Poophead Twenty-seven

The designers are actively trying to kill you, which leads to millions of unfair deaths. The bosses suck, too. They're either mash-the-attack-button-to-win or it's-literally-impossible-to-land-a-hit, with no in-between. There have been some serious improvements to the classic NES formula that makes this game much more bearable than its predecessors. You can change your jump arc mid-jump, which makes controlling Simon a lot nicer. Simon's whip's hit detection lasts for a tiny bit and you can now whip diagonally, which makes enemies way easier to hit. The NES Castlevania felt sluggish to control, but controlling Simon in this game feels really good. The music, as always in Castlevania, is fantastic. It's so good it was the main thing that kept me going. But it doesnt make up for the horrible design of the rest of the game.