Castlevania: Rondo of Blood Review by The Successor

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astlevania: Rondo of Blood has had more enticing enchantment surrounding it than any other Castlevania title. In 1993, it was released for an exotic console called the TurboGrafx-16 (or PC Engine in Japan), which comparatively few westerners owned. To further complicate matters, the support of a peripheral called the TurboGrafx-CD was necessary to run the game. What's even more is that it was withheld from audiences outside Japan until 2007.

During the fourteen year interim, western Castlevania fans were given a lot to drool over when shown bits and pieces of Rondo of Blood. They were missing out on vibrant graphics, CD-quality audio, and luxurious anime cut-scenes with spoken dialogue. Because this game is on a CD instead of the cartridges that carried the day, it is afforded many advantages that other Castlevania games before it were not, due to the amount of space that CDs allow.
The fact that most non-Japanese fans were not able to experience this helped Rondo achieve Holy Grail status, making it one of the most sought after and treasured games on the TurboGrafx-16, and in the Castlevania series.

A relatively small number of fans would resort to cobbling together bootleg CDs with files they got from cryptic websites, or through other connections. It was either that convoluted process, or pay exorbitant amounts of money on eBay for a copy of Rondo of Blood, and even more money for a TurboGrafx-16 or TurboDuo to run the CD. Those who went the distance to play this game through whatever means often came back with glory stories proclaiming its excellence.

Rondo of Blood is frequently held high as the best stage by stage Castlevania adventure. Though its exclusivity may lend to its reputation, Rondo exhibits enough sheer quality and well executed innovation to back that up.

Rondo of Blood introduces Richter Belmont to the Castlevania universe. Destiny decrees that Richter confront Castlevania and its commandant, Dracula. In what is one of the best introductions to a Castlevania game, players learn more about the Lord Count as an unimpassioned voice narrates the prologue in German, while the Dark Priest Shaft and an assemblage of committed cultists sacrifice a maiden to resurrect the Vampire Lord.
One of the most noteworthy aspects is that the scenes are illustrated in clear, moving anime. Rewinding back to 1993, this was incredibly remarkable and still makes a solid impression today.

That sequence is followed by another anime buildup featuring Richter suiting up for the hunt as Dracula's hordes destroy a Transylvanian village. Like scenes are interspersed throughout the quest in healthy doses.

They don't unfold any grand storyline, but are brief intermissions between the action that add a lot of character and display the extra love the developers delivered to fans.

Rondo's Japanese sensibilities and clichés are immediately manifested. This is a big change as many Castlevania titles prior to Rondo often exhibited a fusion of western sword and sorcery and gothic horror styling in the more embellished art pieces.
Rondo's character art and cut-scenes are done in early 90s anime that fits exceptionally well and adds much dynamism. Though an unusual turn, it happened at just the right time for just the right game, and brings the one of a kind sensation of cherished old school anime series to Castlevania.

The vibrant art compliments Rondo of Blood's in-game graphics. They are bold and colorful with superbly done sprite work and animation. The usage of several sprites in Castlevania entries as far as fifteen years after Rondo of Blood is a testament to the quality of Rondo's graphics, and how well they stand against the rigors of time. The characters, enemies, and bosses are beautifully shaded and garnished with lovely detail. They downright shame the sprites in other 16-bit Castlevania games.

The environments are occasionally bland and flat, lacking depth and relying on huge blocks of a single color rather than scrupulous detail. This is not usually the case, and even when it is, sometimes there is quaint beauty in the simplicity that matches the discreet yet charismatic artwork. This more basic look is a product of the TurboGrafx-16, which doesn't allow for as many colors as the Super Nintendo.

The gameplay excels just as much as the graphics and art, if not more so. The pace of Rondo of Blood is quick and the going is smooth. Richter moves at a brisk speed lithely and is very responsive, so he doesn't feel as tank-like as previous Belmonts.

A double tap of the jump button will cue Richter to perform a dexterous back flip that is useful for quickly dodging foes, and if the player keeps their finger on the attack button while walking, Richter will continually face the direction in which he attacked, even if he is walking in the opposite direction. This allows for attacks while retreating.

A key feature is the new Item Crash ability. Richter can exploit his sub-weapons to unleash elaborate attacks given he has enough hearts. Even though Richter can do all these things his predecessors could not, the enemies rise to the occasion and are well equipped, placed, and reinforced to provide ample challenge. One aspect that contributes to the difficulty is that the regeneration time after suffering damage is next to nil. Once hurt, Richter is near immediately open to another attack, so enemies may bounce him back and forth, which can be frustrating, but demands especially cautious playing. This is a feature that made it into Symphony of the Night, and thus, many Castlevania games to follow.

Going more into that, it's often said that Symphony of the Night is the beginning of a different type of Castlevania game. That is true, but what is often left unsaid is that many elements that became commonplace among later games are first seen in Rondo of Blood. There is more maneuverability, the Cross sub-weapon doesn't cover the entire length of the screen, but stops and rests at a set distance to repeatedly damage foes, the Holy Water glides across the ground instead of remaining stationary, the regeneration time is much lessoned, and Item Crashes have become mainstays. Rondo of Blood is credited with forging many forwarding ideas for the series.

Like Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, it has multiple endings.
When Dracula's forces laid waste to the Transylvanian village, they abducted young women and detained them in and around Castlevania. They are Tera, an affectionate and pious nun, Iris, the bright daughter of the village doctor, Annette, Richter Belmont's love interest, and Maria Renard, a preteen who was captured as she attempted to challenge Count Dracula herself. Adding another shade of innovation, players are given the option of rescuing them. The pretty gals are hidden in stages and it takes a little astuteness to find them. Given that there are so many places to search, saving them is a fun challenge that includes an explorative component, which keeps the game from being about inflexibly linear forward progression and nothing more.

Nobody is forced to rescue any of them, but doing so will affect the ending to the game, but Rondo can be played from start to finish without paying any heed to the captured damsels.

Rondo introduces many new goals that weren't in Castlevania before it. There are alternate stages that can be uncovered by finding secret passages leading to alternate bosses.

These are oftentimes off the beaten path, and, like the damsels, they take resourcefulness to discover. It is impossible to traverse all stages in one play-through, so even after the game is completed, there are still new stages to explore housing new bosses to conquer. The many different secrets and variables in stages really bring them to life.

Rondo's dandy rewards for skillful players range from the substantial – alternate stages – to small but caring gifts. If players collect a health restoring pot roast when their health bars are full, they will be compensated one thousand points instead of letting the tasty dinner go to waste. If stages are completed with full health, a one-up will be added to the stock of Richter's lives. These things add more incentive for careful playing, and tangible rewards for the practiced.

Though many new features were added to Rondo of Blood, a few of the previous were discarded. There are no Double Shots or Triple Shots, which were power-ups in older Castlevania titles that allowed sub-weapons to be used consecutively at a quick pace. Also, the time limit to complete stages is no longer in effect, and whip upgrades are nowhere in sight.

If players collect enough hearts, a Double Shot effect can be achieved, and because the heart stock is not drained in exchange for points at the end of a stage, as per routine, it isn't hard to collect large sums of hearts. The time limit is lifted because there are many secrets in stages to find, be they maidens, power-ups, or routes leading to an alternate stage. Players are encouraged to stick around and explore thoroughly.

One of the kidnapped maidens can be used as a playable character. Little Maria Renard is a spunky girl who wants to be a Vampire Hunter, so she joins Richter's adventure. After rescuing Maria, she can be played at any time once Richter receives a game over.

There are good things and bad things about Maria. The good is that she makes for a fun extra mode. She plays considerably different from Richter, with her own set of sub-weapons, cutesy items, and a double-jump. The bad is that she makes the game too easy, and it can easily be seen as silly to have a small girl be so powerful. There is assurance in that the whole thing can be disregarded as a joke by the developers, even though Maria canonically does have powers and aids Richter in his quest.

Some players may have a problem with the campy components of Rondo of Blood. Maria is but a facet that makes up a large whole. Those looking for a morose and funereal experience may be somewhat disenchanted.

The whole game has a cool happy go lucky and fun atmosphere, and doesn't aim to be sullen or grim despite the gothic backdrop. One of the areas where this is most discernible is the music.

The music of Rondo of Blood fits like a glove. Several tracks are filled with lovely flowing synth tunes that bleed just the right emotions for this game, its sentiment, and its situations. Drum machines, synthesizers, keyboards, and guitars bond to create an enlivening and danceable score with just the right amount of moxie and ghostly passages. There are many feel good hooks that grab listeners from the get go.

Tunes like "Bloodlines," the theme for Richter Belmont, and "Cross a Fear" have sparkling energy, infectious riffs, and a certain charm only late 80s and early 90s pop could achieve. The soundtrack takes pages from horror music, with macabre baroque motions and ghoulish melodies, but adds a playful spin to them, making for a saccharine presentation to subject matter that is, at par value, very glum.

Familiar tunes like "Bloody Tears" and "Beginning" make some of their strongest stands here, and are considerably different from what has been heard elsewhere. "Illusionary Dance" introduces itself, and it makes a powerful first impression with its menacing organ, arresting horns, and forewarning drums.

One of the best things about the soundtrack is that it is delivered in CD quality red book audio, which is able to support higher quality synth samples, drum machines, and electric guitars. This makes it so it doesn't sound as much like the blooping video game music that was very common by 1993. Rondo marks Castlevania's first foray into CD quality audio, and it doesn't disappoint at all. The rhythmic and casual score is full of catching themes that are some of the series' most illustrious and addictive.

Again, why the score's somewhat kidding tone works so well is because the rest of the game is like that. It falls into place with what the game is reaching to achieve, and this is one of the things that really puts Rondo of Blood above most other Castlevania titles. It is one of the instances in gaming where everything about it clicks perfectly. Its attributes compliment each other, and every constituent of its fiber is in harmony. From the art, to the characters, sound effects, anime shorts, stages, innovations, and music.
It's similar to how Metroid and Super Metroid's elements combined, fully realized each other, and played off of each other for an outstanding delivery, so much so that it would be a strain to think of how it could have actually been done better, or more in sync.

It's fascinating that this gracefully silly anime action pack is the prequel to the Baroque and Victorian Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Though they are not similar in their values, this incongruity works brilliantly.

Some may say that Rondo's reputation is inflated by the rarity it once held, implying that early accounts of the game's quality were exaggerated due to the prestige of having even played it. Although, Rondo of Blood is a Castlevania that does all the right things for when it was released, and ages like a fine wine. The bosses are immensely enjoyable, and there is not a single boring or cheap stage among the many that are available. Stages have more meaning than just moving forward to meet a certain boss at the end. Great CD-quality audio pushes the excellent vivacious compositions even further than they could go on cartridges, and fun anime cutscenes add spice to the experience. It's simply pleasurable to admire the colorful, zesty world that is painted through the graphics, and plenty of new game play features aptly further the formula set by Castlevania 1. A playful scintillating mood wraps the whole package up in a beautiful ribbon.

It is really not hard to see why this pioneering game is a true highlight in the Castlevania series. Rondo is strong enough to stand against accusations, put its money where its mouth is, and keep its head held high as one of the foremost pinnacles of Castlevania's twenty plus years of existence.