The game is decent and genuinely enjoyable to play. My expectation weren't that high but was really surprised with some of the stuff here. In some aspects, it outshines AoS, such as the merchant's accessibility in various castle locations and Juste's ability to dash both forward and backward.
However, I wasn't a fan of the two-castle mechanic. When I first learned about it, it slightly threw me off and felt like a chore. Yet, exploring the castle was somewhat ok-ish, especially when compared to CotM. I felt like the game had way too many mechanics that were just there and not fully utilized? The hearts weren't that useful at all, the books were just fine and finding furniture was extremely insignificant. The bosses, while consistent, were unfortunately too easy. They often depended on just 2 or 3 mechanics that were sequential. Dracula was definitely a disappointment. (and as many who have wrote here, the OSTs were really bizarre)
Now that I've completed the Castlevania collection, I recommend it, especially to experience IGA's entries.
However, I wasn't a fan of the two-castle mechanic. When I first learned about it, it slightly threw me off and felt like a chore. Yet, exploring the castle was somewhat ok-ish, especially when compared to CotM. I felt like the game had way too many mechanics that were just there and not fully utilized? The hearts weren't that useful at all, the books were just fine and finding furniture was extremely insignificant. The bosses, while consistent, were unfortunately too easy. They often depended on just 2 or 3 mechanics that were sequential. Dracula was definitely a disappointment. (and as many who have wrote here, the OSTs were really bizarre)
Now that I've completed the Castlevania collection, I recommend it, especially to experience IGA's entries.