Despite being delayed by a week, the Switch port of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was plagued with a ton of issues on launch. Featuring laggy controls, a choppy framerate, and some ugly visuals, it was clear something went wrong during the development process. After promising to provide incremental updates, publisher 505 Games decided that one larger fix would better serve fans. After many setbacks and delays, that fix is here.
Landing yesterday on the eShop, Bloodstained on Switch finally has its big performance patch. In an update on Kickstarter, 505 Games details what this patch fixes and notes, "there are still a few areas that need optimizing that will be included in update 1.04." This isn't exactly the cure-all update, but it's much better than before.
The biggest area of improvement comes with load times. Certain areas will now load around 70% faster than before. 505 writes that not every room could be optimized with a general pass, so further updates will need to address locations on a per-area basis. Visuals are in a similar boat, with textures being updated and certain rooms needing more attention.
Input latency, as well, has been tweaked dramatically. Controls should no longer feel delayed, which will go a long way to improving the platforming sections. As with the last two areas of improvement, 505 promises further fixes in the upcoming 1.04 patch to really get Bloodstained up to snuff.
For anyone on Xbox One, 505 currently doesn't have a date for that version's 1.04 patch. The "Zangetsu" DLC (and subsequently the "IGA's Back Pack DLC)", as well, is still TBA for each platform. 505 is working to ensure everything launches without a hitch, so it asks fans to be patient while it gets everything in working order.
It's been a long road for Switch players, but Bloodstained is finally in a better place. The game really didn't launch in a complete state, but 505 Games has been hard at work ironing out the kinks. While Bloodstained should have been delayed further to avoid these problems, at least the game wasn't abandoned by its publisher.
When patch 1.04 rolls around, it seems Bloodstained will finally be worth considering on Switch.
Source: Kickstarter