The classic art style makes a triumphant return, and the combat is the best it's ever been with some much needed challenge. But without a giant castle, it almost feels like it doesn't belong in the franchise. Exploration suffers the most from this change of formula, as evidenced by a lack of traversal skills. My guess is it was an attempt from Konami to attract a bigger audience by making it closer to RPG. Indeed, the segmented maps leave more room for storytelling and character development as they provide "down time" when the protagonist is not fighting through hordes of monsters. It is perhaps the only Castlevania game I've played so far that I actually follow the story and recognize the NPCs. The side quests are a step up from Portrait of Ruins, and add even more RPG feel to the game. Did the attempt work? Judging by the commercial result, probably not. It is a shame that Konami did not give the franchise another chance to experiment with the formula even further. The RPG-fication might lead to somewhere, but we will never know.