This is the last of the "classic" Castlevania games before Symphony of the Night turned it into the exploration action genre it is now. There is something absolutely pure about this game. As Richter Belmont, you're once again in Dracula's castle in an attempt to... kill Dracula. It's not complicated. What I did find surprising was the impressive level design. Most levels have two exits, with different bosses, which adds to the replay value quite a bit. It helps, because it's a short game.

The gameplay is pure. The only weapon at your disposal is the whip, with 6 classic Castlevania sub-weapons: an axe, a dagger, holy water, a grimoire, a pocket watch that stops time, and a cross. If you have enough hearts, you can use your sub-weapons super-power which deals a shit ton of damage to the enemies on screen. There's also a second playable character, Maria, if you rescue these four maidens trapped in the castle. Maria uses her animal pals, and plays completely different than Richter.

This is a direct prequel to Symphony of the Night, and many of the enemies and artwork in that game are directly ripped from Rondo. I honestly don't know anymore where SOTN stands in my top games of all time after playing this. It might just be better.

This game is available on PS4 as Castlevania: Requiem, which include Symphony of the Night as well. I played the original PC Engine version for posterity, but if you're interested in playing this the PS4 version is probably the way to go.