Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

***Castlevania: Rondo of Blood*** is a platform-adventure video game developed by Konami for the PC Engine's Super CD-ROM² System directed by Toru Hagihara. It is set in the fictional universe of the *Castlevania* series, where the protagonist Richter Belmont goes to save his lover Annette, who was abducted by Dracula. It was released in Japan on October 29, 1993. A direct sequel to it, *Castlevania: Symphony of the Night*, was released in 1997. The game was remade for the Super Nintendo as *Castlevania: Dracula X*, and the PlayStation Portable as *Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles*. In 2008, the original game was released for the Wii's Virtual Console service in Japan and for the North American and PAL regions in 2010.

## Plot

Taking place in 1792, *Rondo of Blood* is set in the fictional universe of the *Castlevania* series. The story centers around the eternal conflict between the vampire hunters of the Belmont clan and the immortal vampire Dracula, who has once again been resurrected. The protagonist is 19-year-old Richter Belmont, heir to the whip "Vampire Killer" and Simon Belmont's direct descendant. He comes to the castle after his beloved Annette is kidnapped by Dracula's servant Shaft as bait for a trap. Richter makes his way through Dracula's castle, defeating his minions, including the spirit of Death, a headless knight, and a minotaur, all of whom attempt to stop Richter. Along the way, Richter can free various women kidnapped by Dracula's servants to feed him, including his distant relative Maria Renard, an orphaned 12-year-old who insists on joining him; Terra, a nun who mistakes him for a manifestation of God; Iris, the daughter of the village doctor; and finally Annette. After vanquishing Shaft (or Annette's ghost if he fails to rescue her in time), Richter confronts Dracula and defeats him before exposing him to sunlight, causing him to vanish. Dracula's castle then collapses into the sea as Richter escapes on horseback.

## Gameplay

The objective is to guide the primary player character Richter Belmont through nine stages, with four alternate routes, as he searches for his kidnapped beloved Annette and ultimately confronts Dracula in his castle. Richter makes use of a whip as his main weapon and one of six sub-weapons: an axe, a dagger, holy water, a grimoire, a pocket watch, and a cross. While exploring the castle, Richter can rescue four maidens, including his distant relative Maria Renard who then becomes a playable character. She attacks using her doves and one of six sub-weapons: a white tiger kitten, dragon whelp, baby phoenix, turtle, egg or musical notes. She is more agile, can do a double jump, and can do twice the amount of damage that Richter does in each normal attack because the doves she shoots out return to her and therefore can do a second hit of damage on the way back, but she takes much more damage each time she is hit than Richter does when he is.

*Rondo of Blood* incorporates elements from the earlier *Castlevania* games which typically featured linear gameplay and a member of the Belmont clan as the protagonist, and the later entries which emphasized untimed exploration of the environment. *Rondo of Blood* makes use of untimed stages with a clear beginning, but more than one ending to some levels; this then affects the subsequent environment, monsters, and boss monster that the player character encounters at the end of the level. Items such as money, hearts, and food can be found scattered throughout the areas. *Rondo of Blood* also features the Item Crash ability reused in subsequent *Castlevania* titles, which allows a sub-weapon to be used in a super attack. Its direct sequel, *Castlevania: Symphony of the Night*, reuses many of the monsters.

## Characters

### Playable Characters

* **Ritcher Belmont** (voiced by Jin Horikawa), Age: 19, Descendant of Simon Belmont. Vampire hunter and the game's main protagonist. Very righteous and dislikes the unfair. His weapon of choice is the time-honored Belmont family whip. Able to use axes and knives as well.
* **Maria Renard** (voiced by Yōko Teppōzuka), Age: 12, Daughter of distant kinship with the House of Belmont. Held hostage somewhere in the stage 2. Once rescued, becomes playable and the game's secondary protagonist. An honest personality and tough fighter.

## Trivia

* Ritcher Belmont makes as the echo fighter in *Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*.
* Ritcher Belmont appears as Ritcher Belmont Bomber in *Super Bomberman R Online*.
* Maria Renard makes cameo as a keychain in *Tokimeki Memorial: Forever with You.*
* Maria Renard makes a brief cameo in the interactive game *TwinBee PARADISE in Donburi Shima*.

## External links

* *Castlevania: Rondo of Blood* at the Castlevania Wiki