Finally had a chance to play Rondo of Blood!

Wrex · 08/26/2013, 06:44 PM

Been wanting to play through this one for awhile! What a fantastic game! One of my favorite Castlevanias! Only reason it isn't my favorite is due to nostalgic/retro memory reasons with SOTN! I didn't figure out that you could do the back flips until the last boss battle though. To bad this game was never released in the USA, could potential been a game changer for the Duo IMO.

SignOfZeta · 08/26/2013, 08:39 PM

Yeah, the backflip...does this actually have a use?

geise · 08/26/2013, 09:30 PM

I use it against dracula to avoid his fireball attacks.

OldRover · 08/26/2013, 09:43 PM

I use it to hop over the Minotaur's final desperation attack.

Wrex · 08/26/2013, 09:53 PM

Quote from: OldRover on 08/26/2013, 09:43 PMI use it to hop over the Minotaur's final desperation attack.

That attack almost destoryed me, didn't see that coming. I love those last attacks the games do actually. Very unique for the time (and to a degree still unique today!)

Bardoly · 08/26/2013, 09:54 PM

Nice! I just played this game for the first time less than a year ago myself, and yes, it is a great game!

Tatsujin · 08/26/2013, 10:56 PM

Quote from: Wrex on 08/26/2013, 06:44 PMWhat a fantastic game!

Quote from: Bardoly on 08/26/2013, 09:54 PMit is a great game!

esteban · 08/26/2013, 11:42 PM

Bhahahahahaha, tats.

Comrades, I'm glad you are enjoying Rondo...it is possibly the single-most popular game that pulls people into the PCE world. It has a lot of "crossover appeal" (rightfully so).

An old friend of mine, who loved the Castlevania series, especially the then-newly-released SotN, became interested in PCE only because he lusted for Rondo. LUSTED.

jperryss · 08/27/2013, 10:08 AM

Definitely a top-notch game but SotN has the better music IMO.

<ducks>

CrackTiger · 08/27/2013, 10:17 AM

I can't remember specific spots to use the backflip so much as it was just a natural part of gameplay throughout the game, once you got used to the controls. Off the top of my head, I'd use it under the serpent, against the punch dashers, werewolf, slow big sword knight... so many enemies have attacks that are best dodged or countered by backflipping.

esteban · 08/27/2013, 12:14 PM

STATUS: I backflip all the time. It's fun and I do it for the hell of it. I do it for strategic reasons. I do it for glory.

CrackTiger · 08/27/2013, 02:08 PM

I always backflip into a unique pose at the end of each stage, catching the orb/heart thing in mid-air.

Nazi NecroPhile · 08/27/2013, 04:20 PM

Heh, me too. Either that or a tantrum slide with Maria.

JoshTurboTrollX · 08/27/2013, 04:25 PM

It's a great game!

SignOfZeta · 08/27/2013, 05:07 PM

The recovery on the backflip is HUGE. So huge that if I do manage to use it to avoid something I probably just get hit by something else.

I basically just whip the fuck out of everything.

Aggie Tsubi · 08/28/2013, 04:42 PM

Rondo got me started on NEC gaming in general.

I'm a big Castlevania fan, so I just knew I had to get Rondo and a PC Engine Duo someday. I actually got the game first and had it for quite a while before I finally got a system to play it on. Definitely worth the wait, and I'm so glad Rondo brought me to discovering a whole world of NEC goodness.

Quote from: Wrex on 08/26/2013, 09:53 PM
Quote from: OldRover on 08/26/2013, 09:43 PMI use it to hop over the Minotaur's final desperation attack.
That attack almost destoryed me, didn't see that coming. I love those last attacks the games do actually. Very unique for the time (and to a degree still unique today!)

The desperation attacks can't kill you, can they? I think the whole point behind them is to drain you down to next to nothing for life, which ruins your score bonus.

As for the backflip, it's the only way to reach that platform right before Shaft's ghost. And that's pretty much the only time I bother to use it.

Nazi NecroPhile · 08/28/2013, 05:42 PM

Quote from: Aggie Tsubi on 08/28/2013, 04:42 PMThe desperation attacks can't kill you, can they?

They certainly can kill you.

bob · 08/28/2013, 06:19 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 08/27/2013, 05:07 PMThe recovery on the backflip is HUGE. So huge that if I do manage to use it to avoid something I probably just get hit by something else.

I haven't had the privilege of playing a proper game of Rondo, but this statement brought back memories of the damn backflip from It Came From The Desert. I always used to jump into another ant upon landing. Once you get it down, it can be very satisfying to use it properly.

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 08/27/2013, 05:07 PMI basically just whip the fuck out of everything.

You're so gangsta.

Bardoly · 08/28/2013, 10:12 PM

Quote from: guest on 08/28/2013, 05:42 PM
Quote from: Aggie Tsubi on 08/28/2013, 04:42 PMThe desperation attacks can't kill you, can they?
They certainly can kill you.

Yes, they certainly can! The first time that I got to the Minotaur, I beat him, but then after I was congratulating myself for having finally beat a boss the first time I fought him, up he rose for one final attack! He killed me of course, and so I had to beat him again, which meant that I STILL hadn't beaten any of the Rondo bosses the first time that I fought them.

spenoza · 08/28/2013, 10:46 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 08/26/2013, 08:39 PMYeah, the backflip...does this actually have a use?

Well, aside from being perfect for dodging certain types of attacks (Dracula's double fireball), it actually has better height AND distance than the regular jump. There are some places you can get to and some little shortcuts you can take using the backflip to either cross long gaps or get your feet up somewhere a regular jump won't take you. There aren't too many of those places, and none are necessary, but it's a neat trick.

Also, the recovery time isn't too bad. It's just as fast to turn around and repeatedly backflip as it is to simply walk forward.

Also, you can whip while in a backflip, so it's great to dodge AND get in a free hit, or dodge and then wipe out some projectiles.

CrackTiger · 08/28/2013, 10:59 PM

It's perfect for enemies like the knight at 1:49:50 and the belching hobo at 0:15:52 in this video-

Aggie Tsubi · 08/29/2013, 02:13 AM

Huh, guess I've always gotten lucky with the desperation attacks then. Whenever I get caught by them, I always seem to be left with just a tiny sliver of life.