A pretty solid remake of the very underwhelming original. It takes a lot of concepts from the original and fleshes them out in a really fun way. It controls and runs much better, and is overall a way smoother experience. My biggest issue with the game is that it didn't feel very original throughout most of it. The game was mostly reusing classic castlevania tropes and gimmicks which makes it feel a bit tired for someone like myself who's played a lot of the series. It's still fun throughout, with the exception of a couple small instances. Being able to pick how many continues you get is a nice quality of life change, although having no lives whatsoever would have also been a welcome inclusion. Overall, easy recommendation to platformer fans, but it lacks originality.