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505 Games Says Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Will be Far Better Optimized for the Switch by its Release Date

Bloodstained runs like a one-legged werewolf on the Switch, but hopefully that won't last.

This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.

Some PAX East 2019 attendees—including myself—played the Nintendo Switch version of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and came away disappointed at how choppy and unpolished the game seems to be. Since I previewed the build alongside Nintendo staff, I visited Bloodstained's publishers, 505 Games, and said "Say, folks. What gives?"

(That might be paraphrased.)

The 505 representatives I talked to said I should "assuage my fears," because the Switch port of Bloodstained they showed still has a lot of optimization to go through. The build I played is a long way from being done, and the final product should run much more closely to the optimized PC build.

I detailed my Bloodstained Switch experience earlier today. I highlight some worrisome problems like terrible input lag, slowdown, and an inconsistent frame rate. I believe I disappointed more than a few people who are supposed to get the Switch version of Bloodstained through Koji Igarashi's Kickstarter campaign.

Cover image for YouTube videoBloodstained: Ritual of the Night - Gameplay Trailer - Nintendo Switch

It's good to hear reassurance that 505 Games is aware of Bloodstained's Switch problems, and it's also good to hear it's working hard to optimize the game. Still, it might've been a better idea to hold off on showing the Switch port until E3, just to give the team more time to apply a bit more spit-and-polish. Given the success of the Switch's indie scene, it makes sense the game is at PAX East, but it doesn't pay to rush things and show off a sub-par build.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is coming to the Nintendo Switch this Summer, ready or not. It's also coming to PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

Disclosure: USgamer is a ReedPop company owned and operated in conjunction with PAX.

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Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch

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About the Author
Nadia Oxford avatar

Nadia Oxford

Staff Writer, USgamer

Nadia has been writing about games for so long, only the wind and the rain (or the digital facsimiles thereof) remember her true name. She's written for Nerve, About.com, Gamepro, IGN, 1UP, PlayStation Official Magazine, and other sites and magazines that sling words about video games. She co-hosts the Axe of the Blood God podcast, where she mostly screams about Dragon Quest.

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