Back to the beginning...
I searched all the game stores near me for "Castlevania 1 and 2" and, with time, I played "Castlevania" and "Simon's Quest" (this is the VERY WORST CASTLEVANIA EVER!!!).
Then comes "Super Castlevania IV"... I fell for that too... The music, the graphics (by Super Nintendo standards) were all too perfect. Do you note a path here?
What makes that old games so good (with the exception of Castlevania 2)? The simplicity, the increasing difficulty and the incredible satisfaction when you kill that $$"$ยท!!=/)(&(/%/% boss... Yeah, they are very difficult at the end.
Then came Symphony of the Night... No levels, no "boss at the end of this path and continue to the next" formula. It was a simple RPG in disguise. Not much else... To a gamer who loved the previous Castlevanias, SoTN was (is) simply horrible. It makes me think more about Barbie changing dresses and jewels instead of a person trying to put Dracula to rest.
When Lament of Innocence came out I cross my fingers for it NOT TO BE another Symphony of the Night... Thank God this game returns to the very beginning of this series, not only in history, but to the simple, basic concepts than makes the old Castlevanias a blast to play.
I think that the only people to not enjoy this ride is the gamer that "discovered" Castlevania with SoTN because they are expecting more of the RPG mechanics and a lot of new apparel/jewels (not to mention new underwear) so their characters can do something.
I really recommend this game to the original Castlevania fan. If you are one of those, you won't be disappointed.