This poor thing has been beaten to the ground enough times, and it's more than due time to talk about it fairly. I think it's a failure in many respects, but if we leave aside the decision to obscure puzzles for the sake of selling strategy guides (which is complete bullshit), most of the failures are at the very least interesting ones. It wasn't that common for console games at the time to actively deceive you, and though most stages were kinda samey, the way in which you accessed was very original and felt experimental at times.

Besides, I'm just gonna say that this is one of the only Castlevania titles that attempted to convey horror in a meaningful way, even if it was by way of stressing you with the night cycle. I still think this needed more work, but I can't help but appreciate the results.