The waiting is over, so open your wallets wide.
Akumajo Dracula X: Chi no Rondo has finally been released on the North American Wii Virtual Console, and they’re charging a 300 point premium for the stupid thing. But let me back up a bit, because this is one confusing game. I’m already getting questions about what the hell game this is, so let’s spread this all out and hope I don’t make it worse.
You see, there were two games originally. First, there was Akumajo Dracula X: Chi no Rondo, which was a Japanese PCEngine SuperCD game. This prequel to Symphony of the Night was not localized for North America, which would have brought it to the ill-fated TurboGrafx 16. Konami made a variant of the game for Super Famicom, called Akumajo Dracula XX, which was brought to Super NES in the US and called Castlevania: Dracula X. The Chi no Rondo name was literally translated and referred to as “Rondo of Blood” for years by wistful anglophones, so when Konami remade it for PSP as part of Dracula X Chronicles, a lot of people were excited. They also included this original game as an unlockable on the PSP game, Dracula X Chronicles, but the emulation was… not perfect.
Now, we have Chi no Rondo, in its original non-localized form, on Virtual Console, but they’ve dropped the Dracula X part in the name, perhaps for brevity’s sake. In keeping with tradition, Nintendo has taken the 600-point standard for TurboGrafx games, tacked on the 200 point “this was on a CD you know” fee, and then hit us all with the 100-point “guess what, even though we didn’t localize it at all, you’re paying another buck” fee. In other news, I’m going to go buy it now.
Here’s Nintendo’s blah blah blah for you, if you’re interested. Ignore the part where they say the game was on TurboGrafx. They’re lying to you so as not to confuse you.
CASTLEVANIA RONDO OF BLOOD
Original platform: TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM
Publisher: Konami
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence
Price: 900 Wii Points
Description: This is the 10th action-packed installment in the ever-popular CASTLEVANIA series, which depicts the epic struggle between the Belmont clan and the dark forces of Count Dracula. An instant classic, this title is recognized far and wide for its beautifully rendered world, outstanding game balance and haunting CD-quality music. The player takes control of RICHTER, the clan’s ultimate Vampire Killer, guiding him through a total of nine stages filled with treacherous traps and hidden secrets. Using your legendary whip – passed on from generations of Belmonts – and a powerful selection of Item Crash attacks, it’s up to you to destroy Dracula and his evil horde. What’s more, rescuing MARIA at some juncture in the game allows you to use her as a playable character for even more vampire-slaying fun.
Source: Nintendo