When Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night launched in 2019, it was hailed as a true spiritual successor to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. However, the Nintendo Switch version quickly gained a notorious reputation. Plagued by blurry visuals, input lag, and long loading times, it was widely considered the worst way to play Koji Igarashi’s gothic masterpiece.
Fast forward to today, and the conversation has shifted—especially for those looking at the NSP (Nintendo Submission Package) format for custom firmware or emulation. Is the Switch port finally "fixed," and what should you know about the NSP version?
Even patched, the Switch version remains the ugliest version. Effects like magical shards, water reflections, and background animations are stripped down compared to the PS5 or PC releases.
However, for the portability factor? It is now acceptable. If you found an NSP online from a 2023 or 2024 repack, you will likely enjoy the game.
Unlike a standard ROM dump from a cartridge, an NSP is a direct decryption of the eShop download. It contains the base game, updates (UPD), and DLC—all wrapped in Nintendo’s proprietary encryption.
For the average player, the NSP is useless. But for digital archaeologists and performance hackers, the Bloodstained NSP became a treasure chest. Because the game was patched over two years—Version 1.0.0 (the broken launch) up to Version 1.4.0 (the "fix")—the NSP updates tell a story of optimization.
Users with custom firmware (CFW) began dissecting these updates. They discovered that ArtPlay, the developer, had to do the unthinkable: downgrade the visual fidelity to save the frame rate.
When Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night launched in 2019, it was more than just a game—it was a resurrection of the “Igavania” genre. Created by Koji Igarashi (the former producer of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night), this Gothic masterpiece delivers sprawling castles, hundreds of weapons, shard-based magic systems, and hours of exploration.
For Nintendo Switch owners, however, the journey was rocky. The initial release suffered from blurry textures, input lag, and long loading times. But fast forward to today—with multiple performance patches and the availability of the Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Switch NSP, players can now enjoy a near-flawless version on custom firmware (CFW) or emulators like Ryujinx and Yuzu.
This article covers everything: from finding a clean NSP (Nintendo Submission Package) to applying updates and DLC, and even tweaking settings for 60 FPS.
Development priorities were shifted to fix crashes and major game-breaking bugs.
When Bloodstained launched on the Switch in June 2019, it was met with immediate criticism. The port, handled by a third-party studio, was widely regarded as the worst way to play the game.
For those managing NSP installations at the time, the file size was bloated, and the experience was subpar, leading many to advise against playing this specific version.
Q: Can I transfer my save from the PC or PS4 to the Switch NSP version?
A: No—save files are encrypted differently. However, you can use JKSV to backup/restore your Switch save.
Q: Does the NSP include the “Kingdom: Two Crowns” crossover?
A: No, that content was never released on Switch. Only PC/PS4.
Q: I installed the NSP but it asks for an update every boot. How to fix?
A: You missed the 0100BF500207C800 update folder. Install the matching .nsp update file, then reboot Atmosphere.
Q: Is there an overclock profile specifically for Bloodstained?
A: Yes. Download sys-clk and import this config: GPU=768MHz, CPU=1224MHz, RAM=1600MHz (safe for Mariko/Switch Lite).