Very good game, if not for the abysmal overall speed of the game and the high encounter rate.

This is a monster collecting game, not a pokemon clone because you don’t really catch but get a chance to get a monster after battle. Your monster can’t level up but you can equip them with jewels that will alter their stat, and if you alter a certain stat of a certain monster, it will evolve into a higher level monster with a different skill set and sprite.

Outside of battle, the game is structured like 2D Zelda, even the dungeon. You will get progress blocked until you get a certain item in a dungeon, that item can be used on the overworld map to obtain optional items and progress further.

All the dungeons are called labyrinth, and my god it's true to it's name. It's very confusing to navigate and the high encounter rate doesn't help at all, not to mention how slow the battle is. One battle can last for more than a minute, so fast foward is your friend. Although after a few level up, battling isn't worth it anymore because of how little experience you get, so if you have a good monster already, you can just run away from all encounters. Thankfully there are no encounter on the overworld.

The worst part of this game is the confusing map and samey environment, topped with no ingame map. Expect to be lost all the time unless you have a very strong memory or a guide.

The more I replay this the more I keep refalling in love. The atmosphere, the gameplay, the music, I just can’t get enough and no other game in the series compares. The melodramatic overtones mixed with the contextualized and detailed areas just resonates with me so well. The inherently fun exploration that gets even grander as you unlock more and more abilities, the addicting platforming mixed with tight action controls; it’s all here in full force to make you want to keep playing and playing. I can’t help but explore every area every time I play.They’re begging to have their every detail examined and every enemy obliterated into a bloody explosion. The inverted castle is a bit of a bother to explore but it’s still mechanically fun because of how well Alucard controls and feels to handle. Beautifully orchestrated tracks fit every scenario perfectly and bring out their ideas into a melody of which expands their ideology. I know I may be exaggerating here, but that’s just how I feel. I love this game to death in all its glory.