my first Castlevania game was Symphony of the Night, so I never experienced the Belmont's gravity boots and non-omnidirectional weaponry from Castlevania I-IV. I knew this was the prequel to SOTN, but I didn't realize how much carried over -- SOTN literally re-used a ton of the same enemy sprites from a TurboGrafx-16 game.

while the movement limitations have a dated feel, it works within the structure of the game. and you learn to deal with it because the game is a fucking blast -- killer soundtrack and pure '90s side-scrolling action with multiple paths and secret bosses. it is also fairly punishing at certain points (I'm stuck right now fighting Death) but in a way where you still want to keep going.

definitely recommended.