Castlevania Chroniclesedit

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Castlevania Chronicles
Developer(s)	Konami
Publisher(s)	Konami
Release date(s)	July 23, 1993 (X68000) May 24, 2001 (PS) October 8, 2001 (PS) November 9, 2001 (PS)
Genre(s)	Platform game
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen ELSPA: 15+
Platform(s)	Sharp X68000, PlayStation
Media	2 Floppy disks (X68000), CD-ROM (PS)

Akumajō Dracula is the name of the 1993 Castlevania game released in Japan on the Sharp X68000 home computer system. It was a remake of the original Akumajō Dracula game. Due to the X68000 not being released outside of Japan, this game was never released outside of Japan either.

Castlevania Chronicles is the North American and European PlayStation rerelease of the X68000 game. Released in 2001, this rerelease featured rendered cutscenes and improved graphics. It was released in Japan as Castlevania Chronicles: Akumajō Dracula.

It seems likely that the PlayStation Castlevania Chronices represents the current canonical version of the events of 1691. The artwork, sprites and renderings bring it into line with Symphony of the Night, and since the game has not been remade since then (a GBA port of the NES version notwithstanding), the "official" version of Simon's first defeat of Dracula is likely told in Chronicles.

Contents 1 Storyline 2 Character Gallery 3 Gameplay 4 Regional variations 5 Packaging artwork 6 Trivia 7 See Also 8 Related Products 9 External links 10 References

[edit] Storyline

Since the game is a rerelease, the storyline is the same as the original Akumajō Dracula game. Simon Belmont has to set out to defeat the evil Count Dracula, who has been terrorizing the area.

[edit] Character Gallery

See also Chronicles Artwork

Simon Belmont - The hero of this game	Dracula - He has returned to the Earth to plague mankind	Chronicles Dark Priest - Human cult leader who revives Dracula	Phantom Bat	Skeleton Dragon
Ice Lord	Medusa	She Wolf	Mirror Creature	Death

[edit] Gameplay

Since the X68000 version is a remake of the original Akumajō Dracula game, there are some very familiar parts to those who played the original. However, there has been a lot updated, including stages that have been redesigned. It has added items taken from games released after the original to give the game an updated sense of flavor. However, this version also has a high difficulty level and has frustrated many players.

The PlayStation rerelease added even more. This includes brand new rendered cutscenes, with new character designs by Ayami Kojima (of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night fame), a new sprite design for the main character, enhanced music and, to the relief of many players, a more balanced difficulty level. Players can choose to play an "Arranged" version of the game with all of the new features intact, or play the X68000 version as it was originally presented. The X68000 gameplay on the English-speaking versions of the Sony Playstation port of the game, had translated the name to "Castlevania".

[edit] Regional variations

• The American and European versions contain an interview with Koji Igarashi (IGA) and a gallery featuring artwork by Ayami Kojima from Chronicles and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The latter images were already featured in the Sega Saturn version of Symphony. The art of the Succubus is censored, since her chest in the original was topless .
• In Arrange Mode on the US and European versions, the player can save the game at stage 24, the battle with Dracula. [1]
• In Original Mode on the US and European versions, a code must be entered to reach the sound hardware selection screen.
• In the US and European versions, the Japanese voices of the dolls in stage 17 have been completely removed.

[edit] Packaging artwork

Akumajō Dracula X68000 Japan, 1993

Castlevania Chronicles PlayStation North America, 2001

Akumajō Nendaiki PlayStation Japan, 2001

Castlevania Chronicles PlayStation PAL, 2001

[edit] Trivia

• On stage 9, Count Orlok from the movie Nosferatu appears in the background, frozen in a block of ice.
• On stage 11, a giant statue of the Greek goddess Athena appears.
• On stage 114 (fifth play through on block 6-3), a cartoon image of Simon will appear smoking a cigarette accompanied by Japanese text in one of the background mirrors. The text translates to "Here's Fake Simon!". [2]
• On stage 21, the last section has a giant painting in the background of a field with mountains. For the original X68000 game, the painting will reflect one of the four seasons, depending what the computers internal clock date is set at. For Castlevania Chronicles, since the PlayStation doesn't have an internal clock, an "Extra Option" menu can be accessed where the player can set the date. When the game is turned off, however, the date information does not save.

[edit] See Also

• Category:Castlevania Chronicles
• Category:Chronicles Artwork
• Category:Chronicles Characters
• Castlevania Chronicles Bestiary

[edit] Related Products

• Akumajo Dracula X - Soundtrack that contains some tracks from the X68000 game
• MIDI Power 3: Gradius III, Akumajo Dracula - Contains the Original Soundtrack for the original X68000 version of this game.
• Castlevania Chronicles OST - Contains the OST for the Playstation version and 3 versions of each original song
• Castlevania I - This game is the official remake of the original Castlevania game
• Castlevania Best Music Collections BOX - Contains music from this game on Disk 4 (original) and Disk 8 (arranged)
• NTT Pub Castlevania Chronicle: Akumajo Dracula X68000 Official Guide - Japanese official guide

[edit] External links

• Castlevania Dungeon
• Castlevania Realm
• Unofficial arrangements (ReMixes) of Castlevania Chronicles's soundtrack at OverClocked ReMix
• GameFAQs

[edit] References

• Japanese Akumajou Dracula X68000 Manual at Mr. P's Castlevania Realm