Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles

The game is a side-scrolling platformer rendered in 2.5D.

The Dracula X Chronicles adds minor additions and features to the gameplay of Rondo of Blood. Two new obstacles, a barrier made of red skeletons, and a barrier made of crystal, are added to various parts of the game. Saving Tera and Iris grants the player respective items required to destroy these barriers. The puzzles required to save Iris and Annette have been altered. Stage 5' is given a revamped stage layout and a brand new boss, the Hydra. Not saving Annette forces the player to battle a vampire version of her in place of Shaft's ghost in Stage 7, which warrants a bad ending. This boss is moved to an alternate exit in Stage 5' if Annette has been saved. After saving Annette and defeating Shaft's ghost, Dracula gains a new third form which must be defeated to obtain the true ending.

New dialogue scenes are added, and pre-existing scenes are altered or extended. Small introductory cutscenes are added before boss fights. These are fully voiced in English and Japanese, and the player can choose the language in the options menu. The title of Stage 8 is renamed "Bloodlines", the same title as the introduction level in the English localization of Symphony of the Night. "Rondo of Blood" is the title in the original Japanese versions.

First seen in Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, a Boss Rush mode is added. The mode contains four courses, which differ in the set of bosses fought. This mode can be played cooperatively with a second player over the PSP's Ad-Hoc wireless connection.

While the original game featured anime style artwork, Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles contains new character designs by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night character designer Ayami Kojima.

The original Rondo of Blood soundtrack is rearranged and remastered. Two new songs are also included. Stage 5' is given a brand new song, "Red Dawn", while Stage 7 features "MoonFight" from Castlevania Chronicles. The boss theme "Poison Mind" no longer plays during the battle with the bosses from the original Castlevania on Stage 6. It still plays, however, in the final Stage. The game features an option called Sound Assign; this enables players to choose songs from the game, the original Rondo of Blood, and Symphony of the Night to play in the background. These songs are found in the form of records hidden within the game as well as prizes for beating Boss Rush mode.

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles received an aggregate score of 80/100 on Metacritic.[1]

Ryan Clements of IGN rated the game 8/10, stating that "the game looks pretty good" and that the new 2.5D graphics gave it an "interesting aesthetic appeal". He also praised the cutscenes and the game's rearranged musical score, although he called the new voice acting "questionable". Praising the branching level design, he nevertheless said that the "old-school" gameplay of the title would turn away players accustomed to the more refined gameplay mechanics of Symphony of the Night.[2]

8BitBrian of Destructoid rated the game 7.5/10, comparing the game's bundle release to The Orange Box. He stated that the game was a "jarring experience" when comparing its gameplay to newer Castlevania titles, and while "struggling through the game the first time", he enjoyed the second time he played more. However, he complained about the game's "poor hit detection", and stated he enjoyed playing as Maria more because of her double jump ability. He called the remake's graphics "amazing", but similarly criticized the voice acting, saying that the voices "sound stiff and are delivered poorly".[3]

Matthew Kumar of Eurogamer rated the title 7/10, calling it "a release made for, and by, Castlevania fans". He stated that while he did not particularly enjoy the remake, the added ports of the original title and Symphony of the Night made it a much better value. He called the jumping in the remake "much harder in 3D" and criticized having to hold diagonals to walk up stairs "unbearable" on the PSP. Calling the remake "too rigid [...] to be rewarding at all", he said that its one "saving grace" was the ability to unlock Maria, with a quick attack and double jump that "makes the game bearable".[4]