Tahe Holy Grail of Castlevania

By Sam Mills - 6/20/06

“The Holy Grail of Castlevania.” This term has been used by more than one person to describe a particular installment in the Castlevania series, Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo. But does this game really deserve this title? After all, the game was released in Japan. Anyone who really wants a copy can find and purchase one (at a price, of course).

How do you define a “Holy Grail” in terms of videogames? I would describe it as a game that is, first of all, hidden or unavailable to most of the public. Secondly, I’d say it’s a game of mysterious and unknown quality. There are a few Castlevania games that I feel fit this description. The following is a brief highlight of these games, my prospective and opinions, and I’ll tell you why they could easily be considered a “Holy Grail of Castlevania”.

 

#1. Castlevania: Bloodlines Beta

Obviously, there are several Beta version of any given game, but I’m referring to one specific beta cart that showed up on Ebay a few years back.

WHY WE WANT TO PLAY IT
The seller showed picture of the in-game that depicted some major differences from the game we eventually saw released. There were different enemy designs, a level that seemingly took place on a blimp and other intriguing differences that would have resulted in a very different gaming experience. Bloodlines shaped up to be a great game, but it’s always neat to see a version that showed alternative ideas.

WHY CAN’T WE PLAY IT?
The cart was not sold (apparently no one was willing to pay the sellers asking price). And the owner has not ripped the ROM for distribution. No other beta ROM exists from this stage of development.

WHERE IS IT NOW?
As far as anyone knows, the person that listed it on Ebay. It could have been sold to someone outside of Ebay, but whoever owns it now isn’t talking or sharing.

WILL WE EVER PLAY IT?
I’m going to say possibly, but not likely. If it was going to show up on the web, either as a ROM or for sale, I think we would have seen it by now. But since the location of this version is currently unknown, I’m going to say “no.” Too bad, if I had known about the auction at the time, I likely would have bought it, regardless of the cost.

WHY IT DESERVES THE TITLE:
Some people loved Bloodlines, while others felt it fell short. It would be interesting to see what the developers may have had in mind by playing the game before the game. And frankly, in some ways, the beta almost looks better than the finished product…almost.

 

#2. Castlevania: Resurrection

By far, this is the one I have wanted to play for quite some time. When this game was first announced for the Dreamcast, it was regarding with both awe and skepticism. The story: 1666 (how creative) Dracula is reborn. So through the use of time travel, Sonia Belmont (from Castlevania Legends) and Victor, a Belmont decendent from the 19th Century, meet in 1666 and embark on some sort of a quest to hunt down and slay Dracula.

The story is a little out there, even for Castlevania. Time travel is no stranger to fantasy, but it’s got to be handled delicately. I have no doubt that Castlevania could have pulled this off, but it makes you wonder where the Belmonts were in 1666.

As for the game itself, there were a number of demo’s that were playable but only the press got to play them. The demo’s were reported good and, from the looks of the pictures, it reached a very practically stage. It doesn’t seem as though it would take much to piece this game together and complete it. While the game likely never reached a stage where it could be practical for release, there’s no doubt that there a lot of this game is playable.

Ironic, that a game with “resurrection” in the title, would never find a resurrection of its own…

WHY CAN’T WE PLAY IT?
The game was cancelled after countless delays. The game exceeded its release date several times (which again, indicates to me that the game may have been practically finished). No plans have ever been made to release it on another system.

WHERE IS IT NOW?
Komani has it locked away, but it still exists. Reportedly, developers have studied and borrowed elements from this game in development of new games. This seems very likely, since many of the games elements seem have shown up in both Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness. From enemies to level design, there are a few very distinct resembles. Curse of Darkness implemented a time travel subplot, which could have been directly inspired by Resurrection. ( In Curse of Darkness, the idea didn’t seem to necessary and in fact, was a little strange to me…but in an amusing sort of way). So in a way, elements of the game, or at least what it represents, can be found in other installments.

WILL WE EVER PLAY IT?
I sincerely doubt it. Konami is probably holding this one under lock and key. It’s not going anywhere if they can help it. Anything’s possible (Star Fox 2 is alive and well on certain emulation websites) but I think this one is tucked away in a very secure place.

It’s also doubtful this game will see release on another system or compilation. The game features Sonia Belmont, which would directly acknowledge Castlevania Legends, which was (along with a few other installments) dismissed from the “official” series, by the current series director. Regardless of how good this game is, or could be, there’s no getting around such an obstacle.

WHY IT DESERVES THE TITLE:
Out of all the candidates, it’s the one game that is the most realized and yet, least accessible. The screenshots show us a game that looks rather polished and fully realized. Looking at them, you just feel like you should be able to play this game. And yet, the very possibility is denied.

 

#3 CASTLEVANIA FOR THE GAMECUBE

This is not really a game, but an idea that will never be fully realized. However, there are many out there who wanted to see this become a reality.

WHY WE WANT TO PLAY IT
This is more out of principal than anything. Never before has a Nintendo system been denied a Castlevania. In truth, there is not doubt that Konami loves Nintendo-its portables have been graces with plenty of installments. But the Cube gets no respect.

Not only that, but it’s the imagination of what Castlevania on the Cube could be. Unlike the harder, edger games we saw on the PS2 and Xbox, a Cube Castlevania could be more in the spirit of Aria/Dawn of Sorrow, which are a little more universal (age and theme wise). Even more so, a 2D Castlevania could have been very welcome on the Cube.

And the bottom line, the Cube has a loyal fan base, however small it may seem, and I’d bet many of them would love to play LoI or CoD, or an Cube Castlevania offering. Instead, they were left dry.

WHY WE CAN’T PLAY IT
Doesn’t exist, never been made, perhaps never even conceived. For whatever reason, Konami didn’t just overlook the Cube, they seemed to intentionally avoid it.

WHERE IS IT NOW?
I think that’s already been established.

WILL WE EVER PLAY IT?
The GameCube is not dead yet. It’s still possible, but I’m going to say “no” on this one. The only way I won’t say “definitely no” is because there might be a chance the Cube will get a last ditch effort, likely out of pity or formality. When I close my eyes and dream of it, it seems so real, but when I come back to reality, I just don’t see it happening.

WHY IT DESERVES THE TITLE
The potential is endless. This game could be anything, and it could very well be the Castlevania to end all Castlevanias...or at least a terrific one. The lack of its existence is almost a crime against the gaming community.

 

#4 DRACULA X: RONDO OF BLOOD WORLDWIDE RELEASE

This is perhaps a fictional concept, but the idea rings true. This import-only title (from Japan) came out on the ill-fated Turbo Duo near the end of its run. It’s a great game, and the direct predecessor to Castelvania: Symphony of the Night. A North American or European release was (and still is) possible, but the probability is what’s holding us up here.

WHY WE WANT TO PLAY IT
It’s just a great game! Some say the hype is overrated, but I believe hype can make anything overrated. So we’ll move on from that, and look as to why this game should be released all over the world. As stated earlier, this is the direct predecessor to Symphony of the Night, a game that, unlike its predecessor, was released world wide. To add insult to (unintentionally) injury, the game beginning with Rondo’s ending, basically saying “Here is the ending of the game you didn’t get to play…and still can’t”. Symphony of the Night is littered with references to this game (including the appearance of Shaft). Sure, there was the release of Castlevania: Dracula X, which easily could have substituted as this games prequel, but this game, even in the North American and European releases, makes it clear that Rondo of Blood is the true account of what happened prior. So in principal, we need this game in order for the time-line to make any true sense.

WHY WE CAN’T PLAY IT
Legal entanglements have prevented Konami from releasing (or re-releasing) this game on any other system, and it obviously won’t be released on a dead system. You can, of course, play the Japanese version (the only version) for a price. By why should you have to? Gamers outside of Japan couldn’t exactly go to their local department store and pick up a copy. It had to be imported. Not only that, but it is for a system, the Turbo Duo, that most gamers simply did not own. It was not released on any other system in its original form, and the SNES Dracula X was not the same game. I have a copy, as do many gamers, but it can cost $100+ for a used copy. So there is a major inconvenience factor. Some may also argue that this is not really a “Castlevania” game, but an “Akumajou Dracula” game. I have nothing but respect for the Japanese lineage, but I do feel the world deserves to have this game themselves.

WHERE IS IT NOW?
Only the Japanese version exists, and it’s the desires of many gamers. It’s entangles in a web of mysterious legal issues.

WILL WE EVER PLAY IT?
Probably...in time. If I had to guess, I’d say within the next decade, this game will see the light of day on North American and European shores, either in a compilation or on the Nintendo Wii (with it’s retro gaming element going on). Koji, the currently overseer of the series, expressed a desire to re-release this game. It’s a matter of dealing with the legal issues, then finding the right time and platform. But I’m guessing it will happen eventually.

WHY IT DESERVES THE TITLE
It would be so easy to make this a reality. The game is there, it’s finished. It’s been finished for a lot time. Its reputation for greatness is not in question. And yet, it simply hasn’t been made available to the masses, but treated like a rare diamond. Ironically, as it’s been clearly established, diamonds are not rare, but simply made to be to increase their value. The same could be said about this game.

WHO DESERVES THE TITLE?
This lead to a definitive question: who deserves the title? I have my own idea, but I’ll leave that up to you, the reader, to decide. Sometimes the truth can be split in many ways, and to name just one would be as much as an injustice to these games as their lack of availability. In the mean time, I suggest we enjoy the games we do have as much as we possibly can, and not get held up or frustrated about the possibilities we can do nothing about. In time, these “Holy Grails” may soon be discovered, or rather, presented to us. And in other ways, they already have.

Thank you, and best wishes. Feel free to drop me a line, sammycut1@aol.com. I’d love to hear your ideas or opinions.

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