When the PSP first came out, I wasn’t really that excited about it. I loved the idea of a portable system being nearly as powerful as the PS2 but the hefty price tag dissuaded me from ever picking one up.
That was, of course, until just a month ago. Since its launch and my purchase time the PSP has been given a very nice library of games ranging from compilations of classic titles from other systems to beautiful 3D games that you’d think were made for a console but actually developed specifically for the PSP.
The very first game I wanted to play was Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles. Not only was it the first time you could play the PC Engine classic Rondo of Blood stateside but it also included an updated 3D version of it and the original version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
To be 100% truthful, I was more excited about the idea of playing Symphony of the Night than Rondo of Blood (either form) because I hadn’t played the game in nearly a decade. However, upon starting Dracula X Chronicles you are forced to play the updated Rondo of Blood and the option to play SotN or the original 2D RoB is nowhere to be found.
This led to frustration on my end as a gamer because I wasn’t sure what I had to do. I had this terrible gut feeling that I would have to play through the entire 3D Rondo of Blood in order to unlock the other two titles and frankly that just didn’t set well with me. After reading other reviews later on, many gamers felt exactly the same way I did. It turns out that you need to find two special items on different stages in the 3D Rondo to unlock the other full games. I had to resort to FAQs to find these locations because I didn’t want to play through the entire 3D Rondo first. The mere fact that such big chunks of the gameplay experience were hidden to a point that a typical gamer wouldn’t find them on their own is downright insulting. I understand you put time and effort into making an updated Rondo of Blood Konami…but let ME choose what game I want to play first – especially if SotN is given an equal amount of space on the game’s back cover (which makes you think they are equally accessable from the start).
Anyways, let’s talk about the 3D Rondo of Blood first. I’ll be blunt: I didn’t care for it. That’s not to say I hated what they were trying to do (the 2D/3D-ish graphics were nice for the most part [the 3D lighting needs some work]) but the game just wasn’t very fun to play. Richter moved like he was in no big hurry and the overall framerate/graphics felt very slow too. The limited number of lives and fairly difficult enemies were also frustrating because games just aren’t made this difficult anymore…and since Konami didn’t do a 100% exact port of the original Rondo of Blood, there’s no reason they couldn’t have tweaked the difficulty settings.
What the gameplay in the updated RoB boils down to is this: On any given stage as a player you must accept the fact that you will die many times at various points the first 5 to 10 times through. Only when you memorize where all the good items are, the enemies appear and what the boss patterns are will you be allowed to finish the level. Unlike modern games that feature intuitive gameplay in levels so that it’s possible to beat them your first time through, Rondo of Blood tricks gamers by showing 3D graphics yet forcing them to use a decades-old “die & repeat” gameplay formula from the early 2D gaming days. You’re going to be very irritated by Rondo of Blood after the first few levels and if it weren’t for the far superior 2D games being hidden in the middle stages a typical gamer would probably say the heck with it.
Now, once you unlock Symphony of the Night you’ll be in for a treat. The game is nearly identical to the original North American PlayStation version from 1997 (aside from a few changes to dialogue) and is easily the best Castlevania game ever made. I think its “uniqueness” over the past decade has been diminished by the never-ending supply of imitation 2D GameBoy & DS versions of it, so that’s a shame. But if you want to experience the best Castlevania game in terms of level variety, gameplay structure, presentation of story, music and control (Alucard’s movements are pixel perfect and fluid in every way), this is the game you’ll want to devote the most time and attention to. It’s a game every gamer should play at least once and while it’s available on X-Box Live, this particular version looks great because the PSP screen is so sharp and the physical D-Pad and button setup make you feel as if you are playing the original PlayStation version.
Finally, let’s discuss the original 2D version of Rondo of Blood. I didn’t play this until I beat the 3D updated version of it, that way I could compare the two and see exactly what (if anything) had changed between the old version and the new version. Well, the first thing you will notice is how much faster Richter moves. The 3D graphics in the updated version actually made the game feel slower than it expected you to act (which made for a very unforgiving damage and attack system) but the 2D version felt just right. The enemies were still difficult, but the less-taxing visuals apparently balanced the gameplay and controls overall. Another interesting thing to consider is that while Rondo of Blood originally came out years after the Super Nintendo Super Castlevania IV, the attacks and movement felt like a step back…so if you like the SNES character movement you’re not going to be impressed by the way Richter moves and attacks. It’ll feel like you are missing out on a lot of gameplay potential and freedom.
What’s really strange about the 2D Rondo of Blood is how certain bosses were different. For example, in the updated Rondo, you fight Richter’s gal pal in the final stage before Dracula but in the 2D version you fight a Death-like character. In the updated version when the giant bull is chasing you early in the game you barely have a chance to get items or maneuver over pitfalls and stuff. In the original Rondo, that particular section is more eye candy than challenging. Another good example is in the updated version when you need to ascend a few flights of stairs (in one of the middle stages) and you have little imps on metal balls rolling down the steps and flying-snake-like skeletons coming at you from the left and right. The balls hurt you, the imps are everywhere and jumping from one level of stairs to the next is overly complicated. In the original version, the flying skeleton snakes are absent and touching the metal balls as they roll doesn’t cause damage. Also, in the 3D version parts of levels are cut off by things that aren’t there in the original version (like the red-bone walls that only open for a split second), so your gameplay experience is pretty different between the two titles.
What I’m trying to say is that Konami seemed to randomly update certain aspects of the game for no apparent reason but not other things like the sluggish control or crappy save system (no mid-level saves). After beating the original Rondo I can definately say the “updated” version is inferior and that it could’ve been so much more with just a few simple tweaks here and there.
Overall, if you want to find a game that will keep you busy for a couple dozen hours, this is a good game to get. SotN and the original RoB are great additions to your library, feature excellent music and won’t disappoint. The 3D update, however, is frustrating and poorly executed on many levels and unfortunately mandatory before you can access the other two, much better titles. I’m also rating this game as a whole and not judging all three games based on visual standards, gameplay styles, etc. now but at what they were at the time when they first came out (to be fair). However, I am putting extra emphasis on the updated Rondo of Blood because it is required to play before you can experience the older titles and there’s no reason Konami couldn’t have done more to make it play like a modern Castlevania game.
Graphics: 7 | Sound: 9 | Play Control: 8 | Fun Factor: 8 | Final Score: 79%
