Very conflicted about this one. I personally would consider it better and definitely more original than the first one (which was pretty much based on a Sonic 3&K style) but there's some really odd design choices that stop me from giving it a higher ranking.

The boost formula makes for a more fast paced, intense gameplay and encourages you to replay the stages in order to completely blast through them, once you've learned them.
The new moveset for every character is also a great addition, Sonic's in particular being the one that rewards high skill gameplay and reaction timing.

On the downside, the game is heavily based on trial and error with a bunch of bottomless pits that are an instant kill and some really cheap boss battles. Exploration also suffers a lot, backtracking is usually near impossible depending on which character you're using and forces you to either die or replay the whole stage again to have another try in order to grab all the special rings which are required to enter the special zones and get all the chaos emeralds.

Still, i'd definitely give it a try i you haven't yet, it's truly one of a kind, i just wished it was a bit more polished.

Oh and the music slaps, as always.

Very short and fun little game that features enemies, mechanics, and even settings that one wouldn't expect from a Mario game, especially a very old one such as this one (you'll get what i mean if you play it!)

What kills it for me, though, are the (very) stiff controls and inconsistent hitboxes, which will be your biggest enemies through the whole game.

Despite that, i still think the originality and charm it has to offer shines through, definitely worth a try if you have an hour to spare.

30 minute plataformer with bland level design and a lot of empty areas.

It looks and sounds incredible though, probably the most impressive GB title from a technical standpoint, but there's not really anything much to say about it.

Average if not slightly mediocre.

I've been a big fan of Koto Inari's work for a long time, his style is not only one of the best in the vast Touhou community but some of the most interesting i have ever had the pleasure to see on the internet.

Sadly, his unique interpretation on the world of Touhou didn't quite translated into a a good game and this happened mainly for two reasons.

First, the game is not intuitive at all, you've been spending a lot of time trying to figure out what to do or where to go with little to no input from the game, which results in the experience turning quite frustrating most of the time.

Second the writing is shallow, i don't know if it has anything to do with the English translation in it of itself (which leaves a lot to desire) but dialogue seem incomplete, and shallow, like it's barely touching the surface of what it's trying to tell us, you'll get what i mean if you give the game a try.

For a future project, Koto Inari really needs to partner with an experienced writer and a game designer to help him make the game i know he's capable of.

Dreadful, absolutely dreadful.

It's not just the rubber band mechanic, which makes your partner either constantly slow you down or get in your way by going one hundred miles per hour, making the camera shake as if you were both inside of a blender, nor is it just the fact that the power ups screw you over all the time, to the point where you need to wait for them to wear off until you can proceed with the stage, it's also the level design on its own.

I'm gonna be honest, this is one of the most boring games i have ever played in my life. It's bland, uninspiring; there are barely any enemies; there are no real obstacles that get in your way and the game does absolutely nothing interesting with the rubber band mechanic, you know, the mechanic on which the game is based on?

No interesting puzzles, no challenging platform, no rewarding exploration, no twists, no nothing.
Knuckles Chaotix is basically an abysmal 2D walking simulator that drags for over 2 hours.

Boss battles are ungodly too; making it a requirement to land a series of successful hits on an already difficult-to-control game is just straight up immoral.

The bonus stage is awful too; it's constantly suffering from slowdowns, and the 3D hexagonal tubes have this incredibly jarring clipping effect that makes you feel like you are constantly on the verge of falling off the stage, which, by the way, CAN actually happen.

Yes, music is awesome but that doesn't make the game worth it at all.
Would you like to listen to your favorite album while a herd of dogs bite your balls?
This game is like listening to your favorite album while a herd of dogs bite your balls.

Sonic 3D Blast is not quite a blast, but it still has some redeeming qualities.

The game is a 2D platformer with an isometric perspective, which changes things quite a lot from your regular Sonic game, and this little experiment is surprisingly not awful.
Now, that doesn't mean there aren't problems with this unique formula: Sonic is simply too fast and movement is too slippery, you will constantly find yourself slowing down and re-step back in your tracks in order to do something as simple as jump on an enemy or do some basic platforming.
Getting hit is also really easy because of this, and it's annoying because in order to beat the levels you are required to lead a total of 5 birds (called flickys) to the finish line and everytime you'd touch a spike, a bomb or something they'll scatter all over the place and getting them back is not very... poggers as kids these days say.

I really enjoyed the light puzzle mechanics in the game, and I wish these were more prevalent instead of the more action-oriented experience the game is going for.

Now, about music, I've got to say that this is one of the best OSTs I have ever heard in my life. I'm constantly hearing about the weird yet banger music of Sonic R or the catchy-dreamy like tunes of Knuckles Chaotix, but I've never heard anyone praising the music on this game, and it's a shame because this is, in my opinion, even better than those, they are beautiful, complex, and fit every stage like a glove, proof that the Genesis soundchip was able to do magic in the right hands.

Special stages are ok if nothing too simple; I have definitely seen worse in this franchise (I'm looking at you, Sonic 4 Episode I) plus it features the theme song from Super Fantasy Zone's Stage 1, which is always a plus!

Boss battles are mostly unique, and they work quite well. I really enjoyed the final one, though Sonic's weird controls made it more difficult than it should have been.

I'd say, in a sea of terrible, appalling Sonic games... This is actually not -that- bad; I'd definitely check it out. Just go with an open mind, and maybe, just maybe, you'll find something to love about it.

Or just give the OST a listen.

This game has no right to be as good as it is. It's an extremely simple yet fascinatingly fun platformer with a great sense of humor, tons of secrets, hilarious boss battles, and a really great soundtrack. It's quite hard too; things get real in the last world, and it offers some pretty well-thought-out challenges. I'm just really impressed by the competence of the whole thing.

My only true complaint are some really unexplainable slowdowns, which is weird coming from a game that doesn't push the system's potential in any way.

Other than that, yeah, i had a lovely time.

Castlevania impressed me greatly with its incredible visual design and music. It is amazing what Konami did in 1987 with the NES on this one. The controls are very stiff, but that's to be expected for such an old game. Challenge, i'd say it's pretty fair, this is definitely more a game of patience than one of skill, and I'm honestly perfectly fine with that since it feels rewarding to wait for the right time to make your move instead of mindlessly attempting to force your way through it.

The big fatal flaw, though, is the last boss battle. It ruins what, up until that point, felt like a well-rounded challenge.
It just pretty much leaves you with no option but to watch a video on how to defeat him and try your very best to replicate every movement in those extremely small and precise windows in which you can avoid his attack and have a chance to land an attack on his little tiny hibox, with little to no room for experimentation.

Some people would say to just use the holy water on him since it stops his movement and lets you drain his life with your whip, but that just misses the point for me; it feels wrong to use such an easily exploitable and effective tactic on a game like this, and it leaves you with no true sense of satisfaction, at least in my opinion, of course.

So the final question is:

Is Castlevania worth a try today, over 35 years later? I'd say yes.
Is it worth the frustration only to say you beat it? Not really.