“Friday Old Games” is a series of articles in which we review a game from the older generations of consoles, share why we picked it, and whether or not it holds up with time.

When Dracula X: Rondo of Blood first made it on the US Virtual Console, I remained casually interested. The early Castlevania franchise has simply never enthused. Yes, the music is always excellent, and the series art has always had the fun Gothic aesthetic, but I just found the whole classic Castlevania era fairly archaic.

Simon Belmont always felt stilted in his movement, almost gawky. Don’t even get me started on how gimped the throwing weapons were. I naturally presumed Rondo of Blood would simply be more of the three NES games I couldn’t get into.

Yet, the hype got to me. Titles like “best game in the Castlevania series”, “best TurboGrafx game”, and even one of “the best games of all time” were all heaped upon Rondo of Blood. How could all of these people possibly be wrong? With nine-hundred points left over from purchasing my precious Cave Story, I decided to give Rondo a try.

I still couldn’t shake the feeling I was buying a game I knew hardly anything about, in a franchise I’ve never personally enjoyed. Could Rondo really live up to the hype?

"I have the feeling I'm being watched..."

Eggs on my face. I was totally blindsided by the quality of the game. It’s hard to believe a game this hyped for this long can come out today and still objectively blow my mind. Dracula X: Rondo of Blood is a culmination of Castlevania concepts and gameplay refined into pure, video game gold, and one of the best games to bless the Virtual Console with its presence.

The game opens with the awesomely cheesy Anime FMV that presents the struggle of a young Richter Belmont who must overcome the mighty Dracula. Enter the main menu, select new game, and you’re immediately thrust into an impromptu boss battle with a ghoulish, Grim Reaper-like specter. Synthesized TurboGrafx horns blare in the background as you burst into the first stage upon your burning chariot, pumped for some righteous undead slaying. Ghouls start pouring in from the right, and you know it’s time to storm the Castle.

I found the original Castlevania series’ controls inexcusable in a generation shared with the likes of Super Mario Bros. and Mega Man. It pissed me off that Castlevania’s awesome soundtracks and gothic locales came at the sacrifice of Simon’s zombie like movement.

Luckily, Rondo feels much faster and well paced than its predecessors. Richter still feels slightly stiff, but his whipping and jumping are much faster and responsive than his ancestor’s. Levels feel better designed, with multiple pathways, each of which have it’s own unique twist. Enemy placement feels better and much more diverse than the “rush and kill” style that plagued early Castlevania titles. It’s almost a universal update on the series.

After playing Rondo of Blood, I think I have a better understanding of why people love this series so much. It’s definitely not a fast paced Contra shooter, because there’s no real twitch. Rather Rondo, and all of Castlevania, is about precision and knowing where to be at the right time; elements rarely seen in both modern and retro games.

This unique twist on combat, coupled with the art and the soundtrack, must be why people cling to the series. I’ve seen no game better tap into these elements than Rondo of Blood.

Why did I choose this game?

So many people whom I respect lavish praise after praise on Rondo of Blood. Some have even proclaimed it the holy grail of import gaming.

I have very little experience with either Castlevania or the TurboGrafx-16. To remain a well rounded gamer, I decided I should try something new. Why not play one of the most popular games of all time?

How does it hold up?

Superbly. The graphics are still crisp, and the music remains as awesome as ever, especially with the improved audio of the TurboGrafx-16. I do warn you though, it can be quite a challenge. Though I found the lives-based checkpoint system perfectly fair, some will criticize it for being too difficult. But that’s what you should probably expect from something like the Castlevania series. Personally, I enjoyed the challenge.

Rondo has resparked my interest in both the TurboGrafx-16 and the whole classic Castlevania series. I haven’t touched Super Castlevania 4 or Castlevania: Bloodlines. Heck, I want to replay the originals with some more patience and respect, just to see if I can finally appreciate the series for what it is. Rondo is a surprising gem, and definitely one of the best games to ever hit the virtual console.

Tags: 2D action game, castlevania, Dracula, Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, FOG, Friday Old Games, platformer, Richter Belmont, TurboGrafx-16, virtual console, Wii

This entry was posted on Friday, April 9th, 2010 at 5:00 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.