Castlevania: Rondo of Blood No-Death Playthrough (Wii Virtual Console) - Normal Stages

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube on October 30, 2015.]

This is part 1 of my 100% playthrough of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood for the PC Engine. This was played on the Wii Virtual Console and recorded directly from my Wii (not the Wii U). I'm using Richter for this entire playthrough.

This video marks my first Virtual Console upload. Although I typically play games on their original consoles, when it comes to non-Nintendo consoles, I simply rely on the Virtual Console so I don't have to invest a bunch of time and money in collecting additional systems and games. The Virtual Console keeps things affordable and also has really good emulation from my experience (aside from some brightness issues here and there).

Although I had seen Castlevania: Dracula X for the SNES in Nintendo Power back in 1995, I first heard about its Japan-only predecessor, Rondo of Blood, around the late '90s through a website called the Castlevania Dungeon. I used to visit a lot of retro fan sites during that time, which is how I began obtaining information outside of Nintendo Power. Even when the Nintendo 64 was out, I still had a huge passion for 8-bit and 16-bit systems. I never stopped playing them.

Everyone seemed to claim that Rondo of Blood was the greatest Castlevania game ever, and based on the screenshots they posted, it looked really cool. However, I didn't get to play the game until it was released on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2010. I downloaded it on the day it was released and proceeded to complete a 100% file within a week (that file is shown here).

Although Rondo of Blood is an excellent game, I don't think it's better than Super Castlevania IV. I just find that Castlevania IV has a better overall design, and I prefer the multi-directional whip.

Rondo of Blood is, however, much better than the later game it inspired, Castlevania: Dracula X. It has more content, better level design and is far more balanced. Plus there are more secrets to discover such as alternate levels. Rondo of Blood also has much clearer/higher-quality music than Dracula X because it utilized a CD instead of a cartridge.

For this playthrough I'll be completing the game 100%. In order to do this, you have to beat the game at least twice so that you rescue all of the girls and complete all of the stages, including the alternate ones. Also, as is the tradition with my Castlevania playthroughs, this is a no-death run.

In this first part I started a new save file and completed the standard levels while rescuing Maria and Annette. This first part was completed in a single session with no save points utilized.

I'll be completing the alternate stages and rescuing the two remaining girls in the second part.

Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and the Wii's component cables at 60 frames per second.

I'm using a Wii Remote.