This sorrowful song is worth revisting
The Castlevania series has been known for either super hard linear stages or a big castle that can be explored with power ups the hero finds along the way. At least in my case I went from Castlevania III to Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow. Which is why I was so impressed by this game when it first came out and continue to think this does a few things better than Symphony of the Night. As the game opens you are introduced to Soma who gets accidentally trapped in Dracula's Castle and now must fight his way through it while gathering up monster souls. Being able to absorb souls is what gives this game quite a few different options on how to deal with different enemies. Like being able to use a Valkyrie soul to summon a giant sword or even using the simple power of a Minotaur to get a attack buff.
The castle itself is laid out in a way so you will slowly make your way to the end by collecting power ups by beating bosses. Most of the bosses are pretty easy with the final few actually requiring the player to figure out the pattern to win. (Or in my case I just took a lot of health items.) The overall story of why Soma was transported to the castle is told well with a twist that is slowly built up to whenever you meet another new person in the castle. The Weapons he uses along the way are varied and it is possible to play out confrontations differently depending on which one you decide to use. Using giant swords will deal a lot of damage or you can even use a pistol to give yourself plenty of time to dodge.
As I mentioned before this game isn't much of a challenge while playing through it till the end. Which some people might not enjoy if they don't like the narrative or the collectible nature of the souls. Which is also highlighted by most of the bosses looking like a super sized enemy instead of something unique like the required fight with Death. Still even with those flaws I think this game encaptures what is fun about the later portable Castlevania games. It gives the player a wide variety of options to deal with different encounters so if one way didn't work then trying a new strategy might be what you need. If that sounds like a game you might enjoy then check this game out.
