Review - Amazing reinvention of the classic Castlevania series.

Graphically a step above most 2D games around on 32bit, backgrounds are both varied and detailed. The parallax scrolling is abundant and gives to the interiors of the castle an additional level of depth. The character design is among the best seen in any Castlevania game while animations are very convincing and smooth. Alucard has so many frames that it is possible to see his hair float gently when he runs around.

The music is very atmospheric and ranges from classic Castlevania favorite tunes to awesome classical / techno-ish grooves.

Gameplay marks a certain departure from earlier Castlevania games (with maybe the exception of Castlevania II Simon's Quest). The RPG and exploration elements give more depth to the regular Castlevania experience. Levelling up and acquiring new items can be very rewarding and addictive!

The Jp version includes a very nice artbook (with an 8 pages comic book) and the soundtrack of the game.

Bottom line: It revived the aging Castlevania series, introduced Ayami Kojima as the official illustrator for the saga and established the "MetroidVania" sequels which came out later on GameBoy Adance and Nintendo DS. 10/10