This SNES version of Rondo of Blood isn't a completely bad Castlevania game, but it comes off limited in comparison. Controls wise it's a step back from Super Castlevania IV—you only have the horizontal whip attack, though you can backflip which is very fun to pull off in spotty situations. There's no whip swinging, no diagonal or vertical whip attacks, no alternate paths, and the levels are basic and not as well-designed as usual. It feels like there's an overuse of the Spear Guard—maybe I just don't know how to fight them, but Richter's reach is too short and his animation is too slow to get a hit in and get out without getting hit. Often when climbing stairs an enemy will stand at the end, and without a diagonal whip attack there's nothing to do but walk up the stairs to take damage; it especially sticks out compared to the earlier games because while they can be difficult and unfair, they usually aren't this cheap. This is all compounded by the fact that some enemies take a lot more damage than usual to kill them—in the best scenario, it feels like you're having a duel with a Sword Lord or Axe Knight, but it can also feel tedious and unfair when you're dealing with platforming or Bats/Medusa Head at the same time. Still, I'm a sucker for the basic Castlevania experience so I mostly had a good with the levels.
The bosses at the end of the levels are mostly pretty good versions of them. The exception is the Count himself, who is here in his most annoying version. It's the typical dodge projectile + attack head thing, but rather than a regular arena, the level is a set of pillars floating at various heights, and Dracula teleports to a random one before each attack. This makes jumping just right to dodge and hit his head very difficult—the timing is a lot more precise than usual. You can't simply jump over the projectile then attack because Richter doesn't have that much height and speed to jump from a lower place when Dracula attacks. You can't attack the projectile then jump and attack because you typically would need to jump to hit the projectile; once Richter lands, you don't have enough time to jump again and hit Dracula's head before the window closes. Dracula will also throw an energy ball, which can only be dodged by jumping or backflipping over it, depending on the height of the attack, or by getting to the lowest pillar and crouching so it glides right over you. On top of all this Richter has a momentum and weight to his jumps, and you cannot guide Richter after you've already hit the jump button, so it is extremely easy to fall to your death, or land your jump on the pillar only to slide to your death. It's very frustrating, but with rewind + save states it just becomes very tedious. The second phase where Dracula goes demon mode is a lot easier. His projectiles have an easier timing and placement so you can often take out the projectiles and get damage in at the same time, and you can jump through or crouch to dodge his wind hoop attack.
The best part of the game, besides timing a backflip perfectly, is the way it looks. It's more artistic/anime looking than the blocky classic style of Rondo of Blood, and actually looks a little slicker to me than Symphony of the Night; it's much closer to the GBA games that Dracula X is now packaged with. The music is good too, though nothing stuck out for me.
Altogether this is an unfortunately middling game that makes me appreciate Super Castlevania IV and Castlevania: Bloodlines even more. Until Konami releases a Rondo collection on something besides PlayStation, this will have to do.
The bosses at the end of the levels are mostly pretty good versions of them. The exception is the Count himself, who is here in his most annoying version. It's the typical dodge projectile + attack head thing, but rather than a regular arena, the level is a set of pillars floating at various heights, and Dracula teleports to a random one before each attack. This makes jumping just right to dodge and hit his head very difficult—the timing is a lot more precise than usual. You can't simply jump over the projectile then attack because Richter doesn't have that much height and speed to jump from a lower place when Dracula attacks. You can't attack the projectile then jump and attack because you typically would need to jump to hit the projectile; once Richter lands, you don't have enough time to jump again and hit Dracula's head before the window closes. Dracula will also throw an energy ball, which can only be dodged by jumping or backflipping over it, depending on the height of the attack, or by getting to the lowest pillar and crouching so it glides right over you. On top of all this Richter has a momentum and weight to his jumps, and you cannot guide Richter after you've already hit the jump button, so it is extremely easy to fall to your death, or land your jump on the pillar only to slide to your death. It's very frustrating, but with rewind + save states it just becomes very tedious. The second phase where Dracula goes demon mode is a lot easier. His projectiles have an easier timing and placement so you can often take out the projectiles and get damage in at the same time, and you can jump through or crouch to dodge his wind hoop attack.
The best part of the game, besides timing a backflip perfectly, is the way it looks. It's more artistic/anime looking than the blocky classic style of Rondo of Blood, and actually looks a little slicker to me than Symphony of the Night; it's much closer to the GBA games that Dracula X is now packaged with. The music is good too, though nothing stuck out for me.
Altogether this is an unfortunately middling game that makes me appreciate Super Castlevania IV and Castlevania: Bloodlines even more. Until Konami releases a Rondo collection on something besides PlayStation, this will have to do.