Look at how they massacred my boy.
I really couldn't tell you what the fine folks at Konami were thinking when they decided to condense a PC Engine CD game onto an SNES cart in freaking 1995, but it couldn't have been driven by profit motives. At least not realistically. The only argument that can be made for playing this back in 95 is because you couldn't get at Rondo of Blood, and the only argument for playing it today is curiosity. I'm curious what driving a heated needle through my fingernail feels like, but you don't see me following through, and likewise you shouldn't be so driven to play Dracula X.
On paper, Dracula X is meant to be a remake of Rondo of Blood for the SNES, but it is so compromised by the limitations of the hardware that any connection to Rondo rapidly dissipates after the first level, devolving into a series of generic caves and hallways sparsely decorated with enemies placed in the most annoying positions they possibly could be. Sprites are highly detailed, yet everything looks so washed out and boring. I'd say I'm in awe of how they accomplished that, but the explanation is simple: fidelity over style.
There are still branching pathways, but when those lead to levels just as uninspired as the ones you've been playing, what's the point in concerning yourself with them? You can still drop through floors onto new pathways, but when the game is riddled with so many bottomless pits what encouragement is there to experiment and discover which ones aren't deathtraps? The final fight against Dracula heself is laden with pits leading to instant death, and if you manage to survive the glacially paced initial phase, then his second will likely run a clinic on you, flying right at you while blasting projectiles that provide little room for error. I'll give him this, he finally figured out the perfect counterattack: not having a god damn floor.
Did you know this game sells for over 300$ on the secondhand market? Look, I understand these prices are often driven by rarity and not quality, among other more artificial factors, but if you bought a used copy of this game for anything over 15 bucks I think you should be hunted for sport. There's no reason to play this game today. I'm pretty sure Rondo of Blood is in one of the Castlevania collections Konami has released and can be easily obtained legally, or if you'd rather you can just spend like, ten minutes figuring out PC Engine CD emulation and play it for free. I am begging you not to play Dracula X, even out of curiosity, I promise you that you'll only be wasting your time on a bad game.
When I was a kid I went to SeaWorld in San Diego with my mom. She left me unattended (as she often did) for a few minutes near the ocra's tank. One swam up close to the glass and made eye contact with me, and though it was only for a moment, I felt as if I was falling into its gaze for an eternity. Reflecting on this connection, I find myself wondering if it was trying to communicate with me. Perhaps this animal, trapped in its enclosure and forced to put on shows for the amusement of humans was trying to impart the importance of living without wasted time. To accomplish something, to become something, to cherish life in each microcosmic moment to its fullest. Or maybe it just saw that in 25 years I'd own a copy of Clayfighter 63 1/3 and play Dracula X like some kind of asshole.
I really couldn't tell you what the fine folks at Konami were thinking when they decided to condense a PC Engine CD game onto an SNES cart in freaking 1995, but it couldn't have been driven by profit motives. At least not realistically. The only argument that can be made for playing this back in 95 is because you couldn't get at Rondo of Blood, and the only argument for playing it today is curiosity. I'm curious what driving a heated needle through my fingernail feels like, but you don't see me following through, and likewise you shouldn't be so driven to play Dracula X.
On paper, Dracula X is meant to be a remake of Rondo of Blood for the SNES, but it is so compromised by the limitations of the hardware that any connection to Rondo rapidly dissipates after the first level, devolving into a series of generic caves and hallways sparsely decorated with enemies placed in the most annoying positions they possibly could be. Sprites are highly detailed, yet everything looks so washed out and boring. I'd say I'm in awe of how they accomplished that, but the explanation is simple: fidelity over style.
There are still branching pathways, but when those lead to levels just as uninspired as the ones you've been playing, what's the point in concerning yourself with them? You can still drop through floors onto new pathways, but when the game is riddled with so many bottomless pits what encouragement is there to experiment and discover which ones aren't deathtraps? The final fight against Dracula heself is laden with pits leading to instant death, and if you manage to survive the glacially paced initial phase, then his second will likely run a clinic on you, flying right at you while blasting projectiles that provide little room for error. I'll give him this, he finally figured out the perfect counterattack: not having a god damn floor.
Did you know this game sells for over 300$ on the secondhand market? Look, I understand these prices are often driven by rarity and not quality, among other more artificial factors, but if you bought a used copy of this game for anything over 15 bucks I think you should be hunted for sport. There's no reason to play this game today. I'm pretty sure Rondo of Blood is in one of the Castlevania collections Konami has released and can be easily obtained legally, or if you'd rather you can just spend like, ten minutes figuring out PC Engine CD emulation and play it for free. I am begging you not to play Dracula X, even out of curiosity, I promise you that you'll only be wasting your time on a bad game.
When I was a kid I went to SeaWorld in San Diego with my mom. She left me unattended (as she often did) for a few minutes near the ocra's tank. One swam up close to the glass and made eye contact with me, and though it was only for a moment, I felt as if I was falling into its gaze for an eternity. Reflecting on this connection, I find myself wondering if it was trying to communicate with me. Perhaps this animal, trapped in its enclosure and forced to put on shows for the amusement of humans was trying to impart the importance of living without wasted time. To accomplish something, to become something, to cherish life in each microcosmic moment to its fullest. Or maybe it just saw that in 25 years I'd own a copy of Clayfighter 63 1/3 and play Dracula X like some kind of asshole.
3 Comments
There's no way to play Rondo on Xbox though, right? As far as I could tell Dracula X was the closest we could get. Thanks for the great review; sounds like this is one to pass on for now at least until I've tried more of the good ones.
Rondo didn't receive a localization until around 2007, I think. But in 1995 I doubt most Western kids had any idea Rondo was a thing. I think the goal here was to quickly and cheaply develop a SNES Castlevania they could sell on the brand name, and so they used Rondo as the template.
FallenGrace
1 year ago
Anyway, Dracula X is absolutely an uninspired mess I too played for curiosity rather than an actual need to play. I also would second your thoughts here to anyone reading. Just don't. Play Rondo of Blood instead.