You ever play a game that just fucking rocks? A game where every little thing about it feels precisely designed to make you (yes, you!) go “oh, HELL yeah!” at the screen? The type of game where each component doesn’t just work well, but works with such bravado that it feels like you’re discovering just how cool games can be for the first time? Castlevania: Rondo of Blood is one such game, a true 90s action kickassterpiece if ever there was one.
Where to even begin, man. As soon as you press start, Rondo bowls you over with just how stylish it all is. The pixel art is so vibrant and crisp, the cutscenes have this rad 80s OVA aesthetic, there’s so many little details and flashy effects. Backgrounds are more layered than ever, enemies move with such clarity and fluidity, and Richter has just the gnarliest fucking death animation I ever done saw. And the music, my god, THE MUSIC! This has gotta be my favorite Castlevania soundtrack yet, that extra CD space gets put to work. Everything about this game’s presentation just tickles my brain in exactly the way I want it to. It reminded me a lot of how completely Megaman X4 overwhelmed me with its aesthetics, a comparison I do NOT make lightly. Coming off of how vague and unspecific Super Castlevania IV’s art direction was, this just felt like a huge shot in the arm.
And hey, not to be a hater or nothing, but the gameplay is also a marked improvement over Super IV. I could appreciate that game’s attempts at shaking things up in theory, but Rondo feels like a much truer expansion of the Castlevania formula. You have a little more mid-air control, but your jump arc is still very stiff. Richter can get more height using a new backflip move, but that requires a quick button combo and plenty of screen clearance to use effectively. Your whip has more range and no longer needs to be upgraded, but still has a slight delay and can only hit directly in front of you. This necessitates the use of subweapons, which now let you choose between the weapon you already had and the one you just got. Subweapons now each allow access to a unique screen nuke move at the cost of more hearts, adding a layer of spectacle and strategy to an old mechanic. You can jump onto staircases like in Super IV, but you can jump out of them as well, making stairs actually responsive for the first time in series history. These are thoughtful, intelligent changes that streamline the way the game plays without disrupting that strict, purposeful Castlevania feel. It feels intuitive without losing any intentionality.
It also helps that these levels just rip so much ass, dude. Most of them are new spins on familiar locales—castle interiors, ghost ships, clock towers, even the village from Simon’s Quest makes an appearance—but with the production values increased and a greater emphasis on memorable setpieces. That’s the stage with the giant candles, that’s the stage where the whole town is on fire, that’s the stage with the giant bull that chases you! The whole thing feels very cinematic, in the same way that Castlevania I and III strived for but with the hardware to take it even further. The level design itself is also pitch-perfect. Enemies are a lot more aggressive than past games with more varied attack patterns, but they all have very clear telegraphs and are always placed where you can see them. It’s tough, especially considering how brief your invincibility frames are, but it never feels brutal. Haste and hesitation are the real killers here, and you’re given plenty of room to learn how to get through each level without relying on them. It’s a game that wants you to succeed and gives you all the tools to do so. It captures that oh-so-satisfying Castlevania game loop where every stage seems insurmountable at first, but with each attempt you get better and better until it becomes second nature. It took me forever to beat Dracula the first time, but when I realized I had forgotten to save Annette and had to redo the final battle to get the good ending, I took him down in only 2 or 3 attempts. Everything just feels so well-balanced, and the sense of skill progression is so, so rewarding.
And hey, speaking of replayability, that’s another huge thing Rondo of Blood has going for it! Most levels have branching pathways, secret exits to alternate stages, hidden maidens to rescue, and all kinds of little goodies buried in the nooks and crannies. I absolutely LOVE this kind of shit, scouring stages for unlockables is like my not-so-secret kink. I really like the addition of alternate stages in particular, it allows you a lot of flexibility with how you make your way to the final areas, but only as a reward for engaging with the level design first. Dracula's Curse experimented with something similar, but I much prefer its integration here since you can backtrack and see everything all in one playthrough.
Of course you can’t talk about replayability without discussing our two playable characters. Our Belmont for this adventure is Richter, and he’s handily my favorite of his clan yet. Simon has a special place in my heart, but Richter just has so much more personality. He’s as much a hero of destiny as any of his ancestors but with a more lighthearted, even dorky demeanor I find really endearing. Also that design with the headband and the torn sleeves absolutely rocks. But if you're tired of macho Belmont action, you could also play as Maria Renard, a twelve-year old girl who fights the hordes of evil using her magical animal friends. Maria is the best, aesthetically she feels like she belongs to an entirely different game (to the point she looks superimposed in her own cutscenes and her game over screen looks like Panel de Pon) which is a gag made all the more funny by just how much stronger than the Belmonts she is. She takes more damage than Richter but moves much faster, has a bird-boomerang attack that shreds through enemies, gets a double jump that makes platforming a breeze, and her animal buddy item crashes are totally busted. Her inclusion is likely intended as an “easy mode” of sorts, but it’s so fleshed out it hardly feels demeaning. You can see the entire game with Maria and she plays so differently that even if you prefer Richter’s challenge, it’s worth retrying stages to see how she fares. I tended to go through stages as Richter first, switching to Maria when I was backtracking for secret exits or to get through particularly tough platforming gauntlets. I really like how she’s implemented here, you have to find her hidden away in stage 2 to unlock her first. It’s a nice way to incentivize exploration, and happens early enough that you gain a feel for how Richter controls first while still having the option to use Maria for the much harder levels to come. Rondo of Blood is really dedicated to letting you play how you want to, and that’s something I really appreciate.
If I try to write anymore it’ll just devolve into unintelligible gushing but yeah, Rondo of Blood is a sweet ass game. Cool as fuck, super fun, and with a great amount of player freedom. It’s the Castlevania I’ve come to know and love but with so much more style and depth to really keep me coming back. Without a doubt my favorite Castlevania so far–this is the new gold standard.
Where to even begin, man. As soon as you press start, Rondo bowls you over with just how stylish it all is. The pixel art is so vibrant and crisp, the cutscenes have this rad 80s OVA aesthetic, there’s so many little details and flashy effects. Backgrounds are more layered than ever, enemies move with such clarity and fluidity, and Richter has just the gnarliest fucking death animation I ever done saw. And the music, my god, THE MUSIC! This has gotta be my favorite Castlevania soundtrack yet, that extra CD space gets put to work. Everything about this game’s presentation just tickles my brain in exactly the way I want it to. It reminded me a lot of how completely Megaman X4 overwhelmed me with its aesthetics, a comparison I do NOT make lightly. Coming off of how vague and unspecific Super Castlevania IV’s art direction was, this just felt like a huge shot in the arm.
And hey, not to be a hater or nothing, but the gameplay is also a marked improvement over Super IV. I could appreciate that game’s attempts at shaking things up in theory, but Rondo feels like a much truer expansion of the Castlevania formula. You have a little more mid-air control, but your jump arc is still very stiff. Richter can get more height using a new backflip move, but that requires a quick button combo and plenty of screen clearance to use effectively. Your whip has more range and no longer needs to be upgraded, but still has a slight delay and can only hit directly in front of you. This necessitates the use of subweapons, which now let you choose between the weapon you already had and the one you just got. Subweapons now each allow access to a unique screen nuke move at the cost of more hearts, adding a layer of spectacle and strategy to an old mechanic. You can jump onto staircases like in Super IV, but you can jump out of them as well, making stairs actually responsive for the first time in series history. These are thoughtful, intelligent changes that streamline the way the game plays without disrupting that strict, purposeful Castlevania feel. It feels intuitive without losing any intentionality.
It also helps that these levels just rip so much ass, dude. Most of them are new spins on familiar locales—castle interiors, ghost ships, clock towers, even the village from Simon’s Quest makes an appearance—but with the production values increased and a greater emphasis on memorable setpieces. That’s the stage with the giant candles, that’s the stage where the whole town is on fire, that’s the stage with the giant bull that chases you! The whole thing feels very cinematic, in the same way that Castlevania I and III strived for but with the hardware to take it even further. The level design itself is also pitch-perfect. Enemies are a lot more aggressive than past games with more varied attack patterns, but they all have very clear telegraphs and are always placed where you can see them. It’s tough, especially considering how brief your invincibility frames are, but it never feels brutal. Haste and hesitation are the real killers here, and you’re given plenty of room to learn how to get through each level without relying on them. It’s a game that wants you to succeed and gives you all the tools to do so. It captures that oh-so-satisfying Castlevania game loop where every stage seems insurmountable at first, but with each attempt you get better and better until it becomes second nature. It took me forever to beat Dracula the first time, but when I realized I had forgotten to save Annette and had to redo the final battle to get the good ending, I took him down in only 2 or 3 attempts. Everything just feels so well-balanced, and the sense of skill progression is so, so rewarding.
And hey, speaking of replayability, that’s another huge thing Rondo of Blood has going for it! Most levels have branching pathways, secret exits to alternate stages, hidden maidens to rescue, and all kinds of little goodies buried in the nooks and crannies. I absolutely LOVE this kind of shit, scouring stages for unlockables is like my not-so-secret kink. I really like the addition of alternate stages in particular, it allows you a lot of flexibility with how you make your way to the final areas, but only as a reward for engaging with the level design first. Dracula's Curse experimented with something similar, but I much prefer its integration here since you can backtrack and see everything all in one playthrough.
Of course you can’t talk about replayability without discussing our two playable characters. Our Belmont for this adventure is Richter, and he’s handily my favorite of his clan yet. Simon has a special place in my heart, but Richter just has so much more personality. He’s as much a hero of destiny as any of his ancestors but with a more lighthearted, even dorky demeanor I find really endearing. Also that design with the headband and the torn sleeves absolutely rocks. But if you're tired of macho Belmont action, you could also play as Maria Renard, a twelve-year old girl who fights the hordes of evil using her magical animal friends. Maria is the best, aesthetically she feels like she belongs to an entirely different game (to the point she looks superimposed in her own cutscenes and her game over screen looks like Panel de Pon) which is a gag made all the more funny by just how much stronger than the Belmonts she is. She takes more damage than Richter but moves much faster, has a bird-boomerang attack that shreds through enemies, gets a double jump that makes platforming a breeze, and her animal buddy item crashes are totally busted. Her inclusion is likely intended as an “easy mode” of sorts, but it’s so fleshed out it hardly feels demeaning. You can see the entire game with Maria and she plays so differently that even if you prefer Richter’s challenge, it’s worth retrying stages to see how she fares. I tended to go through stages as Richter first, switching to Maria when I was backtracking for secret exits or to get through particularly tough platforming gauntlets. I really like how she’s implemented here, you have to find her hidden away in stage 2 to unlock her first. It’s a nice way to incentivize exploration, and happens early enough that you gain a feel for how Richter controls first while still having the option to use Maria for the much harder levels to come. Rondo of Blood is really dedicated to letting you play how you want to, and that’s something I really appreciate.
If I try to write anymore it’ll just devolve into unintelligible gushing but yeah, Rondo of Blood is a sweet ass game. Cool as fuck, super fun, and with a great amount of player freedom. It’s the Castlevania I’ve come to know and love but with so much more style and depth to really keep me coming back. Without a doubt my favorite Castlevania so far–this is the new gold standard.