The 2d heydey of the SNES may have ended, but that didnt stop Konami from pumping out the best 2d Castlevania ever
The graphics were bar none for a 2d castelvania title, leaving fans craving for more amongst the horrid N64 sequels to follow, and even the comparatively good but still not on par Gameboy Advance titles.
The story was better and more involved than most, tying in a rather crucial plotpoint with Draculas son (whome is back after co-starring in an older Castlevania title) rather than just throwing in any random Belmont or other vampire hunter.
The gameplay was refined due to years of experience and practice, i suppose it also didnt hurt to play as a character like Alucard, who could be programed to be more superhuman than most.
The music was classic Konami, and due to the then hot redbook audio format, was taking some pretty high advantage to the high capacity CD format, having some of the highest quality remixes of the classic tunes, as well as some good new ones.
Sadly, Konami still has not seemed to be keen on making a sequel to this, or at the very least a sequel in concept, by making another console 2D castelvania. Even though the recent Castlevanias on the PS2 are vast improvements over the N64, fans continue to clamor for another turbocharged 2D Castlevania.