Richter Belmont is back to challenge Dracula’s sadistic spread of evil and fear…this time on PSP. The Dracula X Cronicles is a remake of previously Japanese only game, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. Players will also find a full version of Symphony of the Night, the Playstation classic, tucked away in Dracula X if they know where to look. But that’s only one of the many secrets to unlock. All the games in the Castlevania series are known for three main aspects: difficulty, vampires, and secrets. This game is not your traditional, 2D platform, linear side scroll. The choices you make, the paths you take, will all make or break your Castlevania ending. Unlike most games where finding secrets are perks, Castlevania’s secrets impact the rest of the storyline. So as time consuming as it is, the rewards for unlocking secrets certainly pay off.

There are a few nice additions made in Rondo of Blood and the unlockable Symphony of the Night. There is the option to play as Maria Renard in her animal loving glory. Rondo of Blood has a great intro cinema that wasn’t in the original. The cinema takes advantage of PSP’s graphical capabilities. There are also tons of new items and armor to attain. Item whores rejoice! There’s also the option to play co-op in boss mode through PSP’s wifi. Dracula doesn’t stand a chance.

The greatest thing about this remake is that it’s essentially two games in one. After you unlock Symphony, there are hours of gameplay ahead. What makes Rondo so great is its timelessness. We love the whip. Richter Belmont is hot. I don’t need another vampire slayer in my life. Konami keeps what I love about the Castlevania series, while adding things they think I’ll love. They did a great job…but I do have a couple critiques:

The new voice acting is done well…but for some reason, the older versions simply fit better. Maybe it’s because I got used to the older versions…but I felt this was an unnecessary change. After all, the dialogue is virtually the same as the original.

Players new to the Castlevania series might find the difficulty (which is eminent in all the Castlevania’s) game breaking. The controls are difficult to get used to, which adds to the overall challenge of the game. Rondo was definitely an old school Castlevania game, and its remake Dracula X Chronicles sticks close to the source material. But once you get the flow of the controls, the game is highly worth the effort.

Let’s face it…Castlevania is one of the original gangsters. When the Castlevania first released, it set the stage for other side-scrolling game developers. The series has been around since the golden NES days and has been flourishing with sequels since then. The Dracula X Chronicles is simply a great package for old school Castlevania fans and newcomers alike.