Bloodstained Is Brilliant - But What's Up With The Switch Port?

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is perhaps the greatest crowd-funded game to make it to release - on PS4 and Xbox One (particularly on the enhanced consoles), it's simply brilliant. However, all versions have their issues, culminating in some big problems for the Switch version. A patch is promised, so let's hope the major issues can be resolved.
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[@Revz8bit]

The visual downgrades were expected for Switch. However, game crashes, 10 second loads between certain rooms, input lag and massive fps drops were not

[@dialmightyspartangod6717]

Revz8bit It’s a trash system

[@pcgamingpurist]

@@dialmightyspartangod6717 Not trash but a bastard child sadly :/

[@dialmightyspartangod6717]

MK Yeah That’s more like it

[@nawab256]

No way, I've seen way better looking games on the switch than this thing. This game should easily run the same resolution or at least look very similar to the PS4 and Xbox one version. This is a 2D side-scroller and the graphics are great but they're not super amazing. This game should easily look the same on the switch. It's so easy to mock the switch for being a weaker console but no one ever thinks about the other good-looking games that are on there right now.

[@thelastgogeta]

@@dialmightyspartangod6717 The frame rate reduction was expected, I'm sure they confirmed it was going to be 30FPS some time ago and it is fortunately stable for most of the game (the casino boss... I fear how it could be) but needs loading and input latency to be improved badly. Stable 30FPS is borderline okay if they clean up other stuff.

[@Mizgala28]

Looking at the Switch version it's better they cancelled the Vita version.

[@heisenbergwhite00]

They should've canceled the switch version as well.

[@heisenbergwhite00]

@Eevel Ewe the vita wasn't dead when it got canceled

[@1yaz]

Vita version was cancelled because of scope. Vita is not supported by UE4, and creating a Vita version would require significant development time. The Switch "port" was mostly dialing down sliders in UE4... The low barriers and required effort to release a Switch version is why we are getting fed this garbage ;)

[@eandjproductions2]

@@heisenbergwhite00 Vita was dead by year 3. So yeah it was dead lol

[@Dutchfalco]

Gameboy version.

[@shothanshao7266]

140ms input lag... are they out of their minds?!?!?!?!?

[@bergonath8851]

I'm having Killzone 2 flashbacks...

[@kevboard]

there are people that say they don't feel any input lag in Shadow of the Tomb Raider... so I'm not surprised developers try to get away with this shit nowadays.

[@bergonath8851]

Kevboard Arts They're not trying to get away, They've addressed the issue right away, and said their main priority is to patch this version up.

[@kevboard]

@@bergonath8851 they released it in this state, and I wonder what would have happened if noone criticized the version for it

[@garageghost6038]

@@bergonath8851 thank God. At least they didn't just ignore the feedback like the WWE2K18 team.

[@LonSeidman]

Makes you wonder how much of a AAA game's budget is dedicated to performance optimization across various platforms. Clearly small studios can't afford that additional expense.

[@Eteric]

So apparently the Switch version outsold the other two combined? The team must be having a panic right now. Lol.

[@ethan-fel]

@Ricky Spanish U.K isn't a strong market for the Switch, expect a bigger gap in the US.

[@nathanb5579]

Most ppl know that most multi plat games take some hits on switch version, but are fine doing so for the portable aspect. And also the switch is a notably cheaper system and so a favorable price range for a lot of people

[@chaimedia2025]

yea they need to send that version to Panic Button so they can show the world once again how to make a proper port.

[@optillian4182]

Oof.

[@jaeehovaa]

@@nathanb5579 the switch is not cheaper than a Xbox one or PS4 right now , you are trippen .

[@GotNextVideo]

I think it's a mistake to think of texture resolution simply as a slider. That's why this game looks so messy on Switch -- they cut texture resolution in a linear way until it fit in memory. But with some more care, they could improve the textures that are going to be most noticeable -- those closer to the foreground or those expressing a lot of eye-catching detail (like stained glass windows, portraits, etc) at the expense of some other materials.

[@mrt.7146]

Playing the Switch version on path level 1.21: little to no input lag, stable frame rate (so far), loading times are much better than first reported. Yes, it's still a Switch port using Unreal Engine, but very playable now.

[@stevenpugmire3880]

I just got it for switch and jumped in the other day. There's definitely something up with it but it's not unplayable.

[@snake2106]

Everyrhing is acceptable to nitendrones

[@KayMayhem777]

​@@snake2106You came here just to say THAT? Touch grass.

[@snake2106]

@@KayMayhem777 cope

[@KayMayhem777]

@@snake2106 😂Yeah right. Says YOU who's trolling for attention cuz u simply can't accept how boring and empty ya life is lmao! Again, touch grass 🤡

[@RhythmGrizz]

I played for about 15-20 minutes. Leveled up once or twice, got some armor and weapons. Right after I beat the knight enemy with the morning star on the ship, the game crashed my Switch. Crashed it. That's never happened to me before. All the save data was gone. It started me back to the very beginning. This is unacceptable.

[@RhythmGrizz]

@Christopher Simon I enjoyed the gameplay greatly for the little while I was able to play it.

[@2200Gill]

@Christopher Simon It might look boring, but the combat plays very snappy and precise. Combat with enemies are meant to be short and fast in Igavania games.

[@denisruskin348]

10 hours on PC with 1440p Max and not a single bug so far. Wanted this for Switch but the input latency is brutal.

[@erix5184]

Gonna wait and see what they can pull off on Switch, as I much prefer games like this there than on PC, but I'll get it on Steam if they can't do much on Switch.

[@Phil_529]

@@erix5184 Just get it on PC. 60fps is never coming to the Switch. I backed it for Switch myself but I refuse to degrade the experience like that. I'm playing 4K native on my PC with zero slow downs. The console versions are a tragedy.

[@gamingtyphoon8989]

@@erix5184 you mean to tell me that you have a capable PC and you wanted to buy this on the switch instead where the game runs worse by default and cost more? Either you're lying or just plain crazy.

[@TeamGun]

Phil H Xbox one x runs it at 4K 60fps and only loses frames at the towers, that’s far from a tragedy. The other versions I can agree, especially the pro it’s capable of more.

[@Phil_529]

@@TeamGun No, it uses an awful HDR implementation that would require swapping to SDR in the system control panel each time. Hard pass.

[@jacobynoctis4825]

Its a shame switch owners dont get bloodstained yet in all its glory.

[@firefly3196]

@@DeadPhoenix86DP It's a 2D-Game...

[@xterminatortermlog1677]

@@DeadPhoenix86DP Did you even watch the video, it even runs bad on ps4 and ps pro. Thats so messed up considering my gtx 1060 runs this easly at ultra 1440p, probably even 4k.

[@MDMDMD666]

I am a switch owner and i get the glory on my PC

[@heisenbergwhite00]

They'll never get it in its glory, it will stay shitty 30fps forever on the switch.

[@matuzaato]

It's a shame console owners don't get bloodstained in all its glory

[@redfacegaming7727]

Absolutely loved Bloodstained. I feel for the people who bought the switch version and can't experience the game the way it was meant to be played.

[@Mr.GameCrazy]

I hope they fix the issues with the Switch version of the game soon.

[@redfacegaming7727]

@@Mr.GameCrazy I'm sure they will fix most of the game breaking issues, I just hope it doesn't take forever to get there.

[@Mr.GameCrazy]

@@redfacegaming7727 Same.

[@dr6559]

It’s a shame how it came out. Considering how well CotM sold on Switch, they REALLY should have made the Switch version a priority.

[@MrSoniK]

i bought the game digital and funny enough, i havent got any crashes playing from 7 hours in now. I enjoy the game a lot, i could have buy it on PS4 no problem. I am just for some reason stuck to the switch a bit more lately and portability is my main sold. Its not awful, but it could be better. But so far, i am still having a blast on this game.

[@bioresadent]

Played it on PC. No vsync (ultra low input lag), not too bad tearing (I don't have a freesync display). 1080p crisp and great looking. PC is the way to go. I absolutely loved the game.

[@DiegoAlanTorres96]

No vsync is such an underused feature for console ports.

[@lazava5150]

It plays amazing on PC. I have it rendered at 4k and have no problems whatsoever.

[@bioresadent]

@@lazava5150 I could have tried 4k with dlss, but whatever. Nice one.

[@bioresadent]

@@DiegoAlanTorres96 Yes, they should have a disable option absolutely.

[@marioysikax]

My first impression with PC was that it looked blurry and still could see aliased shimmering especially on starting boat, but PCGW supersampling solution fixed that beautifully.

[@RobotPlaysGames]

Thanks for doing this comparison. This is exactly what I was afraid of when I selected the Switch as my platform of choice in the Kickstarter. I’ll be buying and playing the game on XBONE X. My physical Switch version can just sit there and look pretty (at least while it’s in the box).

[@spigui500]

Is it too much to ask for Symphony of the Night on Switch?!

[@Trozomuro]

I dont get how this game could be so bad optimized across the board. This game doesnt look very hard on the hardware.

[@cacomeat7385]

Optimization is never easy for any game, and I'd imagine it was an absolute pain in the ass in this case considering the game's development cycle. Still think they should have delayed the Switch version, but alas

[@Trozomuro]

@@cacomeat7385 I know, but with the switch case, this game and the Witcher 3, both uses the same tricks to boost performance, but i understand the case for the later, a big open world with a fuckton of things on the screen Vs a metroidvania with 25 things at best on the screen. Looks like the Witcher has 10.000 points in optimization and bloodstained 2 or -500. This gives me the impression that the Iga team has a good amount of ideas but has a very deep lack of expertise on development.

[@bergonath8851]

@@Trozomuro You know this is a Kickstarter project, right? They didn't exactly have the AAA budget to optimize the game. They probably even went over-budget just to improve the visual design of the whole thing which, I'm guessing, messed up the optimization further.

[@MDMDMD666]

But it is.

[@KHR0M3K0R4N]

Unreal 4 is the problem.

[@mcrazza]

Damn John, you are pumping out the quality content quick!

[@konczdavid]

I'm not sure that this raw 3D look was the best choice for this game. It often looks and feels unpolished, visually inconsistent (especially in the early areas) and a little bit cheap. Textures are relatively sharp, but not that sharp, there's is a good level of clarity, but the visuals are still not clear and well defined enough for a side-scroller / Metroidvania game, the anti-aliasing mostly does its job but sometimes you can run into some nasty jagged edges. I'm not talking about the art design, mind you. I'm talking about the tech-side that lends a support to it. A clean, well defined visual style tends to work better with titles such as these and if the devs wanted to go on the 2.5D route, they should have done something similar like PlayDead (developer studio) did with Inside. That game will still look amazing and visually pleasing 20 years from now, but Bloodstained will look quite dated way before than that. By being said all of these, however, I also want to anknowledge the fact that Bloodstained is an amazing game (I completed it one or two weeks ago to nearly 100%).

[@frombauer]

I agree, I really dislike the art style, but will probably check the game out at some point.

[@merlingt1]

I feel the same.

[@Akechi_The_Phantom_Detective]

I've got to say I do agree with this. I don't want to sound like an entitled because I actually do love the design of the MC and a lot of the locales in the game but at the same time the textures kind of remind me of Dracula X Chronicles on the PSP which was also 3D and it really didn't mesh well with the setting in my opinion. Granted DX chronicles didn't have proper lighting and that type of thing but I'd be a fool to let that ruin the game for me. I'm happy to have backed the game if it gets me more Castlevania though I hope next time Igarashi gets picked up by a studio like Nintendo or someone who can bankroll these projects for him because it sounds like a stressful run.

[@amilyester]

I agree with you too. Some areas are simply stunning, but others look just okay. That's the problem though -- it's inconsistent, which makes the less than embellished areas look comparatively worse. It reminds me of people excessively modding their TES games, which do make the games look technically better sure, but also visually busy and jarring when set against the developers' vision. There's some other QoL things I would've liked to have seen, but the game is still new and there's time yet. Look at Pillars of Eternity and how different the game became post-launch.

[@BirdieImagineeBCH]

I agree, I have to say the actual artworks of this game are absolutely gorgeous to the point I wish they just used the 2D character portraits in the cutscenes instead of trying to poorly animate their characters. Not even the talking animation looks good, it's far too stiff. Just make the entire game 2D with sprites and it would've easily look better and age well into the future

[@05DonnieB]

So we get games like God of War, Horizon, GT Sport, Uncharted, all running above 1440p on the Pro and then we get this retro 2005 looking game locked to 1080p on the Pro? I know it's a small dev team and all, but upping the res is something that takes a day to do. I'll wait for further patches.

[@ChazTyldsley]

4x pixels for a 5%ish performance difference is pretty crazy. Locking Pro to 1080 seems oddly extreme

[@weaverquest]

I agree they should try to increase that to 1440p. Then again John still prefers the Pro version for stability so maybe leave it as it is and not introduce frame-drops.

[@kevboard]

I wonder what an optional 1800p mode on One X could do to even out these drops. 1800p still looks really good on a 4K screen and could be a great alternative mode

[@almighty151986]

Memory dude.......Higher resolutions requires bigger frame buffers and Microsoft were clever enough to give X extra RAM to enable it to run at these higher resolutions. It's been mentioned in a few video's now that Pro is held back by lack of any real additional RAM over base PS4.

[@kevboard]

@@almighty151986 the problem is jot the amount of ram, it is the speed of it. the pro has more than enough ram, the issue is it isn't fast enough/the memory bus is too narrow

[@Cyber_Akuma]

What's weird is that I asked a few months ago about 4K on their Kickstarter and they said that both the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X would run at 4K :(

[@Eugen2]

Play it on PC! It was the lead platform and doesn't have any of the issues.

[@TotteThorsen]

@Shank Adams Yes, hdr is not implemented very well though

[@R7Elite]

Hate to say this, but Xbox 1X for me for this game since I got a Samsung Qled TV, set it Freesync Ultimate, better yet set the TV to 1440p and go from 14.5 ms to 6.2 ms this TV is amazing

[@truthhurts4380]

Why hate to say it?

[@stephenwakeman3074]

Picked this up on base PS4 last week for £15 and have clocked about 38hrs so far. Love it like SOTN but I can report there are still crash bugs. In that time I've had it crash to dashboard 5 times and it's not when reading a book, it's when entering a new area. Looking at most recent patch notes I suspect that they still have some memory leaks, which considering this has been out for over a year, is nigh on unacceptable. But I can't deny I love the game.

[@XBX1MASTER]

A patch happened a few days ago. No problems on the X1X

[@humane143imperfection6]

I don't know.. there's a bunch of people still having issues. Good for you though, right on.

[@dannonyogurt98]

Waited for this video before making my decision. It was between the X and switch. Glad I waited and getting this on the X tonight!

[@leonthesleepy]

1:20 when you take off your prescription glasses

[@frogboyx1Gaming]

I am happy with my xbox one x version.

[@THELEGEND-wc2xr]

ps4 pro is the best

[@redcrimson1028]

@@THELEGEND-wc2xr no its not. This game is better on the on x by far. Native 4k@60 ps4 is not even 4k, it look drab on ps4

[@redcrimson1028]

Honestly, from what ive seen the beta did not look bad at all, some of the levels and design choices were a little better in a few areas. Wish i could find the beta download anybody know where i can find it?

[@hossthadude_252]

The Xbox One X is 4k at 60 FPS. With a few frame drops. This game looks amazing on the Xbox One X.

[@MrMetalforever5]

Okay Phil Spencer.

[@heisenbergwhite00]

Its has more than a few framedrops, the xbox one X is very inconsistent and unstable, ps4 pro is the best version.

[@dominicgei6421]

Heisenberg White Wrong, you can disable 4K on One X so you have even more stable FPS than PS4 Pro and still slightly better graphics.

[@FreeJAC]

Thanks for actually mentioning FreeSync on X1X because some of us actually use displays with this feature. Would like to hear more analysis that includes FreeSync. I would also assume you could hard set your X1X to 1080P (HDR off) and have a more stable frame rate at that resolution exactly like the PS4 Pro. Would have been curios to see a head to head at the same resolution for what its worth. Thanks for doing this video.

[@pirony]

Thank you for the quick analysis, Im really sad about the Switch port, hope they fix it soon so I can buy it and enjoy it, thanks for the video.

[@Mr.GameCrazy]

Same.

[@gremjs03]

As someone who played docked for around 13 hours so far don't let the internet fool you. As the digital foundry video pointed out input lag and some load times are bad but performance is rock solid 30 FPS. I have a PC capable of 4K gaming pretty easy and I don't regret getting the switch version. I love it so far! Sure I wish they could fix the input lag and load times in a few areas but its way better than the internet will have you believe. Also only 1 crash in 13 hours at the very beginning so far.

[@pirony]

@Ricky Spanish It doesnt need to be as good as its counterparts, it needs to fix the input latency and bad framerate to be an amazing version of the game, each one delivers things that the others dont, but does are not features, are problems that need to be fixed.

[@iTechGamingLOL]

So any news about it being fixed? Was planning to buy it but saw some comments mentioning technical issues.

[@PixelShade]

Great content like always John! Unreal Engine is definitely a really bad fit for games that doesn't use ultra realistic & cinematic rendering techniques. Making a game like bloodstain should easily hit 60fps 1080p, even on the Switch. The game isn't geometrically complex enough, and the FX work could be achieved with less strain on the hardware. The Unreal Engine rendering pipe-line is just waaaay too heavy for old school games. Not only that but also how texture- and asset steaming incl. materials, massive amounts of packages, that aren't really used, resulting in really long loading-times. I'm making a 2D game myself (think ubiart-game in 1080p+ with 12+ parallax layers), and I tried both Unreal and Unity, but eventually ended up doing the game in Construct 2 instead, since the engine allowed for efficient workflows, while offering no loading at all, except the initial 5-10seconds of starting the view-port and engine framework. The way it should be for these kind of games. :)

[@05DonnieB]

That just isn't true. UE4 is one of the most versatile and commonly used engines in Japan. FF7 Remake, SFV, DBFighterz, Soul Caliber 6, Guilty Gear, BlazBlue all use the engine. This is just bad optimization on the PS4 Pro and Switch from an admittedly small team.

[@KHR0M3K0R4N]

donnieb Yeah, except that even Nintendo developed Unreal 4 games look and run like shit. Yoshi was Unreal 4 and doesn’t run at native resolution in either docked or handheld. If Nintendo can’t optimize a 2.5D side scroller to run well on their own hardware I wouldn’t expect anyone else to either.

[@PixelShade]

@@KHR0M3K0R4N thank you for getting my point. Yeah, I kind of wish that "Good Feel" continued with their in-house developed engine instead. It does work A LOT better than Unreal Engine. Wolly World doesn't exist for the Switch, but I'm pretty certain they would be able to offer 1080p60fps on the hardware, and it would be far more attractive visually than Crafted Worlds

[@josephpurdy8390]

@@KHR0M3K0R4N Maybe unreal 3 engine would have been a better fit. Altho at that point your going have to redesign everything from the ground up.

[@Agumon5]

I guess I've been pretty lucky, I haven't experienced any major issues playing on Xbox one S so far. The only issue I had at one point was an odd graphical glitch where Miriam's head did not show up in the start screen character model. Restarting the game fixed the issue.

[@aryudsoh]

Please test the PC version and please do the same for Sonic Team Racing.

[@orijimi]

Why does everyone jumble up that name? It's not even developed by Sonic Team.

[@aryudsoh]

@@orijimi I think it's more to do with the name being similar to Crash Team Racing which also just released and nothing to do with Sonic Team as developers.

[@marioysikax]

Sonic racing stuttering and performance over 60 FPS would be nice to see checked.

[@ElSAVALDORfunes]

Nah just switch games

[@rafaelvitor266]

I played the pc version for over 100hs and it's a dream come true. No lag at all, no delay, no significantly fps drops and my pc isn't a high end one.

[@Lyka-clock]

considering the PSP was able to play a game like God of War Ghosts of Sparta at an amazing level back then. You would think a modern portable would deliver better graphics etc.

[@Irochi]

It's not at all that simple. Ghost of Sparta used a graphic engine designed specifically for Sony machines. This one uses UE4, which wasn't initially designed for the switch. (Come on! they even say it on the video).

[@Lyka-clock]

I skipped through some of this but either way, the Switch isn't the answer to a portable modern gaming system.

[@geralt43]

@@Irochi But still, many games on Switch utilize UE4 to much greater potential. Travis Strikes Again runs at mostly fluid 60fps and at parts looks much better than Bloodstained. This kind of shit makes me real angry, especially since Bloodstained looks like a previous generation game at best.

[@MrZargani]

Digital foundry is proudly...... *double clicks*

[@MajorPhilGraves]

That guys goofy voice seriously cracks me up!

[@midasmagnezone4282]

double clicks? wdym?

[@jmindt3733]

why does df not do comparisons on a pc also?

[@heart_of_a_daedra3649]

Thanks for the heads up guys. I was going to go for the switch port, but after your guidance I’ll get the steam version. You guys have always been great in the past & you’ve gone above & beyond once again. Keep it up!

[@Josh12323]

Tbh the switch port is fine. I been playing it fully on handhend and the only major problem is the 10 sec delay for certain rooms which is annoying if u have to jump up and to the right or left to avoid falling down back into the room.

[@SegataNoKen]

Green man gaming has the Steam port pretty cheap if you want to save some money.

[@heart_of_a_daedra3649]

SegaSaturnSNK I saw the other day but was holding on for the Switch Port. Went ahead and got it from GMG earlier. Thanks though buddy, I’m sure a lot of people will appreciate that price!

[@MrKenta83]

I don't know what's different about Digital Foundry's Switch and mine, but the game is constantly going below 30 fps for me. In particular when I switched to handheld mode after only playing it docked it was like playing the game at half speed, putting the KZbin player at 0.5 and 0.75 speed during the Switch sections of this video was more like how the game ran when I played it.

[@kevboard]

have you tried completely rebooting your switch maybe? I know the PS4 can have framerate issues if you have it in standby mode for too long.

[@gremjs03]

I play this game docked 90% of the time and so far its pretty rock solid 30. There was one area before the dragon area that did dip below 30 but it could have been when I was playing it handheld. Honestly after 13 hours I am surprised the game is running as well as it is due to what people have said online, I expected way worse performance. Loading times are very odd, some room its just horrible (~10 seconds) but its so far and few between.

[@ZetZatar]

I was experiencing the PS4 frame issues on my PS4pro after the 1.02 patch (Tower in the 40 FPS). Also licks, and inability to pick up item drops.

[@nightbirdds]

What about a look at the PC version? Is it a good port?

[@Numbingbird]

It's the best version. People like to dick measure consoles though...

[@Alexander5R]

Are you going to re test the switch version now that the patch 1.03 is here?

[@fikriraushana9088]

Switch is pretty good now!!

[@randyhalfway]

None of it was deal-breaking to me...until they mentioned 140ms input lag. That's pretty awful.

[@nermanus]

It's their loss really, the Switch version would've probably sold the best.

[@TB-zj1yy]

I was planning a double dip with PC and Switch version. I am holding off on the 2nd purchase for now though. Unfortunate, as I would love to play this during my break times at work.

[@BirdieImagineeBCH]

It did, it outsold the PS4+XBOX version even though it came out a week later.

[@Arch_]

I don't wish to sound ignorant but how on Earth does a 2.5d retro looking game only manage 1080p on Pro and such terrible performance on Switch? I can only assume this is all related to the Unreal Engine. For what it's worth, I've played the game on PC and it was fine, but not exactly a graphical power house..

[@bigbosses223]

unreal and lazy port for the switch version

[@AlexRN]

DET Wrath this game still renders the game in 3D even though you only move in a 2D plane. As far as the engine goes this is a 3D game. And as for its visuals, they have nothing retro about them. They’re not 8bit sprites. The Pro was always going to struggle delivering native 4K/60fps like every other Unreal 4 game.

[@TechInspected]

Generally that's just because the devs didn't put enough time to fully optimize the game.

[@TheLastLineLive]

X over Pro still. I think 4k with a loss of 3-5 fps over 1080 with less loss when it happens is better. Few will notice 3 fps but most will notice 4k vs 1080p.

[@xBINARYGODx]

The Switch gets all of the attention, but really, the patching and issues on other platforms are also making them look bad (patch 1.02 is still delayed on Xbox, and certain affects are not even there, like the dog things not having chains, etc. - I am seen streamers on the PC version get hard crashes or freezes beyond the bookcase example btw). Also - I dont know which patch version you were using for X, but I only encountered any frame issues very, very rarely - seemed 60 for like 99% of the game. Perhaps that was not the case before or after I played. Really, given all of the bugs and the current state of patches, you should wait a few weeks to buy this no matter what platform you are. I will give it another go on harder difficulties once the game feels more finished (also, more free DLC will be out by then I imagine).

[@xBINARYGODx]

Also, on Xbox it didn't list as having an X patch when I downloaded it, so I thought it was just a 1080p60 game, but not that I think about it, it was so smooth and stable in terms of IQ, then I guess I was getting a 4K down-sample and they just forgot to add that data to the store page about there being X enhancements.

[@freddyfox8921]

Ill take native 4k image quality cause the frames dont drop under 52 it seems and im fine with that

[@madfinntech]

I prefer both. PC.

[@TeamGun]

I was deciding between pc on a 1050Ti, ps4 pro, and Xbox one X and I went with the Xbox version. Very happy with its native 4K resolution and can live with the small frame dip at the towers. Pro getting only 1080p isn’t right, and I’d have actually preferred getting it on the pro because I’m so used to playing SOTN (my second all time favourite game). Imo play this one on the X.

[@UWG3]

Curious to know what your favourite game is if SOTN is 2nd?

[@TeamGun]

@@UWG3 Elden Ring

[@UWG3]

@@TeamGun Elden Ring didn't exist when this game released... am I missing something, what was your favourite game at the time of initial comment?

[@TeamGun]

@@UWG3 Hmm I'm not sure what I would have been referring to then lol. Probably Metroid Prime or something. I have a bunch of games I hold dear to me: Elden Ring, SOTN, Metroid Prime, Silent Hill 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, etc etc. Back then I was on consoles, but I'm PC only now (other than an Ambernic rg405m I use for emulation). What are some of your favorite games?

[@UWG3]

@@TeamGun To other gamers I've got weird tastes but I'm right there with you as Elden Ring being No.1 at the moment, it used to be Dark Souls 2 in the Soulslike genre and Ultra Street Fighter IV as the best overall. I know this is blasphemy in the metroidvania community but I rank Bloodstained above Symphony of The Night, not for it's story and characters but because the gameplay is... just... so... GOOD! I 100% Bloodstained on all available platforms - Steam, PS4, Xbox One and Android, that's how much the game clicks with me. Other games I played endlessly are Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 2 remake, 3 remake, Revelations 2, Dark Souls 2 & 3, Sonic Generations, Monster Sanctuary, Both Plague Tale games, State of Decay, Battle Chasers: Nightwar, NFS Shift & Rivals, Shining Force on Genesis Classics - Steam. There's too much to mention but those are off the top of my head

[@TheT3rr0rMask]

Loved it on PC with the buttery smooth zero drop framerate and perfect control. Then i played the Switch version with regular frame drops and dreadful input delay.

[@budaiyanjing]

I rather see more visual downgrade with 60 frame/s

[@silenthill4]

Just drop the resolution on the XboneX instead of lying to get the PS4 a win

[@outrunner8295]

Yeah, that "gonna go back to play my ps4pro version" comment at the end came out like a shameless plug. Oh got forced to play the game on 4k and that 2fps drop was worse than playing the switch version wahh.

[@Call_MeJD]

My PC version crashes from time to time. Why no PC coverage?

[@strawhatpirates4038]

JD Gaming 1050 hm i 100% the game and never experience a crash

[@ejhc9628]

The PC version is mostly fine tho, I use an i7 4790 processor with a 1060 6gb and I play the game maxed with no crashes and lag. One cheap thing that can help you avoid crashes is a new cooler when I used the Intel stock cooler my PC crashed after 30 min of playing.

[@Call_MeJD]

@@strawhatpirates4038 Thank you for responding. You experienced no crashing while playing the game on PC? Maybe I'll do a reinstall. Its just takes me out of the whole experience. I'm on a 2700x, 16gb of ram on a GTX 1080. I don't understand it. I'll setup my backup pc running on dual core, 8gb ram on a GTX 770 to see if I get any issues

[@Call_MeJD]

​@@strawhatpirates4038 You play the steam, or GOG version? Do you know if there's any differences between them as to how they run? It bothers me so much because I run game much more demanding and don't have issues.

[@ComfyShortz]

A game like this should be running at 900p/60fps with very minimal visual downgrade if it was done right.

[@nick13b]

yeah but devs wanna make money so they try and release on as many consoles as possible and that's why this game isn't very well optimized

[@ComfyShortz]

@BacKLasH_' SoR You do know that Hollow Knight a game of similar fidelity runs at 1080p/60fps on Switch. I was being conservative.

[@MrDavidCollins]

@@ComfyShortz Similar fidelity to Bloodstained? A 3D game?

[@ComfyShortz]

@@MrDavidCollins A 2.5D sidescroller see New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe also 1080p/60fps on Switch.

[@wallacesousuke1433]

@@ComfyShortz you mean, an exclusive runs great on the Switch? WOW.

[@laserwolf65]

For God's sake, it's a 2.5D game. This performance is unacceptable!

[@nickmotsarsky4382]

Just because it's a sidescroller, doesn't mean the game engine doesn't render everything in full 3D, which it does. Dumb comment.

[@BirdieImagineeBCH]

@@nickmotsarsky4382 Doom Eternal, the Witcher 3 are coming to switch, dumb port.

[@arustyitalianhairyasscheek5305]

1080p on ps4 pro , what a let down

[@arustyitalianhairyasscheek5305]

@@DeadPhoenix86DP I find it weird because i have a gtx 1060 , and i can play this game at epic settings at full 4k 60 fps , and no dips in framerate , and the 1060 is about the capacity of the pro

[@arustyitalianhairyasscheek5305]

@@DeadPhoenix86DP Not really , its paired with a 3rd gen i5 , the 3470 , and the 1060 is slightly better than the pro but not by much . Actually , ive seen instances where a 1050 ti would outperform the ps4 pro in some UE4 games , like Soulcalibur and SFV and DBZ and even Ace combat 7 , and the 1050 ti is less powerful than the Pro by a large margin , its strange but ive seen it

[@ckmondaviable]

Why no PC version?

[@l1fef0rm]

Very surprised it wasn't even mentioned. Even as a "this is why we are not covering PC" sort of statement.

[@andrezunido]

Beated it on PC and loved every second of it. Never crashed, and never dipped the framerate in a i5 6600k + 970 GTX + wireless Xbox One controller (everything maxed out visually). On PC there's a low latency mode which I didn't try. Playing with slowdown/latency would be a turn off in a game with such tight gameplay.

[@TylerLouden]

I beat the game and never had a single issue on PS4.

[@chimpmeister23]

PS4 version is excellent for sure. The Switch version on the other hand, terrible.

[@bumbayker]

Why didn't you cover the PC/Steam version?

[@WH250398]

Good thing they cancelled the Vita version then.

[@Akechi_The_Phantom_Detective]

Ehh.... I don't know it seems like 30 FPS is really easy to make with this game. Most of the switch faults are due to the imput latency which is really distracting but super easy to fix.

[@TexelGuy]

I'm gonna have to wait until the input lag and crash fixes arrive for the switch before I get this game. Input lag is unacceptable for a game like this, especially combined with 30 fps.

[@deltatango-six7941]

Yeah I'm constantly running off ledges instead of jumping to the next platform due to the lag. It's unplayable at this point. I have to wait for patches before I pick it up back again.

[@yubos98]

I think if they really wanted a switch version they should have made a completely different looking version for it. Maybe redo the textures or make them appear more 16-bit like with a pixel-art aesthetic, decrease poly-counts and go for simpler effects all round instead of undersampling existing ones.

[@PikaLink91]

Well I HAD hoped from the start that the game would look like the handpainted cartoony concept art they showed on the Kickstarter page, I was therefore heavily disappointed by the semi-realistic textures in the first backer demo.

[@franciscor390]

@@PikaLink91 Same here, the hand drawn nature from the first "what it could be" Bloodstained images looked insane. Even the 2D first presented images for mighty nr9 looked gorgeous, then they went ahead and made it with nasty looking 3D graphics, such disappointment.

[@chimpmeister23]

@Shadow Bocksin no, the problem is that the Switch is garbage and can't handle ports without drastic cuts. Wake up bro.

[@chimpmeister23]

@Shadow Bocksin what are worldwide sales like, did you look? Let me help you out: Switch is dead last, lol. Everyone knows that the Japanese love gimmicks, so it's not surprising that they like the gimmicky Switch.

[@yambu007]

Impressive analysis, thank you so much!

[@NeedlecrashDCB]

I have all versions. It's an amazing game. The Switch version is pretty rough but playable. I'm hoping the bugs can be worked out and it's clear that the developers are going full steam to fix it. PC version is the most stable in terms of frame rate and less hitching. PS4 is a solid second, then it's the Xbox One version. On consoles, the Xbox One X version looks the best hands down. PC > Xbox One X > PS4 Pro = PS4 > Xbox One > Switch.

[@raiden_pb]

Enjoy paying full 60$ for """playable""" rehashes

[@NeedlecrashDCB]

@@raiden_pb I backed it and I'm actually enjoying it. Switch is rough but manageable.

[@apokalypz]

Can you do a update and see how much different the current update on switch is?

[@MrExnihlo]

Hey DF, did you know that this game was also released on the pc?

[@themerovingian4252]

No one cares

[@MrExnihlo]

The Merovingian Lmfao! You must be a switch owner. Enjoy your amazing Bloodstain experience!

[@ostforever666]

played the pc version first, then switch one....unistalled the switch version after one hour,what the heck... :(

[@XristoferLee]

From my observation it seem most crashes on the switch happen after waking the system from sleep mode.

[@JD-xz1mx]

How on earth can a 2.5d game a few years ago would have been a handheld title be *THIS* resource heavy?

[@nickmotsarsky4382]

Because it's a full 3D game made with Unreal by a small team without the time and budget of larger teams.

[@Aureline-Sabine]

2.5D usually means 3D graphics and 2D gameplay. 2D character movement has nothing to do with performance, the graphics need to be rendered all the same. The only difference is the fixed perspective allowing for more control over what's visible simultaneously. The load on the system would be reduced if the graphics were actually 2.5D, meaning some parts being 2D images like the karts/drivers and items in Mario Kart 64 (you can easily tell because the character models don't turn/rotate smoothly since they aren't actually 3D models but a limited number of pre-rendered shots from different angles). Donkey Kong Country on SNES uses this technique for everything. The graphics look 3D but are technically completely 2D because everything is pre-rendered (you can't move the point of view/"camera" at all because everything is just 2D snapshots of 3D renderings).

[@ischmidt]

They clearly modeled everything out in full 3D at PC-native levels of detail, which is why there's texture detail all the way out to 4K, and why the experience is far superior on the PC version. You can mostly get away with that on the double-dip versions of the Xbox and PS4, but the Switch is running a now 4 year old mobile phone chip.

[@Jun123]

They ported the game to Switch as is, without any optimization. A half-assed port basically.

[@HangingFreud]

The huge frame drops when Valefor pulls up his chips happen on PC as well. They simply didn't optimize that part well.

[@DanielSantosAnalysis]

No offense to the other DIgital Foundry contributors as they also do good work, but its videos like this one that make John my favorite of them. Excellent narration, keen insight and a true love of games, particularly those like this one that tend to fall in my range of preferences. Keep doing what you're doing my man!

[@parazels83]

I can't agree more. After watching John's reviews I always want to play his games! John learned me to appreciate and enjoy 2d games, which I had been ignoring for years.

[@MagnetGenocide]

Wtf nothing on the pc version. Getting the shaft again

[@hernan80cl]

What did you expect from DF?

[@SteelSkin667]

I wonder if third-party developers have the possibility to leverage the temporary CPU boost that Nintendo has been using during loading in some of their in their own games. It would probably help with these lengthy black screens. I also wonder whether the input latency is somehow tied to the frame-rate, as that would explain why it's doubled on the Switch.

[@Akechi_The_Phantom_Detective]

Good question actually. I suspect the way the Switch's clock speed is being handled is similar to the PS Vita's. I wouldn't imagine Developers would be given the option to boost clock speeds in fear of burning out the switch battery. It'd be cool if they could do that though and I'd like to see Nintendo do that for more games on switch.

[@kevboard]

I bet the input lag is due to some sort of framerate smoothing going on. something PC players might know from their Nvidia control center options... basically the game renders always multiple frames in advance in order to smooth out possible drops, something Sea of Thieves also did on Xbox One/One X, which is why that game too felt like absolute garbage to play. they recently rescued the amount of prerendered frames since the gave it mouse/keyboard support and the game would feel even worse played like that if it still had the input lag. now the framerate isn't as smooth anymore but it feels better to play... it still has some input lag but not as bad as before

[@JulioAlvarado1234]

If the consoles have these issues, then I would like to see it on the PC. However, I notice you guys don't cover PC games. Any reason why?

[@IzThatit]

Why is the final on the left? It's like After-Before... It's never in that order.

[@TechInspected]

Not if you read right to left like all us weebs.

[@kianbrewin2646]

Surprisingly, i've never had the game crash on me opening a book shelf. But it has happened with the glitched backdrop for switch. edit: the poker-chip boss fight is a stable 30 aswell.

[@KinoKonformist]

Most crashes exclusive for console version. PC version looks like most polished version of the game

[@Schnittertm1]

Nah, there've been several people on the Steam forums that also reported problems with the game crashing when reading books or having crashing after x amount of minutes.

[@madfinntech]

"games don't crash on consoles" lulz

[@qwerty6789x]

i think so. been playing it for 2 days no issues so far.

[@rodrigom7185]

Like red dead redemption 2? Lol

[@qwerty6789x]

@@rodrigom7185 lolz

[@howlingarmadillo]

I didn't identify the input lag at the time I was playing Bloodstained, but in retrospect it seems soooo obvious. I just figured it was the usual 'new game adjustment period' on my part. I haven't touched it since I lost a whole lot of home base busywork progress to a crash, and I think I might have to wait a little while longer yet if they're working on these issues. I've still enjoyed what I've played so far, but clearly they needed more than an extra week to fix up the Switch version. I will say though that considering the circumstances behind this game's development I'm still very impressed with the work the've done.

[@CasualViewer-t4f]

I’ll buy the Switch Port once the input lag is taken care of.

[@nemonama]

homebrew it is also Saints Row the Third. I doubt they care about the old game.

[@dreamcastfan]

I’ve not even bothered to unwrap the Switch version, especially after they promised they’d fix these issues before launch. I’m convinced the reason it launched a week later on Switch wasn’t to give them extra time to fix it, it was to ensure the Switch version didn’t drag review scores down. I’m not sure the argument that the Switch port was started late holds up very well either, the game was originally supposed to be released on the Wii U and Vita and should therefore have been built with weaker hardware in mind.

[@braddl9442]

BINGO, thats exactly why.

[@JadigertheReal]

Whats the problem on the consoles my GTX1080 is only 25 to 35% in use at 4k. And my 2600X clocks at 2100 mhz, some times it jumps to 4150 mhz but most of the time it stand on the lowerst clocks. i play the game over 30 hours and have no crashes on the pc and you say all consoles have problems with crashes? I think the console version are bad ports and the switch version is hughe dispointment. The switch needs mutch more work, there simply downgrade the game and hope thats engouth. Thats not the right way to port games on mutch weaker hardware. On the technical side on pc this game simply can run on a toaster and 1080p shoud be no problem on standard consoles that 90% of the players have. Thats a huge problem of the consoles the games are not optimiced for the standard consoles.

[@Notsram77]

Same here. The GoG version wouldn't detect my gamepad, but after switching to the Steam version I've had 0 problems.

[@rogercheetoofficial]

"Save before reading any books in this game" no, man, illiteracy run, no books or notes allowed

[@PurushNahiMahaPurush]

Damn this game looks gorgeous! Its clear the PC is the right platform to play it on

[@josh6499]

I can't think of any multi platform game that was ever better on console.

[@empyreangames1325]

Will there be a patch for the Pro to boost up the resolution? I prefer to play it on the Pro, but it looks gorgeous on the X

[@nechrom.]

Im just hoping the Switch port gets fixed properly. Better textures would be nice and removing AA could also be nice(or at least the option to turn it off). 30fps seems totally fine tho(without the input lag of course). The game isn't very fast paced anyway.

[@Akechi_The_Phantom_Detective]

Agreed, I'm used to Castlevania's playing at 30 FPS but I'd really like them to tweak the imput lag.

[@Howwy191]

Yes 30fps can be totally fine. Ctr:nf shows it game be completely fine.

[@leporex8698]

I can barely accept the lower resolution (which I'm kinda used to, right now) on Switch for a 2.5D game, but absolutely not input lag and crashes. They got to update this game.

[@mamawau]

"All systems were tested" and ignores the PC... I'm impressed that DF didn't call it a "great achievement" on the Switch.

[@guillermo9171]

1:18 "multiplatform comparisons these days have become somewhat dull" Seriously? In the era of the Switch you say that?

[@raiden_pb]

Lol

[@tyrcipher8811]

Even in the era of Switch, which by the way don't get a lot multi title release that they normal do comparisons for; the comparisons have really just boiled down to lower resolution and texture quality. It only with titles like DOOM2016 that Switch finally get a game that comparison isn't just lower resolution and lower texture quality.

[@teehundeart]

Lol how is this a not even 1080 for some of the home consoles. It looks so primitive

[@zaori2785]

thank you VERY much for this detailed comparison!

[@Crevox]

I can say at least the game never crashed a single time on PC.

[@augustocesarmuniz1614]

Same here, I have over 50 hours of this game, full time on pc, never got any crash

[@Deffine]

140ms input lag!?!?!?!?! COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE!

[@TontonGahu]

I disagree with the switch handheld being a stable 30 FPS, in my experience, it dips below in some scene and it makes me sick sometimes. Is the switch version an uglier version? Yeah, but that was expected. Is it a bad version? well if they manage to keep the handheld framerate at 30 FPS and as you guys pointed out, reduce the input latency, It would be a great port. Let's hope that the team manage to iron out those issue. cause I don't want to have to pay more for that game to get the right experience that I helped to kickstart 4 years ago.

[@garageghost6038]

The switch port is not very optimized. It makes sense if you look at the size of the development team, but I think they should have just delayed the switch version until they at least fixed the crashing issues.

[@balamstudios]

Im playing it in ps4 (normal playstation). Its beautiful and I fear the moment I finish it for there will be a void in me. So far I found a glitch of when you hit enemies that are tossed off screen and they die from that hit and then drop an item, sometimes the item gets stuck in the wall, still the drop is still registered in the monsterdex. the game crashed only once with a book (in the alchemy lab). Only big annoying problem I did found was that theres no explanation as to how to use the reflect ray shard because it doesnt work like other shards of that type and it takes a while to figure it out..or until you get tired of it and browse it. No issues with frame rate as I dont even notice it.

[@merlingt1]

I don't care for all these 2.5D visuals and the variation in performance across platforms is disheartening to say the least.

[@MrDirkles]

the fact that all of the current consoles are unable to play a 2.5d platformer at 60 fps at 1080p screams out poor / shoddy optimization. Then to release it with bugs that cause the game to reset is a total joke. If this is modern gaming then they can keep it.

[@Zero-di9mz]

@@MrDirkles You remember this is a crowdfunded game right? and was in develoment for wii u, vita, ps4, xbox one and PC now add a Switch version... and again it can be 2.5D but all models and backgrounds are 3D just presented in a 2D way (like almost every fighting game) its a UE4 game its gonna be taxing you guys really need to read a little before talking that much.

[@filiplaskovski9993]

MrDirkles amen to that bro it’s a fucking joke

[@MrDirkles]

@jvalex18 that's interesting. I've had every console since the atari VCS and never witnessed a game breaking bug on any game that I owned except terra cresta on the c64 but I took that back to the shop and got a refund, try that with your copy of bloodstained. Fast forward to today's consoles and every single game has an update/fix to download before you can even play it. This is because they are unfinished and rushed out, hoping that they can get away without doing the thorough game testing and thereby make even more cash.

[@AlexRN]

This is just anecdotal but I’m 25 hours in on a base PS4 and have experienced exactly zero crashes. I did started the game after the day one update (1.02) was released so maybe that helped. I’m absolutely loving the hell out of this game and the few moments where the frame rate drops (other than that one late game big boss fight) it didn’t dampen my enjoyment even a bit. This is the game I wanted from them since they announced it and they delivered. So happy to be able to call this a Kickstarter success.

[@xosece]

Unreal Engine game..., that explains the framerate

[@guillermo9171]

And especially the latency. Seems like almost every game made in it has this issue...

[@Dynasty1818]

Ancient company stuck with ancient hardware, refusing to up their hardware game to 2019 standards more like. Nintendo needs to join the modern world.

[@lemobyte3235]

Dynasty2201 to be fair the hardware was newer when the switch released than what PS4 and Xbox one used when they released. Difference is one is a much smaller console and the others much bigger less efficient.

[@Primeyy]

@@slushg3326 Odyssey doesn't use Unreal.

[@fredcrewneck]

@@slushg3326 I think Nintendo has their own in-house engines when they make games

[@Ryuujin1078]

9:30 the shadows that cast from light sources are not fully disabled on the Switch version but are missing or incomplete in a lot of areas. If you look closely while playing you’ll see what I mean. Another visual queue that this was a poorly optimized port