Reminds me of equipment hunting in Diablo.
First off it isn't like your normal Castlevania game at all it involves a different take the previous games.
For example there is no leveling system, but your stats are based upon your equipment which you can get from defeating bosses and opening chest. With each boss defeated they drop a chest and you're given a chance to hopefully get a rare item or a cheap one.
One portion of the game can be considering leveling for some charcters such as Maria, the more you use her magic the more you will increase the damage and eventually max it out.
The game is fairly short however, and it may seem a bit pricy especially if you want to have access to the 7th chapter. Also all the DLC content in the games, such as extra charcters and extra music as well, come at a hefty price on top of the 1200 Microsft points for the game itself.
All in all the game is quite innovative with it's multiplayer experience which, if you have played Diablo 2, will remind of of hunting for better equipment by redoing levels over and over again.
The fun can be had with the player online wia the multiplayer experience in which you have up to 6 players racing towards the boss, and along the way helping each other get items via chests.
It is not recommned to play hard mode by yourself and you will be overwhelmed if you just beat normal. My recommendation it to join someone who is willing to help you rush through the game on hard whihc will allow you access to the later level so you can join many othr people online continuously playing for better equipment.
This is a great game and I recommend it for anyone who is a fan of the Castlevania series.