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Start with Konami’s display workaround for launch failures: set your Windows refresh rate below 60 Hz, launch the game, turn on V-Sync, close the game, and restore your normal refresh rate. For controller problems, isolate the gamepad from every other HID device and test Steam Input both ways. A system-language change fixes the documented save/title-screen lock, while the BepInEx Stutter Fix is an optional, version-sensitive remedy for room-transition and respawn freezes.
Use this order when the game fails
The symptoms overlap, so changing several variables at once makes diagnosis harder. Work from the least invasive, officially documented change to community troubleshooting:
- For a black screen or a launch failure, perform Konami’s refresh-rate and V-Sync sequence exactly.
- If an existing save will not pass the title page, change Windows to a supported system language, such as English.
- For a controller that is missing or scrolling by itself, disconnect every other controller-class device, restart Steam, and test Steam Input enabled and disabled.
- Only after those checks, consider the community BepInEx Stutter Fix, with a backup and a clear uninstall plan.
These remedies target different layers: display timing, save-language handling, input-device enumeration, and frame pacing. Keeping them separate tells you which variable actually changed the result.
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Fix a black screen or a failure to launch
Konami’s official V-Sync workaround
Konami’s Known Issues Notice identifies a specific launch condition: the game may fail to launch when V-Sync is off and FPS is set to Unlimited. The prescribed workaround temporarily changes the monitor timing so you can enter the game and correct the video setting.
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- In Windows, open Settings > System > Display > Advanced display and select the monitor used by the game. Set its refresh rate to a value below 60 Hz. If Windows offers several choices, select the highest available option that is still under 60 Hz.
- Launch the game at that temporary refresh rate. From the title screen, open Settings.
- Open Video Settings and turn V-Sync on. Do not leave the frame-rate setting at Unlimited while diagnosing this launch condition.
- Close the game normally so the new video setting is written.
- Return to Windows’ Advanced display page and restore your monitor’s original refresh rate.
- Launch the game again. Konami says it should now start normally.
The below-60-Hz change is temporary; it is not a recommendation to run your monitor that way permanently. If the game still fails after repeated attempts, Konami advises contacting Customer Support rather than continuing to cycle through unrelated settings.
If the screen is still black
- Confirm that the refresh rate was changed for the monitor on which the game window appears, especially if Windows is connected to more than one display.
- Repeat the sequence without changing additional graphics options. The documented trigger is the combination of V-Sync off and Unlimited FPS, so changing several settings simultaneously removes the useful signal.
- If you can reach the title screen but the game closes when loading a save, use the language procedure in the next section; that is a separate known issue.
- Record the monitor refresh rate, whether V-Sync was on, and the platform you are using before contacting support. Those details distinguish the documented launch condition from a different crash.
Pass the title screen after saving and quitting
Change a system language that the game cannot process
Konami reports that some system languages, mainly Arabic, can prevent players from passing the title page after they save and quit. The save itself may be usable once Windows is set to a supported language.
- Close the game.
- Open Windows Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
- Change the Windows display language or system language to a supported language, such as English, following Windows’ sign-out or restart prompt if one appears.
- Launch the game and load the existing save.
This is a compatibility workaround for the language involved in the save/title-screen lock. It does not convert the save or erase progress. After you have confirmed that the save loads, you can decide whether to keep the supported language while playing; changing it back may reintroduce the same condition.
Steam Deck display caveat
Konami also says some Steam Deck interface elements can appear partially off-screen and that it is investigating a fix. If a button or menu is clipped on Deck, treat that as a separate UI-scaling issue rather than evidence that the save is corrupt. Use the visible controls and an external display or desktop mode only as a temporary way to reach settings; no permanent Deck-side correction is documented in the notice.
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Make the game detect the right controller
Remove competing devices before changing software
Community Steam reports describe two related symptoms: the game does not recognize the intended pad, or menus move continuously as though Up is held. Virtual joysticks, HOTAS hardware and other HID devices can all present controller inputs even when you are not touching them.
- Exit the game completely.
- Unplug or switch off extra gamepads, steering wheels, pedals, flight sticks, HOTAS hardware and other controller-class devices.
- Disconnect keyboards temporarily as a diagnostic step. A keyboard should not normally cause analog movement, but removing it helps establish whether Steam is enumerating an unexpected HID device.
- Close other remapping or virtual-controller software. In Windows Device Manager, identify and disable unwanted virtual joysticks only if you recognize them; do not remove an unknown physical device.
- Restart Steam with only the intended controller attached.
- Launch the game and test the menus before reconnecting anything else.
The goal is one physical input path. If the game works in this state, reconnect devices one at a time until the scrolling or detection failure returns. The last device added is then the most useful lead.
Test Steam Input in both states
Steam Input can translate a controller before the game sees it. That translation helps some pads and creates duplicate or phantom inputs for others, so test both configurations:
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- Set Steam Input to enabled (the wording can appear as an override such as “Enable Steam Input”). Close the dialog and test the game.
- If the pad is not detected or the menu scrolls, return to the same page and set Steam Input to disabled (or “Disable Steam Input”). Test again with the same single controller.
These are reversible community diagnostics, not a Konami controller bulletin. Record which state works, because changing it later can make a previously stable pad appear broken.
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Use a wired XInput test to isolate the fault
If a wired, XInput-compatible controller works while a wireless pad does not, the result points toward the wireless connection, its driver, or a translation layer rather than proving that the game’s controller code is universally broken. A wired controller is therefore useful as a diagnostic baseline, not a guaranteed cure. Keep the wireless receiver or Bluetooth adapter disconnected during the baseline test so both devices cannot send input at once.
Optional: hide unwanted virtual devices with HidHide
One Steam user reported that HidHide stopped phantom Up input after it was configured to hide unwanted virtual controllers and HID devices while leaving the intended controller visible. This is an optional experiment, not a guaranteed fix.
- Create the HidHide allow-list carefully so the controller you actually use remains visible.
- Apply the configuration while the game and Steam are closed, then restart Steam and test.
- If the intended controller disappears, undo the hide rule before troubleshooting anything else.
Because this approach changes Windows device visibility, use it only after the simple unplug-and-test procedure has identified a likely virtual-device conflict.
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What is and is not officially fixed
Konami’s launch notice does not publish a universal stutter fix. During diagnosis, avoid the V-Sync-off plus Unlimited-FPS combination because Konami links that combination to launch failure. A game that launches successfully can still have room-transition or respawn freezes; those are separate frame-pacing symptoms.
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Optional BepInEx Stutter Fix
A community Nexus Mods page describes a BepInEx “Stutter Fix” that spreads memory cleanup over several frames. The stated aim is to reduce repeated loading freezes rather than change the game’s content or controls.
| Reported test | Before | With the mod | Test conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room-transition freeze | 450 ms | 100 ms | RTX 4070 Ti, Core i9-13900K, 1440p |
| Respawn loading screen | 5.4 s | 3.6 s | Same system |
| Large gameplay hitches over 100 ms | 0.8 per minute | 0.1 per minute | Same system |
Those figures are the mod page’s 2026 tests, not an independent benchmark or a promise for every PC. CPU, GPU, storage, resolution and game version can all change the result.
Install it without losing your baseline
- Close the game and Steam.
- Back up your saves and note the unmodified game version. A modded installation makes it harder to tell whether a later change came from the game or the mod.
- Install BepInEx beside the game executable, following the Stutter Fix page’s current package and folder instructions. Do not place the files in a parent Steam library folder.
- Start the game once and wait for the initial BepInEx setup. The mod page says this first launch can take one to three minutes.
- After the setup completes, enter a room, trigger a respawn and observe whether the specific freezes you care about change. Do not judge it only by average FPS; the claimed benefit concerns frame-time spikes.
- Use the mod’s configuration instructions if you need to adjust its behavior. Keep a copy of the original configuration before experimenting.
Uninstall and update precautions
Use the Stutter Fix page’s uninstall procedure and remove only the files it identifies. Keeping an old BepInEx loader after removing a plugin can create a different startup problem. The page warns that a future game update may disable the affected fix while still allowing the game to run; if a patch changes behavior, test the unmodified game first, then check whether the mod has been updated before reinstalling it.
High-refresh monitors and a 120-FPS cap
In a 14 October 2026 PC Gamer report, Senior Editor Wes Fenlon described an individual launch-period observation: the game first showed a black screen on a monitor above 120 Hz, and a 120-FPS cap dropped sharply when cutscenes began. This is a firsthand report, not a universal benchmark or proof that every high-refresh display will fail.
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Use Konami’s below-60-Hz procedure for the official launch diagnosis. Once the game starts normally, restore your monitor’s original rate, keep V-Sync enabled while troubleshooting, and avoid Unlimited FPS until you have established a stable baseline. If a black screen returns only at a particular refresh rate, note that rate when reporting the issue; it narrows the display-timing variable without implying that the same threshold applies to every monitor.
Which fix should you choose?
| Remedy | Status | What it changes | Reversibility and risk | Version sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Below-60-Hz launch sequence with V-Sync on | Official Konami workaround | Windows display timing and the game’s video setting | Fully reversible; no game files changed | Applies to the documented launch condition |
| Supported system language | Official Konami workaround | Windows language used while reading save/title-screen data | Reversible; Windows may request sign-out or restart | Tied to affected system languages and saves |
| Peripheral isolation and Steam Input toggle | Community diagnostics | Which HID devices Steam exposes and whether it translates input | Highly reversible; low risk when devices are disconnected rather than removed | Can vary with controller, driver and Steam updates |
| HidHide configuration | Individual community report | Windows visibility of selected virtual HID devices | Reversible but requires careful allow-listing | Depends on the HID stack and software versions |
| BepInEx Stutter Fix | Community mod | Memory-cleanup scheduling and plugin loading | Requires backup and an uninstall plan; changes game files | Explicitly version-sensitive; a game update may disable the fix |
When a fix appears to fail
The game still will not launch
Return to an unmodified installation, repeat the official refresh-rate sequence, and verify that V-Sync was enabled before closing the game. If repeated attempts do not work, stop changing unrelated settings and contact Konami Customer Support with your platform, monitor refresh rate, V-Sync/FPS values and the point at which the screen goes black.
The controller works in Windows but not in the game
That result does not prove the game can see the same input path. Repeat the single-controller test, then try the opposite Steam Input state. A wireless pad that fails while a wired XInput pad works should be investigated as a connection or translation-layer problem; reconnecting every peripheral at once will hide that distinction.
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Stutter remains after installing the mod
Compare the same room transition or respawn before and after, rather than relying on a general impression. The published figures come from one high-end 1440p test system and will not transfer directly to another PC. If a game update has arrived, remove the plugin, verify the unmodified game, and check the mod’s compatibility note before trying it again.
Information to collect before asking for help
- Platform and distribution: Steam, Xbox on PC, or Steam Deck.
- Windows display refresh rate before and during the launch test.
- Whether V-Sync was on and whether FPS was set to Unlimited.
- System language, especially if the failure occurs after loading an existing save.
- Every connected controller-class device, including virtual joysticks, wheels, pedals and flight sticks.
- Steam Input state and whether a wired XInput controller behaves differently from a wireless pad.
- Whether the installation is unmodified or uses BepInEx, plus the game version when the problem appeared.
This record prevents support or community helpers from suggesting the same reversible checks repeatedly and makes it possible to separate a display-timing failure from an input or frame-pacing issue.
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