Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, originally released in Japan as Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo, is a 1993 platform game developed by Konami and released for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² System. Directed by Toru Hagihara, it is part of the Castlevania series. The game's main character, Richter Belmont, travels to rescue his lover, Annette, who was abducted by Dracula. It was first released only in Japan on October 29, 1993. A direct sequel, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, was released worldwide in 1997.
The game was remade for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Castlevania: Dracula X in 1995 and for the PlayStation Portable as Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles in 2007. In 2008, the original version was released for the Wii’s Virtual Console service in Japan and for North American and PAL regions in 2010. In 2018, the game was included with Symphony of the Night in the Castlevania Requiem collection for the PlayStation 4. The title is also playable on the TurboGrafx-16 Mini. In 2021, Limited Run Games announced an English release for the TurboDuo, but it has not yet been released. The game later inspired the animated series Castlevania: Nocturne (2023–25) on Netflix, which is a sequel to Castlevania (2017–21).
Gameplay
The goal is to help the player character, Richter Belmont, move through nine stages with four different paths as he searches for his missing loved one, Annette, and finally faces Dracula in his castle. Richter uses a whip as his main weapon and can choose from six special items: an axe, a dagger, a bible, a pocket watch, a cross, or holy water. As he explores the castle, Richter can save four characters, including Maria Renard, a distant relative who becomes a playable character. Maria attacks using her doves and can choose from six special items: a white tiger kitten, a dragon whelp, a baby phoenix, a turtle, an egg, or musical notes. The first four of these items are inspired by symbols from Chinese mythology. Maria moves faster than Richter, can jump twice in the air, and deals double the damage with each regular attack. However, she takes more damage when hit. Maria can also perform a special move called a “Guardian Knuckle,” which creates a ghostly image that harms enemies heavily.
Rondo of Blood includes ideas from earlier Castlevania games, which usually had simple, straight paths and a Belmont family member as the hero, as well as later games that focused on exploring environments without time limits. Rondo of Blood uses untimed stages with clear starts and multiple endings for some levels. These endings affect the environment, enemies, and the boss the player faces at the end of the level. Items like money, hearts, and food can be found throughout the game areas. Rondo of Blood also includes the Item Crash ability, later used in other Castlevania games, which lets a special item be used in a powerful attack. Its direct follow-up game, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, uses many of the same enemies. A secret game called Akumajyo Dracula Peke can be played if the system lacks the required Super System Card; it appears as a hidden feature in all later versions of the game.
Plot
Set in the year 1792, Rondo of Blood takes place in the fictional world of the Castlevania series. The story follows the long-lasting battle between the vampire hunters of the Belmont Clan and the immortal vampire Dracula, who has been brought back to life once more. The main character is Richter Belmont, a 19-year-old boy and heir to the whip called "Vampire Killer," who is also the descendant of Simon Belmont. Richter travels to Dracula's castle after his love, Annette, is kidnapped by Dracula's servant, Shaft, who uses her as a trap. Richter moves through the castle, fighting enemies such as the spirit of Death, a headless knight, and a minotaur, all of whom try to stop him. During his journey, Richter rescues several women captured by Dracula's servants, including Maria Renard, a 12-year-old orphan who wants to join him; Terra, a nun who believes Richter is a divine being; Iris, the daughter of a village doctor; and Annette. After defeating Shaft, Richter faces Dracula, beats him, and exposes him to sunlight, which causes Dracula to disappear. The castle then collapses into the sea, and Richter escapes on horseback.
Development
Rondo of Blood is the tenth game in the Castlevania video game series (this is why it has the Japanese title). Konami created the game. It was first released in Japan on the PC Engine on October 29, 1993. Later, a version of the game was released on the Wii for the Japanese Virtual Console on April 22, 2008. The game was also made available in North America on March 15, 2010, and in the PAL region (which includes Europe and Australia) on March 19, 2010.
Audio
Rondo of Blood uses Red Book Audio and a built-in sound chip to create higher-quality music. The soundtrack was composed by Keizo Nakamura, Akira Souji, Tomoko Sano, and Mikio Saito. Three songs from Rondo of Blood—"Overture," "Beginning," and "Opus 13"—were included on a bonus CD for pre-orders of the 2006 Nintendo DS game Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin.
Konami Style released a two-disc soundtrack for the remake of the game, Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, on November 8, 2007. The soundtrack includes rearranged versions of "Vampire Killer," "Beginning," "Cemetery," and "Divine Bloodlines." It also features a bonus track: an English-language version of "Nocturne" from Symphony of the Night. The Dracula X Chronicles includes a feature that lets players select background music from Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night. These songs are hidden in the game as records.
Remakes and re-releases
Castlevania: Dracula X was created for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Its story is similar to Rondo of Blood, and it uses many of the same graphics from that game. However, it includes new levels and changes to gameplay instead of being a direct copy. These changes happened because of the limitations of game cartridges and agreements with the PC Engine. The game was released on July 21, 1995, in Japan; September 1995 in the United States; February 22, 1996, in Europe; and June 22, 1996, in Australia.
Dracula X was later available as a download on the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan on April 23, 2014; North America on October 2, 2014; and PAL regions on November 13, 2014. It was also released for the New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in North America on December 29, 2016, and in Europe and Australia on January 26, 2017. The game was included in the Castlevania Advance Collection, which was released on September 23, 2021, for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows.
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles is a 2.5D remake of Rondo of Blood for the PlayStation Portable. The gameplay in this version is mostly the same as Rondo of Blood. Players can unlock the original PC Engine game (with Japanese and English voices) and its sequel, Symphony of the Night, through gameplay. Symphony of the Night now allows players to choose Maria as a character by using a secret code after completing the game as Alucard. It also includes updated scripts, sound effects, and new voice acting. Players can still use the original Japanese voices in this version.
The Dracula X Chronicles was released in North America on October 23, 2007; Japan on November 8, 2007; Europe on February 15, 2008; and Australia and New Zealand on April 9, 2008. In 2008, the North American version was re-released as part of the "Greatest Hits" collection, while the Japanese version was re-released on July 15, 2010, under the "Best Selection" label. The game was added to the PlayStation Network in Europe in June 2014 as a PSP-only release (it is already compatible with the PS Vita).
Rondo of Blood is included in the Castlevania Requiem compilation for PlayStation 4, along with its sequel, Symphony of the Night. Both games are based on the retranslated versions found in The Dracula X Chronicles, though only the PC Engine version of Rondo of Blood is included. The compilation was released on October 26, 2018.
Reception
According to Famitsu, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood sold over 14,436 copies in its first week and 19,616 copies in its first month on the market in Japan. Micom BASIC Magazine, a Japanese publication, ranked the game first in popularity in its January 1994 issue. The game received a score of 26.0 out of 30 in a readers' poll conducted by PC Engine Fan. Critics generally gave the game positive reviews.
GamePro's Matthew Taylor stated that "calling Dracula X the greatest Castlevania game of all time would be disrespectful to Castlevania IV for the SNES, but choosing X as one of the top ten side-scrolling games of all time is a clear choice." Electronic Gaming Monthly said the game "can easily be the best CD title yet" and noted the only negative aspect was its lack of release in the United States. The magazine later named it Best Japanese Action Game of 1994.
Nintendo Life's Corbie Dillard praised the game's level design, soundtrack, graphics, and difficulty level. IGN awarded the Virtual Console release its "Editors' Choice" title, describing it as enjoyable and "worth the wait."
In other media
After the final season of the original Castlevania animated series was released on May 13, 2021, which was based on Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, Netflix announced a new series. This series is set in France during the French Revolution in 1792, with Richter Belmont and Maria Renard as the main characters. At Netflix's 2022 Geeked Week virtual event, the series was given the title Castlevania: Nocturne, along with a teaser trailer showing Richter. The first season of Castlevania: Nocturne was released on September 28, 2023, and the second season premiered on January 16, 2025.