how do you remake a game that's beyond saving? you don't, you make a new game.

adventure rebirth fucking rocks, it makes sense no one knows about it cuz it's just a little wiiware game (i didn't know either), but this is a much better "casual friendly" entry into castlevania than IV, and unfortunately the last classic style game since.

good level design with alt paths (although some of them are really long), new enemies with interesting design, the sub weapons are well balanced (maybe except the stopwatch), good mid stage bosses, middling to good stage bosses and a fantastic final boss.
could've been even better, but it definitely stands out among the other games.

interesting thing to note, this is the only castlevania game where you might want to haul ass, as the timer is a lot more strict.

the game contains a selectable difficulty level, which im not very fond of, and a classic mode without air control and limited subweapons (only allows for cross and holy water). i did a normal run and a classic hard run, the latter was a pain in the ass but makes me wish the game was more designed around classic, as i think the essence of castlevania is about making calculated moves you have to REALLY commit to, while also allowing for some precise coordination between your movement and attacks.
mechanically, rondo of blood still wins, but its nice that the game allows for backwards whipping in classic.

i wish the OST was more original, but they picked some nice obscure tracks to remix, and they did a really great job.
they even remixed christopher's theme but decided to leave it out of the game, despite being the best track in the OST.
https://youtu.be/WkxpLVYoz1Q

the only things this remake keeps from the original are the projectile whip, which you will lose after some time or by taking damage (though you won't lose your whip upgrade like the original), and some enemies which were vastly improved. it also includes some enemies from the 2nd gameboy game.
level design is completely different and for good reason, as the adventure has level design closer to mega man than anything castlevania.

slowly realizing that this game is actually just 3d prince of persia was VERY cool.
shoutouts to the remastered team for picking up on this, calling the doppelganger fight achievement "be like prince" was a nice touch.
wish all the versions kept the save crystals from the psx version, i think the game would've been more engaging that way, as opposed to being able to save whenever you want.
some levels are a bit off, the hitscan and later enemy design isn't very good, but it's still a good experience.

SNES 0.5*
the SNES version is the worst shit i've ever played.
-slowdowns
-framerate capped so high the game ends up running too fast at times
-cut content (no final level)
-worse music
-long loading times

MSDOS 2*
not that much better, the SNES technical issues are gone but it's still a pretty meh game with mediocre level design, inputs that fail half the time and infuriating enemies (fuck those skulls).
it has more ambitious set pieces compared to the first game, but besides the prettier graphics and ost, that's about it. (play PoP1 on the SNES)

played on hard, 100%, original audio.
really good remake, but the movement leaves a lot to be desired, doesn't match the later X titles.
i much prefer the original sprites over the 3d models, but they were still well done, and the voice acting is great.
wasn't a big fan of the way they hid the dash upgrade (i ended up beating all the mavericks without it cuz i couldn't find it lol), i think for a remake, they should've just given you dash after the opening stage.

UPDATE: played vile mode on hard, this shit fucking bangs 5****