Castlevania simply doesn't fail to impress me, wow, they really improved Rondo of Blood somehow.
Everything I could say about Rondo I could say about Dracula X Chronicles, since it basically remakes the entire game in a very faithful way, now with the extremely charming graphics of the PSP, the only complain I have is that it's still very boring to do the alternate routes to save the girls and fight the extra bosses, but again, it's optional, so I didn't do it :D, despite that, still an excellent game.
What else can I say? More cutscenes, new dialogues, new extra contents (I didn't touch neither SotN nor OG Rondo, but I'm glad they exist), Dracula now has a more developed boss fight, and OOOHH my god Annette Succubus

decidi jogar esse só pq gostei muito do rondo of blood e queria ver como seria ele refeito em 3D, e acabou que eu gostei MUITO mais desse que do original

ele conseguiu evoluir tudo do rondo, pra mim a versão definitiva com ctz, até concertou umas coisas que achei meio meh, e acrescentou uns secrets novos que são muito bem vindos

simplesmente amei essa versão, é tudo muito bem feito e acho que todo mundo que gostou do rondo deveria rejogar nessa versão

Castlevania The Dracula X Chronicles is a remake of Rondo of Blood that improves the game in just about every aspect. Not only does it add 3D graphics and voice acting as well as a new art style that helps modernize the game, but the game also has several other improvements such as better movement options for Richter and Maria, as well as new content in the form of games that can be unlocked by the player and different pathways that spruce up the game’s progression. The game feels a lot better to play as a whole than the original thanks to these QOL improvements. It does come with the original game as well as Symphony of the Night which is a direct sequel to the game, for people who have not played those I highly recommend experiencing them too, even if I do consider Dracula X to be superior overall to the original Rondo of Blood.

The slightly changed puzzles for two unlockables (finding Iris and Annette) were both an interesting twist and a bit of a "bruh I gotta get a guide to find these now?" with how they are.

Otherwise it seems all arond like Rondo but with a muddier 3D facelift (though it made the snake boss easier to stop fearing), and some songs are good if not kinda close to Rondo's ,others are alright but definitely not as good, and then there's Stage 7/Moon Light which is the one song I would say that beats the original song used.

Stage 5' isn't THAT different in that it did have a neat visual overhaul but when you have played Rondo, the stage does share a similar structure and layout (ducking under spikes over platforms in water, the split with knights guarding the areas, and that going the upper path will have you meet two black knights). Very similar in the first-time frustration factor as well.

A few moments were jankier to platform due to the 3D hitboxes (and Stage 7 has been tweaked to be a little bit more difficult) but other than that, the stages are often the same as Rondo in difficulty, and the bosses feel easier to keep track of which is kinda funny (though I couldn't bother with the Lesser Vampire so I ended up looking up how to find Annette and fight the real boss there)

Its still a version of Rondo which means that it does hold up, and having Rondo/SOTN in the same package really adds to value (even though you will likely need to look up where to find them, or at least Rondo in my case), but while the music remapping feature is cool, having to search so much to find EVERY song from both past games isn't so much. That and not being able to put the OG Rondo music for Dracula's fight; why show the option but lock that out?

That aside, I think that the visual style being kinda cluttered in some stages, the music unlocks (not going for a 100% run because of those when they are kinda useless if I have played everything already unless you want to revisit in the future or are a completionist) and getting a bit frustrated over "OH SO THEY WERE HERE ALL ALONG" moments with Iris/Annette along with Stage 5' being Stage 5' might have knocked off that one/half star from the Rating (though that frustration is also likely because I only played it the most on a phone...but it also means that I can say I beat Dracula and all stages except 5' so far on that of all things), but on the other hand, at least it doesn't break everything and what's still familiar feels more accessible than before.

I like Rondo more but a lot of what done here was clearly done with care for the fans, and PSP owners were eating real good when this came out.

Fine game, fine remake, I like some of the changes and additions...but nothing beats the beauty that is the original for me...man I hate this erasure of Anime pretty boy Dracula lol.

Visually it's really dull tho...I get that this is PSP but that's no excuse to make the textures so colorless...I have no idea why this happened when they didn't have this problem when trying to bring Kojima style to 3D before. Maybe one day it'll be redeemed by a PPSSPP texture pack, so far only an HD upscale exists.

I appreciate them keeping the difficulty and gameplay feeling exactly the same though...this remake doesn't hold your hand unlike the many "remakes" now and I gotta give it props for that.

Also I used Richter more this time and actually saved Annette as her...I felt a bit dissatisfied when I rescued her as Maria in Rondo so I'm glad to find bring that to a closure.

Remakes lately leave a bad taste in my mouth and I'm sick of them, so that definitely made me tired of this one near the end...yes that's not the game's fault but what can I say?

Screw Stage 5' tho, I'm not doing that, especially after having already beaten Dracula.

Also why PSP? What an odd choice of platform going from PC Engine...

Rondo is easily the better version.

First time playthrough, and my first Castlevania game. I beat it... which means I liked it! It's also the first game played on my old PSP since I dug it out and revived it recently.

Frankly, it's not as beautiful-looking as Rondo of Blood—not a controvertial statement, I think. The music is a side-grade too. So when I unlocked the original (and SotN) early on in my playthrough I did have to decide if I was gonna keep playing the remake or start over in OG Rondo... I chose to keep playing Dracula X Chronicles because I wanted a PSP-native experience and also because even though it isn't better I still find the new presentation charming in its own way. Plus I already know what most of Rondo of Blood looks like via GameCenter CX, etc.

When I've dipped my toes into Castlevania in the past I've been scared away by how slow and deliberate you have to be to succeed. It's the anti-Sonic, basically. In my increased age I am a much more patient person and much more receptive to at least this specific game's charms. Also, fuck that guy Dracula he sucks.

Rondo of Blood remains one of my favorite Castlevania games, despite this remake lacking some of the charm of the original PC-Engine title. The music rocks, it's hard as hell, it has multiple characters and multiple paths to take for whatever playthrough flavor you're feeling. It's a dope-ass Castlevania game that I would still recommend to this day.

The big reason to get this version was because it contained Symphony of the Night as an unlockable, and that was my first real exposure to that game, lacking a PS1 growing up. Either way, great fucking games for a portable package.

As a remake? It's good, but certainly not perfect. The colors are muted(although I personally think it kinda fits), some of the remixes are inferior compared to the original soundtrack, and the completion requirements are a bit overblown. Thank god I already had a nearly 100% completed save before revisiting it.
Replacing the Stage 7 theme with Moon Fight was an A+ choice though. The original theme wasn't bad, but c'mon! It's Moon Fight!

As a package? Simply stellar. It has the original Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night, all in one bundle! Who cares if the actual remake isn't perfect? You got two of the best games in the series, and an alright remake to go with it. You really can't go wrong here.

Yeah, the voice acting in SotN was replaced, but it's still SotN. On the go, no less!

Easy recommendation for any PSP owner. Even though the main dish is a bit undercooked, both of the side dishes MORE than make up for it.