I've tried several times to play SotN but I've always bounced off pretty early on - round abouts the first Alucard boss. This time it clicked and I realized this game is basically baby mode until the inverted castle.

There's a lot to love - the hammy voice acting (anyone who says its bad doesn't know what they're talking about tbqh), the great Michiru Yamane score, the aesthetics... The bosses are all pretty mid however. They're all easily facetanked and the Death boss fight might be the most bitch he's ever been. Garamoth was the only exception - until I went back to the Reverse Entrance and picked up the beryl circlet & was functionally invincible.

Some of the upgrades felt pointless - wolf especially, I don't think he's ever used outside of two or three puzzles; others feel like they come too late to matter (poison mist); and the familiars all felt pretty interchangable aside from the fairy.

Since it's the first of the IGAvania style there are some flaws that get ironed out in later entries - the leveling feels a bit wonkier, the weapon selection is pretty nothing in comparison (almost all the actual weapons that aren't single-use are swords, there's a couple knuckle dusters and some nunchaku but that's it)

The ending is so fucking good it honestly feels like the later games in the series cheapen it but thank god they're all pretty good lmao