Produced by: Konami
ESRB Rating: Teen
Basic summary:
Another addition to the Castlevania game series. However a few might be disappointed to find out it isn't a sequel to the series but rather a remake of the PC-Engine game Chi no Rondo (english: Rondo of Blood).
Gameplay:
This game follows the general gameplay of castlevania series games. sidescrolling, sub weapons, climbing stairs and clearing stages. there are a few notable differences however, such as having not only a male playable character but also a female character. You can choose to play as the classic whip-wielding Richter Belmont, or the animal-summoning Maria Renard. the game also featured multiple stage routes that change depending on what boss you defeat at the end of the stage. The gameplay is exactly the same as the original, just rendered in 3D. that includes stages, characters/enemies and even the previously anime-style cutscenes are now in 3D. The only other minor difference is that you can obtain BGM CDs that allow you to listen to the game music outside of gameplay, and you are able to unlock classic castlevania games.
Classic games?:
besides the main game mode "Dracula X Chronicles", you are able to unlock (not available at start just to clear that up!) two other games: the PC-Engine version of Rondo of Blood, and the PSX game Symphony of the Night, which takes place 4 years after Rondo of Blood. SoTN is the first game in the Castlevania series to implent a RPG-like game system (leveling up, equip items etc.) and unlike its predecessors, you were able to explore the areas freely. you play as Dracula's only(?) son Alucard (his name backwards LOLZ) who gave up his life of sin and decides to fight against his father. he is accompanied by Richter and Maria (who are playable in this game as well, just by entering their name on the name entry screen).
Graphics and Sound:
the the music and sound effects remain more-or-less the same as they were previously, the music of RoB was redone just to sound "better" and the voice acting (in all three games) have been redone (no What Is A Man dialog, google it :P) and you are able to choose between English and Japanese language. the graphics of the original games remain the same however there is no widescreen setup for the classic games resulting in a "box" screen. this shouldn't make too much of a difference though, at least not to me :P
Difficulty: Hard
Rondo of Blood is not an easy game by any means, but it is easy to get used to. since the design is based on the old style of castlevania, there are a lot of things that can be hard to get used to. you'll find that just "a few hits" can take just about half your life down, most of the time you'll only get 1 or 2 health refills! sometimes you'll find that it is EASY to get knocked into a hole on the floor, instantly killing you. Bosses are pretty hard when you first get to them, the key is memorizing what the boss will do.
personal opinion:
I consider this game (RoB) to be the peak of castlevania gameplay. it introduced new mechanics such as backflips and slides, and proved to be the 2nd most challenging Castlevania game (1st being Castlevania 2: belmonts revenge). It also implemented a LOT of dialogue and storyline compared to previous games (before the GBA series of games). this game is quite challenging even to me. however i'm sure only "classic gamers" will appreciate this kind of gameplay, less and less sidescrolling games are being made, and the challenge of games has been going downhill quick. even the Castlevania series was not able to avoid this fate, with Dawn of Sorrow (DS) being the easiest castlevania game (in my opinion -.-;;) however i have not ventured further than DoS in the series, i hope i won't be disappointed...
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