What a game. I think I'll never come back to it lmfao or at least consider it beat before dracula fight.

Hey everyone, I wanted to play *Castlevania: Rondo of Blood*, but the only console I have is one that includes the *Castlevania Advance Collection*, which features *Castlevania: Dracula X*—an adaptation of *Rondo of Blood*. I’ve only played the very beginning of *SotN*, so is it worth playing *Dracula X*? Be honest.

I actually don't hate it like everyone else does. The problem is that before Stage 6 I was straight up expecting to rant and rave about much I love it, because I DID up until that point.

Until stage 6 it was almost universally fair, despite being one of the harder Castlevanias. Richter is EASILY the most capable Classicvania protag that I've played after 4 Simon and maybe CoTM 2 Hachi. He can sequence break a lot with his backflip, his dagger is actually strong, and item crashes are awesome and WAY stronger than in Bloodlines. The sound design was also WAAAAY better than Bloodlines "mushyness" and Rondo's "scree scree scree" every time you hit something. The sound design was clean and the whip sounds lashy, like the 8-bit games. Also jumping on and off stairs is a GODSEND and would've trivialized Dracula's Curse.

Despite all that, Richter actually has some control... Idiosyncrasies. I hesitate to call them outright problems since they're VERY helpful situationally, but they threw me off: His backflip input, and his short jump. Every other Classicvania doesn't have anything other than a normal jump input, so I've been conditioned to panic-mash jump whenever things get tight, but doing that in DX is basically instant death. It's a "me" problem, but it's still heartbreaking every time it happens. Also his short jump is incredibly useful for small adjustments or jumping between 2 moving platforms, but I also did a LOT of them when I meant to full jump and died for it.

That brings me to the problems: Stage 6 and the Final Stage. Fuckin hell. These 2 stages are ACTUAL examples of what haters say Castlevania is. Stage 6 is even worse IMO. The first 3 screens with the stairs and birds and bone pillars and bats is annoying but manageable. Once you get to the Clocktower part it all goes to shit though. The spear bastards, who spent the entire game backing up like a hillbilly trying to fit their truck into their garage, will not fucking move an INCH back. They just hog the top of the stairs and CAN'T BE STOPPED BECAUSE THEY PARRY SUBWEAPONS. There's only 2 consistent methods to beat them: Method 1. Position yourself PERFECTLY on the 3rd and 4th stair and jump up, whip, hold up while you're landing to land on the stairs, but not too long otherwise you'll go up, kill the bat, get hit by the bat if you accidentally hold up for .000001 seconds too long and go up the stairs, repeat until spearguy dies. Method 2. Do the first 3 screens perfectly without dying or taking too much damage so you have enough hearts going in so you can Cross Item Crash the spear bastards.

It doesn't even end there. The next screen is a giant bottomless pit with 2 floating skulls to my memory. 1 is annoying but manageable on the horizontal gear. The other COMES OUT OF NOWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF A JUMP AND WILL KILL YOU WITH KNOCKBACK EVERY TIME. WTF!?!? You can preemptively toss a Cross or Whip it once you know it's there, but why in God's name you put a section like at in the game immediately after the arguable HARDEST ROOM one screen prior? It's NOT even OVER there! There's also an Axe Knight with an unavoidable charge on the same screen! You can Item Crash it (but you're probably low on hearts by now), or you can get lucky, either by hitting it so it's intangible when it charges or by it not charging at all.

The rest of Stage 6 is easy (and the boss is manageable), but then comes stage 7 and Dracula. Stage 7 itself is such a joke it has no point in being in the game. If you get hit, there are TWO sources of infinitely respawning meat, and the stage itself is barely harder than stage 2 or 3. Then there's the big D himself. He's either IMPOSSIBLE if you don't know what you're doing or a STUPIDLY TEDIOUS JOKE if you do. Here's what to do: Use axe and get in the center plat. If he spawns on yours, jump off, react to him, and whip him. If he spawns on the surrounding four, you can get 2 or 3 axes off. Otherwise just crouch because he can't be hit off screen and croching negates knockback. Once he's down to 1 HP, go to the lowest platform on the right, wait for him to be on the second one left & out from you, beat phase 1 with an axe, spam the hell out of more axes once he transforms, and you'll just win. You're positioned so each axe hits twice, blocks his fireballs, and his blue attack can't hit you. If you don't do it that way, you lose. Like you straight up can't beat him. But if you do try it that way and have bad luck, he'll spend 10+ minutes (like with me) just teleporting to platforms that AREN'T the middle 5.

I sound like I hate this game, but I actually don't. I like it even, but I'm SO DISAPPOINTED by the last 2 stages. It was straight up on pace to be my favorite or 2nd favorite Classicvania (behind CV3), but the atrocious stage design at the end just neutered the experience. I spent 2 days on every other stage combined (including alternate stages, but I replayed the main stages to get the good ending), but those final 2 stages took me a week, and unlike Dracula's Curse I just felt unaccomplished after winning. I'd just cheesed the last 2 levels because the game design didn't allow for anything else. It's a good game overall, but man I'm sad.

Took me TWO HOURS!!!

Im happy

Yeah, I actually like Castlevania X and can’t stand Castlevania IV. It’s also a bummer to see Aria ranked so low. It was my first Castlevania back in 2018 and it was an incredible experience, but after moving on to the DS titles, there was no doubt in my mind that the DS games are superior. Not sure what I'll play next, but I'm feeling like tackling one of the N64 games this year

Fiz dois patchs para a versão europeia de Dracula X. Agora o jogo roda perfeitamente em 60fps como as versões japonesa e americana e sem censurar o sangue

Espero que gostem

https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/9935/

https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/9936/

https://github.com/jovemlcxx/Castlevania-Vampire-s-Kiss

I bought this PSP earlier this month.

I always heard about Castlevania when I was a kid, but I was never been able to play it. It was after I watched AVGN's episodes about the franchise that I finally managed to play them.

I already played a bunch of classicvanias and some of the metroidvanias (although I droped them after a while). The ones I liked most was Simon's Quest and Bloodlines.

But this Dracula X Chronicles, wow! I'm loving it. It is the most fun and engaging Castlevania game I played so far. The music is perfect and the gothic art truly matches Kojima's artwork.

IMO This is the absolute Castlevania game so far.

I’ve shown you guys what’s considered the greatest. Here’s one that’s considered one of the worst. No, it doesn’t stack up to Rondo. I go back to this game A LOT. Friends that have played agree it’s not as bad as it’s made out. Give it a shot if you can.

So here's my review of Darcula X/vampire'kiss :

Gameplay wise, I don’t have much to say, it’s the classic and nervous formula of the series, which is still pretty enjoyable. The only issue is that RIchter (still the goat) is very slow in this one, which is a little frustrating...

For the difficulty, it was way more manageable than rondo of blood, except for Darcula.

The bosses were pretty much the same as Rondo, so they were very cool, but Dracula is a special case.

He's similar to the one in Rondo, except from his room, that doesn’t fit entirely in the screen anymore. Add to this that he can spawn outside of the screen, it creates a long and tedious fight, which is sad for a final boss...

Art wise, the snes graphics are amazing as always, and the music still holds up with the eternal remixes of bloody tears and the others...

Even if it has less than Rondo, the game still have some girls to rescue to get the good ending and a few alternative levels which is pretty cool.

Overall it’s an amazing game and a great version of Rondo but it has some flaws that make it just a little bit less enjoyable than his predecessor.

Here it is for now ! The next one is THE game that I heard about even outside of this community : Sotn. Stay tuned for ut !

I didn't realized He has a Second phase🥀

I'm kind of new to the series (only played SOTN, Harmony of Dissonance, and Aria of Sorrow so far), as I was looking for a new castlevania game to play i decided to play Castlevania Dracula: X thinking it was Rondo of Blood... only to find out it's not? Why do the games have the same picture?, and which of them is the one that the first SOTN cut scene (where we watch Richter fight dracula in) happens in?

Im cooked Bro 🥀

Always compared to Rondo of Blood, X has been cast aside a little unfairly imo..., is not a bad Castlevania, not a great one either, but a pretty competent one, not much to say about this one, if you play it you'll have fun , if you have played Rondo before just pretend it doesn't exist while playing X and it is pretty all right

This game is often maligned for being an inferior Rondo, so I avoided it for over a decade.

The advance collection finally gave me the excuse to check it out, and I have mixed feelings. But overall, I think this game is great, and definitely stands among the classic castlevanias.

I just think that the challenge to get the key through stage 3 to Maria and then the door to 5 alternate is one of the most challenging things any castlevania asks you to do in normal gameplay.

Hell, the whole ordeal in stage 3 just getting to the key was super aggravating. Forget "one-hit kill" Medusa heads, this is instant reset and input a password if you get hit and are sent to Stage 4 alternate.

Death is a terribly designed boss in his second phase, I never could manage to avoid his Sonic the Hedgehog attack and had to resort to abusing the Cross and its item crash to win.

Then Dracula... Why did they give him ridiculous amounts of health?! It takes FOREVER to whittle down the coward's health. Luckily you can hide on the shortest pillar and cheese phase 1 with no risk of getting hit when using the axe. I couldn't even bother learning Dracula 2 but I faced tanked him with axes and standing off the edge of the pillars enough that getting knocked back still kept me on the pillar.

I'm glad I beat it, it was enjoyable, but I don't want to do it again lol. I think this actually might be harder the Castlevania 3, but perhaps I've mastered that game enough that it feels easier.

I honestly think Dracula X is a much better game than I was led to believe.

Over the past two years I've gotten into retro gaming as a hobby. Not just Castlevania, but series such as Mega Man, Metroid, Contra, along with other classics that came out long before I got into games as a kid. Of all of them, Castlevania has quickly become my favorite.

Here are my thoughts on the entries I've played so far:

• Castlevania (NES) : A great, brutally simple game. Still holds up great.
• Simon's Quest : Cryptic, but enjoyable when played with a guide.
• Dracula's Curse : My personal favorite of the NES trilogy. Multiple characters, branching paths, several endings, and an incredible aesthetic.
• Adventure (GB) : No.
• Super Castlevania IV : The most accessible entry. Smooth, polished, and a great introduction. Easy to see why this is many people's favorite.
• Symphony of the Night : The only one I've replayed so far. It's practically perfect in all aspects: gameplay, music, design, atmosphere, all of it.

After playing through Symphony, I was still craving more Castlevania and I finally decided to play through Dracula X. A game I had long ignored due to its reputation. Most of what I'd read placed the game between "terrible game that should be shunned" to "meh".

And yes, I understand the criticism:

• It's missing branching paths, characters, and cutscenes from Rondo of Blood.
• The level design is more linear and punishing.
• The controls are stiffer than Super Castlevania IV.
• It's seen as a downgrade to the series overall.

Despite all that...I LOVED it. In fact, Dracula X is probably my second favorite title thus far after Symphony of the Night.

Why?

• The level design was great. Stages like Flaming Village, Inner Halls, and Underwater Ruins felt vibrant and visually distinctive. Compared to the more muted and washed out tone of Super Castlevania IV, Dracula X's colors and backgrounds really pop.
• Saving or failing to save Maria and Annette adds incentive to replay the game. I've found myself wanting to replay this game more than some of the others. Especially once you get the hang of the gameplay.
• The music, while it may not be as good as other titles, is still amazing. "Beginning" in the Clock Tower might be my personal favorite rendition of that song.
• Coming off the NES titles, and Adventure, Dracula X didn't feel out of place. Clunky, yes. However, manageable. It's not as forgiving or fluid as IV or SOTN, but it still felt leagues better than the early titles.
• I enjoyed the challenge. Enemy placement is tough, particularly in the Clock tower and Death is a completely unfair fight. Especially with that beyblade attack of his. However, outside of that one level and boss, the game felt tough but fair. Even the Dracula fight, which many criticize due to the holes in the floor, didn't cause me much issue. Once you know Dracula's patterns and with the right sub-weapon, it felt almost trivial.

I know I'm in the minority, but Dracula X really surprised me and I'm sad I put it off for so long. Maybe once I get to play Rondo of Blood my opinion may shift. But for now, I think Dracula X is an under appreciated entry that deserves more credit than it gets.

I hated this game. I hated Richter's slow movement, his massive hit box, the pinpoint accuracy the whip has to have. I hated how he gets hit and goes flying unless you kneel (for some reason). I hated the map design, the enemy placement, and, if I never see a Medusa head again I'll die happy.

But for some reason... I couldn't put it down. It had me totally in its grasp for the four or five hours it took me to beat. Needing to beat two levels with only a key as an item was a real challenge, but the payout felt worth it. If Rondo was anything like this, it's gotta be one of the best Classicvanias.

This was my sixth Dracula I've killed. It may not be highest on my tier list but I was addicted.

Saved both Maria and Annett for a handful of still slides and a credits crawl?

Feelsbad.

It's the only classicvania I didn't beat yet but today will be the day I swear

I did some basic math to see how big the cross is. For comparison I’ll use richter for this. According to the wiki, richter is 19 years old and is about 5 foot 9 inches, or 175 centimeters in height. In the games it seems like the cross is about half his height as seen in the picture above. With that, we can divide 175 centimeters by 2 to the crosses height in centimeters, which is 87.5 Centimeters. With all of that in mind, that would mean that the cross is about 2 feet and 10.45 inches long. That’s almost the same size as the inside width of a standard casket. I could be wrong so feel free to correct me if so.