The classic Castlevania gameplay and feel is intact, but if you never liked Castlevania this one won't change your mind.
You play as Richter, some dude with a whip going through stages killing zombies, skeletons, dragons etc. in a quest to save the world and kill Dracula. Which is in my understanding the plot of every Castlevania game.
You start of on a wagon with horses when suddenly some skeleton wearing a robe and a scythe, probably death, pops up out of nowhere. You defeat him, get inside a castle and continue your whipping from there.
This is essentially a remake of a game I've never played, called Castlevania: Rondo of Blood combined with 3D and 2D graphics. The gameplay feels and plays like a Castlevania game. Which feels a little lost put side by side with other new platformers in the market. You can only whip at one direction, left or right. Which is annoying if you want to kill something above you, or underneath you. But fans of Castlevania will feel right at home with this game in no time.
What really bothers me about this game is the games difficulty. It's just too damn hard. I really try, but sometimes I don't have a chance in hell. They just keep ganging up on you or keep orbiting you, and there's no way you can reach them, because you can't whip up or down. By whipping certain objects, specifically most often candles, you can gather items and hearts.
At stage 2 I encountered some cliché's, like the chandelier dropping from the ceiling and if it hits you you take damage. The imagination is astounding.
The gameplay is really just about learning the enemies patterns and time your attacks and moves. So you just have to play the stage over and over again to know what to do. Which kinda sucks, because I don't want to play the stage over again, it's just boring. But the game really rewards skill and patience, and it's not for the casual gamer.
The game looks great, the mix of 2D and 3D is cool and you can see the detail put into it. The skies and fire in the backgrounds makes the game feel dynamic, and atmospheric. It really feels like a typical Castlevania game.
The sound is old-school, I don't think I noticed any new sounds, most of them are recycled from other Castlevania classics, I think. But that's okay, because without the classic Castlevania sounds and effects it wouldn't be a real Castlevania game, right?
I haven't beaten the game yet, I don't know if I have the skill or patience to play it anymore. The game is for fans and for fans only, the classic Castlevania gameplay and feel is intact, but if you never liked Castlevania this one won't change your mind.