Deciding between Castlevanias is like a parent choosing their favorite child: surprisingly difficult. Akumaj? Dracula X Chi no Rondo, known in English as Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, is perhaps the Holy Grail of Castlevanias. Released exclusively in Japan in 1993 for the PC Engine Super CD, the game never made its way to other countries until last year when it was remade in 2.5D as Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP. Prior to this convenience, hardcore non-Japanese Castlevania fans were known to buy used PC Engine Super CD systems just to experience a single game. The purchase of the game and the system could set one back several hundred dollars. That's dedication ... or delirium. I'll lean towards the former. It's also currently available on the Japanese Virtual Console, giving us yet another reason to be jealous of gaming in the Land of the Rising Sun. Konami: bring this game to the other Virtual Console regions or else I bring the pain to you. And by "bring the pain to you," I mean "sit quietly in my apartment saying 'I wish they'd bring this game to the other Virtual Console regions.'"
If you managed to play the pseudo sequel / remake on the SNES known as Dracula X, you're still missing out heavily. Dracula X is hardly the atrocity that many make it out to be, but it still doesn't hold a (heart-releasing) candle to Rondo of Blood. The control is spot-on, the graphics just ooze retro charm, and the music is simply amazing. I hate to throw out elitist garbage like this, but you really can't consider yourself a hardcore Castlevania fan until you've played this game.
Here's an interesting bit of utterly useless trivia: contrary to popular belief, current Castlevania whip-cracker Koji Igarashi, known affectionately by fans as IGA, had nothing to do with this title. Instead, it was his wife who worked in the game's development team. He would occasionally visit her desk and play it, which got him interested in the franchise and earned him a "Special Thanks" in the credits.
