Grinding out a 1cc in the original mode of this game was downright painful at points. Chronicles original mode is widely considered to be the hardest Castlevania game due to the scarcity of healing, the high damage dealt by ALL enemies past the first few stages and some platforming setups that are at the level of precision that speedrunners obsess over in other games. Some sections like the falling gears in the clock tower cross the line over into bullshit design.

However finally getting that 1cc gave me a massive sense of elation that made the grind worth it, and I grew to appreciate the tightly-structured design and pacing of the levels, as well as the awesome soundtrack. Castlevania Chronicles is very fun and as a remake it surpasses the original NES Castlevania as long as you can stomach the difficulty that is very punishing even for classic Castlevania standards. The arrange mode is good too with great if somewhat less fitting remixed songs and a time attack stage select.

After playing the hell out of it Castlevania Chronicles is probably tied with Castlevania Bloodlines as my second favourite Castlevania game, with my favourite being Rondo of Blood.