Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (悪魔城ドラキュラＸ ～血の輪廻 (ロンド)～; Akumajō Dorakyura X: Chi no Rondo) is a Japanese PC Engine Super CD video game in the popular Castlevania series, released on October 29, 1993. It was never released outside of Japan, despite positive reviews from both fans and critics. Rondo of Blood is often considered exemplary as to why the Japanese PC Engine fared so much better than its North American counterpart, the TurboGrafx 16.

(Note: "輪廻" is literally pronounced "rinne". For this particular game however, "Rondo" is the official pronunciation of the kanji).

A Castlevania game considered to be a remake of sorts to Rondo of Blood called Castlevania: Dracula X (Akumajō Dracula XX in Japan) was released for the Super Nintendo two years later, but it wasn't well received by the fans and critics who noticed substantial and negative differences from the original title. As a result, the PC Engine Super CD version is considered one of the hallmarks of the Castlevania series.

Plot
The plot of the game is fairly straightforward and typical of Castlevania titles. Richter Belmont, of the famed Belmont lineage, must rescue his loved ones, whom have been kidnapped by Dracula. Despite the rather minimal plot, the game makes up for this in a number of innovative twists.

Heroes

 * Richter Belmont: The main hero and wielder of the Vampire Killer whip.
 * Maria Renard: The younger sister of Richter's girlfriend Annette who has been kidnapped by Dracula; she becomes playable after being rescued mid-game.

Supporting cast

 * Annette: Richter's lover who has been abducted by Dracula. Made Maria's older sister and given her surname in Castlevania: Dracula X.
 * Tera: A nun from the local church. She has also been abducted.
 * Iris: Daughter of a doctor and the fourth of the captives.

Villains

 * Dracula: Lord of Castlevania and main antagonist.
 * Shaft: A dark priest under Dracula's command.
 * Camilla: A female vampire and boss.
 * Laura: Camilla's consort in her boss battle.

Innovations
Dracula X features a number of innovative and memorable twists, many of which are regarded by fans and critics as some of the best points of the game. Several of these features are descended from similar features in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.

Richter and Maria
After Maria is rescued early in the game, you have the option of playing as her, alternating between her and Richter. She attacks with magical, whimsical skills, such as throwing doves at enemies, hiding in a turtle shell, and other animal based attacks.

Multiple Paths
The game features seven default stages, but also contains a number of optional hidden stages, the entrances to which are hidden in the regular stages.

Item Crush
This is the first game in the series to feature the Item Crush ability that has cropped up in other Castlevania titles. The ability allows the given sub-weapon, such as the dagger or axe, to be used in a super attack, at the expense of a larger amount of hearts. "Item Crash" is a common mistranslation of this feature.

Stages
Many fans consider the game's stages, such as the prologue stagecoach battle with Death, the burning village of Aljiba in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, and the raft ride, as well as the remakes of familiar stages such as the castle entryway and the clocktower, to be some of the best offered in a Castlevania game.

Miscellaneous

 * This was the first Castlevania title to feature a complete "anime" style in its design. While this style had existed and influenced the series prior to Dracula X, it is more prominent here than ever before.


 * This is the first game in the series to feature voice actors and recorded dialogue.


 * A number of enemies, such as the spearmen and skeleton apes are introduced for the first time, and many of the sprite designs for this game were very influential in further 2D Castlevania design, particularly in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Music
The music this time around goes for a bit of a pop style, but still contains that classic Castlevania progressive rock feel of the older games. Since Dracula X is CD based game, live guitars were brought in to back up the crisp sounding synth and drum beats. Vampire Killer, Bloody Tears and Beginning were all also rearranged for this game.

The soundtrack was released in a two disc set (the second disk containing the soundtrack to Castlevania: Bloodlines) in 1994 and has since been taken out of production, making it just as hard to find as the game is.

Legacy
Dracula X has had remarkable impact and is something of a turning point in the series. The following games would be influenced by it graphics wise, with many sprites almost directly taken from the game. It is also one of the last "old-school" Castlevania games, featuring more linear, stage based gameplay, as opposed to the "Castleroid" style introduced in this game's extremely popular direct sequel, Symphony of The Night.

The game is highly sought after by many fans, but due to the lack of a North American release, copies are rare. The game often sells for well over $100 on ebay.