The upcoming 2026 Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse game made me realise I have yet to explore many of the great and less great Classicvania games—the “subgenre” group of Castlevania games before Koji Igarashi pivoted to what could be called Igavania but Jeremy Parish coined metroidvania. Confusing semantics aside, getting hold of this particular instance, Rondo of Blood, without relying on the PSP remake, is a big challenge as well. The game, released in 1993, never made it to the west since Hudson realised their video game console was drowning in the Genesis Does What Nintendon’t fight. They pulled the plug in that same year in the West, leaving us hardcore gamers with only two options: the expensive import route, or later in the nineties, the emulation route. Precisely because of the complicated history of both the console and the game, Rondo of Blood enjoyed a mystical cult state of being one of the last superb Classicvanias. Playing hard to get worked, only not commercially. The game still has the capability to blow you away, 33 years later, so they must have done something right. Richter getting his ass kicked by skeletons in the chapel. Historically speaking, Rondo of Blood was the first Castlevania game that introduced a proper save game and stage/character select system. In addition, many of the classic enemy designs originated here. Since I did not play the games in order, it’s difficult for me to correctly credit the games for its originality, but on closer inspection, it seems that Rondo was the game that first contained many enemy sprites that I’ve grown to love, such as the Skeleton Ape throwing an explosive barrel that I know well from the later GBA games. This makes the game feel much more modern compared so say Super Castlevania IV, although I don’t know why Richter’s whip suddenly can’t hit diagonally anymore. The main problem with Classicvania games applies here as well: they’re usually very difficult to artificially prolong the game length. Without it, you’d be done in two hours or less. The odd misplaced bat hitting you in the face on top of a staircase still does the trick here. What's Shaft doing with Maria here? Luckily, I found both Richter and especially the unlockable character Maria to be much more nimble compared to the earlier protagonists such as Simon. Playing as maria sometimes even feels like cheating since she can double jump to evade projectiles and her subweapons—a variety of cute looking animals like cats and phoenixes—have a much better range. Changing directions mid-jump still feels weird: she faces the other way but her jump is not cancelled out, yet slightly slowed down. I’d take that though: better than Richter’s heavy steps, or worse, his ridiculously slow jump in the SNES “port” Dracula X we’ll cover later. Another unique aspect of Rond of Blood is the way you explore the castle and its surroundings: even though there are only six stages if you don’t count the boss rush one which I failed to complete, the first four all have alternate versions you can unlock by discovering hidden pathways and looking for keys. These paths lead to other, even more challenging bosses, but more importantly, they lead to the four maidens Richter has to rescue in order to get the best ending. This greatly increases the replayability of the game, if only it didn’t drive me to pull out my hair at times. Without save states, I would not have been able to face Death on top of a boat in Stage 5. Maria lying in Richter's arms, depicted in a goofy anime style. And then there’s the music. Simply put, it’s more than excellent, mainly thanks to the CD-ROM format that allows for higher fidelity recordings. In 1993, this would have blown off my socks. In 2026, it’s still very impressive for what is essentially an enhanced 8-bit game! Stage 1 already sets the mood with Richter’s Theme as a first appearance. The blend of new and old tracks beating along the cracks of Richter’s whip plays a huge role in creating the right atmosphere. Each stage oozes a unique vibe, just like the later Igavanias that seal off separately themed sections of the castle by interlocking doors with a small hallway. Most of the enemies to behead are still skeletons, but they’re varied and have more tricks up their sleeve than simply shuffling around and throwing the odd bone in the air. The way new bigger enemies—you might even call them subbosses—are introduced halfway through a stage only adds to the tension, making you curse even more when you hear the jingle announcing your death. At the stage select screen you can switch playable characters. When playing as Richter, the typical subweapons make a return: holy cross, throwing axe and dagger, and so forth. Except that this time you can perform a special “item crash” in exchange for a huge number of hearts that performs a screen clear such as acid rain or a huge cross rapidly moving from top to bottom, mowing down everything on screen. Correctly executing the move and its cost make it a bit tricky to use in certain situations. Watching video clips of others playing the game, I even discovered Richter can perform a backflip that I just could not pull off. I guess stiff controls are a part of the Classicvania experience? Still, I think by now I can safely say it: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood is the best Classicvania game. I don’t think it’s underrated: its mythical status is well-deserved and I’m glad I finally got to play it. But I’m also glad I can put it away, as I strongly prefer the later games that went into a different direction, beginning with Symphony of the Night. These games are connected through the intro/ending sequences, making them even more interesting. Verdict: 4/5—Great. Classicvania series  ▹  Castlevania: The Adventure  ○  Super Castlevania IV  ○  Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge  ○  Castlevania Rondo of Blood  ○  Castlevania Anniversary Collection  ○ By Jefklak on 22 September 2026.  Played on: PC-Engine  Genre: 2D Platformer  Release Year: 1993  Developer: Konami  How long to beat: 3.7 hrs