Recent reviews by C A F E

It's alright.

I've always been a huge Castlevania fan growing up. Upon hearing that Igarashi was working on a new game after so many years that was returning to the old style metroidvania games, I was pretty excited.

I think it's important to talk about the 2 year delay this game had. I wasn't the biggest fan of how the game looked originally but I figured gameplay can excuse some issues with the visuals. Igarashi thought otherwise, based on fan feedback, and had the game updated over the next few years. I have to say that it really looks a lot better. I really enjoy the visuals the game has, even if some of the over the top lighting seems a bit aggressive on the eyes at times.

The gameplay feels like a more polished Symphony of the Night and I'm really happy to see some of the interesting things they've accomplished with the combat, especially the shard system and some weapons having their own command moves was a nice addition to the game as well, even if it does make some weapons feel better than others. But I can forgive that because weapons have a their own distinctive feel to them now, even within the same weapon type because you can approach situations in a multitude of ways. It really helps ease the monotony that the combat flow has with metroidvania games, though I realize that's entirely my opinion. Some people love the simplistic nature of gameplay, which is not something I can usually stick with these days.

That being said, the gameplay in general here is top notch. There was never a moment in my entire playthrough where I got bored of the combat or the exploration. Exploration in this game was super fun. I had a great time finding breakable walls and secrets areas, like the 8-bit nightmare, that were really rewarding upon finding them. Maybe a new weapon, upgrades, or money for the shops in town. Along with the areas being unique and beautifully realized, I am still looking forward to finding the last bit of upgrades and shards.

This game was really worth the wait and I am beyond happy with what we've gotten. 10/10 for me personally.