Konami’s platforming whip-fest Castlevania has persevered for more than twenty years; with just as many titles. So when the true 20th anniversary garnered no official collection, many fans felt cheated. After all, if Capcom’s Mega Man can get not one, but two full anthologies to celebrate his years why not the Belmonts? Well, according to Konami it was legal issues.
This wouldn’t be the first time red tape kept the company from re-releasing something. One such title, Dracula X: Chi no Rinne, (Rondo of Blood) never saw the light of day outside of Japan. A few years ago, you couldn’t search a torrent site without hearing something about this "lost masterpiece," originally released for NEC’s PC Engine console. Forums were bombarded with people begging to get their hands on a copy, and Konami forced sites carrying it to shut down. But many rushed to the conclusion that Konami still had plans, as the series’ producer, Koji Igarashi, claimed several times he adored the game, but couldn’t realease it.
"Rondo of Blood is here, fully revamped and stuffed with new content. You even get Symphony of the Night"
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Rondo of Blood is not only here (finally), but it’s been fully revamped and polished, and stuffed with new content. They even went so far as to include Symphony of the Night on the disc as well! You not only have the original version, but you get a full remake, too. And the fact that you also get, arguably, the most prominent Castlevania ever made; with new features... it just hits it all home. Fans may still be hurting for an official collection, but if this is as close to one as they’re getting for now, there are few complaints to register.
At first glance, one might think Konami chose random games to include in this special. But the set actually completes the former half of the Dracula X story; one most gamers weren’t introduced to until Symphony of the Night. Finally, the prologue battle with Dracula makes perfect sense, and what’s more rewarding are all the new references back to Rondo made apparent. The two games complement each other so well; you’d be doing yourself a disservice not to experience them together.
Rondo of Blood tells the tale of Richter Belmont and his crusade to save the kidnapped maidens from his village. Sure enough, the resurrection of Count Dracula is responsible. Whip in hand and crucifix at the ready, the player makes their way through stages and defeats Dracula’s minions at the end of each, in true series style. Where Rondo sets it apart from previous entries is its non-linear exits.
The game has you traveling from one end of the map to the other, but how you make your way through it is up to you. In any given stage, there are at least two bosses and depending which one you face off with, you’re sent to a different level next. There are alternate routes to get there so finding every little nook and cranny is really the main drive here, especially since it’s impossible to see everything in one play through.
While the overall difficulty has been heightened, the levels themselves aren’t all that long. One could blaze through one path of the game in the same amount of sittings. But that little percentage on the main menu begs for 100% completion, and it’s worth it to unlock Maria, a character who plays vastly different from Richter.
Finding well-hidden icons unlocks new features. You can open up more music to play around with in the brand new "Sound Assign" mode, where you can choose which songs play on which level. That’s like a CV fan-boy’s wet dream come true. If you don’t care for "Bloody Tears," switch it out with "Vampire Killer" and see if that jazzes. The library at your disposal is huge, with the ability to unlock the music to all 3 games. Aside from redoing the entire Rondo soundtrack, Konami included the redbook original as well. With a few new songs to boot, the only qualm with "Sound Assign" is that it’s only available in the remake. So while you can’t mess with Symphony’s masterful soundtrack, you can at least assign its tunes back to Rondo. Hopefully this feature is here to stay in future series installments.
You can also unlock the original Rondo, essentially the same game in 16-bit form. Nearly untouched and perfectly emulated, it’s also finally translated and dubbed. And if the English voice acting doesn’t suit your ears, you can switch to the Japanese language track.
"Finally, the prologue battle with Dracula makes perfect sense. Rondo and Symphony compliment each other so well, they should be experienced together."
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But we’d only be tipping half the iceberg if we didn’t mention the other offering on this tiny UMD. Garnered with praise by many a review outlet in its day, having 1997’s Symphony of the Night perfectly emulated in hand-held form is the icing on the cake, if not likely to be remembered as the main attraction. That such an important game has to be unlocked by finding an icon is a little odd, but you’ll want to finish Rondo first in order to understand the clever links between the two titles anyway.
Symphony of the Night continues the saga just five years later. Originally released for the Playstation and Saturn, it’s well known for taking the series in a truly new direction. It takes a lot of what makes Metroid fun and infuses a heap of RPG goodness into the mix; throwing out the bottomless pits and linear levels from Castlevanias past. From here on, the series would consistently feature massive, open-ended level design and several items to find and exploit.
The game uses character encounters and dialogue text to move the story along, but features a somewhat weak plot. Dracula’s son, Alucard, is awakened from his eternal slumber and is determined to destroy the sudden dark powers on the rise. You’ll ultimately uncover the truth behind this disturbacne if you’re observant enough. Let’s just say you haven’t seen it all if you get the bad ending. Not even close.
Symphony is truly massive, but it’s just as well known for its unbalanced difficulty. While some of the bosses can be an absolute cakewalk, we seemed to notice a slightly harder second half compared to the Playstation’s. But like the Castlevanias of today, the difficulty largely depends on your play style (or a certain infamous sword). The freedom of Symphony’s world is what makes it so fun, and having it handheld is almost too convenient. Feeling too easy? Try avoiding all the life power ups, or fight through the game with just your fists. There’s so many ways to play because there’s so many items to change it up. Symphony also remains the finest of its breed due to great castle design.
Pedigree aside, the game is not without its own flaws. Castlevania has seen some ten new entries since. So when all the obvious scars on Alucard’s quest remain, like the fact you can’t access the bestiary outside the library, or the one-way teleport system that can make getting around a slight pain, it’s all the more disappointing when the newer games have put these problems in the past. Oh well -- we put up with it before, after all.
New to this version (in the US at least) is a playable Maria Renard. Not only does she play vastly different from either Alucard or Richter, but from her former self on the Saturn also. Her new focus changes some of the cut scenes and encounters this time.
Aside from a retranslated script performed by an all-new American cast, there’s little else that’s changed, and it really doesn’t need to. Even though Konami was never satisfied with the original English dubs and the new voicing is more professional, it’s hard not to miss the over-the-top soap-operatic fare of the original, as it set a nicer theatric tone. Maria’s new voice fits her personality better, but the rest of the cast is rehashed too much between characters.
On the graphical front, there are some slight issues as well, but it’s more to do with the system than sloppy design. All the games suffer from PSP-screen motion-blur. The vibrant colors in the original Rondo are the biggest victim, and the game doesn’t look as good as a result. Those who own the slim PSP have the option of outputting to a television, at least. Thankfully, the effect is hardly noticeable in Symphony, a game that still features some of the best sprite work and animation in the industry.
"For $40, you are getting the most Castlevania ever in one package."
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The new Rondo, sports some truly impressive updates to the original stages; topped off with a very exciting waterfall chase. But just as often, elements of the semi-3D engine seem a bit out of sync. The new character models animate oddly and stand out too much from the background, and aliasing becomes more noticeable with screen blur. But overall the game looks nice enough to warrant its "upgrade" status. The more mature art direction fits the dark premise better, as does the gorgeous opening cinematic.
When people speak of The Dracula X: Chronicles in the years to come, they will remember it for value. For four Hamiltons, you are getting the most Castlevania ever released in one package. And the saga is finally presented in complete form. The sheer amount of work that went into making this stateside dream of Rondo a reality, and the natural enhancements that mostly make it better, all go to prove the wait for it was valid all along. It also goes to show that maybe Konami hasn’t abandoned the old Castlevania formula entirely. If you’ve never played Rondo, now’s your chance, and if you’ve never experienced Symphony don’t wait any longer.
