I'll preface this by saying that I used save states to beat this game, I am a self-proclaimed casual, a baby if you will, I have skill issue, I am not very good at videogames, and all I ever heard about Castlevania as a series is that it's very hard, and that has kept me from playing it until now, so if you're like me and you're reading this, don't let that deter you from trying this game out! You can easily beat it with the use of save states, and if you do you'll end up experiencing a pretty short but sweet game.

The music is wonderful and iconic to the point I recognized multiple tracks even though this is my first time playing any Castlevania game, visually I was particularly impressed with each level having a distinct background and color that looks really nice, and combat is actually pretty fun, most if not all the special weapons feel really strong and are fun to use and something about the whip's animation or the way most enemies don't take more than two hits to die makes it feel extra satisfying. Jumping is a bit janky at first since you cant control it mid-air at all and it has a set height, but once you get used to it, it works perfectly fine. There's a few minor complaints I have with the mechanics and how you can't really use your special weapon or duck to dodge since both use the d-pad which is also used for interacting with ladders, which killed me a couple of times, outside of that though, rock solid.

This game's first half is honestly wonderful, practically no complaints, however, in the second half, it starts to get a lot meaner, with a last level that is so ridiculously hard I was struggling even with the use of states, If any of you have beaten this without them, hats off!

Overall I'm glad I played this, I think it's one of the better NES titles I've completed and if you're curious about the series I'd suggest giving it a chance, there's a lot to like about it even with it's flaws, and that last level.