what an outstanding NES game, might be my all time favorite on the system that i’ve played so far. great action with 4 unique playable characters, all with really fun playstyles and cool abilities. the level design is really great, and i think the branching routes are great for replayability.

for me though what elevates this game is its stellar presentation. the spritework is fantastic, with great character and monster designs, clearly portraying movement and actions. the environments are richly detailed with superb color usage, and its shocking how varied and readable the different levels are for an 8-Bit game. i played the japanese version through the castlevania anniversary collection, and the 3 additional sound channels allotted to the famicom via the japanese cartridge take already fantastic compositions and fill it in with rich and wonderful sounding chiptune instrumentation.

overall, a tough as nails, really fun, and very pretty adventure through the countryside to defeat dracula. well worth your time!