The return of Richter Belmont in Rondo of Blood

by Andrew Yoon on Feb 4th 2007 9:45AM

Ever since Castlevania was announced for PSP, many people have been asking a few questions. Firstly, why remake Rondo of Blood? Easy: it's the only Castlevania game to never have met a US release. As revealed in an IGN interview with Castlevania's producer, Rondo of Blood is the crucial "turning point" in the series. While many loved the changes made in Symphony of the Night, most gamers have missed out on many of the finer details of the classic's story, simply because Rondo of Blood was never released. (Castlevania X for the SNES was a "port" of sorts. However, it strayed significantly from its origins.)

Rondo of Blood takes place 5 years before Symphony of the Night, and explains many origins of the characters found in the revered PS1 classic. Players will be treated to seeing Richter Belmont, "the last Belmont," fighting Dracula himself. Who is Shaft and how does he control Richter in Symphony of the Night? Who is Maria Renard? These questions will be unearthed through Rondo of Blood.

While Nintendo's handhelds have met great additions to the Castlevania franchise, the future of the series may stay on the PSP. When speaking to IGN, Koji Igarashi revealed his love of the platform. "If the PSP version of Castlevania does great ... [doing sequels] is something I'd love to take a look at."

See also:
Tales From the Crypt: Castlevania 20th Anniversary Blowout from 1UP
Playing Dirty: Dracula wears eyeliner: Part 1 & Part 2

Source

Tags: belmont, castlevania, ign, interview, koji igarashi, KojiIgarashi, rondo of blood, RondoOfBlood, symphony of the night, SymphonyOfTheNight

Reader Comments (3)

I'm happy to hear that Castlevania will finally be appearing on PSP--and what a grand entrance!

I've seen some people complain that these are merely remakes and not entirely new games, but I've never had the opportunity to play Dracula X: Rondo of Blood before (as it was never released in the US). For me and many others, this is a new game. The inclusion of Symphony of the Night makes this package even sweeter.

I find it hard to believe he'll make all new castlevania games on the PSP. Especially after a long run with the GBA to DS 'vania games

I really liked the ones on GBA and DS and I really wanted to see another one on the DS. I been a long time fan, and since I have a PSP I dont really mind the change.