Template:Infobox CVG Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles is a 2.5D remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood for the PlayStation Portable. The game is known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula X Chronicle. It was initially unveiled by 1UP on February 1st, 2007 with footage being shown during the 1UP Show, and was released on October 23th, 2007 in North America, November 8th in Japan, and early 2008 elsewere.[1]
The game also includes the original PC Engine CD-ROM² version of Rondo of Blood as well as a port of Symphony of the Night, and even Akumajyo Dracula Peke. Each of these additional games cannot be accessed right from the beginning, and have to be unlocked first by meeting certain requirements in the main game before they can actually be played. Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles represents the first time that Castlevania: Rondo of Blood has been officially released outside of Japan.
Story
- "In the halcyon days of yore, overripe with peace and prosperity, not a soul believed that tomorrow could bring anything but more of the tranquil plenty about them...
But peace and prosperity give always give rise to the wicked: those who deny mankind comfort, and grow bored of peace.
A dark congregation of such villains began to gather, plotting to revive an unholy power to destroy the decadent world and begin anew.
Their ambitions for the new world to be born grew steadily, mirrored in the leering grins etched upon their faces.
A century later, that vile creature was reborn unto the world.
Taking the form of a bat, wolf, or mist at will, he stalked the land by night, draining young maidens of their blood to feed his own immortality.
Thus the malefic Count Dracula, lord of Castlevania, came to live again." - — Official manual description for Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
Characters
Richter Belmont
- Main article: Richter Belmont
Age: 19.
Blood type: B.
Voice actor: Kiyoyuki Yanada, David Vincent.
A vampire hunter at age 19, Richter is a direct descendant of Simon Belmont. Armed with an unwavering sense of justice and the ancestral Belmont whip, Richter can also wield axes and daggers.
Maria Renard
- Main article: Maria Renard
Age: 12.
Blood type: AB.
Voice actress: Sawa Ishige, Michelle Ruff.
A girl with blood ties to the Belmont clan. After being freed from imprisonment in Stage 2, she joins Richter as a playable ally. Perhaps due to her youth, 12-year old Maria is candid and unaffected, and hates to lose.
Annette
- Main article: Annette
Age: 17.
Blood type: A.
Voice actress: Sayaka Ohara, Sally Cahill.
Richter's girlfriend. Held hostage somewhere in Dracula's Castle. Strong-willed and also dislikes the unfair. Annette has a very pleasant personality and is nice to all.
Tera
- Main article: Tera
Age: 19.
Blood type: O.
Voice actress: Eri Sendai, Karen Strassman.
A nun at the village church, also held hostage in Dracula's Castle. She is warm hearted, lively, and with a passionate soul.
Iris
- Main article: Iris
Age: 17.
Blood type: A.
Voice actress: Eri Mizuhara, Karen Strassman.
Daughter of a doctor and held captive in Dracula's Castle. A bright and caring person, she looks out for others.
Count Dracula
- Main article: Dracula
Age: c. 728.
Blood type: ?
Voice actor: Norio Wakamoto, Patrick Seitz.
Lord and master of Castlevania, and the root of all evil. Though unparalleled in his cruelty, he maintains a regal air of elegance and grandeur.
Dialogue
- Main article: Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles/Script
| Dialogue Data: Dracula X Chronicles (edit) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Image / Participants | Game / Location / Title Details Transcript(s) (click Expand to view when necessary) | |
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / / Introduction When: First starting the Game A long time ago, people lived in peace and harmony. No one noticed the looming shadow among them. Their senses clouded in darkness, evil ate away at their souls. Driven by madness they made a pack with the devil... | ||
| Annette
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 1. Village / Annette is Kidnapped Background Music: Demo Scene 02 When: As beginning the Game (In a burning village, Annette is running away to escape. However a mysterious priest appears before Annette) ???: How lovely... A fitting girl for Count Dracula. Now, come to me. | |
| Richter
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 2. Entrance / Saving Maria 1 Background Music: Demo Scene 01 When: As saving Maria (In Shaft's ritual room) ???: Such power this girl holds... Such purity... A fine gift she'll be for the Master! | |
| Richter
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 2. Entrance / Saving Maria 2 Background Music: Demo Scene 01 When: As saving Maria (after defeating Shaft without rescuing Annette) (In Shaft's ritual room, Richter shocks as he saw a young girl is lying down on the ground) Richter: !! Are you all right? | |
| Richter
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 2. Entrance / Saving Maria 3 Background Music: Demo Scene 01 When: As saving Maria (after rescuing Annette and defeating Shaft) (In Shaft's ritual room, Richter shocks as he saw a young girl is lying down on the ground) Richter: !! Are you all right? | |
| Richter
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 3'. Caves / Saving Tera (Richter) Background Music: Demo Scene 01 When: After saving Tera with Richter (A nun senses someone while praying and turns) Richter: Are you all right? | |
| Maria
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 3'. Caves / Saving Tera (Maria) Background Music: Demo Scene 01 When: After saving Tera with Maria (A nun senses someone while praying and turns) Maria: Are you okay? You're saved now! | |
| Richter
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 4'. River / Saving Iris (Richter) Background Music: Demo Scene 01 When: After saving Iris with Richter (A young maiden senses someone and turns) ???: !! Who's there? | |
| Maria
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 4'. River / Saving Iris (Maria) Background Music: Demo Scene 01 When: After saving Iris with Maria (A young maiden senses someone and turns) ???: ?! Who's there? | |
| Richter
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 6. Ceremonial Room / A Nightmare Reborn 1 Background Music: Former room When: Before the battle with several bosses (without rescuing Maria) (Richter avoids Shaft's attack) Richter: !! Who are you?! | |
| Richter
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 6. Ceremonial Room / A Nightmare Reborn 2 Background Music: Former room When: Before the battle with several bosses (with rescuing Maria) (Richter avoids Shaft's attack) Richter: !! Who are you?! | |
| Maria
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 6. Ceremonial Room / Undying Melody Background Music: Former room When: Before the battle with several bosses (Maria avoids Shaft's attack) Maria: !! What are you doing?! I know you! You're the bad man! | |
| Richter
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 7. Clocktower / Vampire Annette (Richter) Background Music: Demo Scene 03 When: If Annette is not saved (Richter sees Annette is on her knees) Richter: !! Annette! | |
| Maria
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 7. Clocktower / Vampire Annette (Maria) Background Music: Demo Scene 03 When: If Annette is not saved (Maria sees Annette is on her knees) Maria: !! Annette! | |
| Richter
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 7. Clocktower / Saving Annette 1 (Richter) Background Music: Demo Scene 01 When: As saving Annette (without rescuing Maria) (Annette hears Richter is calling her and turns) Richter: Annette! | |
| Richter
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 7. Clocktower / Saving Annette 2 (Richter) Background Music: Demo Scene 01 When: As saving Annette (rescuing Maria) (Annette hears Richter is calling her and turns) Richter: Annette! | |
| Maria
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 7. Clocktower / Saving Annette (Maria) Background Music: Demo Scene 01 When: As saving Annette (Annette hears Maria is calling her and turns) Maria: Annette! | |
| Richter
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 8. Keep / Bloodlines Background Music: Demo Scene 02 When: Final battle with Dracula (Richter enters Dracula's Throne Room) Dracula: Belmont, son of Belmont. I've been waiting for you. | |
| Maria
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 8. Keep / The Brink of Death Background Music: Demo Scene 02 When: Final battle with Dracula (Maria enters Dracula's Throne Room) Dracula: Are you lost, little one? | |
| Richter
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 8. Keep / Bad Ending (Richter) When: After defeating Dracula (without rescuing maidens) (Dracula is on his knees) Richter: It's over, Dracula! | |
| Maria
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 8. Keep / Bad Ending (Maria) When: After defeating Dracula (without rescuing maidens) (Dracula is on his knees) Maria: All right, Mr. Bad Man, ready to die? | |
| Richter
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 8. Keep / Good Ending (Richter) When: After defeating Dracula (with all maidens are rescued) (Dracula is on his knees) Dracula: Impossible... You've beaten me? | |
| Maria
|
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles / 8. Keep / Good Ending (Maria) When: After defeating Dracula (with all maidens are rescued) (Dracula is on his knees) Dracula: Completely impossible! Beaten by a little girl! | |
Spoilers end here.Differences from the original version
The Stage Select screen of the remake.
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles is structurally similar to the original but has been rebuilt to portray a new 3D-based aesthetic. The original anime art direction has been replaced, and character designs have been handled by long-time series' artist Ayami Kojima. The story and cutscenes are completely redone with new voice-acting and with several alterations. Notably, the conversation between Dracula and Richter now exactly matches the one from the prologue of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and takes place before the battle commences, instead of after it, as originally the case. Furthermore, Maria's dialogue has been rewritten to be less blatantly humorous in order to match the more serious tone of the remake. The stage design shuffled a bit, certain candles drop different items, and backgrounds have been completely altered in some instances, for example, in the room before the Minotaurs boss in Stage 3'. The soundtrack has been remixed with contributions from Michiru Yamane and others. Certain tunes from the original game like Dark Desires and The Nest have been replaced by Tues Deus Meus (an arranged version of Dark Desires) and Moon Fight from Akumajō Dracula (X68000). A Boss Rush Mode and Sound Test option have been added to the menu. Finally, Stage 5' has been altered and a unique boss, the Hydra, is fought at the end.
As the remake is not an exact sprite-by-sprite port from the original, some gameplay mechanics have been slightly altered, decreasing the overall difficulty of the game. However, in some instances the difficulty has been increased considerably (the battle against Dullahan being a prime example) and some levels have been expanded with new areas to explore, some of which include new puzzles. Other new additions include certain obstacles that can only be bypassed after obtaining specific items. Furthermore, in the final battle with Dracula, now he displays a totally new, and much more difficult, form, with a wide repertoire of attacks.
Development
Maria's completely new look from Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles.
Koji Igarashi stated one of the motivations to release Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles was because of the popularity of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, developed as the follow-up to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. Although English fans already had access to Symphony of the Night, they never had a chance to experience the prequel.[2] Furthermore, although Symphony of the Night was usually regarded as the great turning point of the franchise, Igarashi considered Rondo of Blood to be this instead. Wanting the fans to experience the same feeling he felt when playing the game for the first time was something that also contributed to his decision for the remake.[2]
Regarding the choice for the PlayStation Portable, he explained he wanted to completely redo the game in 3D, in order to appeal to the new generation of gamers and Castlevania fans.[2] Along with developing the game in 3D came a lot of technical issues. A lot of experimenting was done, but the team was not satisfied with the results. With the arrival of the PlayStation Portable it was decided to to be the platform of choice because of the potential the system had.[2]
Instead of doing a completely faithful conversion of the game, it was decided to tweak the game in certain areas. One of the stages, 5', was originally designed by Shingo "Seabass" Takatsuka. Because of the team's dislike for the stage's design, which took elements from previous stages and combined them into one level, it was decided to do a complete revamp.[3]
Igarashi requested a younger version of Richter's Symphony of the Night design. Because it was difficult to animate Maria's skirt in 3D, she was given pantaloons in her redesign. Afterwards, it was decided to lengthen Maria's hair because otherwise her silhouette appeared too thin. Since long hair would cause the difficulties as a skirt, it was decided Maria should have a ponytail as well.[4]
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night port
- Main article: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night/DXC
The game includes a port of the entire Castlevania: Symphony of the Night game, which can be unlocked by finding an item in the main game. The re-localized North American version includes items that had been dropped from the original PlayStation version and includes new dialogue that more closely matches the original Japanese dialogue and new voice overs using the same voice actors who appeared in the main game.
Promotion
Five promotional events were held in Japan for Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles on 10/27, 10/28, 11/3, and 11/8. During the first three events a trial version of the game could be played. The last two events were held in Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall and the Akihabara Game & Hobby Museum in Tokyo. Series' producer Koji Igarashi and Ayami Kojima were present to talk about the development of the game. A special gift was also given to all the attendants.[5] Additionally, if the game was either pre-ordered by Messe Sanoh, Softmap, or Media Land, three unique phonecards could be obtained.
Reception
Critical reaction to the remake, The Dracula X Chronicles, was generally favorable. Metacritic listed The Dracula X Chronicles as 80/100 while Game Rankings gave it an 81.40%.[6] Reviewers praised the updated visuals, enjoyable soundtrack, inclusion of Symphony of the Night and other bonus content.[7][8][9] The high level of difficulty was noted by reviewers as potentially frustrating for players unused to it,[7][8][9] and the voice acting drew criticism as "soap opera fare".[8] Conversely, GameSpy called The Dracula X Chronicles "a solid remake", but considered it unnecessary and "worse than the original".[10]
Trivia
- A typo can be seen on one of the promotional posters for the game, where the Belmont family is misnamed as "Beaumont".
- The art style of the redesigned Rondo of Blood English title marks the return of the old art style used on the title of the very first Castlevania. The last game which used a similar art style for its title was Castlevania: Circle of the Moon.
Official products
See also
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References
- ↑ http://www.1up.com/previews/castlevania-psp_3
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 http://me.ign.com/en/show_videos/37726
- ↑ http://www.gamesradar.com/castlevania-the-mega-interview/
- ↑ Interview with Play Magazine in 2007. Scans: [1], [2], [3], [4]
- ↑ http://www.konami.jp/gs/game/dracula_psp/event/index.html
- ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/game/psp/castlevania-the-dracula-x-chronicles
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://psp.gamezone.com/reviews/item/castlevania_the_dracula_x_chronicles_psp_review/
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 http://www.gamedaily.com/games/castlevania-the-dracula-x-chronicles/psp/game-reviews/review/5747/1825/?page=2
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 http://www.gamesradar.com/psp/review/castlevania-the-dracula-x-chronicles/a-20071026171024629098/p-2
- ↑ http://psp.gamespy.com/playstation-portable/castlevania-dracula-x-chronicles/829751p1.html
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