# Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
**Castlevania: Rondo of [Blood](https://www.edgepedia.org/blood-video-game)** (悪魔城ドラキュラX 血の輪廻, *Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo*) is a 1993 side-scrolling action platform game developed and published by Konami for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM², released in Japan and not officially issued in English until later ports[1](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/jp/ja/page/history_1993_pce). It is the tenth game in the [Castlevania](https://www.edgepedia.org/castlevania) series, and the "X" in its Japanese title derives from the Roman numeral ten[2](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_1993_pce). Directed by Toru Hagihara, it stars the vampire hunter Richter Belmont and introduced Maria Renard as a second playable character[3](https://videogamescritic.com/game/castlevania-rondo-of-blood-1000005553). Its story continues directly into *Castlevania: Symphony of the Night* (1997), which again features Richter[4](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_2018_x_son_rob).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Japanese release | October 29, 1993, PC Engine Super CD-ROM²; Konami's US portal lists March 17, 1994[1](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/jp/ja/page/history_1993_pce) • [2](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_1993_pce) |
| Position in series | Tenth Castlevania game; the "X" refers to the number ten[2](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_1993_pce) |
| First CD-ROM entry | Introduced real voice acting, animated cutscenes, and a CD-quality soundtrack[2](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_1993_pce) |
| Playable characters | Richter Belmont and Maria Renard; the lead programmer described Maria as easy mode and Richter as hard mode[5](https://shmuplations.com/chinorondo2/) |
| Structure | 9 stages with hidden levels and alternative routes for rescuing imprisoned villagers[4](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_2018_x_son_rob) |
| Availability | Japan-only for 14 years; later on PSP (*The Dracula X Chronicles*, 2007), Wii Virtual Console, PS4 (*Castlevania Requiem*, 2018), and the TurboGrafx-16 Mini[6](https://cdjuegos.com/juegos/castlevania-rondo-of-blood) • [7](https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/best-castlevania-games-ranking-the-top-entries/2900-4853/) |
## Release and design
Konami released Rondo of Blood on October 29, 1993 for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM², making it the first Castlevania on the CD-ROM format[1](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/jp/ja/page/history_1993_pce). The CD medium's storage capacity let the team include real voice acting, animated cutscenes, and a full soundtrack, and Konami's own portal describes the game as often regarded as the best action title in the history of the PC Engine[2](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_1993_pce). Lead programmer "Nyajiou" said in a 1993 strategy-guide interview that with so much disc space the team wanted to do "extra service for the fans, things like increasing the number of stages"[5](https://shmuplations.com/chinorondo2/).
Development ran concurrently with two other Akumajō Dracula projects at Konami: an X68000 computer game released in July 1993 and a Mega Drive game, *Vampire Killer*, scheduled for 1994[5](https://shmuplations.com/chinorondo2/).
**Gameplay.** The game keeps the linear, stage-based structure of the earlier classics while adding branching paths: the Requiem release describes 9 stages with hidden levels and alternative routes where the player rescues imprisoned villagers[4](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_2018_x_son_rob). Nyajiou named the branching stages as one of the game's selling points, designed so "the game doesn't end after you beat it the first time"[5](https://shmuplations.com/chinorondo2/). A select-button Item Crush produces a stronger version of each subweapon[8](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/turbocd/589264-castlevania-rondo-of-blood/reviews/96494).
Konami toned the difficulty down compared with earlier entries to broaden the audience[2](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_1993_pce). The two characters handle differently: Richter plays the traditional way, while Maria, a child vampire hunter who commands animals including the four celestial beasts, jumps twice, hits twice as hard, and takes fewer hits[4](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_2018_x_son_rob) • [6](https://cdjuegos.com/juegos/castlevania-rondo-of-blood).
## Story
The narrative follows the series formula: after 100 years, [Count Dracula](https://www.edgepedia.org/count-dracula), lord of the Demon Castle, returns, changing his form into a bat, a wolf, or mist, and draining the blood of young women to retain eternal life[2](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_1993_pce). It was Richter Belmont, the legendary vampire hunter, who finally ended the menace of [Dracula](https://www.edgepedia.org/dracula-castlevania), who had been brought back from the grave by the dark priest Shaft, and the events lead directly into *Symphony of the Night*[4](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_2018_x_son_rob).
## Limited availability and later releases
Because the game was released only in Japan on a format whose Western counterpart, the TurboGrafx-CD, was fading in a crowded marketplace, it became a sought-after import. Original copies were rare and expensive, and fans long paid high import prices until re-releases appeared[9](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2010/03/castlevania_rondo_of_blood_virtual_console) • [10](https://www.vgmuseum.com/mrp/screen-cvrob.htm). The Spanish press called it for years a kind of grail: Japan-only, exclusive to the PC Engine CD, brilliant, and still sold at high prices[11](https://as.com/meristation/2018/11/03/analisis/1541244355_347591.html).
**Ports and remakes.** *Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles* (PSP, 2007) included a 2.5D remake of the game, an English-translated version of the original, and *Symphony of the Night* as unlockable extras[12](https://castlevania.fandom.com/wiki/Castlevania%3A_Rondo_of_Blood) • [13](https://oldgamesdownload.com/wp-content/uploads/Castlevania_Rondo_of_Blood_Manual_En.pdf). The original also appeared on the Wii Virtual Console and the [TurboGrafx-16 Mini](https://www.edgepedia.org/turbografx-16-mini) console[9](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2010/03/castlevania_rondo_of_blood_virtual_console) • [7](https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/best-castlevania-games-ranking-the-top-entries/2900-4853/). On October 26, 2018, Konami released *Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood* exclusively on the [PlayStation Store](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-store) for $19.99, with 4K/1080p upscaling, high-resolution backgrounds, rendering options, and Trophies[14](https://www.konami.com/games/ca/en/topics/1190/).
**Content changes.** The PC Engine original showed werewolf enemies partially nude before defeat; this enemy was altered in *The Dracula X Chronicles* and on the Wii Virtual Console[15](https://as.com/meristation/2018/08/09/reportajes/1533829821_847300.html).
## Related titles and reception
The Super NES game *Castlevania: Dracula X* (1995), titled *Vampire's Kiss* in Europe and *Akumajō Dracula XX* in Japan, is not a port: it is a remake with new levels and altered gameplay elements, developed because of the Super NES cartridge limits and exclusivity agreements with PC Engine maker NEC[16](https://assets-global.website-files.com/68691dee176efd6a24d4a67a/68adeba954c1137305fbb973_97341898804.pdf). It lacks the two playable characters and the CD soundtrack of the original, with fewer stages and bosses and substantially different level design[17](https://as.com/meristation/2021/10/14/analisis/1634208881_305721.html).
Within the series, Rondo of Blood is routinely listed among the strongest classic-style Castlevania entries[7](https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/best-castlevania-games-ranking-the-top-entries/2900-4853/). A retrospective of the 2010 [Virtual Console](https://www.edgepedia.org/virtual-console) release notes that its CD-quality soundtrack, including renditions of the classic "Vampire Killer" theme, is among the best music the series has offered[9](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2010/03/castlevania_rondo_of_blood_virtual_console).
## References
1. [悪魔城ドラキュラX 血の輪廻, Konami Castlevania Portal Site (Japan)](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/jp/ja/page/history_1993_pce)
2. [Castlevania Rondo of Blood, Konami Castlevania Portal Site (US)](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_1993_pce)
3. [Castlevania: Rondo of Blood review score, VideoGamesCritic](https://videogamescritic.com/game/castlevania-rondo-of-blood-1000005553)
4. [Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood, Konami Castlevania Portal Site](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_2018_x_son_rob)
5. [Castlevania: Rondo of Blood – 1993 Developer Interview, shmuplations.com](https://shmuplations.com/chinorondo2/)
6. [Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (Dracula X, 1993): qué es y cómo jugarlo, CDJuegos](https://cdjuegos.com/juegos/castlevania-rondo-of-blood)
7. [Best Castlevania Games: Ranking The Top 15 Entries, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/best-castlevania-games-ranking-the-top-entries/2900-4853/)
8. [Castlevania: Rondo of Blood Review for Turbo CD, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/turbocd/589264-castlevania-rondo-of-blood/reviews/96494)
9. [Castlevania: Rondo of Blood Review (TurboGrafx-16), Nintendo Life](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2010/03/castlevania_rondo_of_blood_virtual_console)
10. [Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, VGMuseum](https://www.vgmuseum.com/mrp/screen-cvrob.htm)
11. [Castlevania Requiem, Análisis, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/2018/11/03/analisis/1541244355_347591.html)
12. [Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, Castlevania Wiki (Fandom)](https://castlevania.fandom.com/wiki/Castlevania%3A_Rondo_of_Blood)
13. [Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles manual](https://oldgamesdownload.com/wp-content/uploads/Castlevania_Rondo_of_Blood_Manual_En.pdf)
14. [Castlevania Requiem now available on PlayStation Store, Konami](https://www.konami.com/games/ca/en/topics/1190/)
15. [Cazadores de Lore: El Castillo de Drácula, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/2018/08/09/reportajes/1533829821_847300.html)
16. [Castlevania: Dracula X (Super NES)](https://assets-global.website-files.com/68691dee176efd6a24d4a67a/68adeba954c1137305fbb973_97341898804.pdf)
17. [Castlevania Advance Collection análisis, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/2021/10/14/analisis/1634208881_305721.html)
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*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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