It’s unfortunate that I never got around to playing this until the release of the Super NES: Classic Edition in 2017. Even at that late date, the confidence in the design of the game was oddly refreshing. As you progress through the map, it continues to not only develop what your character is capable of, but also how traversal of the map takes place. It lends the feeling of a big open world to explore while implicitly guiding you through the map without the sense of linearity or incapacitation. It’s influence on Castlevania resulted in a new genre that I instinctively avoid despite my enjoyment of every game I’ve played within that definition.