| Castlevania: Rondo of Blood | |
|---|---|
Japanese box art |
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| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Director(s) | Toru Hagihara |
| Producer(s) | Yoshiaki Yamada |
| Composer(s) | Akiropito Keizo Nakamura Tomoko Sano Mikio Saito |
| Series | Castlevania |
| Platform(s) | PC Engine, Virtual Console |
| Release date(s) | PC Engine
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| Genre(s) | Platforming |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | (VC release) |
| Media/distribution | Optical disc, cartridge, download |
| System requirements | |
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo (悪魔城ドラキュラX 血の輪廻, officially translated Devil's Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood)[1] is a platform video game developed by Konami for the PC Engine. The tenth installment of the Castlevania video game series and a 2D side-scroller, it acts as a middleground between the earlier, typically linear Castlevania games and the later open-exploration ones; Rondo of Blood makes use of untimed stages with a clear beginning, but occasionally more than one ending. It was released in Japan on October 29, 1993. A direct sequel to it, the critically acclaimed Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, was released in 1997.
Taking place in 1792, Rondo of Blood is set in the fictional universe of the Castlevania series. The premise of the series is the eternal conflict between the vampire hunters of the Belmont clan and the immortal vampire Dracula. Rondo of Blood centers on Richter Belmont, who searches for his beloved Annette after Dracula's servant abducts her. In Dracula's castle, he frees young Maria Renard, who then becomes a playable character, and two other maidens before finding Annette and defeating him.
Castlevania: Dracula X, a game based on it but with a different art style, redesigned levels and altered gameplay, was released internationally for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System two years later. In 2007 and 2008, Rondo of Blood saw a first North American, European and Australian release and 2.5D remake as part of Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles for PlayStation Portable. The original PC Engine version became available in Japan in 2008 on Wii's Virtual Console and as an imported title, in Australia, Europe and North America in March 2010. Dracula X received mixed reviews while The Dracula X Chronicles was praised for its updated graphics and inclusion of bonus content such as a port of Symphony of the Night.
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The objective is to guide the primary player character Richter Belmont through nine stages,[3] with four alternate routes,[4] as he searches for his kidnapped beloved Annette and ultimately confronts Dracula in his castle.[5] Richter makes use of a whip as his main weapon and one of six sub-weapons: an axe, a dagger, holy water, a grimoire, a pocket watch, and a cross.[6] While exploring the castle, Richter can rescue four maidens, including Annette's young sister[7] Maria Renard who then becomes a playable character.[6][8] She attacks using her doves and one of six sub-weapons: a cat, dragon, cardinal, turtle, egg or musical notes.[6]
Rondo of Blood incorporates elements from the earlier Castlevania games which typically featured linear gameplay and a member of the Belmont clan as the protagonist, and the later entries which emphasized untimed exploration of the environment.[9] Rondo of Blood makes use of untimed stages with a clear beginning, but more than one ending to some levels; this then affects the subsequent environment, monsters, and boss monster that the player character encounters at the end of the level.[9] Items such as money, hearts, and food can be found scattered throughout the areas.[10] Rondo of Blood also features the Item Crash ability reused in subsequent Castlevania titles, which allows a sub-weapon to be used in a super attack.[8] Its direct sequel, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, reuses many of the monsters.[9]
Taking place in 1792, Rondo of Blood is set in the fictional universe of the Castlevania series. The premise of the series is the eternal conflict between the vampire hunters of the Belmont clan and the immortal vampire Dracula. The protagonist is 19-year-old Richter Belmont (Jin Horikawa), heir to the whip Vampire Killer and Simon Belmont's direct descendant.[11] He comes to the castle after his beloved Annette (Atsuko Honda) is kidnapped by Dracula's servant Shaft.[12] Many times throughout the game, Dracula's trusty lieutenant, Death, attempts to stop Richter before he reaches Castlevania. Along the way, Richter frees Annette's sister[7] Maria Renard (Yoko Teppozuka), an orphaned 12-year-old who was taken to the castle with her and insists on joining him;[11][13] Terra (Hiromi Murata), a nun who mistakes him for a manifestation of God;[14] Iris (Akie Yasuda), the daughter of the village doctor;[15] and finally Annette.[16] After defeating Shaft and Death, Richter confronts Dracula (Hiroya Ishimaru) and vanquishes him.[17] The castle then collapses into the sea.
Rondo of Blood is the tenth installment of the Castlevania video game series.[3] Produced by Konami, Rondo of Blood originally saw only a Japanese-exclusive release on the PC Engine on October 29, 1993.[3][4][18] Later, a port was released on the Wii for the Japanese Virtual Console on April 22, 2008; as an import, it became available in North America on March 15, 2010 and in the PAL region (Europe and Australia) on March 19, 2010.[19]
For the audio, Rondo of Blood makes use of a CD in contrast to a HuCard, allowing for better musical quality.[20][21] Akiropito, Jigokuguruma Nakamura, Sanoppi, and Mikio Saito composed the soundtrack of Rondo of Blood.[22][23] The songs from Rondo of Blood, "Overture", "Beginning" and "Opus 13", appeared on a pre-order bonus CD for the 2006 Nintendo DS game Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin.[24]
Konami Style published the two-disk soundtrack of the remake of the game, Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, on November 8, 2007.[25] The songs "Vampire Killer", "Beginning", "Cemetery", and "Divine Bloodlines" were rearranged; it also included a bonus track of an English-language version of "Nocturne" from Symphony of the Night.[25] Within The Dracula X Chronicles is an option which enables players to choose songs from Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night to play in the background.[5] These songs are found in the form of records hidden within the game.[10]
| Castlevania: Dracula X | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Director(s) | Kouki Yamashita |
| Producer(s) | Kuniaki Kinoshita |
| Composer(s) | Tomoya Tomita Masanari Iwata Harumi Ueko Masahiko Kimura |
| Series | Castlevania |
| Platform(s) | Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Platforming |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) |
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Castlevania: Dracula X, known as Akumajō Dracula XX (悪魔城ドラキュラXX Akumajō Dorakyura Daburu Ekkusu, Devil's Castle Dracula Double X) in Japan and Castlevania: Vampire's Kiss in Europe,[26] was developed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.[4] While the plot is similar to Rondo of Blood, it featured a different art style, redesigned levels, and altered gameplay elements such as having only two alternate levels and Maria as a nonplayable character.[4][21][27] It was released on July 21, 1995 in Japan, on September 1995 in North America, on February 22, 1996 in Europe.[26] and on June 22, 1996 in Australia as an uncensored release.
| Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles |
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|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Director(s) | Akihiro Minakata |
| Producer(s) | Koji Igarashi |
| Artist(s) | Ayami Kojima |
| Composer(s) | Michiru Yamane Masanori Akita Yuichi Tsuchiya Akihiro Honda Yasuhiro Ichihashi |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Network |
| Release date(s) | PlayStation Portable
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| Rating(s) | |
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula X Chronicle (悪魔城ドラキュラ Xクロニクル Akumajō Dorakyura Ekkusu Kuronikuru, lit. "Devil's Castle Dracula X Chronicle")[26][28] is a 2.5D remake of Rondo of Blood for the PlayStation Portable.[8] It includes the original game and a port of its sequel, Symphony of the Night, as unlockable content.[8] Symphony of the Night included the option to play as Maria, and redone scripts, sound effects and voice acting.[29] Gameplay in The Dracula X Chronicles remains largely unchanged from Rondo of Blood.[30] However, a Boss Rush mode was added and completion of it three times unlocks the mini-game Peke.[31] It was released in North America on October 23, 2007, in Japan on November 8, 2007, in Europe on February 15, 2008 and in Australia & New Zealand on April 9, 2008.[32] In 2008, the North American edition was re-released as part of the "Greatest Hits" label while the Japanese edition was re-released on July 15, 2010 under the "Best Selection" label.[32]
Critical reaction to Rondo of Blood was positive. 1UP described Rondo of Blood as "a beautifully crafted action game in the classic Castlevania style" and a "long-coveted classic".[33] IGN awarded the Wii port its "Editors' Choice" and described it as enjoyable and "worth the wait".[9] Nintendo Life rated it 9/10, praising the level design, soundtrack, graphics, and level difficulty.[20] Rondo of Blood was awarded Best Japanese Action Game of 1994 by Electronic Gaming Monthly.[34]
Dracula X received a ranking of 73.75% from Game Rankings, based on four reviews.[35] Dracula X received mixed reviews from critics. Some reviewers labeled it as "an incredibly inferior port"[29] and "an inferior attempt at a conversion."[9] IGN's retrospective on the series referred to it as "still one of the best traditional Castlevania games", and that it "holds its own" in terms of graphics, including a brighter color palette and Mode 7 graphics, but suffered from weak A.I. and bad level layout.[4]
Critical reaction to the remake, The Dracula X Chronicles, was generally favorable. Metacritic listed The Dracula X Chronicles as 80/100 while Game Rankings gave it an 81.40%.[36][37] Reviewers praised the updated visuals, enjoyable soundtrack, inclusion of Symphony of the Night and other bonus content.[2][30][38][39] The high level of difficulty was noted by reviewers as potentially frustrating for players unused to it,[2][30][39] and the voice acting drew criticism as "soap opera fare".[30] Conversely, GameSpy called The Dracula X Chronicles "a solid remake", but considered it unnecessary and "worse than the original".[40]
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