Castlevania (Castlevania Anniversary Collection version on Switch played for review)

When “Castlevania” is working and firing on all cylinders, it is one of the most thrilling experiences on the NES. The enemy placement, the revelation of information building to appropriate tests of skills and reflexes, and loose item management makes for an occasionally unnerving but mostly exciting title. I experienced numerous glitches in my time with the game, however, with more than one instance of the precious enemy placement being ruined by enemies clipping into and through the level geometry. The final boss is also lame, feeling more like a roll of the dice than a proper fight. Great, mostly.

7