Since its bumpy launch on the Nintendo Switch, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night has been drastically improved with multiple performance patches. Last month, for example, version 1.04 was released. It resolved stability issues, fixed some dialogue issues and improved the game's animation.
Now, in the latest developer update over on the game's Kickstarter page, the 505 Games community manager Jason Ryan has outlined what's ahead. For starters, the promised "Roguelike" stretch goal has been axed. Here's why:
One of the promised stretch goals for the game was Roguelike. Unfortunately, the code that was created early in the game’s development is not currently compatible with this type of gameplay (especially a procedurally generated castle). Due to this, we regret to announce that we will not be developing Roguelike as part of the project's planned stretch goals.
We know this is a mode that many of you were eagerly anticipating and we apologize that we will not be able to make it happen as planned.
On the upside, it'll be replaced with a new game mode called "Randomizer" which launches alongside Zangetsu for free.
Randomizer is the story campaign you’re used to, but with a twist. Before starting a game, players can choose up to eight different game parameters to be randomized during the playthrough.
"Boss Revenge" mode will follow these content updates.
Last but not least is a brief update about the Switch version. Although the previous update was the last one focused solely on performance, enhancements will continue to be rolled out to make the experience as smooth as possible:
Switch players may have already noticed the 1.04 update that went live in January. While this was the last Switch update focused primarily on performance, we are not done working to improve the platform. Switch has come a long way since launch and we are happy with the progress it has made, but there is still more to do (especially in large rooms/dragon towers). We will continually roll out enhancements along with content updates to make the experience as smooth as possible
The Switch version of the game is now also in line with other platforms, meaning future updates for all systems will be easier to manage:
Switch 1.04 brought all the platforms (PC, PS4, Xbox and Switch) into ‘Content Parity’, which is a fancy way to say that they all have the same stuff. This was a big milestone for the game. When all the platforms are at the same place, it makes future updates easier to manage. The production teams can all work on the same content and release updates on a schedule with shorter gaps between them.
Have you revisited Bloodstained since version 1.0.4 was rolled out? Are you disappointed to hear the roguelike mode has been cancelled? Share your thoughts below.
[source kickstarter.com]
Comments 68
Randomizer seems like a good compensation, to be fair. Stretch goals or not at least they are not running off with your money.
That's a shame
The randomizer doesn't interest me that much. It's not really the same thing.
Eh, Dead Cells gives me my roguevania fix so a randomiser (albeit with caveats) should be a decent replacement. I love a good randomiser, OoT is unbelievably fun randomising every single chest.
Hey, at least its something good.
"The Switch version of the game is now also in line with other platforms, meaning future updates for all systems will be easier to manage"
Where did this information come from? I'm pretty sure it hasn't been stated by the developer, and it's certainly not covered by developer comments in this article. He even states that there is more work to do on Switch, so the above statement doesn't make much sense.
I still have my copy downloaded on my Switch since release day which I haven't played even once. It seems I still need to wait longer.
They really took the Switch version for granted. Granted the other versions weren't that great at launch either but not much compared to the Switch ver.
Props to them for still trying though.
You know, if it takes all of these updates just to fix the game, I think that they should have just delayed release and finished polishing the game first rather than releasing something that was half broken.
@FLEEBS On the kickstarter link on the bottom of the article, look for the section labeled Content Cadence
I'm just here to point out that there is a minor, but understandable, typo in the second paragraph.
"For starters, the promised "Roguelike" stretch goal gas been axed."
@Zyph
You don’t really have to wait to play it any longer. While it’s not perfect, it does have some slowdowns in larger enemy filled rooms, it is running good on par, or close to it, with my copy on my ps4 pro. It has come a long way from release after this last patch.
It’s very fun if you like Castlevania games a lot like SOTN.
I purchased this game last night and I love it. I wanted to wait for the patches and I waited for it like a year. I am really glad I waited because I am loving this game right now. It runs pretty good . You can see a little lag now and then, but it really is no big deal. That’s a lovely game.
@FLEEBS
“When all the platforms are at the same place, it makes future updates easier to manage.”
Read the italicized portion.
I was on the fence about this one before launch but eventually decided against it. Really glad I did, the whole situation has been a real mess. I have no interest in ever playing it now.
@brandonbwii
Thanks, but I definitely read the entire article. You seem to be entirely missing the point of what I said, and no italicized portion of the article contains what you quoted at all. Again, not sure where this info came from, but it's certainly not in the article.
@BenAV It’s still a really good game, just maybe if you own any other platforms go for it on them. The Switch version isn’t unplayable, just not as good as the others.
@Anri02
Hey, thanks for the information. They should have stated this in the article as it's 100% relevant to their statement.
@Gkobz I did play some on my bro's PC version for a few hours. Enjoyed it but in the end I'd rather play it portably since I'm always on the go. I still have a hefty sidescroller backlog + the Z collection so I'm in no rush to play. I'll just wait for it to be more stable.
Next time have Treasure or Vanillaware develop the game and stay the hell away from the Unreal Engine, 2D games run horribly on it.
@nessisonett There are plenty of other really good games that I'd rather play instead at this point.
@FLEEBS It is mentioned in the article, the 2nd last paragraph has the developer talking about the Switch version being in line with the others. It may not perform the same as the others and still has some work to get done but content wise, it's the same.
Bought this two weeks ago and have beaten it 3x now. In my top 3 switch games with Hollow Knight and BOTW. It's def still buggy at times but the game is so f'ing great, I didn't care that much. If anyone is on the fence or still waiting, do yourself a favor and play it now.
@OorWullie That paragraph was absolutely added to the article after I made my first comment. It was not there when this article posted. I read and reread it multiple times before now.
@Zyph I finished it recently. I think it runs pretty decently now. Not perfect but definitely playable.
@Robzilla Good to hear! I might try and play it this weekend.
I beat it on version 1.03, and it was fine. Since I didn’t back this or follow the Kickstarter closely I was unaware of the stretch goal. I’m very happy with the game I got for $20, and hope they can move past this mess soon and work on a sequel.
@ecco6t9 though I think they did a pretty good job, especially the characters, I would rather it had been made in pixel art. SotN style. It’s basically timeless, and the gothic details come through so much better than in this 3D work they’ve done.
I love Castlevania and even Bloodstained too. But pixel art would have less performance issues and look better.
@BenAV It's a great "Castlevania" game, honestly one of the best, and you would be cheating yourself out of an experience if you're a fan of this style of game whatsoever.
Looking forward to the new character campaigns.
The lack of a roguelike mode bums me out a little, since it would have added tons of replay value, but it's fine.
I'd rather they got to work on a sequel soon instead of spending several years laboring over DLC, like Shovel Knight did, anyway.
@konbinilife It would be very cool if they did a full-length game in the style of "Curse Of The Moon" between this game and the sequel.
I have just finished playing the Switch version and yeah - it is playable but still the inferior version from what I have seen. Still dialogue issues, some performance. It is playable and not many major issues but do still wish I had played it on another system.
@nessisonett oot what's oot. Any know what oot is. Am going oot tonight so need to know... 😑
There are a few words I dislike when it comes to gaming that makes me wary and avoid x Kickstarter x crowdfunded x dlc x rogue like x metroidvania, even tho love super Metroid x day 1 patch x patch to fix bugs and crashes x season pass x x x x x installing disc x x I have just finished link to the past it is purrrrfect and that was released in 92, have games gone backwards x x x x x x
@Rudy_Manchego this version is dire. Feel sorry for the pathetic mortals who play this to the immortal ps4 version. 😩Gwha ha ha
I think games like this, marred by performance issues, but in receipt of multiple updates, deserve a new review.
Sad that nintendo fans seem to be disregarding this game and call it a bad game because their switch port wasnt good. This game is honestly my top 3 favorite igavania games.
Played it at release, 100%ed it, loved it. People calling it dire and unplayable are exaggerating hugely in my opinion, especially now! The performance has been improved loads since I played it, apparently
What is the current docked resolution?
Still waiting on 60 fps.
100% it on both PS4 and Switch at release. It is just an OK game. Comparing it to the other IGA games it is not good.
Also the Launch day on the Switch was atrocious. With such a delay of the game it should have been polished like a diamond.
I wasn't aware of the roguelike stretch-goal, but I don't know how compatible that would've even been with a castle that has a defined structure.
A randomizer mode however I'm excited about, I love playing randomizers and that there will be an official one for an Igavania is awesome. I've played randomizers of Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow and they're quite fun as they force you to learn to use equipment you may usually ignore in a standard run of the game.
@Impaler-D I'm not especially fond of this style of game or anything so I'll live. Not enough time to play all the great games out there and the moment for this one has come and gone for me. I was only really ever mildly interested in the first place.
I had a great time with this on switch. I noticed a bit of slow down fighting the dragons on the tower, but apart from that no problems. I know it launched in a bit of a state, but definitely worth playing now.
@Ardisan
How else do you expect us to feel when the dev's deceived us, released a crappy port, and then took their sweet time patching it up?
I’m not sure how they thought this was feasible to begin with unless it was super simple, you’d never never have the complex way Dead Cells pieces together it’s levels unless you had possibly 10 minutes of loading due to having to render the polygonal map pieces along with the lighting.
I've been waiting for Zangetsu. I got kind of tired of waiting for new stuff with Shovel Knight though so I may just wait for all of the game's content to be finished.
I've rolled credits on this thing 4 times and will absolutely get back into it again when Zangetsu and this randomizer are out. Love this game!
505 strikes again... Between this and Indivisible, they've really driven me away from trusting anything they publish again. It wouldn't have been a difficult feature to implement, and randomizers are even easier to make.... They really copped out here. Totally disrespectful to the many fans who put money behind supporting the kickstarter once again, I'm fine that not everything works out but this is a running trend with this game. Least switch port is "playable" now while indivisible doesn't even have one yet and 505 just avoids all questions about it per usual.
I'm so glad the dev's stuck with this game. Despite its flaws this game is extremely enjoyable for any castlevania/metroidvania fan. It even holds up in a post Hollow Knight world
@BenAV it's a great game if you look over its flaws. It's not as bad as what people say it is
@PickledKong64 Don't really care about how good or bad it is at this point. Wasn't willing to spend my money on it at launch with the state it was in on the Switch and now it's just too late for me, completely lost all interest. I'd need to find a reaaaaally cheap copy for me to pick it up.
@BenAV your loss
@FLEEBS It was stated in the most recent kickstarter update.
Performance issues aside, this was one of my favorites of 2019!
@PickledKong64 Not really.
till they finally get the remain patches to fixs certain issues like the background graphics on some of those stages going to delay playing till its finally fixed.
@BenAV I get where you're coming from. Performance killed it so I ended up trading it in for the XBox version. If you do get a chance to play it, it's amazing. But the Switch version was a let down for sure, I'd play on PS4 or Xbox (if you happen to have one of those) if you ever want to give it a chance.
@XBontendo That's fair. I play games pretty much exclusively in handheld mode these days so it's Switch version or bust for me. I'd consider giving it a chance but there have been a ton of games I want to play more than it release in the last six months so even if I bought it it'd probably just sit in my backlog forever at this point.
Wow it cost $250,000 to make the 8 bit game?
We regret to announce we won't be making promised add-on content for the game that doesn't actually work still. Please understand.
@OmegaDestroyer Never really seen any deceit or "taking their sweet time" from them. Explain please because they have been working on kickstarter promises all this time, gave a patch that improves the switch version and are still working on improvements as quoted in the article. I dont see anything here where IGA intentionally betraying their switch fans and laxing around.
@Ardisan
Deceit was with the PAX demo where they blamed the abysmal Switch performance on "overheating issues." That turned out to be a complete lie. The Switch port was bad and they tried to hide it.
Then the Switch release was delayed for additional work and when it was finally released, looked barely any better than the PAX demo. It really gave the vibe the release was delayed to avoid negative reviews hurting sales. Heck, by Koji's own admission even he was surprised at how bad the Switch version was at launch, why is pretty telling.
To finally bring the Switch version up to "comparable levels" as the other versions, it took almost 6 months.
I'm cool with a randomizer mode, but the options here seem a little lackluster. There is no option to randomize enemies, nor is there one to randomize what order the rooms appear in. I know these would cause balance issues, but call them "Chaos Mode" and move on. Playing the Dawn of Sorrow randomizer with random room and enemy orders made that game endlessly replayable. Here's to hoping that they consider doing something like that for players who have already mastered the base content.
I've played it; i like it.
and yeah, they're not running away with our money. they've been open and honest...if not a little silent sometimes. But they're honest and I think Randomizer is a good compromise.
Meh.. no need for it. It's fine as it is. They better of focus on their next Bloodstained title instead. Just use a bit better OST please.. it was quite generic and nothing to be remembered. Castlevania Symphony of the Night was a game to remember but also thanks to the OST. Bloodstained is getting dusty here because there wasn't much awesome in it
Granted that it's done right I honestly do think that the randomizer mode is an improvement. Procedural generation usually doesn't really work that amazing for a game like this I think.
Disappointing but honestly I still love the game. I know the Switch version has been rocky but it's the closest thing to a new Castlevania these days (it might as well be a Castlevania) and I really enjoy it.
If I was a Kickstarter backer, I might be annoyed, but ultimately I enjoyed this game too much to complain.
(Not on Switch though! Performance issues were enough to return my copy for the PS4 version.)
Hmm. That's disappointing, but as a backer I've either completely forgotten about that or never knew about it. So I guess I'm okay.
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