Castlevania was always one of the more punishing series on the NES, mainly on account of the fact - let's face it - that the Belmonts, the stars of that series, generally moved like slugs. Unlike Samus or Ryu Hayabusa, the Belmonts generally couldn't influence their jumps much once made, and had a surprising amount of trouble navigating stairs. Add in the fact enemy hits could send them flying and that the Castlevania games had plenty of nasty falls, and the fact health items were sparse - generally only once a level - and it was a bit like survival horror at its earliest. Like the later Resident Evil games, the heroes of Castlevania would be crippled by odd controls and very limited resources.
Which isn't to say I don't love those games. I actually do, every much. Despite the difficulty, they were very innovative for the time, with interesting weapons, monsters, bosses, and great level design. And not all those generalities apply - Castlevania 2 was a fair deal easier because of its exploration and upgrade elements. Super Castlevania IV had some pretty neat control features, mainly the controllable whip. Castlevania: The Dracula X chronicles takes us to Rondo of Blood, the last of the classic-style, level-based Castlevania games. Featuring level branches, multiple characters, hidden areas, and a great variety of bosses, it easily stands out as one of the best Castlevania games of all time.
Mind, those have gotten to know Castlevania from Symphony of the Night and its Gameboy Advance and DS descendants may be in for a bit of shock. There are no items or upgrades to manage, no levels to gain. There's rarely much going back, even though the game has an area completion percentage just like Symphony. The fact Symphony of the Night is included as an unlockable "extra" highlights this difference all the more.
For a while I've been thinking on the difference between effort vs. skill in video games. On one side of the equation are console RPGs and MMORPGs, which mainly value effort. Time taken in these games generally provides additional features and power and allows you to confront the higher challenges only through hard and sometimes quite gruelling work. However, they rarely require tight hand-eye coordination or intense mastery of the game's controls. On the other side of things, you have games that require skill. These are your one-on-one fighting games, your curtain fire shooters, and online FPSes. Generally you don't get much in the way of upgrades, and they're often disposable. Most of your success depends on how well you can sublimate the controls and discern the patterns of the CPU or the strategies of a human opponent.
Thusly, Rondo of Blood leans towards the skill side of the equation, while Symphony of the Night heavily shifts the game farther towards effort. While Symphony of the Night is hardly a pure effort game, the fact that effort is included as a more profound game element radically changed the nature of the series. If the player of Symphony finds a creature or challenge too tough, he can turn around and explore more, switch weapons, upgrade, and return with better tools for the task. The heroes of Rondo, on the other hand, better pick up everything they need along the way, because they're going to have a tough time when they get there.
Moving along to the games in question, what you get from the collection of games presented is first the new, 3D version of Rondo of Blood. It's generally a bit easier than the original, providing the main hero, Richter, with a backflip and giving a bit of overall space to the levels thanks to some redesign and the PSP's wider screen. It's an attractive remake, with some more modern touches here and there, and plenty of small secrets to uncover.
Speaking of which, it forces you to unlock the other two games included - the original Rondo of Blood (as it appeared on the PC Engine CD), Symphony of the Night. I think this is unfortunate, as many people bought this just to have Symphony on the PSP, and I don't think they should be forced to jump through admittedly easy hoops just to have it. Personally, I remain skeptical regarding "unlockables" in games. Sometimes they can make a more interesting goal to achieve than just stomping the bad guys, but I would rather see major features like extra characters or games just opened up from the start. It feels a bit cruel to be sold a game and told I can only use a certain percentage of it until I've proven myself, but I won't belabor the point.
The original Rondo of Blood isn't a vast difference from its 3D counterpart. Those who like the old 2D world of sprites and bright colors won't be disappointed, with large bosses and detailed levels. Symphony of the Night is another feast for the 2D eyes, with lots to uncover, terrific enemies and areas to explore, fun upgrades, though it feels almost childishly easy when sitting next to Rondo. It should be noted for those that played the original that Symphony has had some new features added, like a few upgrades that were cut from the American version, an additional boss battle and unlockable character, and a complete rewrite of the voiced script.
Overall, this stands as a great collection for those that appreciate the world of both classic and recent 2D gaming, and a pretty solid introduction for younger folks that haven't been indoctrinated. There's a lot of game here for your buck, and much of it is close to the height of its genre. The difficulty level of Rondo is a bit daunting at times, particularly for players used to the newer "Castleroid" games in the series. But in the end, it demonstrates the divide between "old-school" and "new-school" more keenly than almost other collection, and I find the that dichotomy almost as interesting as the games themselves.
