Consider this a perfection of the NES formula
The story of this game is simple. After a group of knights slay a young maiden to resurrect Dracula, he terrorizes the local population, prompting the locals to look at the presence of a Belmont, the saviors of the people and the family of vampire slayers who dedicate their lives to the death of Dracula. You are Richter Belmont, descendant of Simon Belmont and you are seeking revenge on Dracula for stealing your love interest, Annette Renard. Along the way, you meet maidens whom you can rescue and Annette's sister, Maria Renard, who serves as a playable character. Along your path you witness demons, Dracula's minions, and the dark priest Shaft, all of whom you must defeat in order to slay Dracula and optionally rescue Annette. The story is pretty basic, but it was always like that in a Castlevania and it never harmed the game's quality.
The controls are pretty basic. You press I to attack with your whip and II to jump. To throw items, you hold up and press I. Up is also used to climb stairs and you can trigger a special jump by pressing II twice. Richter and Maria have their own respective special abilities, known as an "Item Crush", which with the press of the Select button, you can summon multiple special items and perform a special move to slay the monsters. Overall the controls feel just like in the NES games, rather than Super Castlevania IV, but there have been small tweeks to make the game less frustrating. For example, now you can jump from the stairs and also attack, unlike the previous games where you are left in that area defenseless. Also you can kneel down to prevent the oncoming attacks from pushing you back into a trap. This helps the game's difficulty cushion a bit and prevent frustration.
The game follows the same pattern as the previous games, but feels like a fusion of Castlevania III's multiple path scenario and the straight forward approach of the previous games. This means that alternate levels are used seldom, yet there are alternate paths in the levels themselves. This adds in strategy, as you can find different paths to find the easiest way to get to the boss or a way to rescue one of the many maidens in this game from the clutches of Dracula. It's as though you are venturing through the levels and trying to find the maidens, while trying to find an easier way out. This adds a whole lot of replayability for the completionists who want to get 100% on the game.
The gameplay is very similar to the older games in the series. You progress stage by stage to Dracula's castle and you have to slay many monsters that stand in your way of revenge. They range from werewolves, Frankenstein's monster, zombies, bats, and even a giant horned Behemoth with half of its flesh burned off. You can take these monsters out with your Vampire Killer or a variety of other weapons, such as a boomerang cross, Holy Water, knives, and a stopwatch that freezes time. If you ever are dying, whip some walls to maybe find some food stored away to restore your health.
Maria takes a different approach in fighting and uses two doves that take two hits and act as a boomerang and a variety of animals that help her along the path to help Richter rescue her sister. Maria is also much faster than Richter, can do a double jump, has a sliding moves that allows her to dash across at rapid speeds, and has a smaller size that allows her to avoid most high leveled enemy attacks. The only downside to her is that she takes much more damage than Richter, but considering her many attributes, she has it much easier than Richter and is an overall better choice for a beginner.
The game plays very smoothly and is not a very hard one to get used to. Players who just finished Super Castlevania IV may be disappointed by the amazing controls of the first game, but this game is so fluid and fun that they will forget about their initial issues. The difficulty in this game is pretty challenging, but not that hard. There are many tough parts in the game, but it is all based on trial and error and recognizing the enemy patterns. Once you nail those down, you'll breeze through the level, only to face another challenge. The levels are not very long, but encourage exploration to find proper paths and fewer enemies. There are many times where a seeming death trap, such as a giant hole in the ground, means you are standing near a passage with less enemies or an area leading up to a maiden, which takes the trial and error concept even further.
The graphics in this game are amazing. Whatever Super Castlevania IV did in the graphics department, Rondo of Blood pushed even further. There are FMV scenes that look pretty nice, but the details put into the 2D field are amazing. Some things such as a village burning down or rain falling on the fields bring out the true beauty of the work Konami did. The same can be said about the designs, with an example being the half deteriorated Behemoth, who has chunks of flesh dripping with blood as his eyes lustfully feast upon the visions of your death. The game also runs very smoothly, which is a blessing, considering the fast gameplay and many death traps that lie ahead of you. With the amazing looks at detail, such as a lone rose petal falling as you travel in the castle, the game is simply beautiful to put it in the least.
The sound in this game is magnificent. This could arguably be the greatest soundtrack that has ever been featured in a Casltevania game. Given the power of the PC Engine, the tracks are wonderfully played and there are many remakes of the excellent tracks, such as Vampire Killer and Bloody Tears. Going through the castle while listing to Vampire Killer simply makes the experience much more fulfilling and the people at Konami have made one of the finest soundtracks in the era.
Since there are FMV sequences, there is voice acting. All the characters speak in Japanese, so I cannot necessarily understand what they are saying, but the characters sound pretty good. The only exception is Maria, whom I understand is a little girl, but it would have been nicer if she had a better voice than her current one. It can be a bit annoying at times.
The game lasts according to your skills and experience in the Castlevania series. Some may consider it difficult, but I beat it in under 4 hours without having to quit due to intense difficulty. Finding Maria early in the game helps, considering how some sections are better to have her on your side than Richter. To go through the game, you have to use the character's strengths to your advantage and be persistent. Surprisingly, this game is not that hard to beat once you nail the enemy patterns and learn all the passages. Overall, anybody can pick it up and play, but I personally recommend you start with Super Castlevania IV to get the gist of the series and the gameplay behind it.
Overall, Rondo of Blood is a stupendous game and it is a shame that this game was never released in the United States and is highly overlooked. This is truly one of the best games in the series and a highpoint in the NES style of games that Konami made. Super Castlevania IV is a progression of the series in gameplay and perfection in the new era of Castlevania, but Rondo of Blood is the perfection of classic gaming at its finest.