Summary

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood is a classic action-adventure game released in 1993, where players control Richter Belmont to battle Dracula and his minions. The game is known for its challenging gameplay, atmospheric music, and the ability to play as Maria Renard.

• Release Year: 1993
• Genres: Adventure, Platform
• Platforms: PlayStation Portable, Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD, Wii
• Developers: Konami
• Publishers: Konami

Introduction

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood is a celebrated entry in the Castlevania series, known for its engaging gameplay, captivating storyline, and memorable soundtrack. It follows Richter Belmont’s quest to vanquish Dracula and his evil horde.

Synopsis

“Castlevania: Rondo of Blood”, originally released in Japan as “Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo”, is a platform-adventure video game developed by Konami for the PC Engine’s Super CD-ROM² System. The game was first released exclusively in Japan on October 29, 1993.

The game is set in the year 1792, in the fictional universe of the Castlevania series. The story centers around the eternal conflict between the vampire hunters of the Belmont clan and the immortal vampire Dracula. The protagonist of the game is Richter Belmont, a 19-year-old vampire hunter who is also the heir to the Vampire Killer whip and the direct descendant of Simon Belmont.

Richter’s mission is to defeat Dracula and Shaft, and rescue four girls – Tera, Iris, Annette, and Maria Renard. Annette is Richter’s beloved, who was abducted by Dracula. The game takes the player through nine stages, with four alternate routes1, as Richter searches for Annette and ultimately confronts Dracula in his castle.

Richter makes use of a whip as his main weapon and one of six sub-weapons: an axe, a dagger, holy water, a bible, a pocket watch, and a cross. While exploring the castle, Richter can rescue the four maidens. One of them is his distant relative, Maria Renard, who then becomes a playable character. Maria attacks using her doves and one of six sub-weapons: a white tiger kitten, dragon whelp, baby phoenix, turtle, egg or musical notes. She is more agile, can do a double jump, and can do twice the amount of damage that Richter does in each normal attack.

The game 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.

“Castlevania: Rondo of Blood” is a significant entry in the Castlevania series. It was followed by a direct sequel, “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night”, which was released worldwide in 1997. The game was remade for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as “Castlevania: Dracula X” in 1995, and the PlayStation Portable as “Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles” in 2007. In 2008, the original game was released for the Wii’s Virtual Console service in Japan and for the North American and PAL regions in 2010. In 2018, the game was included along with “Symphony of the Night” within the “Castlevania Requiem” collection for the PlayStation 4.

Characters

Key characters include Richter Belmont, the protagonist and vampire hunter; Maria Renard, a young girl with magical abilities who becomes playable after being rescued; Dracula, the immortal vampire lord and main antagonist; and various other creatures and bosses that inhabit Dracula’s castle.

Gameplay

Rondo of Blood features side-scrolling action with platforming elements. Players use Richter’s whip to attack enemies and navigate through levels. The game introduces Item Crash attacks, which are powerful moves using sub-weapons like holy water and crosses. Players can also discover secrets and alternate routes throughout the game.

Conclusion

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood stands as a timeless classic in the realm of action-adventure games. Its blend of challenging gameplay, engaging story, and memorable music continues to captivate players, solidifying its place in gaming history.

Review Score

8.5/10

Art

Cover Art

Screenshots

Fan Art

Fan Art Style: Normal

Fan Art Style: Retro

Fan Art Style: Modern