This review contains spoilers
It was great to revisit this, the only classic-style Castlevania I'd finished until my recent excursions. It really is the best of the bunch that I've played so far, with killer tunes and a refreshing de-emphasis on precision platforming in favour of encounter design. The enemies are well designed and placed, with due consideration to their attack range, and the restricted whip options (compared to IV) are well suited for the encounters. Bosses are of special note here, engaging challenges rendered with quality pixel-art, often utilising the background for an imposing introduction.
Rondo of Blood feels like the true successor to Dracula's Curse, expanding the multi-route system by building it into the stages themselves, rather than presenting obvious binary choices between stages. Also among the stages are bonus objectives, the Maidens. There are four hidden throughout Rondo of Blood who need rescue, and in these we find another returning element from Dracula's Curse, another playable character. Maria turns the questionable gender politics of this side-objective on its head, completely outclassing Richter and making the game significantly easier, though still incredibly fun.
Rondo of Blood marks a step up in presentation for the series. The anime cutscenes add a campy flavour to proceedings, awkward as they are. Dracula's verging-on-queer-coded depiction is especially amusing, considering Rondo of Blood's proximity to Symphony of the Night, where he's all stoic and bearded. Though I appreciate what these cutscenes bring to the table, it is other elements, such as the playable intro encounter with Death, or the teasing of bosses in the background, that leave the stronger impression.
The only major gripe I have is very specific. In order to access stage 5', Dracula must have been defeated, following which the player must take the alternate route in either stage 4 or 4'. This makes no sense whatsoever, and cheapens finding the alternate route in stages 4 or 4' on the player's first go, as it produces the same result as finding the normal exit. I do not understand why this stage functions like this, and it unfortunately leads to a situation where 100% runs will likely end after finishing 5', the only stage with no boss. An anti-climactic finish, for sure.
Despite one very weird flaw, Rondo of Blood is a total classic. Anyone who enjoys this style of Castlevania owes it to themselves to play and replay this game.
Rondo of Blood feels like the true successor to Dracula's Curse, expanding the multi-route system by building it into the stages themselves, rather than presenting obvious binary choices between stages. Also among the stages are bonus objectives, the Maidens. There are four hidden throughout Rondo of Blood who need rescue, and in these we find another returning element from Dracula's Curse, another playable character. Maria turns the questionable gender politics of this side-objective on its head, completely outclassing Richter and making the game significantly easier, though still incredibly fun.
Rondo of Blood marks a step up in presentation for the series. The anime cutscenes add a campy flavour to proceedings, awkward as they are. Dracula's verging-on-queer-coded depiction is especially amusing, considering Rondo of Blood's proximity to Symphony of the Night, where he's all stoic and bearded. Though I appreciate what these cutscenes bring to the table, it is other elements, such as the playable intro encounter with Death, or the teasing of bosses in the background, that leave the stronger impression.
The only major gripe I have is very specific. In order to access stage 5', Dracula must have been defeated, following which the player must take the alternate route in either stage 4 or 4'. This makes no sense whatsoever, and cheapens finding the alternate route in stages 4 or 4' on the player's first go, as it produces the same result as finding the normal exit. I do not understand why this stage functions like this, and it unfortunately leads to a situation where 100% runs will likely end after finishing 5', the only stage with no boss. An anti-climactic finish, for sure.
Despite one very weird flaw, Rondo of Blood is a total classic. Anyone who enjoys this style of Castlevania owes it to themselves to play and replay this game.