A SNES take on Rondo of Blood, shorter and less lavish but viciously hard. A minor Castlevania, yet sharp and lovable.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player12+
Description
Return of Richter Belmont hunting Dracula through castles with enriched gameplay. Published by Konami, released in Japan in 1995. Richter with acrobatic skills including dash and back flips, classic whip and sub-weapons, improved visuals compared to the first entry and memorable electronic music. Japanese version of Castlevania: Dracula X, a series unseen outside Japan at the time.
Akumajou Dracula XX review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
Hand-drawn sprites of rare finesse, a gothic castle teeming with detail and flickering light: the game raises pixel art to a peak of morbid elegance. The richness of the animation and the spellbinding atmosphere overflow with refinement. This graphic virtuosity, dark and sumptuous, remains an absolute of the genre.
Faithful to the series' gothic heritage, Konami's music revives the cult themes, from the heart-rending "Bloody Tears" to Richter's heroic melodies. Each castle pulses with a dramatic intensity magnified by the sound chip. This flamboyant score extends the sonic tradition of Castlevania with brio.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Tougher and faster than its forebears, this entry bets on pixel-perfect jumps and a merciless whip to cross levels of fearsome difficulty. The stiff challenge rewards perseverance with an exhilarating sense of mastery. The gothic atmosphere and electrifying music elevate the adventure. Demanding, snappy and stylish, a pure pleasure for fans of a challenge.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Clearing trap-laden rooms, picking a branching path, then facing a cunning boss demands a tense, twitchy progression where every death teaches something. Finding the right route, saving a captive, or earning the true ending keeps the urge to retry alive. The difficulty is harsh and the level design sometimes cruel, but this Castlevania stays gripping for anyone who relishes a challenge.
This is the true Japanese gateway to Castlevania on Super Famicom: Akumajou Dracula XX is the SFC take on Dracula X / Rondo of Blood, unreleased outside Japan at the time. Its Japan-only status and direct link to Rondo make it a sought import among Castlevania devotees, chased in an SFC cardboard box with spine card. A cult entry in the series at home, its desirability rests on that regional-link role as much as on its reputation as a punchy, demanding Belmont outing.
Memorable bosses
A harsh adaptation of a classic, this vampire hunt leads Richter through formidable gothic guardians, from the alluring Carmilla to Death, before a Count Dracula of successive metamorphoses. Branching paths hold alternate clashes, and each boss demands precision and memorization under a spicy difficulty. Polished art direction and constant tension make these fights memorable.
Is Akumajou Dracula XX still worth playing in 2026?
A reworking of Rondo of Blood for the Super Famicom, Akumajou Dracula XX delivers a classic whip wielding Castlevania, demanding and beautifully drawn. The character design, the gothic backgrounds and the soundtrack rank among the aesthetic peaks of the 16 bit series. A level design stiffer than on PC Engine and the absence of Maria disappoint purists, yet the action stays intense and rewarding. An unfairly shunned entry that will delight fans of tough platformers and of the saga.
