Riding on the popularity of action-RPGs in mid-to-late 80's Japan and evolving the concepts first presented in the MSX2 Vampire Killer, Konami released the universally-despised Dracula: Noroi no Fuuin/Castlevania II: Simon's Quest for the Famicom Disk System in 1987 (it took one year to release the western version this time because of the game's bigger focus on dialogue and the need to downgrade the game's sound and save function so it could run on a standard NES), with the franchise coming back to it's roots (whoa, already?!) after the FDS died with 1989's Akumajou Densetsu (Legend Of The Demonic Castle)/Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (which once again was released much earlier than the American version due to the japanese cart's use of Konami's awesome VRC6 mapper chip, which is sadly incompatible with western NESes due to Nintendo's imperialistic policies at the time.
Born in Nintendo's Famicom Disk System peripheral (a floppy disk/diskette drive for the japanese NES) in 1986 as a rather standard action-platformer with (in?)famously stiff gameplay, the original Akumajou Dracula was a surprise hit, receiving ports for the MSX2 OS (under the name of Vampire Killer), arcades (under the name of Haunted Castle) and finally a cartridge conversion (which was re-released much later in Japan with selectable difficulty levels) for the western NES, whose success made the Castlevania name stick to the franchise like industrial glue, at least in non-asian territories. Any 'special editions' or 're-releases' for sale are illegal bootlegs.Castlevania - Rondo of Blood (english translation) Review by: pollution_skunk - 10/10 HOT RICHTER-ON-MAIDEN ACTION! If there is one videogame franchise that transitioned perfectly between different eras and hardware while successfully mixing things up considerably between each installment, it's Konami's classic Castlevania/Akumajou Dracula (Dracula's Demonic Castle) series. WARNING: There was only one release of Dracula X on the PC Engine. There's a good reason this game has a stellar reputation, and it lives up to it. And I quite like the fact that it's not super difficult. You want to keep playing it, you want to hear the music, see the next boss, it's just so good. I love everything about this game, the controls are precise, but more than anything it's just enjoyable. Personally, the only thing I'd change about it is I'd like the background flame effects to use the same type of distortion effect seen in Gate of Thunder. The complaints about this game are usually that it's too easy (which bear in mind, the 8 and 16 bit Castlevania games are usually considered quite difficult) or that it lacks something compared to Super Castlevania IV - also a fantastic title, but an altogether different game. The music is up to the usual Castlevania excellence, the sprites are often large and well designed, and the controls are spot-on. Konami really went to town on this game, from the excellent opening cinematics, to the fantastic "stage 0", everything about this title screams quality.
CASTLEVANIA RONDO OF BLOOD PC ENGINE CD ROM SERIES
This game is highly regarded among both PC Engine collectors and Dracula/Castlevania fans alike - it is one of the finest entries in the series (before it took on Metroid-style gameplay) and an essential purchase.ĭracula X is well known as one of the best - if not the best in the "traditional" Castlevania series, the more linear style of gameplay rather than the "metroidvania" style that debuted in Symphony of the Night. The gameplay is balanced carefully - it's quite challenging in places, but practice always pays off without it getting too frustrating. The music is also top notch with familiar tunes remixed well and some great new music too. The visuals are superb throughout with some great parallax scrolling, huge sprites and atmospheric design. However, there are multiple routes through most levels that allow you to open up different areas to play - this means that you can complete the game without playing every level, giving the player incentive to replay to find all the secrets.ĭracula X is an action platform game of the highest quality. The levels are split into various sections and end with a boss fight. Secondary weapons are powered by collecting hearts - each also has a super power that can be activated when you are really up a creek without a paddle. You make your way into Dracula's castle armed only with your whip - but along the way you can pick up secondary weapons, such as throwing axes, daggers and time-stop watches. Taking the role of Richter Belmont, you set out to destroy the evil presence of Dracula. AKA: DRACULA X - RONDO OF BLOOD, CASTLEVANIA
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