Ultimate Pop Culture Wiki

We're looking to revitalize this wiki! For more information, click here.

READ MORE

Ultimate Pop Culture Wiki
Advertisement
in: Pages with script errors, CS1 errors: unsupported parameter, CS1 uses Japanese-language script (ja),
and 17 more

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

Sign in to edit

Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 871: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Japanese box art
Developer(s)Konami
Publisher(s)Konami
Director(s)Toru Hagihara
Producer(s)Yoshiaki Yamada
Artist(s)Toshiharu Furukawa
Reika Bando
Koji Yamada
Composer(s)Akira Souji
Keizo Nakamura
Tomoko Sano
Mikio Saito
SeriesCastlevania
Platform(s)PC Engine CD
Release
  • JP: October 29, 1993
Genre(s)Platform-adventure

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood[n 1] is a platform-adventure video game developed by Konami for the PC Engine's Super CD-ROM² System directed by Toru Hagihara. It is set in the fictional universe of the Castlevania series, where the protagonist Jack Dappen follows a 19 year old boy Henry who goes on his own a journey to rescue   His 21 year old girlfriend named Dana Kimmell and as well the other Camp counselors, members, from the clutches of Jason Voorhees killer as henry sets out to rescue her as well as free the orders from and it captivates people from him. can he save them before it is too late! was released in Japan on October 29, 1993. A direct sequel to it, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, was released in 1997. The game was remade for the Super Nintendo as Castlevania: Dracula X, and the PlayStation Portable as Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles. 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.

Gameplay[]

Drac x1

Richter fighting the Behemoth.[1]

The objective is to guide the primary player characterJack Henry Dappen through nine stages,[2] with four alternate routes,[3] as he searches for his kidnapped beloved Annette and ultimately confronts Dracula in his castle.[4] Henry makes use of a whip as his main weapon and one of six sub-weapons: an axe, a dagger, holy water, a grimoire, a pocket watch, and a cross.[5] While exploring the castle, Richter can rescue four maidens, including his distant relative[6] Maria Renard who then becomes a playable character.[7][8] She attacks using her doves and one of six sub-weapons: a white tiger kitten, dragon whelp, baby phoenix, turtle,[9] egg or musical notes.[5] She is more agile, can do a double jump, and can do twice the amount of damage that Richter does in each normal attack because the doves she shoots out return to her and therefore can do a second hit of damage on the way back, but she takes much more damage each time she is hit than Richter does when he is hit.

Rondo of Blood incorporates elements from the earlier Castlevania games which typically featured linear game play and a member of the Belmont clan as the protagonist, and the later entries which emphasized untamed exploration of the environment.[10] Rondo of Blood makes use of untamed stages with a clear beginning, but more than one ending to some levels; this then affects the subsequent environment, monsters, and boss monster that the player character encounters at the end of the level.[10] Items such as money, hearts, and food can be found scattered throughout the areas.[11] Rondo of Blood also features the Item Crash ability reused in subsequent Castlevania titles, which allows a sub-weapon to be used in a super attack.[8] Its direct sequel, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, reuses many of the monsters.[10]

Plot[]

Taking place in year 1994, Wes Craven's New Nightmare is set in the fictional universe of the Castlevania series. The premise of the series is the eternal conflict between the vampire hunters of the Belmont clan. and the immortal vampire Dracula. The protagonist is 19-year-old Richter Belmont (Jack Dappen), heir to the whip Vampire Killer and Simon Belmont's direct descendant.[12] He comes to the castle to save his beloved ( Dana kimmell is kidnapped by Jason voorhees .Freddy's servant Shaft.[13] Two times throughout the game, the entity's trusty lieutenant, Death, attempts to stop Jack before he reaches entity. Along the way, Jack frees Heather's son Dylan (Miko Hughes,) an orphaned 12-year-old who was taken to the castle and insists on joining him nun who mistakes him for a (Jack continues to search for Clues on where he might have took it to taken her) Jack finally finds his lover Langenkamp After defeating Shaft and Death, Jack Henry Dappen an then he confronts actor Robert England Freddy Kruger or demon), and vanquishes him The entity's realm then collapses into the sea heather and in her new husband Jack a along with Dylan an that live happy ever after. the end

.... Jason and Chris

(Jason Voorhess enters the room where Chris Higgins is imprisoned)


Chris: Such a fine girl. Surely the blood of a beautiful woman will quench the thirst of my body!

(Annette holds her knife)

Chris: Stay away from me!

Jason: (grins) What are you afraid of? In exchange for your blood, you can gain eternal life and beauty from me, can you not? Please, it's a simple matter. I get what I need, and you benefit as well. And then together, you and I shall reign over this world.

Chris: If it means becoming a savage, I... I would sooner kill myself.

Jason: As you wish. However, what exactly makes me a savage? If my existence itself makes me savage, is that not the result of this world? Are not all the people of this age savages as well? If so, I should be a shining beacon for what this world wants me to be: the one to lead them. Do you not agree?

Shaft: My lord count.

Dracula: What is it?

Shaft: There are intruders in the castle.

Jason: I see. Destiny can be quite fun at times. They've likely come to interfere. I hope you'll in a better mood later.

(Dracula locks the door with laughter and disappears)

Chris: Save me, Jack...

"Eyes filled with determination and justice, he gripped onto the Legendary Vampire killer whip, and looked out towards the renowned castle that has caused pain and suffering to the people of these Camp crystal lands for centuries. "Tonight, you will die by my hands Jack told himself. as his grip became tighter, knuckles turning white. I'm coming to Rescue you Dana Kimmell. I'm hold on to save you!"

Descending from the legendary and powerful Juste Belmont, the new member of the Belmont Clan, Jack henry Dappen, grew up in the same peaceful village as he. henry was trained in combat and was quickly realized to be a prodigious vampire hunter. Once he came of age, Juste passed the Vampire Killer whip onto Dappen.

   


Development[]

Rondo of Blood is the tenth installment of the Castlevania video game series.[2] Produced by Konami, Rondo of Blood originally saw only a Japanese-exclusive release on the PC Engine on October 29, 1993.[3][14] Later, a port was released on the Wii for the Japanese Virtual Console on April 22, 2008; as an import, it became available in North America on March 15, 2010 and in the PAL region (Europe and Australia) on March 19, 2010.[15]

Audio[]

Rondo of Blood makes use of Red Book Audio along with the onboard soundchip, allowing for better musical quality.[16][17] Akira Souji, Keizo Nakamura, Tomoko Sano, and Mikio Saito composed the soundtrack of Rondo of Blood.[18][19] The songs from Rondo of Blood, "Overture", "Beginning" and "Opus 13", appeared on a pre-order bonus CD for the 2006 Nintendo DS game Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin.[20]

Konami Style published the two-disk soundtrack of the remake of the game, Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, on November 8, 2007.[21] The songs "Vampire Killer", "Beginning", "Cemetery", and "Divine Bloodlines" were rearranged; it also included a bonus track of an English-language version of "Nocturne" from Symphony of the Night.[21] Within The Dracula X Chronicles is an option which enables players to choose songs from Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night to play in the background.[4] These songs are found in the form of records hidden within the game.[11]

The game starts with an animated sequence narrated by a German voice-over. Probably due to licensing issues, the voice actor changed with the PSP port of the game and this new track was used for the Wii's Virtual Console release - otherwise unaltered from the original PC Engine game.

Versions and re-releases[]

Castlevania: Dracula X[]

Castlevania: Dracula X[n 2][n 3] was developed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.[3] While the plot is similar to Rondo of Blood and it uses many of that game's graphics, it features a different art style, redesigned levels, and altered gameplay elements (such as having only two alternate levels and Maria as a non-playable character).[3][17][23] It was released on July 21, 1995 in Japan, in September 1995 in the USA and Europe,[22] and on June 22, 1996 in Australia as an uncensored release.[citation needed] The game was also released as a Wii U Virtual Console download in Japan on April 23, 2014, in North America on October 2, 2014 and the PAL regions on November 13, 2014. It was released again for New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console download in North America on December 29, 2016, and in Europe and Australia on January 26, 2017.

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles[]

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles[n 4] is a 2.5D remake of Rondo of Blood for the PlayStation Portable.[8] It includes the original game and a port of its sequel, Symphony of the Night, as unlockable content.[1] Symphony of the Night includes the option to play as Maria (as did the Sega Saturn version, but based on the Rondo of Blood version), as well as redone scripts, sound effects and new voice acting.[25] Gameplay in The Dracula X Chronicles remains largely unchanged from Rondo of Blood.[26] However, a Boss Rush mode was added; completion of it three times unlocks the mini-game Peke.[27] It was released in North America on October 23, 2007, in Japan on November 8, 2007, in Europe on February 15, 2008 and in Australia & New Zealand on April 9, 2008.[28] In 2008, the North American edition was re-released as part of the "Greatest Hits" label while the Japanese edition was re-released on July 15, 2010 under the "Best Selection" label.[28] The game was added to the PlayStation Network in Europe in June 2014, as a PSP-only release (the game is already compatible with the PS Vita).[29]

Reception[]

Reception to the PC Engine's Rondo of Blood was positive. Electronic Gaming Monthly stated that Rondo of Blood "can easily be the best CD title yet", and argued that the only bad point to it is that it would not be released in the USA.[35] They later awarded the game Best Japanese Action Game of 1994.[36] GamePro commented, "Declaring Dracula X to be the greatest Castlevania of all time would be a slap at Castlevania IV for the SNES, but earmarking X as one of the ten best side-scrollers of all time is a no-brainer."[37] IGN awarded the Wii port its "Editors' Choice" and described it as enjoyable and "worth the wait".[10] Corbie Dillard of Nintendo Life praised the level design, soundtrack, graphics, and level difficulty.[16]

Castlevania: Dracula X for the Super NES received more mixed reviews, with most critics stating that it is an inferior conversion of the PC Engine game.[32][38] On the release of the SNES port, Famicom Tsūshin scored Dracula X a 24 out of 40,[33] and Electronic Gaming Monthly scored it a 6.75 out of 10, saying it is a good game in its own terms but does not hold up to previous Castlevania games.[32] GamePro criticized that the stage design fails to encourage re-exploring stages, the bosses are not challenging enough, and the graphics and gameplay are primitive: "no knockout Mode 7 stages, no rotating rooms (like in Castlevania IV). Your character is also very small. The play engine feels like it's right out of the 8-bit versions ..."[38] A critic for Next Generation panned it, saying it retains the by-then outdated graphics and controls of the PC Engine game and would not appeal even to die-hard Castlevania fans. He summarized it as "eight levels of no-frills side-scrolling action ... without an original or interesting thought in its wolfsbane-stuffed head."[34] In contrast, IGN's retrospective on the series referred to it as "still one of the best traditional Castlevania games", and that it "holds its own" in terms of graphics, including a brighter color palette and Mode 7 graphics, but suffered from weak A.I. and bad level layout.[3] It received a ranking of 73.75% from GameRankings, based on four reviews.[39]

Critical reaction to the remake, The Dracula X Chronicles, was generally favorable. Metacritic listed The Dracula X Chronicles as 80/100 while Game Rankings gave it an 81.40%.[40][41] Reviewers praised the updated visuals, enjoyable soundtrack, inclusion of Symphony of the Night and other bonus content.[1][26][42][43][30] The high level of difficulty was noted by reviewers as potentially frustrating for players unused to it,[1][26][43][30] and the voice acting drew criticism as "soap opera fare".[26] Conversely, GameSpy called The Dracula X Chronicles "a solid remake", but considered it unnecessary and "worse than the original".[31] Game Informer's Tim Turi felt it was a worthwhile remake of Rondo of Blood and praised its inclusion of it and Symphony of the Night as extra games.[44] Jeremy Parish of 1UP described it as "a beautifully crafted action game in the classic Castlevania style" and a "long-coveted classic".[30] GameZone ranked it as the fifth best Castlevania title. Like Game Informer, the staff praised the quality of the remake and the inclusion of the aforementioned games.[45]

Notes[]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 jkdmedia (November 13, 2007). "Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles – PSP – Review". Game Zone. Retrieved September 4, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Thorsen, Tor. "Castlevania: Rondo of Blood drips onto VC, Rage of the Gladiator strikes WiiWare". GameSpot. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Bozon, Mark (January 18, 2008). "Castlevania: The Retrospective – Page 4". IGN. Retrieved September 4, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Joyny, Patrick (February 2, 2007). "Previews: Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles". GameSpy. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Weapons/Spells – Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles Guide". IGN. Retrieved September 4, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  6. ↑ "Castlevania: Rondo of Blood Instruction Manual". Castlevania Crypt.com. Retrieved November 17, 2016. Maria Lenard / Daughter of distant kinship with the House of Belmont. {{cite web}}:
  7. ↑ "Maidens – Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles Guide". IGN. Retrieved September 4, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Parish, Jeremy (February 1, 2007). "Castlevania PSP Preview for PSP from 1UP". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: ; deadurl
  9. ↑ "The Four Chinese Guardians". Retrieved July 24, 2015. {{cite web}}:
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Thomas, Lucas M. (March 26, 2010). "Castlevania: Rondo of Blood Review". IGN. Retrieved September 4, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Items – Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles Guide". IGN. Retrieved September 4, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  12. ↑ Konami (2007). Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles –Instruction booklet. p. 4. 
  13. ↑ Konami Computer Entertainment Japan. Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles. (Konami). PlayStation Portable. (October 23, 2007) "Dracula: That young lady has a certain "connection" with my old foes...the Belmonts. Bring her alive. I have a most amusing idea. / Shaft: By your command."
  14. ↑ "Akumajo Dracula X: Chi no Rondo — Release Summary". GameSpot. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  15. ↑ "Casltevania: Rondo of Blood for the Wii". GameSpot. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Dillard, Corbie (March 16, 2010). "Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (virtual console) review". Nintendo Life. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Whalen, Mike; Giancarlo Varanini. "The History of Castlevania – Page 7". GameSpot. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  18. ↑ Raiga: Strato Fighter (Media notes). Pony Canyon, Inc., Scitron Digital Contents Inc. 1991. {{cite AV media notes}}:
  19. ↑ Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. (Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.). Scene: staff credits. (1993)
  20. ↑ Kohler, Chris (November 10, 2006). "Exclusive: Castlevania Music CD Track Listing!". Wired.com. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Gann, Patrick. "Akumajou Dracula X Chronicle OST". RPGFan. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Castlevania Dracula X — Release Summary". GameSpot. Retrieved 11 August 2013. {{cite web}}:
  23. ↑ Low, David (January 14, 2006). "Franchise Mode #11 – Castlevania, Part 2". PALGN. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2010. {{cite web}}: ; deadurl
  24. ↑ 悪魔城ドラキュラシリーズ総合サイト – 1995 . Konami. Retrieved September 5, 2007. {{cite web}}:
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Kumar, Matthew (January 3, 2008). "Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles PSP Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved September 5, 2010. received an incredibly inferior port to the Super Nintendo {{cite web}}:
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Burt, Andy (October 23, 2007). "Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles review from GamePro". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2010-04-13. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  27. ↑ "Secrets – Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles Guide". IGN. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles for PSP". GameSpot. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  29. ↑ http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2014/06/25/new-playstation-store-another-world-valiant-hearts-discounts-galore/
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 Parish, Jeremy (October 23, 2007). "Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: ; deadurl
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Hall, AJ (October 23, 2007). "GameSpy: CAstlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles – Page 1". GameSpy. Retrieved September 4, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 "Review Crew: Dracula X". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (75): 32. October 1995. 
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: 悪魔城ドラキュラXX. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.345. Pg.29. 28 July 1995.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "Castlevania: Dracula X". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (10): 126. October 1995. 
  35. ↑ "The Belmont Series Continues On!". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Sendai Publishing) (55): p. 88. February 1994. 
  36. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly's Buyer's Guide. 1995. 
  37. ↑ "Overseas ProSpects: Dracula X". GamePro (IDG) (58): p. 164. May 1994. 
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "ProReview: Castlevania: Dracula X". GamePro (IDG) (85): p. 64. October 1995. 
  39. ↑ "Castlevania Dracula X for SNES". GameRankings. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  40. ↑ "Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles". Metacritic. Retrieved September 4, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  41. ↑ "Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles for PSP". GameRankings. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  42. ↑ Workman, Robert (October 26, 2007). "Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles Review". GameDaily. Retrieved September 4, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Cabral, Matt. "Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles". GamesRadar. Retrieved September 4, 2010. {{cite web}}:
  44. ↑ Turi, Tim (2012-04-04). "Ranking The Castlevania Bloodline". Game Informer. Retrieved 2013-12-05. {{cite web}}:
  45. ↑ Workman, Robert (2011-09-27). "Happy 25th Birthday Castlevania: The Ten Best Games in the Series". GameZone. Retrieved 2013-12-06. {{cite web}}:
Castlevania series
Games Original series Castlevania (1986) • Vampire Killer • Simon's Quest • Haunted Castle • The Adventure • (ReBirth) • Dracula's Curse • Belmont's Revenge • Super Castlevania IV • Chronicles • Rondo of Blood • Bloodlines • Symphony of the Night • Legends • Castlevania (1999) • Legacy of Darkness • Circle of the Moon • Harmony of Dissonance •

Aria of Sorrow • Lament of Innocence • Dawn of Sorrow • Curse of Darkness • Portrait of Ruin • Order of Shadows • Order of Ecclesia

Lords of Shadow Lords of Shadow • Mirror of Fate • Lords of Shadow 2
Spin-offs Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun • Kid Dracula • Judgment • Pachislot Akumajō Dracula • The Arcade • Puzzle: Encore of the Night • Harmony of Despair
Characters Dracula • Alucard • Soma Cruz • Simon Belmont • Trevor Belmont • Sypha Belnades
Universe Vampire Killer • Dracula's Castle • Belmont Clan
People Koji Igarashi • Kinuyo Yamashita • Michiru Yamane • Ayami Kojima
Music Soundtracks Akumajō Dracula Famicom Best • Akumajō Dracula Best 2 • Symphony of the Night Original Game Soundtrack • The Original Game Soundtrack
Arrangements Perfect Selection: Dracula Battle • Perfect Selection: Dracula Battle II • Perfect Selection: Dracula New Classic
Related Castlevania (TV series) • Captain N: The Game Master • Konami Krazy Racers • DreamMix TV World Fighters • Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate • Metroidvania • List of media


Cite error: <ref> tags exist for a group named "n", but no corresponding <references group="n"/> tag was found

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
Advertisement