sincerest apologies to the revisionists but this feels like shit to play, with floaty and awkward kinaesthetics, inconsistent roll dodging, bad enemy placement, amateurish level design and a world that makes no sense (don't tell me that's the point). this has some atmosphere, i'll give it that, but totally lacks the thematic cohesion of fromsoft's other games - especially the first dark souls - and leaves you directionless for much of it. i understand that this had a fraught development cycle, which i obviously sympathize with, but i can't pretend it resulted in anything other than a mess. impressive how much entertainment you can squeeze out of even a mediocre souls title though

love this one, and i wish i still had a viable avenue to replay it. what starts out as seeming like a fairly innocuous babby's first psychological horror quickly evolves into something utterly deranged, oblique and unique; i still remember when this first came out, playing this home alone - save for my friend who was also with me - lights turned off in a juvenile attempt at proving our bravery to each other, frantically wading through the frenzied online discussion and vague, contradictory instructions on how to progress. in a cultural era obsessed with haunted game cartridges and creepypastas, this thing frightened and thrilled me like nothing else. to this day i dont think any game captured that zeitgeist as effectively and elegantly as this did, and 8 years later i still find the horror impressive. in hindsight, i think this was a pretty formative game for me. it's a shame that it was denied the opportunity to blossom into something greater.

i'm a bit of an apologist for this game as it was my introduction to the series, but i frankly wonder if this is even a good entry point - the first two hours are good at easing new players in difficulty-wise, but the songs are so bland that it really fails to make a strong impression, especially in comparison to the other games. really doesn't help that remixes are completely absent to begin with either (and when they finally do arrive most of them are only just fine). and my god, were the added story elements that force you to sit through an avalanche of text a misstep, even if tibby is endearing in his own little way. so yeah, lots of misguided stuff here but once you get through those opening hours the game really starts to pick up.

there are some interesting changes to the formula that shouldn't be overlooked - the bottom screen that visualizes your timing is a welcome addition as far as i'm concerned, as are the skill stars. i'm of two minds when it comes to the new rating system; it's probably a little too lenient, but the old system which centered mostly around one or two tricky moments in a song was definitely in need of updating as well (the skill stars are, at least conceptually, a better substitute for rewarding this sort of mastery).

ultimately, this is a game full of classic rhythm heaven content, along with new content that is mostly up to par, so it's still a pretty damn solid package all things considered. the main issue is just that design-wise it's not really appealing to either beginners or veterans.

weakest castlevania i've played so far. while not outright terrible it feels like it was designed pretty haphazardly, which leads to a lot of frustration. the platforming can get really obtuse and irritating, and the insta-kill hazards were the primary reason for most of my deaths. bosses are either far too easy or straight up unfair. simon takes up way too much space on the screen and whipping in all directions completely trivializes sub-weapons, as many have noted. the garish visuals and generally cheesy presentation has charm, but is not really my cup of tea; ditto for the soundtrack. i'm very thankful bloodlines walked back on many of the changes this game made to the formula - i have even more respect for that game now.

easily the hardest game in the series (on legend difficulty) - that is perhaps with the exception of the original ghosts n goblins, but the crucial difference there is that this game achieves its difficulty through grueling yet mostly fair obstacles that you can learn to overcome with time and effort, while the original ghosts n goblins just decides to throw a bunch of bullshit at you after the second level. going back to that game made me appreciate all the more how intricately crafted this one is, how it takes something from every prior title in the series to create something special.

typing this out, i'm reminded of another game from this year that represented the revival of a classic franchise: metroid dread. while i initially really liked that game (and still do), i've been somewhat souring on it as time has passed, and that's mostly because i came to the realization that while the reverence it has for the legacy of its series is certainly apparent, it didn't actually meaningfully improve on the formula. for the most part it walks into the same pitfalls as the gba titles, and remains completely outclassed by super metroid. resurrection is a stark contrast; it actually takes lessons from its series history and not only manages to translate the gameplay faithfully to a modern era but improves on its design by leaps and bounds. it's a game that stays true not just to the iconography of the series but its spirit and design as well, while simultaneously not being afraid to make alterations where needed. needless to say, i think it's a great game. it went pretty underlooked, which is a shame, because i think the industry really needs more games like this.