Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

Castlevania: 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". The word is the Japanese term for samsara, the Buddhist cycle of death and rebirth. For this particular game however, "Rondo" is the official pronunciation of the kanji in the game title).

There is also a Castlevania game that's considered to be a semi-remake/semi-sequel 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.

Character Gallery
See Also 

Villains
See Also Rondo of Blood Bestiary

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 Crash
This is the first game in the series to feature the Item Crash 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 Crush" is a common mistranslation of this feature.

Stages
Many fans consider the game's stages (the prologue stagecoach battle with Death, the burning village of Aljiba (previously seen in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest), the raft ride, and the remakes of familiar stages (such as the Castle Entrance and the Clock Tower) to be some of the best offered in a Castlevania game.

Miscellaneous

 * The "X" in the Japanese title refers the Roman digital "X" (10) because the game is the tenth game of the Castlevania series.


 * 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.


 * Rondo means "circle", thus it is sometimes known as "Circle of Blood"
 * All the bosses Shaft resurrects are original bosses from "Castlevania"

Music
See Also Akumajo Dracula X

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 a 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.

Composers

 * Akiropito
 * Overture / Divine Bloodlines
 * Former Room
 * Poison Mind
 * Sound effects
 * Player Out
 * Game Over
 * Stage Clear
 * All Clear
 * Jigokuguruma Nakamura
 * Cross a Fear
 * Cemetery
 * Slash
 * Ghost Ship Painting
 * Op. 13
 * The Nest
 * March of the Righteous
 * Sannopi
 * Requiem
 * Former Room (Compose)
 * Dark Desires
 * Dance of Illusions
 * Mary Samba
 * Tracks for demo scenes
 * Metal Yuhki
 * Vampire Killer
 * Bloody Tears
 * Beginning

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. It has been upgraded to a 2.5D game in Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles on the PSP, which also contains the original version as well as its sequel, Symphony of the Night. A direct port of the original version can also be found on the Wii's virtual console and is considered an import title outside japan. While there is no translation made outside of Japan, the English VC version is still altered in that it contains the PSP intro audio and the censored version of the werewolf.

Related Products

 * Akumajo Dracula X - Contains the OST for this game
 * Castlevania: Dracula X - A Super Nintendo semi like, direct-sequel of this game. Considered a non-canon sequel in Japan, branded as a substitute game for Rondo of Blood in North America. It was known as: "Dracula XX" in Japan.
 * Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - The official direct sequel to this game
 * Akumajyo Dracula Peke - A minigame included on the same disk as Rondo of Blood that was played when using an unsupported graphics driver in Rondo of Blood
 * Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles - A 2.5D remake of this game that also collected a new English localized version of this game and its sequel Symphony of the Night
 * Castlevania Best Music Collections BOX - Contains music from this game on Disk 4