Few games are as legendary as this one. Released just before Halloween in 1993, Rondo of Blood is considered by many to be second only to 1997's "Symphony of the Night" in terms of critical acclaim. However, far fewer have played this gem as it has only officially been released on the PC Engine Super CD, in addition to the Wii Virtual Console. This review will cover the original Japanese 1993 PC Engine CD release.
A long "anime" introduction sets up the story. Once again, a Belmont(Richter) must face off against the evil Dracula. The introduction looks and sounds great. A few more of these cut-scences appear throughout the game and add a lot to the story. However, they are in Japanese. The Wii version does translate the text into English.
On to the gameplay. The game plays and looks like a dream. For a PC Engine game, the sprites are highly detailed and some of the bosses/monsters have huge sprites. The backgrounds are great-looking, and in the first stage you visit the familiar first town from Castlevania II. Deep purples and dark colours fill the sprite palettes, and the game have a wonder ambience of macabre to it.
Like Castlevania 3, Rondo of Blood has branching paths. In this alternate path, you can take control of "Maria". More nimble and agile, Maria plays quite different from Richter, who is more lumbering. Familiar weapons such as the Holy Water and Cross make their return. Many have complained that about Richter's inability to whip multi-directionally, like in Super Castlevania IV. While this is a minor issue, besides CIV, none of the earlier games allowed for this feature either.
Despite the two distinct paths and the ability to play as Maria, Rondo will certainly feel short compared to more modern Vania games. Each play through should take a couple of hours (depending on how many times you die). While this may seem short, each moment is an enjoyable one. Remember, this is before "Metroid-vania" entered our lexicons. Rondo of Blood is a masterpiece, and it deserves to be played by anyone with even a casual interest in the series.
+One of the greatest looking games of its time.
+Plays wonderfully with classic Castlevania gameplay
+Multiple paths and characters
-Somewhat short
-Very expensive to buy a real copy (200+)
-Cutscenes are in Japanese
Rating: 9.5/10
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