Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo
悪魔城ドラキュラX 血の輪廻1993Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo
悪魔城ドラキュラX 血の輪廻ALSO KNOWN AS CASTLEVANIA: RONDO OF BLOOD
Richter Belmont whips his way through Dracula's castle.
Rondo of Blood is the tenth Castlevania game, and it was released only in Japan. Its hero, Richter Belmont, fights through Dracula's castle to save his love, Annette.
| RELEASED IN JAPAN | 29 October 1993 |
|---|---|
| RELEASED OUTSIDE JAPAN | No official North American PC Engine release |
| DEVELOPER AND PUBLISHER | Konami |
| DIRECTOR | Toru Hagihara |
| STAGES | Nine |
| REMAKE | Dracula X, Super Nintendo, 1995 |
Richter fights with a whip and sub-weapons such as an axe and holy water. The game has nine stages and four alternate routes, and the stages are untimed. Some levels have more than one ending, and your choice changes what comes next.
Richter can rescue four maidens, and one of them, Maria Renard, becomes a playable character. Maria has doves and a double jump. She does more damage per hit, but she takes more damage too. The second path has five hidden stages, which are needed for full completion and the best ending.
The story is set in 1792, when Dracula is revived. His servant Shaft kidnaps Annette as bait, so Richter fights through the castle. Along the way he frees other women held by Dracula's servants. He defeats Shaft, then Dracula, and the castle falls into the sea.
Konami made the game, and its direct sequel is Symphony of the Night, from 1997. In 1995 Konami remade it for the Super Nintendo as Dracula X. The remake has new levels, because PC Engine exclusivity limited a straight port.
A PC Engine Fan poll gave it 26.0 out of 30. GamePro named it among the ten best side-scrollers, and Electronic Gaming Monthly said it could easily be the best CD game yet. The PSP remake, The Dracula X Chronicles, came out in 2007.
It is one of the best-known Super CD-ROM² games, and Konami used the format for a main series entry.
- Stage 5, Shudder, opens only after you beat the game once, in the original PC Engine version.
- Maria Renard is a relative of Richter.
- A hidden minigame, Akumajyo Dracula Peke, runs when the system lacks the Super System Card.
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