#oops this turned into me giving my two cents on every Castlevania game that stars Simon sorry lol

[simonsquest]

What is your favorite CV game starring Simon? :P

With regard to gameplay, I have to give it to Castlevania 1. But a close second is Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate. The game felt very accessible to play, maintaining the linear Classicvania style (which is my preference) with a little bit of Metroidvania, but not so much that it felt like a huge undertaking. It's my favourite of the LoS trilogy for gameplay alone. And it technically stars Simon! :P For favourite plot, ambience, and OST - Castlevania 2, of course. :) (But I'm terrible at actually playing the game, lol.) I like both Castlevania Chronicles and Super Castlevania IV but the colour palette can sometimes feel a bit muted and muddy in both, so they lack the strong aesthetic pull (dark but with high contrast, bright colours, etc) that I would give to other Classicvania games like Castlevania 3, Rondo, Bloodlines and The Adventure: ReBirth. There were also some areas that I really struggled with in both games. I haven't given Vampire Killer a fair chance. It's a title I need to revisit. I love Haunted Castle for its shorter game length but its difficulty is brutal. But you really can't beat the aesthetics of the first stage where it fades from day to night through the cemetery while Cross Your Heart plays. :) It's so good!