Format: Super CD-ROM²
Genre: Action platformer
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami

Labor of love: a task performed without expectation of reimbursement. Konami's artists could have drawn run-of-the-mill stages and still sold many copies of the game, on namesake alone. Instead, they implemented parallax scrolling everywhere, oftentimes with several layers; they drew, and drew, and re-drew enemy sprites until they were perfect, along with worn tables, skeletal remains, ornate Christian stained glass windows, and a zillion frames of animation for nearly every object in the game. Many of the bosses are quite literally, the best drawn sprites this reviewer has ever seen! There are even periodic Duo-style voice acted anime cut-scenes to move the action along.

The emergence of CD technology brought forth a sort of renaissance in video game music, with full real-life quality applied to a "chip" music melodic emphasis. The PC Engine CD platform lived right in the midst of this period; the three Ys games, the twin Thunder schmups, Dungeon Explorer II, and this game-- Rondo of Blood, with its mood-drenched synthetic, off-kilter sound and unforgettable memories, all with crystalline authentic instrumentation. In usual Duo fashion, "chip" songs play as a change of pace, with the "pre-boss" music being particularly hair-raising. Enemies and bosses shout, moan, and howl with a robust set of pleasantly disturbing digital voice samples.

Super Castlevania IV and Akumajo Dracula, the two series games released just prior to this title, had stages that focused on complexity and platforming, almost like Sega's Shinobi titles. Rondo of Blood flipped the emphasis towards enemy patterns; nearly every enemy-- especially in the later levels-- is either trickily placed, or like a pattern-based mini-boss fight! The player character's jumping physics are excellently nuanced, and it's fun to discover all of the uses for the protagonist's new backflip move. Boss encounters are inventive and frequently tricky, with highly technical patterns to memorize and master.

This reviewer is starting to feel like a broken record when it comes to reviewing Duo games, since so many of them have awesome anime sequences, lots of voice acting, Red Book soundtracks-- the works! But even by that standard, there is something special about Rondo of Blood; it's impossible to have a release with the sheer level of polish and attention to detail such as is present here, without the development team being on their A game, and putting in immensely long hours. Foreshadowing its sequel, Symphony of the Night, this title even has full save support, alternative level paths, and a hidden second playable character!