Update on Beta Backer Demo

@ikai

Yeah, for what it's worth, I honestly don't think that'll be the case.

The problem with Curse of the Moon wasn't even 505 and ArtPlay's fault, really - it was Inti deciding they didn't want to take a risk with the game being on gog.

So, I think ArtPlay and 505 will come through... and hopefully, I'm right.

Well, I'm used to the delays by now, but I can definitely understand the reason behind this one.

I just hope the fixes will actually be noticeable, because if not, it would be hard to appreciate them.

Waiting until the last minute sounds pretty justifiable to me. There was likely an agreement made by a team, after a discussion, whether the demo should be released or not. They would have needed progress updates on the bug fixes found at E3, approval from more influential members of the team, and spend time preparing the update. I'd guess they were betting on the bugs being resolved but barely missed the deadline.

Well, while we're waiting, here are my massively delayed (and abridged) thoughts on the 2016 E3 demo (unless, should I have posted this elsewhere?):

Despite concerns I've heard on the net, the game actually plays a lot like a 2.5D SotN, as it should. I think they've done a really good job even at this early stage of getting a feel for Metroidvania in 2.5D. The amount of effects being played around with shows they're trying to get the most out of the engine rather than just phoning it in, which is nice. Similarly, little touches like the rocking of the boat and its lanterns, or the hidden map room, or the lifeboats in the background, or the cannons in the background that were previous established in the ship are the kind of touches that have helped make IGA's 2D games memorable (even when some other aspects came up short). I especially like that there are dynamic environments with an organic feel. It doesn't feel like a static collection of boxy hallways; it feels like a boat with the curves, the way enemies climb up from the foreground or burst through the background, and most especially the way the masts totter and make for angled platforms. Breaking walls for secret passageways or items feels very satisfying with the physics engine running, even in this early stage. The ability to cast magic in 360 degrees is a small update with big implications. It creates a bit of that Super CVIV versatility in terms of tackling enemies. I like the idea of enemies being weak to different types of magic. I hope some of the shard abilities are built into the platforming going forward, since their usefulness with the cannon hints at some future dynamic game scenarios.

Now for some critiques. The shadow shader goes crazy when you press against walls, superimposing itself over and through the wall. That was the biggest visual complaint I had. The "hammock" platforms should definitely have a little give to them, like the bridge physics in SCVIV's second stage. I wish you could aim and attack with directional magic while moving. You can aim while moving, but can't attack with that aiming, it seems. It may have just been my PC, but I had some major hit-detection problems with the sword weapon when attacking enemies that didn't happen with the feet-based attacks. Sometimes I had to switch back and forth between the weapons to make the sword go back to being effective. I think the treasure chests could pop up a visual icon of the potion or whatever it is you get from them, and then the corner could just be the text of what it is, but it's not terrible as it is now, either. The visuals of the magic effects could use some improvement. They look pretty bare bones or, in the case of the Dullahammer weapon, lacking in frames. (Related to that, you should be able to hold down the button and swing that weapon in a circle, either in front of your body or over your head.) I like the scarf for movement, but it does downplay the curse mark trail a great deal. I like the flowers for refilling magic. The boss looks a little cartoonish (this has since been confirmed to have been improved) and while it has its points of interest, the overall fight feels a little lackluster, feeling like you can muscle through without much care (though it is an opening fight, so maybe it's supposed to be this way.) Finally, the music is almost a little too repetitive, and this is one of the better songs I've heard previewed from this game so far. I'm a little concerned about the overall soundtrack (based on the KS updates). It sounds serviceable, but not exactly spectacular.

All and all, videos alone did not properly convey how this game looks and feels in person (and this was back in 2016). It has a lot more of that signature Castlevania-esque atmosphere than I thought it would seeing it from afar, and I'm interested to see how it's improved. I feel more comforted about the visuals having actually played the 2016 version.

dareka To the other discussion here...As someone who was thankfully not involved in the Kickstarter process of MN9 and its bizarre PR cycle, I have to say I enjoyed the end product of MN9 a great deal, and probably without its precedent of funding, I'm not sure Bloodstained would have come into existence. Bloodstained is not in the same area of trouble yet by any means, but like MN9, I do think the creation process is a new thing for a newer company. Yes, people like IGA have shipped games, but the circumstances are different and there could be more growing pains. Still, communication will be key, yes. I just worry that people at large are not going to be forgiving of too many delays in a game where it sounds like there are still a lot of things to iron out in a team that, in reality, has limited resources. This isn't Nintendo we're talking about here, and I am wondering what the final scope of this game actually will be compared to the Kickstarter promises. The size of the castle was supposed to be x-times SotN, wasn't it? I heard 10 hours for a basic playthrough in the E3 interviews. That doesn't sound quite right, but maybe I'm mistaken.

I absolutely voted in favor of taking time to make a polished game, and I'm okay with 2019, even second half of 2019, but push too much beyond that and it becomes something of an issue. I'll always favor quality over a rushed release, but there does come a tipping point in the scales where it reaches "okay, I didn't say I was willing to wait until I'm a decade older." Let's hope BS never has to cross that particular benchmark of absurdity.

Based on what I've seen of the game so far, I'd actually be very surprised if it came before late 2019. There's a lot of substance there, but the "tweaking" seems like it still has a substantial way to go. Then again, I'm not a game developer, so I have no idea how to estimate these things.

The post by dareka worded it a lot better and way more clearly, but that is my biggest gripe with Kickstarter projects in general. Since you have to gather the highest sum you can for funding your project, you have to create all kinds of stretch goals, either with bonus modes that are irrelevant/a massive drain of time and resources and a decent time killer at best, and then promise porting on 233545 different platforms, some massively different from others, and you have to dedicate a lot of time, money and energy to guarantee that some versions are not going to be a total wreck.

That is basically the reason why even though I like the Kickstarter concept in theory I only ever backed two games, and mostly wait for those I'm interested in to come out and buy them when I know how everything turned out.

lovelydumpling

Vita's one of my favorite consoles, actually. Bought in Japan on day one, have spent countless hours on it ever since.

If Bloodstained would have arrived earlier in the system's life-cycle (made from the ground up for the system), it would have been great for the system and maybe even profitable, too ( see:Dragon's Crown).

Right now, the Switch is probably the game's best chance to find an audience beyond backers, so I'm pretty sure they'll commit resources to that version in particular.

As for the Vita version... lemme stress that I want to be wrong, but ... I've never seen anyone pull off down-scaling a game to lower spec machine that's practically on it's way out. I've been hoping since the day they announced it that they would cancel the Vita version and offer a refund like they did with the Wii U, but... *sigh* ... doesn't look like it'll happen ... I just hope we don't end up with the "delay forever and then cancel once everyone's forgotten the game ever existed" pattern. 

Anyone know how those 3DS and Vita versions of Mighty No. 9 are coming along, by the way? ... no hands? 

Thank you!

That's not quite accurate. GOG says Beta Access because, at the time of getting the survey, only PC users were getting demo access at all. So if you picked Steam or GOG, you'd get a demo key. But the demo key is a Steam key, regardless of the platform you picked.

Getting beta access doesn't necessarily mean the beta is on GOG. And I believe we've already been told the demo won't be on GOG.

The main release should be on GOG, but the demo will be given out as a Steam key.