An updated version of the original Castlevania, this X68000 port leaves you wanting for more.
Graphics: Castlevania Chronicles' visuals aren't really bad, they're just dated. This is an 8 year old game, and it shows. While the Arrange mode does offer a few updated visuals (new sprites for Simon & Dracula by Ayami Kojima (SOTN), better 'lighting,' etc.), by-in-large, much of what you see is exactly what was there in the original X68000 version. While I would expect this from the original mode, I expected more from the Arrange setup. While the new character sprites are decent, it's not even close to SotN's masterful animation. Graphically speaking, it's definitely no SotN, but then again, it wasn't supposed to be. It's just a shame that more effort wasn't put into the Arrange mode, something that utilized a bit of what the aging Playstation hardware is capable of producing, as in many ways, the graphics are actually inferior to the SNES Castlevania games, particularly IV, and lack the flair that made Rondo of Blood on the PCE so captivating...
Sound: As is expected, Castlevania Chronicles' soundtrack is your usual series fare, which means for the uninitiated, that it's very, very good. The Arrange mode has a completely remixed soundtrack, so all your favorites (Bloody Tears for instance) are here, and in fine fashion. The one minor gripe is the fact that some of the music hardware options of the original mode have been taken out, meaning that there's only one selection available. While this is not a particularly big deal, I have always been of the opinion that the more options you have, the better, especially when all of these sound options can be emulated on the Playstation. Fortunately, all you need do is press L1 + R1 immediately after beginning in order to activate the sound option in either original or Arrange mode, so it's really a non-issue. Hmmm...maybe Konami can put the Minibosses' hard-rocking version of the Castlevania theme in the next one ;)
Gameplay: As usual in the series, Castlevania Chronicles' (or really Akumajo Dracula's) is a shining example of simplicity in game design that works every time. While there are a few areas that subsequent gameplay additions are truly missed (not being able to jump onto stairs, multidirectional whipping while standing still or jumping and separate buttons to control the special weapon), this is still the same Castlevania you've grown to love. Considering the game's pedigree, particularly its links to the original Castlevania, this is actually a throwback of sorts, so it really does not hurt the game at all. As is typical of most Castlevania titles (aside from SOTN, CotM, Simon's Quest and the...ahem...N64 wanna-be's), gameplay is very linear. Basically you have 8 levels, each with multiple 'stages' (the areas between the doors), and at the end, a level boss/guardian. The control is spot-on, and unlike some games, you can actually change direction while jumping. Actions consist of jumping, whipping and using special weapons (all the good ones are hear too). Limited? Sure. Fun? Absolutely. You might not have much incentive to play it through again for a while, thanks to things being so linear (if you've beat it once, you've beat it a hundred times...the exact same way), but while you do, it's a great ride. The only bump in the road is that the game is fairly hard. While that won't be a surprise to anyone who's whipped their way through Castlevania & Castlevania III, it might be a bit much for some of the more casually-inclined.
Theme: I could go into it again, but what's left to be said? Few games have provided more memories over the years than Castlevania, and frankly, I think that's due to the fact that its subject matter is something most gamers are already intimately associated with, and that's the horror movie. Dracula is a character ingrained into the American culture repeatedly over the course of the 20th century, in many shapes and forms. Movies, comic books, video games, he's everywhere. What Konami did was take a great game premise, and then throw in many of the classic monsters & myths we've come to love, recreating them in a way that no one had seen before. Add a larger-than-life hero in Simon Belmont, by all intents just a solitary, normal man standing against the odds, against the Prince of Darkness, with nothing more than his trusty whip, blessed items & a long-standing family history fighting the evil, and there you have it, all in a decidedly Japanese take. Castlevania Chronicles, as a remake of the original Castlevania, effectively takes you back to where it all began, to that very first quest, deep into the bowels of Castle Dracula.
Overall: Truth be told, there are better Playstation games to be had, and much better Castlevania games out there on several systems. Of course, that isn't why you've read this far into the review, you know these things. For what it is, Castlevania Chronicles does the job, and for the relatively low price-tag, it's well worth the meager price of admission. For all the Castlevania fans who have ever heard the name 'Akumajo Dracula' uttered in hushed tones, tried to get the ROM running on an X68000 emulator (more than likely to no avail), or overbid on a copy at eBay, this one's for you, and while Dracula X: Rondo of Blood would have been a better choice (my theory is that it's next to come), Chronicles offers more than enough challenge for those who believed the original game to be too easy. Chronicles is a refreshing look back into a series that has evolved into something much more in recent years, and in looking back, you see just how far Konami has taken the concept, as well as realize, that Castlevania games age gracefully. - mwcarter
Final Grade: 72%