The difference between Akumajou Dracula X68000 and its Chronicles remake for the PlayStation is the inclusion of two separate modes: Regular and Arranged. The Regular Mode contains the original X68000 game completely intact, with the same graphical presentation, selection screens, glitches, and everything else that made up that experience. (Thus, the Regular Mode is covered on its own review page.) The Arranged Mode is where the newness lay, because its overall makeup is a bit different. The mini-review that follows is dedicated to only this mode.

It should be noted that the remaking of Akumajou Dracula X68000 was handled by KCET (or the Dracula X team, as an assortment of its members are otherwise known), a group that considering its track record had pretty minor impact on the original game's final design. Ayami Kojima did handle the artwork, yes, but Koji Igarashi, who was still working his way through the ranks, was relegated to supervisor. Since he is, now, the series' current director, he made true his wish to bring this lost title out of obscurity, to supply to it new life. Thus, Chronicles' improved art direction and musical score are directly attributed to this well-seasoned team of talented developers. They've clearly smattered their fingerprints all over this remake in an attempt to render it more presentable to today's video-game consumer.

The changes aren't astounding or even that necessary, but the team fixes up what it can: When you select to play in the Arranged Mode, you'll be greeted by an intro scene that's similar to the original's, except, though, that its presentation via the PlayStation's 3D hardware has been given a whole new perspective. Its ending, too, is now a fully realized CGI sequence that better highlights the game and its universe. Though it's a rare exception, you'll even notice that one or two backgrounds (like the open sky in the first area of Stage 3) have been redrawn, to add to the surroundings a more ominous tone. While Akumajou Dracula X68000's stage decor, backgrounds, foregrounds, characters and all other sprite-work have been emulated perfectly, KCET has spiced up the overall package with some newly added graphical effects, like the ambient glow of the candelabras and the enemies' now-fiery deaths. Also noticeable is the map screen: When you complete a stage, you'll be presented with a much nicer-looking, more detailed map image of the castle, its interior and your progress therein.

To spruce things up further, as dictated by the newer artistic vision, both Simon and Dracula's sprite designs have been updated to attune them to the series' current direction: Simon is now a red-haired wonder, somewhat enigmatic yet much more attractive than what his original look portrayed, but Dracula doesn't stray too far from that path--the Dark Lord is more flamboyant yet more terrifying. None of these changes have any effect on the original's gameplay, but they definitely work to afford the game an increased sense of life. In terms of mechanics: The graphics engine itself has naturally been sped up due to the console's power, so you'll be able to breeze past most areas more quickly than you could in the original.

The largest upgrade has been supplied to the game's soundtrack, which has been recreated in monumental fashion by the talented Sota Fujimori, who is responsible for works found in such titles as Dance Dance Revolution and Contra: Shattered Soldier. Thanks to CD-ROM-level power and optical media capacity, the effort is truly grand; each stage theme has been completely redone, rebuilt from the ground up by orchestra-level enhancement and studio-quality remixing. This is surely the most well-done aspect of the entire repackaging. While the selection of music types isn't as varied as Symphony of the Night's--rather, it sticks closely to a rock theme with thrown in a little disco--there's no denying the soundtrack's superb quality, which is to say another homerun by the KCET team. Whether or not these fast-moving, more upbeat tunes are on the level of those found in Symphony of the Night is up to each individual's taste in music. The sound effects, in contrast, did not receive any type of boost and were obviously not a top priority.

The gameplay has changed in only one significant way: If anything, the Arranged Mode could be described as a virtual "easy mode." The original truly overwhelmed you with challenges against which your energy meter couldn't always suffice. The effects of enemy attacks and hazards here have been greatly minimized. Also, bosses have been weakened to the point where you can defeat them more easily, which is to say more quickly and more painfully due to the slugfest-like nature of the battles. In toning down the challenge, they do a better job of luring you into a game that was otherwise easy to dread, and you'll actually learn to better appreciate the game's world of ideas in regard to platforming and stage design. Ultimately, the Arranged Mode does get more difficult as you get deeper into it, wherein you begin receiving more damage and the enemies endure longer, which brings us to original-version challenge-level right about when you reach stage seven. Those who relish the original's insane challenge will still find what they seek if they're willing to invest some time.

Castlevania Chronicles wouldn't be a KCET project without extras, and that's exactly what you get: To start, they offer a mode within a mode called "Time Attack," wherein you must try to complete a given stage, without dying, to achieve the best time possible, and you can then go back and try to beat that time (think of it as Super Mario Kart without the karts). Time Attack gives you the option of playing through any of the game's eight stages provided that you've cleared that stage in an actual mission. The second extra, the Art Gallery, is exclusive to the American version of the game: As you complete each of the game's eight stages, more and more artwork will begin appearing in the gallery. Very few of the pieces, though, are actually based on Akumajou Dracula X68000; rather, the majority of the artwork is taken from a previous KCET product--Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Maybe it's because Akumajou Dracula X68000 didn't inspire them enough to pay it that much attention, or maybe it's just their way of saying, "Hey--look at us! We made Symphony, remember?" Whatever the case, a little more is always better than nothing. Finally, there's the "Developer Interview," within which we hear directly from Koji Igarashi about the series' future.

Castlevania Chronicles is a good sign because it shows that Konami does care enough about its fanbase to bring to it the action it unfortunately missed. Its concept is one that I hope any future Chronicles titles follow--that is, the combination of the original game completely intact within a "Regular Mode" and a remade version kept totally separate. It's the original versions that are key, though: While playing beefed-up remakes of our favorites is always a blast, such excursions will never be able to capture the classic feel of the originals.

Admittedly, the original X68000 title still isn't one of my favorites, but Castlevania Chronicles, its reintroduction and remake, is a high-quality package. It's a good start to what will hopefully be a nice little side-series. (Note: These scores represent only the Arranged Mode.)

		Simon and Dracula sport new designs, and better lighting effects spruce things up
		Despite any differences compared to the original, the gameplay has gone unchanged
		The instrumental improvement brings the original's soundtrack to a superb level
		Simon is sleek and easy to control when jumping, but stair-climbing remains a pain
		It's easier than the original, initially, but the challenge eventually sprouts to normal level				-