Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night Won't Be Coming Out This Year After All

Someone seems to be moving furniture in the background...
They're probably packing up everything and running away with all that Kickstarter loot

Good. The demo seemed like there’s a lot of improvements to be made.

I wouldn't want this to be rushed.
It has clearly taken a lot of effort and exploration to get everything right in such an ambitious modernization of the genre, so as long as they can afford it and the game gets better, they can take their time what I'm concerned.

Saw it coming. I just beat curse of the moon also, EVERYONE please go buy it. Its so damn good. went under everyones radar

I’m not suprised.
Will this be the next mighty no.9 or yooka layle?

Nah I still think this will be the next shovel knight/stardew valley.

Take all the time you need, release it in 2020 if necessary and polish it to the max. There are too many games to play on Switch anyway.

I really hope this game's development is going well. I would hate for this game to suck.

Sony messed up big time.

Honestly this is fine. There are way too many games coming out this fall, it'll do the game good to release in a less busy period.

Glad it’s been delayed. It’s missing something in its current state. No point releasing it if it’s not quite right

‘‘Tis better to delay than to Mighty Number 9.”

• Aristotle

I'd rather it be tweaked and awesome, than pushed and less than awesome. I've waited a long time for Castl- er Bloodstained, so I can wait now.

I have yet to have any of my kickstarted games to release lol, but i'm ok with this having the time taken to make it good. We can all just hope it's not another mighty number 9.

Was really excited for this years ago but all hype is long gone.

@Robzilla

Better than nothing!

For the best, the E3 demo looked really rough. The lighting in particular was extremely weak. It looked like a very early PS3 game when nobody knew how to light and they covered everything in normal maps cranked up to 11.

They should take all the time they need. Such delays are a bummer from the impatient gamer perspective, but again, my backlog and wishlist on Switch alone (not counting six other platforms) could have me covered even if they set the release for next century. I haven't even played through all of the Iga titles in the Castlevania series itself yet.

Eh. Glad I didn’t back this, I’d be more upset if I put down money and it was delayed two years, as it stands they release it when they release it and if there’s no other games I want more when this comes out, I’ll probably buy it. Or get it later in a sale.

I'm shocked, I tell you! Shocked!

Why do I smell a poopie game incoming? 🤔

Well with how good Dead Cells is,this has a lot to live up to for me

Calling it now, this will be a Switch U launch title.

Kickstarter is just awful

no consumer protection at all, if you can't commit to a date, then don't give it or be real with it.

Kickstarter should be a lot more harsh on dates and delays (also on how the money is spent, but that's another topic)

@MrBlacky I’m not a fan of the art style. It looks off.

So now we wait and see if it ever actually releases and then if it will be anything like it should be.

"Those who backed the Vita version will be given an opportunity to select a different platform, as well as reevaluate their life choices."

While I'm ultimately glad the game is delayed if it needs more time in the oven, it's a little ridiculous that a game we were excited about in the early days of the WiiU will be arriving mid-life of Switch at best. Two of the original target consoles will be discontinued and two will be on their way out the door by the time the game comes out. I mean it's not as bad as Square-Enix' record, but it's still bad.

A game that can't meet it's first, second, or third target year rarely if ever actually turns out good....

I’m calling it now- this will be postponed indefinitely, the creator will apologize, people will be pissed and we will get a half arsed product later on and this will be the next Mighty Number 9 in terms of disappointment and failed expectations.

@Yasume you say that like it’s a bad thing.

It's better than a rushed, buggy, slow "meh" game that will need tons of patches. Do NOT pull a Bloodstained No. 9 Iga, take your time.

@ramu-chan https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KOO5S4vxi0o your comment made me think of this bit-

@OmegaDestroyer “...well, not that shocked...”

And this is why I don't back Kickstarters. Far too risky for me

The difference between this and MN9 is Iga. He has rarely had his name attached to a bad game. He has been connected to decent games (Nano Breaker being one), but I have never seen Iga part of a bad game. That and the reason he was able to produce a significant amount of Castlevanias on the quick was that he was given a shoestring budget and had to pull assets as far back as Rondo of Blood. He is the master of working on the cheap and his team have had to make all the new assets by scratch, so a four-year development cycle does make sense. If you look at the development of Symphony of the Night, it also had development problems (one word 32X). I'm willing to trust Iga knows what he is doing, and it will be a great game if Curse of the Moon is anything to go off of.

In my opinion, the cancellation of the Vita and Wii U versions were outside of his control.

Well colour me unsurprised.

Mighty No.9 really isn't as bad as it's made out to be, i played through both it and Yooka Laylee recently and the latter was a huge disappointment and a chore to play through, but i enjoyed Mighty quite a bit, not perfect by any means but i still had fun with it.

Hoping the delay for Bloodstained will help, it could be something special

If nobody minds a Vita question on NintendoLife, what changes with the Playstation Vita online store are coming? He references the previously announced ending of cartridge production as a reason why the Vita version has been cancelled, but also mentions the ending of certain aspects of the digital store as contributing.

Is time running short for being able to buy and download PSP/Vita games? I better hook up my PSTV soon after a year or so sitting in its box since buying it for $20 at Wal-Mart, and get my purchases like TxK downloaded to it then.

And while I haven't followed this from day 1 and only became aware recently of this project, with that excellent 8-bit Castlevania III styled Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon release, it's going to be awfully hard to get upset with them over delays with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

Oh, so kickstarters unlocked another level called "Uncertainty" in their capital investment simulator?

Yes, I imagine that Kickstarter itself is actually a sim game, all about investing in products. But the game never ends if you keep playing...

@MikeW I don't think so, they already released a game and it was amazing.

I think the sales from that game are covering the expenses of this one, etc. etc.

I mean, games take time to develop and they have been very transparent about the kickstarter.

@Mr_Zurkon

Totally the same as you. This game is souless from its visuals to its game-feel.

For what I already tried, it's not good at all...

Atleast email my switch code for curse of the moon already!

@Wexter Well, Inafune wasn't attached to any bad games either, one could say that he had a very good record (excepting some duds like Dark Void or Bionic Commando 2009 where he was an executive producer). And then Mighty No. 9 happended... I'm not saying that Igarashi is going the same route but still has to prove what he can do outside of a big company like Konami.
Only time will tell.

@Zuljaras wtf! Vita version cancelled? They better send me a email saying that its cancelled and what i would like instead. I ordered the Vita version with the curse of the moon code on switch.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some sort of Castlevania collection from Konami on Switch before this sees the light.

"Vita backers will be able to switch to another version or get a refund. "

I see what you did there.

No big deal. Got plenty to play. Take your time and do things right.

@DanteBQ but other developers never had anything good to say about Inafune as a developer.

Kamiya (creator of Okami, Viewtiful Joe, Bayonetta, Devil May Cry and the Wonderful 101) had this to say about Inafune in 2012 :

He's a business man. Not a creator. - Kamiya 2012

Source: https://twitter.com/pg_kamiya/status/249735186936369153?lang=en

I have never read a developer have anything negative to say about Iga as a director or producer. On all accounts, he has always been hands-on with the GBA & DS games he produced. He can very loosely be compared to Inafune is what I'm getting at.

He might have promised a too quick of a turn around without realising that this might not be as quick to put together as his earlier work I feel that is a fairer criticism of the man than comparing him as Inafune 2.0

Yeah no point in a PS Vita port at this point, Sony doesn't give a damn about that platform whatsoever so it's time third parties start to take notes abandon ship. Still a 3DS version would be nice, they can just use all the extra money they stole from Wii U and PS Vita owners and make an awesome 3DS port.

@retro_player_22 I think the money they "stole" from the Wii U backers went to the Switch version which was not part of the original Kickstarter. That and video game development is like this and always has been where if a platform is being dropped by the manufacture they would move development to the newer platform. It is not their fault that Sony is dropping Vita support or the Wii U became dead in the water during development and Nintendo released the Switch.

Honestly, I don't care at this point, as long as it gets released eventually.

Better have it delayed so they can have a good/enjoyable game, and not a YooKa Laylee/MN9 scenario.

@boop22 Yeah, it's such a love letter to Dracula's Curse and Rondo of Blood

It's fine, this is nothing that'll leave me crying like an anime fan on prom night. I've waited this long, just make sure it's worth the wait, IGA.

@hatch I'm so glad they made that one: people need to understand how great the 8-bit and 16-bit Castlevanias were, it wasn't just all Metroidvania gameplay. There was real challenge to the level designs of those days that kept the tension on edge.

@Mr_Pepperami I'm not privy, so could you explain what it is missing? I don't have access to the beta

@Robzilla The prophecy foretold

@NewAdvent This isn't true at all; IGA is very passionate about his work. Just look at the work that went into the announcement video. He loves making Castlevania, or equivalent.

@bluemage1989 Play the 8-bit spinoff in the meantime

@ramu-chan Yeah it looked pretty flat, didn't it? Mirror of Fate had more mood to the visuals than that.

Well at least they have the decency and honesty to refund or let vita backers switch.

Anyway this will hopefully give me time to get a switch so i can get it.

@OmegaDestroyer "Well, not THAT shocked"

@Mr_Zurkon It's probably the flat lighting engine you're noticing. But more recent videos look better by comparison

lol well at least they did the 8 bit game...

@Orwellianson Nah, IGA has helmed so many good games with paltry budgets, (that's why alot of his games reuse several assets), and he knows when the proper quality is obtained.

@Wexter It just doesn't make sense to develop the game further for flagging systems, but it really does suck the Vita version got canceled, because this game would have looked beautiful on that oled screen.

Good thing they did. The demo we got looked decent but it had huge flaws when it came to visuals and sound mixing.

@Atariboy While Curse of the Moon is fantastic, it was developed by Inticreates, not IGA's crew. IGA's studio only oversaw production. So, the title should have had very little to take away from the other team's work.

@Ardisan Can you elaborate for those of us that didn't get to play it?

@DanteBQ I'm not saying Dark Void wasn't a sales dud, but that game was a breath of fresh air. The vertical cover-shooting was something I hadn't experienced before, and the pacing was non-stop action but kept mixing it up.

@Wexter I mean, but didn't Inafune create most of the Robot Master designs and the general art direction of Mega Man?

@retro_player_22 The visuals look too advanced for 3DS

I have infinitely more confidence in IGA than I ever had for Inafune. The latter being credited as the creator of Mega Man didn't help MN9 since the guy is nothing more than a character designer. Creating a cool character bodes well for animation, but doesn't always make for a good game. That takes good gameplay and level design. IGA understands level design whereas Inafune does not. I say let them take as much time as they need so we get a complete, polished product.

@Antraxx777 He did, but he never directed a game like Iga did. He was praised for his artwork & business ability, but kind things were never really said about his ability to direct or lead a project. Kamiya was never one of his kinder critics, but I felt that point proved the contrast between Iga and Inafune as Kamiya's comments were pre-MN9 fallout.

What a horrible night for a delay! :/ We'll still get a smashing Castlevania fix in December, however!

@Atariboy don’t know about the shop but go buy TxK now. That game is incredible and Minter is a God. But you probably knew that already.

I would normally care but grandia 1+2 hd is coming to switch so that's eased the pain.
Honestly I would rather them take their time with this game and polish it up it's looking good so far but could potentially be great when we do get it

Sony is sadly to blame for the Vita's cancellation, but honestly I figured this game was 2019 at the earliest. Let Iga and co make this game into what they envision, its in good hands.

im glad its delayed another year it needs more improvement and doesnt need to be rushed at all.

I never thought it would.

Is it strange that the GBA and DS Castlevania’s look better and seem smoother than Bloodstained?

I am hyped for the game but visually it looks lifeless.

@darthstuey I actually bought it a year or so ago off the PC based Playstation storefront when Atari SA was bullying Jeff Minter (Before they stopped fighting and started working together, with Tempest 4000 the pleasant result), I just haven't opened up my PSTV yet and entered my account info and downloaded it.

I actually have so many Vita downloads now where I doubt the 8 GB card the bundle version of the system comes with will hold them all, and I haven't even fired it up once. Not looking forward to paying the used prices just for a 32 GB card, but I guess I'll have to if the store is possibly threatened.

This is a good thing. The game i think has an identity crisis. The art style is too many things at once and the character animations are still too floaty. This game should of looked something closer to what Dead cells is. I feel that the icredible offshoot 'Curse of the moon' will forever eclipse its forerunner.

@Antraxx777 I call BS on that. Quit fondling dishonest content creators and celebrating their incompetence. It’s irritating.

Epic fail! Another Mighty no 9/Yooka Laylee affair!