If you really want to dig into the lore of Castlevania, please check out GamerThumbTV's Timeline Series:

Always happy to hear someone come around on this game. I also thought it was really lousy way back when, but I've come to appreciate it in recent years, mostly for the same reasons you very articulately stated

still one of my all time favorite games! my brother ACCIDENTALLY found the tornado lol

I loved this game. It had RPG elements. I remember finding the water mansion on accident and calling all the kids in my neighborhood over to show them. You were king for the day back then if you found out a puzzle that literally everyone was stuck on lol.

What you said about manuals is right in the spot! I remember the trill I had reading the manual of a game I just rented or bought...not to mention, manuals had an artistic quality (as gameboxes) that is lost in this modern times.

Pro tip: do all of your hearts grinding inside of the mansions. Time passes outside, but it does not pass inside the mansions.

I like how the manual actually tells you that some townspeople will give you false information since they are pranksters......

Man I LOVED the idea of the different whips. Even today, "thorn whip" sounds unique and awesome. They couldn't really do too much in terms of damage dealt visually, but it's cool. Heart farming was what threw me off on these games.

The difference between Zelda fandom and Simon's quest booing is that everyone had the Nintendo power for Zelda.

i always loved this game and never understood the hate. was one of my best christmases ever as a kid. i was 10

At

I still remember at school on recess talking to kids on what to do in this game. Nobody knew what the heck was going on in the game.

Dude, I'm glad to see that you FINALLY came to your senses about this game! Such an AWESOME game!

It should be mentioned that the game does feature 3 different endings, depending on how many in-game days it takes you to complete it. The "good" ending is achieved if you can finish it within 7 day/night cycles, the "normal" ending is achieved if you finish it in 8 to 14 day/night cycles, and you'll get the "bad" ending if you finish it in 15 days or longer. A good tactic to use if you want to save time, is to farm for hearts within the mansions as the in-game clock actually pauses while you're navigating your way through one of those places.

I need to play the patched version. They added some major quality of life improvements.

Excellent take on what has always been my favorite 8-bit Castlevania. I love them all but Simon's Quest was my favorite even in the 80s for how big and expansive it felt. Always nice to see it get some love.

Games like Castlevania II and The Legend of Zelda have taught me that sleeping on the NES because its an older system is a crime. Some of its games still hold up pretty well!

Utterly underrated gem.

I've always loved this game, ever since I was a little kid. My neighbors knew where to go and helped me get through it my first time. Been a fan from day one and is still one of my favorite Castlevania games. I love the soundtrack as well, learned most of it on guitar.

I love how u use Dracula’s end music as ur background .. it’s rare u here it that long and it’s great ! Another great review !! Keep em coming