Released in June 2019 for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was a return to the classic 2.5D Metroidvania from its original creators, bringing with it a brand new story and location. While Bloodstained on the former platforms proved to be a solid success, the Switch version has been plagued with issues since day one of its belated-release. While it's seen a few updates to alleviate issues, the developers have just released the game's largest patch yet, which aims to improve performance significantly.

With the 1.04 patch, developer ArtPlay stated that the Switch release would see a general improvement to performance and reduced load times, making it a bit closer to its counterparts on other platforms. According to the devs on the forum, these are the critical areas that the Switch release will see an improvement:

• Stability issues, such as crashes experienced while interacting with bookcases.
• Fixed an issue with corruption during dialogue which could lead to crash.
• Some Performance improvements related to animations.
• General Bug Fixing.

In a comment on the game's official forum, the Bloodstained devs stated the following: "While we will continue to work on overall performance improvements for Switch, this update brings the game’s platforms to a nearly identical state for content. This is an important step leading into the upcoming Zangetsu release, which we will talk more about in the near future."

While other versions of the game have seen their fair share of bugs and odd quirks, the Switch release of the game is the most troubled. Where the Switch edition falters is when switching the game from docked and undocked modes. Immediately following its release, the developers stated that they would be devoting much of their resources to improve the Switch edition. This particular update brings it a bit closer to the other releases of the game.

In GameSpot's full review of Bloodstained, editor Steve Watts praised the game's style, and how it paid homage to classic Medtroidvanias like Symphony of the Night: "It’s that sense of comfort in its own skin that makes Bloodstained such a treat. This isn’t a bold modernization of the genre or a departure from its roots. It is exactly what it set out to be: a return to the style of a bygone era, with a few modern improvements. Its perception was always going to be affected by how well it invoked the feeling of a classic Castlevania game, but Bloodstained does that and better. With more flexible combat and level design that always beckons to check just one more room, Bloodstained shows that a modern Metroidvania can stand alongside its predecessors as an equal."