Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

 Switch
User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 237 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 98 out of 237
  2. Mixed: 47 out of 237
  3. Negative: 92 out of 237
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  1. SamDaHam
    Jul 25, 2022
    2
    Truly 1990s experience, everything is so blurry, runs at 20 fps, 480p, with input lags, uninteresting map design and outdated combat system.
  2. giannis2001
    Feb 8, 2021
    4
    This game is really good but incredibly poorly optimized for Switch, in a degree that makes it unplayable.
  3. TheLinkgirl
    Jun 8, 2022
    1
    No, I don't give a **** about the performance issues. I've played games on the lowest settings with terrible framerates just fine. I simply didn't like this game. The game wants you to approach it in a very slow and boring way, punishing if you step out of line for even a second. It's not fun, it's not satisfying, and it leaves me feeling like I'm not playing the game, but rather the gameNo, I don't give a **** about the performance issues. I've played games on the lowest settings with terrible framerates just fine. I simply didn't like this game. The game wants you to approach it in a very slow and boring way, punishing if you step out of line for even a second. It's not fun, it's not satisfying, and it leaves me feeling like I'm not playing the game, but rather the game is trying to play me.… Expand
  4. SnorlaxGeek
    Jan 22, 2022
    0
    Mau polimento gráfico, quedas de FPS, Slowdowns, travamentos, carregamentos desnecessariamente demorados. Um jogo caro, custando normalmente R$100,00 ($20) extremamente mal feito (pelo menos a versão do Nintendo Switch).
  5. TempoTheMan
    Aug 12, 2021
    4
    The gameplay is just not interesting, and half of the time you are stuck not knowing how to continue to the next level, not enough polish
    just a disclaimer im a lazy person and I don't like to backtrack too much or not knowing where to go, so take it into consideration
  6. now_its_dark
    Dec 27, 2020
    4
    I was super excited to play this, as I loved metroid & SotN + all the GBA & DS castlevania games, to which this is clearly an homage. Generally, I pick which games to buy on Switch based on how graphically fancy they are supposed to be, so this seemed like an ideal candidate.. Sadly, it is choppier than SoTN on the original Playstation. ..Soo.. why? It's hard for me to imagine that anyoneI was super excited to play this, as I loved metroid & SotN + all the GBA & DS castlevania games, to which this is clearly an homage. Generally, I pick which games to buy on Switch based on how graphically fancy they are supposed to be, so this seemed like an ideal candidate.. Sadly, it is choppier than SoTN on the original Playstation. ..Soo.. why? It's hard for me to imagine that anyone thinks 3D looks better than 2D art for this gameplay style; it must be a cost thing. On the Switch it's probably the worst performance of any system, but far more demanding games run better than this on the Switch. Please, either stick to a lower-res and/or use of 2D art or optimize the hell out of the engine, because my GBA runs the same sophistication of *gameplay* at a higher frame rate. It manages to look pretty downgraded and still run poorly on the Switch.… Expand
  7. Jaytee3312
    May 5, 2020
    2
    It's so bad. I really, really wanted to like this game but after getting nearly 90% through the story a particular boss involving money keeps glitching out of range to the point that I can't damage him. This happens every. single. time. and I can't get passed it. What a waste of my time.
  8. ThePaladin
    Apr 23, 2020
    3
    When compared to the Steam (PC) version, it's really a shame the graphics look so bad on the Switch. They could have done a better job (ex. Doom port). Resolution is much lower and the frame rate too, although playable.

    Don't spend your money on the Switch version. I did buy it on Steam (a second licence) and could manage to import my save game from the Switch (it's very complicated).
  9. pmasterfunk
    Nov 8, 2019
    3
    Post 1.03 Patch Edit:

    So, patch 1.03 supposedly fixed the bad graphics and input lag. I don't see the difference. I honestly see no difference. The game still drops inputs. It still looks kinda bad. I've played some more of it, so I'm at around 80% done. Now, before you get your flame-hat on and roast me for my opinions, let me first say I'm a big Castlevania and Metroidvania fan. I    Post 1.03 Patch Edit:

    So, patch 1.03 supposedly fixed the bad graphics and input lag. I don't see the difference. I honestly see no difference. The game still drops inputs. It still looks kinda bad. I've played some more of it, so I'm at around 80% done.

    Now, before you get your flame-hat on and roast me for my opinions, let me first say I'm a big Castlevania and Metroidvania fan. I own the following games from the series: Castlevania 3, Super Castlevania 4, Symphony of the Night, Harmony of Dissonance, Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow, Order of Ecclesia. I've also played many of the, ahem, less good ones, like Simon's Quest, Dracula X, Circle of the Moon, Castlevania 64 (both versions of it sadly), Lords of Shadow. I also own and really like Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. It recaptures the spirit of the NES games while removing the frustration those games were designed around.

    So what do I find wrong with Ritual of the Night? Many things, yes. Many, many things.

    I don't know if this is because of the Switch version's poor visuals, but a lot of areas have enemy designs and level backgrounds with very similar colour schemes. This makes sense within the world of the game, but makes stuff really hard to see. The inferno area gets particularly bad when it comes to visual confusion, with bright lava flowing in the background, just behind Fire Elementals made of, well, fire. And these Fire Elementals cast - yes, that's right - fire spells. And they are often in a room with fire throwing goop monsters - made of lava, no less - with dogs running around that are also - you guessed it - made of fire and lava. The struggle is real.

    One other important irritant involves bullet sponges (whip sponges?). Both regular enemies and bosses. The second boss in the game has 1000 hp, and I was hitting for a massive 14 points of damage. Now I know what you may be thinking, "git gud", but I'll pre-emptively respond with "hey dingus, this is not Galamoth, this isn't even Olrox. This is the second boss in the game and he shouldn't take over 70 hits to kill on an average playthrough".

    For non-boss enemies, those flaming goop monsters I mentioned earlier - the sit-ins for skeletons from the Castlevania series? They take 4 or 5 hits to take down. Who makes skeletons take more than 2 hits to kill? And their projectiles can fly through ceilings. Why can't mine?

    Also leveling up doesn't seem to increase damage input. I'm trying really, really hard not to curse.

    Crafting decent items always seems to require items that are rare drops, which I don't know where to farm. You'd think a bovine plume would come from that enemy that looks like a cow with wings, but no, it comes from that OTHER palette swap cow with wings you haven't seen yet and is still 6 hours of gameplay away. Why do I have this recipe? I'm always short on cash anyway, so I can't buy extra stuff to craft with either.

    My god, when should I stop? Should I mention the buggy skill list? The average story? The bland characters? The seeker arrows that often lock on off-screen enemies? The still buggy visual effects? The fact that this game has ruined my faith in humanity? My resulting low testosterone count? I don't know...

    I suppose the music is pretty good. ¯_(ツ)_/¯    … Expand
  10. RygarBelmont
    Sep 30, 2019
    2
    The game is great visually but unfortunately thats it, its the same metroidvania style with nothing new , if you played SOTN, circle of the moon or harmony of dissonance you ve already played this game because it doesnt offer nothing else , the fact that the promised dlc(it was supposed to be at launch) with co op mode and zangetsu mode havent been relased yet doesnt help either, you areThe game is great visually but unfortunately thats it, its the same metroidvania style with nothing new , if you played SOTN, circle of the moon or harmony of dissonance you ve already played this game because it doesnt offer nothing else , the fact that the promised dlc(it was supposed to be at launch) with co op mode and zangetsu mode havent been relased yet doesnt help either, you are better off with some other game of the same genre like Blasphemous, Odallus etc… Expand
  11. Glaucoalex7
    Sep 27, 2019
    1
    Terrible, terrible port... Don’t spend your money on this overpriced version...
  12. LuRoRo
    Sep 27, 2019
    3
    It's a nice game, but so many bugs, and still didn't fixed them so far. Game crashed three times in one day.
  13. CapDDD
    Sep 13, 2019
    4
    The game is good. This port and the developer support behind it is not. Until they finally fix the issues with the port, buy any other port of the game.
  14. MikaHarker
    Sep 12, 2019
    1
    Seriously ....the switch port of this game runs and looks like crap, I mean...this isn't the Witcher 3, it's a nice looking 2.5 D game ( on all the other platforms that is ) can't believe how horrible it looks and runs, I know that the switch is not as powerful as the other consoles....but this is not the most demanding game....
  15. caronte69
    Aug 30, 2019
    4
    sinceramente la optimizacion que le hicieron a este juego en la switch es pero malisima malisima
  16. Falcon612
    Aug 6, 2019
    3
    Do not waste your money on this game.  On top of unmemorable music, ugly graphics, trivial and flavorless gameplay, and uninteresting characters and plot, this game has dreadful lag, bugs, and crashes.  This does not hold a candle to Order of Ecclesia.  Get that game is you want a uniformally better version of this game, or Curse of the Moon. Tremendously disappointed within minutes ofDo not waste your money on this game.  On top of unmemorable music, ugly graphics, trivial and flavorless gameplay, and uninteresting characters and plot, this game has dreadful lag, bugs, and crashes.  This does not hold a candle to Order of Ecclesia.  Get that game is you want a uniformally better version of this game, or Curse of the Moon. Tremendously disappointed within minutes of starting this game, and it does not get better.… Expand
  17. Respox
    Jul 28, 2019
    0
    Downgraded graphics, an unstable frame rate, and a ton of input lag turn this into an unplayable mess. If you must play this game, buy any other version instead. The Switch was a mistake.
  18. oits
    Jul 9, 2019
    2
    The input lag, low frame rate, and constant, constant crashes make the game basically unplayable. Do not buy this game for the Switch.
  19. TheAdjuster
    Jul 5, 2019
    0
    I was so excited for this game too. It is simply unacceptable to release a broken game and then string people along with the promise of updates that will fix everything. The industry at large should not be so forgiving; it hurts their credibility.
  20. Stamantha
    Jul 4, 2019
    4
    There's really not any excuse for this miserably bad port on the Nintendo Switch. The resolution is unbelievably low, game looks blurry and bland, there's frame rate drops even without any action on the screen (just walking) and there's input lag. Even the sound seems to be compressed... This may be the Nintendo Switch we're talking about but it feels like the 2.5D remake of CastlevaniaThere's really not any excuse for this miserably bad port on the Nintendo Switch. The resolution is unbelievably low, game looks blurry and bland, there's frame rate drops even without any action on the screen (just walking) and there's input lag. Even the sound seems to be compressed... This may be the Nintendo Switch we're talking about but it feels like the 2.5D remake of Castlevania Rondo of Blood on the original PSP. I give it a 4 because it gets the Castlevania feel right but everything else is terrible. The characters and the dialogues are a joke.… Expand
  21. Widdly
    Jul 1, 2019
    0
    The game looks bad but more importantly it feels bad to play. The fact that it was released in this state says a lot. I cannot support such dishonesty, even if they say they will fix it.
  22. Kerbs
    Jul 1, 2019
    0
    This could be a great game, and I really want to give it a great score since the good elements are there, but the glitches affecting this version prevents this from happening. Graphical glitches everywhere when playing in docked mode, with slowdowns, overheating console, fatal errors crashing the game and so on... unplayable.
    In handheld the game runs well, but still I won't accept giving    This could be a great game, and I really want to give it a great score since the good elements are there, but the glitches affecting this version prevents this from happening. Graphical glitches everywhere when playing in docked mode, with slowdowns, overheating console, fatal errors crashing the game and so on... unplayable.
    In handheld the game runs well, but still I won't accept giving any score above 0 until the game is properly fixed.
    As of now, this is a broken games and broken games should NOT be sold.    … Expand
  23. davidgiln
    Jun 30, 2019
    4
    Terrible, terrible port... Don’t spend your money on this overpriced version, pick a discounted one on PC or any of the other console ones... What a shame!
  24. Chacha1994
    Jun 27, 2019
    1
    A fraud! images on E-store are taken from other console versions. Pitiful input lag, frame rate always below 15, gameboy advance graphics and in 1 hour the game is crashed 4 times without reason. ArtPlay must be ashamed, I want my money back. I've never seen a job so badly done.
  25. Bumpster
    Jun 27, 2019
    3
    Great game but keeps crashing on me when I approach a bookshelf and open a book. The animation crashes the switch in portable mode. Definitely getting performance hiccups and studders BUT I'm so happy to have this on the Switch. I'm sure they'll get it cleaned up and looking better.

    Update: I've played 7 hours and the frame rate is horrible. It doesn't take much to slow the game down to    Great game but keeps crashing on me when I approach a bookshelf and open a book. The animation crashes the switch in portable mode. Definitely getting performance hiccups and studders BUT I'm so happy to have this on the Switch. I'm sure they'll get it cleaned up and looking better.

    Update: I've played 7 hours and the frame rate is horrible. It doesn't take much to slow the game down to "unplayable". I thought some of the reviews were exaggerating but they're not. Hold off on a purchase until they fix this mess (hopefully). The later levels aren't playable in this state.    … Expand
  26. greatduckguru
    Jun 26, 2019
    4
    This game was delayed for a substantial amount of time so the fact that the released switch version is this buggy and graphically inhibited is quite a let down. Having the physical copy is useless at this point as the game requires so many patches needed to make it usable make buy physical cartridges useless. That being said the game is just not really quite what I was hoping it would beThis game was delayed for a substantial amount of time so the fact that the released switch version is this buggy and graphically inhibited is quite a let down. Having the physical copy is useless at this point as the game requires so many patches needed to make it usable make buy physical cartridges useless. That being said the game is just not really quite what I was hoping it would be which is a huge let down.

    MUSIC
    The music is good but in so many places it just isn't strong, it plays in the background more like elevator music than something that really adds something to the game. While in no way does this make the game worse, it could have added so much more to the game than it does.

    GRAPHICS
    The way they down scaled the graphics was ugly on every level, and this has nothing to do with the limited hardware of the switch, I have a lot of switch games that have gorgeous graphics, there is no excuse for this other than poor practices from the development team that was hoping the hardware would make up for their deficiencies rather than doing a good job with what they had.

    CONTROLS
    These are OK, with some higher level inputs similar to fighting game inputs for some fun weapon tricks in the game, but due to the frames taken in action animations I find these to be mostly useless in almost every way so its cool they are there but using them is not really something you will use all that often.

    GAME DEPTH
    OK here the game shines, there is a lot going on, a lot thought out, and a LOT to find. Some is based on grinding things out but it really doesn't feel bad in any way and is actually a lot of fun. The game is huge and seriously deep with a ton of great things going on in it and is amazingly well thought out from the concept/design side of being a game! This is where all the positive comes from for this game and I cannot stress enough that this aspect alone makes the game worth looking into owning!!! If the mechanics are fixed later, then this aspect makes the game a definite good game, you simply cannot enjoy the game with the technical side lacking so much.

    OVERALL
    Game should be amazing but holds itself back to almost unplayable as it is. Another game that released broken, didn't warn buyers, held back the broken edition until reviews came out for a week which is really shady, crashes and unstable, bad graphics, good but underwhelming music, and a beautiful idea that doesn't feel like it was brought to life like it should have been. The games director IGA is brilliant and makes a fantastic world, but the development fell flat and made for an ugly, unstable, slow moving, bad lag time, frame skipping, problematic game. A lot of this is fixed on other editions of the game (PS4, PC, XBOX) but I cannot say I recommend them either due to some of the issues carrying over to all editions and also I don't enjoy supporting or recommending any game from a company that releases such unfinished products to consumers, so maybe later pick up a discount copy but buying it any time soon is as foolish as paying full price for late pizza and a wise man would not do that.    … Expand
  27. ThatGuyWhoTypes
    Jun 26, 2019
    2
    The game in this state is totally unplayable, especially for me. The constant frame rate drop and stuttering and input lag as well as crashing, just within the first less than an hour of gameplay, makes this game an absolutely deplorable gaming experience. Giving the company the benefit of the doubt about releasing small updates to patch the game to me as a programmer and as someone whoThe game in this state is totally unplayable, especially for me. The constant frame rate drop and stuttering and input lag as well as crashing, just within the first less than an hour of gameplay, makes this game an absolutely deplorable gaming experience. Giving the company the benefit of the doubt about releasing small updates to patch the game to me as a programmer and as someone who has studied well enough about software engineering and the whole QA process, I find this a poor attempt on their part to release a game that many of us have waited extra time for and we were hoping this game would be polished and at least look somewhat like the other console or PC versions, just with toned down graphics or AA. This doesn't seem to be the case with this game. It's almost like they've removed so much of the detail from the game JUST to get it to run, and even then it struggles to try and keep up. In my opinion, this is totally unacceptable for any company to have people who pay for their game or even back the game on Kickstarter and then wait an additional amount of time with no review to go off of and then you're given a completely broken game. Maybe I'll come back around and give this game a go and buy the PC version, but right now, ArtPlay, has left a bad impression on me and I've decided to spend my hard earned money elsewhere. I suggest others do the same. If you still want to support Igarashi and the company, I'd consider going with either the console versions or the PC version.… Expand
  28. asahiGR
    Jun 25, 2019
    0
    4 years and 5 mil in development for this garbage. Switch port got no love on this one. Graphics are terrible compared to other ports, framerate is all over the place. And we are talking about a 2.5d (not even 3d) indie platform game, this should be running like a breeze on any system! No wonder they delayed the release on this, in order not to mess with their ratings on the other4 years and 5 mil in development for this garbage. Switch port got no love on this one. Graphics are terrible compared to other ports, framerate is all over the place. And we are talking about a 2.5d (not even 3d) indie platform game, this should be running like a breeze on any system! No wonder they delayed the release on this, in order not to mess with their ratings on the other platforms. Shame on dev team.… Expand
  29. Alex-Rainx
    Jun 25, 2019
    1
    LOL What is this port??? company bad noobss !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  30. Ebdiel
    Jun 25, 2019
    3
    Dear iga and devs:
    This the worst port ive seen ever. The resolution drops to 420p. fps constantly in the 20s. And massive load times between rooms.

    Just AWFUL.
    The port is a 3/10
    Ps4 is 9/10
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Awards & Rankings

21
#21 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019
35
#35 Most Shared Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Oct 26, 2020
    75
    Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a good game, don't get me wrong, but boy, waiting for it to become great has been a job in itself! [Issue #48 – September/October 2020, p. 72]
  2. Nintendo Insider
    Nov 6, 2019
    70
    By the time the final performance update drops it will be those who snatch the game at a sale price that will ultimately benefit the most. There’s a 1.04 update that is expected by the end of November, and I would bet money that it won’t be the last. It’s a real shame because underneath the stigma of a troubled release and a lost first impression of a polished product, lies a potentially magnificent game that holds true to what it once ambitiously set out to achieve.
    Read full review
  3. FNintendo
    Jul 30, 2019
    60
    Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a game that many fans wanted and it does a very good job when it comes to its fan service duties. If only the game’s performance matched its level of challenge, this would be an unforgettable, indispensable title but unfortunately, Ritual of the Night’s framerate drops and strange inconsistencies make this an experience that could have been much more of a breeze. Fans of Metroidvania games will still find plenty to be happy about it, though.
    Read full review
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