Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Amazing"

Before I say anything else I need to say this: Throw out everything bad you've heard about the Wii! Go to the nearest retail store or pawn shop! Buy a Nintendo Wii! Connect to the internet! Go to Wii Shop Channel, and download this Japanese exclusive title! I understand your hesitancy to buying a Wii, especially if you are a hard-core gamer. I cringe when I walk through Wal-Mart and see the latest Wii games on the shelf. It's terrible, I know. I understand. But let me explain to you why you should invest your hard earned cash to experience this game.

First of all, Akumajo Dracula X: Chi no Rondo (Castlevania: Rondo of Blood) was released on the PC engine (Turbo Grafx-16 CD) in Japan only, and never made it to Western shores. Which is a terrible shame, because this is likely the greatest Castlevania game ever made. The game was released in 1993 and is a prequel to the critically acclaimed 1997 installment Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Anyone who has played Symphony of the Night will immediately recognize the protagonist of Rondo of Blood was the legendary vampire slayer Richter Belmont.

While the gameplay is outwardly simple and pretty much stays true to the old-school method of Castlevania games from the 80's everything has been so finely tuned and prefected that it is no wonder Konami had to bag the traditional formula with Symphony of the Night and bring something all together new to the table. This is the closest I've ever been to playing a perfect platformer.

I won't lie, the first time I started playing this game, I hated it! I hated the game so much, because it was so "f**king hard." Richter Belmont was no where near as agile or versatile as say the Super Mario Bros. or Mega Man, and frankly I was ready to give up. But something clicked, like playing the piano or mathematics, I got the timing and the mechanics right and everything gently began to fall into place. I learned from my mistakes and adapted properly for each level. What started off as a frustrating experience became an obsession of a "just-one-more-round" mentality. Unlike newer Castlevania games, this game does not hold your hand. It expects you to learn and adapt. And the rewards are incredibly satisfying.

The presentation of the game is absolutely beautiful! This is one of the best looking games from the 16-bit era. Each level is completely unique and respectively beautiful. I never felt like Konami was recirculating material. The bosses are huge and menacing and above all memorable. Actually the boss casting was great! You face against familiar foes such as Frankenstein, the Wolf-man, the Mummy, and Death itself. On top of great level designs and awesome boss fights, the game included 8 to 9 surprisingly well done cutscenes that were incredibly advanced for a 16-bit game. Being a Japanese import, all the cutscenes are in Japanese with no English subtitles. This maybe be a disappointment for most gamers, but for me it made the game feel authentic and extra special. After all, no one can deny that the English voice cast for Symphony of the Night was embarrassingly terrible, and I was very pleased that Nintendo left Rondo of Blood alone.

Sound is always extremely important to me when playing any game; and once again being on the Turbo Grafx-16 CD, the sound is absolutely astounding. The soundtrack was composed and mixed by four different composers and each track is top-notch. This is the kind of music that you could burn on a CD and play in your car over and over again even with non-gamers accompanying you. It's just that good.

Rondo of Blood has been referred to as the Holy Grail of Castlevania games and after playing it first-hand, it's not hard to see why. This is an incredible experience. Not only is it a well crafted work of art as well as a great game, but it is jam-packed with secrets and alternative routes one of which is a second playable character named Maria who completely changes the gameplay all together. There so much to get out of this game and honestly, I was sad when it was over. Very few games have left me with a craving for more like Rondo of Blood has.

P.S. Nintendo making this game availabe for download at a price of $9.00 is a killer bargain, when considering the average retail cost for an import of this game is currently running between $100 to $300 US dollars. And that doesn't include the price of a PC Engine either since this game won't run on a regular Turbo Grafx-16. All I can say is, "Thank You Nintendo!"

P.S.S. I had a hard time rating this game because it wasn't perfect, but there was no way I was going to give it a 9.5! It's so much better than being simply superb, but it had one flaw. The use of potions and cross necklaces were a waste. An honest rating would be 9.9/10.