term:

• All Japan & Asia backers will receive a free Steam key for the game on June 18, 2019. You can access this free Steam key key through your backer survey by clicking the Download Codes link.
• As soon as digital keys are ready for PS4, NSW and XB1, they will be sent to all Japan & Asia territory digital backers. We anticipate this will be before the public launch of the game.
• Physical game copies will also be sent as soon as they are ready.

So in short - a couple of months. It doesn't sound like digital codes will go out much before the physical copies start moving, either.

[Yakumo]

I dropped Fangamer an email about that last week as I'm waiting for that version too. Here's what I got:

So in short - a couple of months. It doesn't sound like digital codes will go out much before the physical copies start moving, either.

What's annoying is that they aren't telling us the reason why there is a delay.

[briareos_kerensky]

Probably they want to have all Asian console releases at the same time and one certification process takes longer than the others.

[hudson]

How are people liking the game now you've had a week on it? I may splash the cash for it tonight...

[ItsThere]

First challenge for me is getting used to the controls, they feel laggy but I assume it is intentional.

It’s great other than that.

[hudson]

I got it a few days ago. About 20% of the map done, so far. The game is exactly what I wanted so far. My boss fights have been a mess, getting through by the skin of my teeth using potions etc. Not very graceful

Really enjoying it so far.

[Digfox]

Re: The Switch version, there is a fairly passionate and detailed video which has just gone live from John Linneman @ Digital Foundry on YouTube.

Summary for those that don't want to watch (possible late game bosses):

• Game based on Unreal Engine 4.
• Switch is only 30fps vs. 60fps of the Sony/MS consoles. A number of visual downgrades (i.e. no water), some minor though.
• Xbox One X version - native 4K (or close to) so best imagine quality. PS4 Pro & PS4 both 1080p. Xbox One 900p
• Switch - 720p (docked) / 576p
• Framerates - PS4 Pro is more stable, as version closer to hitting 60fps all the time. Xbox One X next and then the base PS4/Xbox One versions. More variable framerates on PS4 and Xbox One. A big boss battle later on that drops to 20-30fps on all 4 consoles.
• Switch version most stable as it hits the target 30fps more often.
• Switch's biggest issue is input lag is 'somewhere above 140ms' making the game feel less responsive and heavy. Double that of PS4 and Xbox One versions.
• Xbox version triggers HDR which isn't really HDR (toned mapped) and looks worse than SDR. Therefore need to deactivate HDR on Xbox system settings to switch this off.
• Game crashes on all versions. He mentioned happening on the bookshelves and therefore recommends saving just before.

He notes that the Developers are prioritising working on Switch version to fix some of the issues and that should hopefully resolve some of the above problems with Switch. Although he notes that the Switch version wasn't part of the original vision.

On a personal note this wasn't a game that I paid much attention to, but it looks lovely. And although the difference between Switch and PS4/Xbox One are noticeable (even on YouTube) I could probably live with that. The issue on lag on the Switch version does sound like it needs to be fixed though. Overall it just seems like the game needed a bit more fine tuning on PS4 and Xbox, but with more work required on Switch.

Phew that was lengthier than I thought. Still hope it helps the conversation.

[eastyy]

Lol with digital foundry when ever they say something is "Interesting" it means "Mixed results"

[Lebowski]

had the switch version of this turn up today looks like its gonna be shelved for a bit, Hollow Knight is currently taking all my time anyway, hopefully it can live up to that as its an amazing game.

[QualityChimp]

That looks really nice, [MENTION=960]Lebowski[/MENTION]!

[hudson]

Ah man, getting the

->Open Spoiler<-

Double Jump

and then going back to those previously unreachable places

[ItsThere]

Struggling through the Switch version to the point where I have

->Open Spoiler<-

got the bad ending.

Have to admit though, the laggy controls and slow room loading are spoiling it a bit for me... So I ordered the PS4 version as well. It is a great game and I feel like I am missing out playing a less good version now, I take back what I said before. I hope they can improve it because it is already better in handheld mode and is a great long journey game.

[ItsThere]

Probably a pointless post but the PS4 version (on a Pro) is far superior. Spent about 2 hours on it yesterday and made very nice progress (easy when you know what to do!) but it plays how I imagined it to in my head...

The Switch version feels like a lo-fi version of an excellent game and the first time I have really noticed the lack of power. A shame really, I don't know enough about game making to understand how much they can really improve with patches but it needs to sort out the input lag first and foremost, then the screen loading between rooms. It will then be a pretty good version I think.