Fantastic entry into the Castlevania series with a fun twist that helps it stand out above the other games.

The gameplay is solid and the collection of weapons and armor to equip has been simultaneously streamlined over previous games and also expanded. Being able to equip different weapons and spirits to either match your play style or to combat a specific enemy encounter is rad.

My biggest complaint is the way in which you acquire the spirits. The spirits are random drops like RSS cards in Circle of the Moon which is an absolute drag especially considering there are a handful of random-drop spirits that are required to progress and get the "true" ending . I had to grind several times trying to get the drops I needed. Not fun. Additionally, they did away with Harmony's excellent back/forward dash mechanic that made getting around the castle a dream.

Overall, with the exception of the times I had to grind for drops, I loved my time with the game.

+ Weapon/equipment/spirit system makes for great gameplay variety
+ Great bosses and enemies
+ Easier to get around the castle with better fast travel

- Random drops that block story progress
- Traversal is a step down from Harmony