Joshua Miller

I would like to say that this is probably my all time favorite "Castlevania" game and I know that I will get some hate for that from the "Symphony of the night" enthusiasts....but honestly this game made the combat system even more fun, while adding a bit more depth to the convoluted story, and also the "innocent devil" system works really well for giving you extra abilities and powerups through each stage...a lot of people complain that this version of Castlevania looks awful because some of the rooms in each stage look like they're copy/pasted, but if you consider the insane amount of different enemies and bosses you encounter through each stage, you will realize that the DEVS of this game focused on making the gameplay super entertaining and it actually feels like an adventure...also, you're supposed to figure out some of the secrets on your own... which makes this game a perfect tribute to the earlier Castlevania games.., and it's my absolute favorite 🤟 PROS: combat is really fun and engaging, very challenging at times and feels like a "dark souls" type of combat style with a focus on outsmarting and overpowering your enemies...each enemy you encounter provides an opportunity for you to practice some different strategies... The storyline is actually interesting... with elements of the "CASTLEVANIA" Anime present... the "innocent devil" system is actually pretty interesting in terms of how they evolve and provide you with extra powers throughout your battles Tons of replay value in terms of finding a few hidden "goodies" throughout the game and there's even a few cheat codes available that will remind you of the early NES days.... Weapon and armor forging is actually very useful at times, you get total control over what kind of weapons and armor you build and utilize based on the resources you collect during battle... and you actually have to think about strategies with your different weapons, because weight and speed are both factors in how well you perform... CONS: Difficulty level is very inconsistent among different enemy types...some are a complete pushover, while others can one-hit kill you without warning and cause you to lose unsaved progress Stages can get boring because of "endless corridors" that appear to be copy/pasted artwork from earlier stages Sometimes the camera controls get in your way, especially during battle... MY FINAL VERDICT...8.5 out of a solid 10.. THE PROS OUTWEIGH THE CONS.... This installment of "Castlevania" is a beautiful tribute to the type of Action/Adventure games that many like me grew to love, and it is always a fun and engaging playthrough if you enjoy action/adventure games. It has a beautiful music soundtrack, fun and challenging combat, interesting story and it will keep you wandering through each stage looking for the "hidden goodies" at least for a little while... ALL IN ALL, it's a solid 8.5 out of 10 👍👍👍

I changed my rating because I was a bit hasty to judge before... honestly this game is pretty good. Once you get used to the fact that the control schemes and gameplay mechanics are a bit different from previous installments of the Contra franchise, you end up appreciating the game for what it does right...and that's delivering tons of alien blasting fun in a way that feels like there was some effort put into making a good action game. The overall action throughout each stage is fast and furious and very challenging, and each boss battle makes you want to toss your controller at the TV screen out of anger, but not in a bad way because each boss battle is unique and entertaining...I found myself wanting to go back to replay previous stages to get a better rank and beat my high score simply because I was having fun while playing this game, and yes this game will test your patience over and over...you will die...over and over, but it never ceases to be fun. Not to mention the game tries to tell a bit of a story thanks to some superbly cheesy cutscenes with some of the most campy and laughable voice acting I've ever experienced from a video game, but somehow that only adds to the charm... it's like a Trainwreck that you can't take your eyes off of.....LUUUUCIIIIAAAAAAA!!!!!! if ya know....ya know! But anyways, Neo Contra is a really good action game all in all. Also...a bit of a gamer tip...if you're trying to get an A ranking on all stages, make use of the RETRY function from the pause menu, because from what I gather, your ranking automatically declines once you die during a stage, but if you retry the stage it resets your score to what it was before you died.... something to consider... this is the perfect type of game for speed runners, but you must accept the fact that you will die...a lot, which is why the classic nintendo code is present here...at the title screen enter ⏏️⏏️🔽🔽 L1 R1 L2 R2 L3 R3 ....and you will get 20 lives...and you will probably need every one of them...

This is a terrific entry into the mk franchise, simply for it's massive amount of playable content, and it boasts a decent mix of old and new fighters. The only reason why I knocked off one star, is because compared to the previous mk title, the controls and movements feel unresponsive and sluggish. Go back and play mk-x after playing this one for a while, and you'll see just what I mean. Other than that one complaint though, there's plenty here for any fan of the mk series to have a blast with, if you want the ultimate edition that comes with everything, it's worth the sixty bucks.