I absolutely adore the music in this game, as well as the general art design. Everything looks so crisp, colorful, and spooky; there wasn't a single stage screen I was bored of looking at. The moment-to-moment gameplay and movement were nice, though I did sometimes find myself wishing Simon moved a LITTLE bit faster. One aspect of the level design I really enjoyed were the "door knockers" that you had to swing from. I also really enjoyed/was terrified by how Simon can confidently land on the LAST pixel of a ledge, in lesser games that just wouldn't have even counted, so thanks SCIV.

The game was also seriously tough (and a bit frustrating) compared against the likes of HoD or AoS. However, I also recognize that it's still infinitely more forgiving than what I've played of the first three Castlevania titles. And as much of a time-saver as the use of a single save state was, a few bosses were still just really tough to fight against, and no amount of save-stating made those fights any easier. I can say confidently that the overwhelming majority of my deaths definitely felt like they were my own fault/lack of skill rather than the game just being unfair.

(played as part of the Castlevania Anniversary Collection on Nintendo Switch)