Castlevania also has a reputation for being hard, brutal, and unforgiving. It's deserved, but the first half of the game can be done with few deaths. The second half asks that bash your head against a wall, losing all your lives and restarting levels as you do so. Instead, I played the easy mode of the second Japanese release (https://vimm.net/vault/75342). Castlevania's gameplay hardly stand out among other N.E.S. and arcade games with brutal, side-scrolling platforming and basic hit-and-run combat. Rather, it excels in its presentation and set-up. The gothic horror settings and characters are attractive, and the attempts at cinematics are admirable. The game puts out some of the best music possible with the hardware. In what other context does Death himself serve Dracula as he threatens humanity? And in what other context is the best answer to whip them dead? 6