I mean, it's still a good game, but it felt like it regressed a little.  CV3 had branching paths and multiple characters. CV4 did away with that and made some of the secondary weapons useless because the whip got so long and you could swing it in every direction. 

The music was a step down too.  Simon's Theme is up there with the best of the series.  But the rest of the soundtrack?  Not my thing.

I love that CVIV is more atmospheric. More somber and feeling alone.

And loved the tribute on LoS. Here it feels so tragic.

I think that Castlevania 4 sort of broke the game by giving multi directional whipping + stair jumping but not really updating enemies to account for those options.

I found Castlevania 4 to be loads of fun and a big step up in several ways. But Castlevania 3 is undoubtedly the more interesting and cooler of the two games. It’s also the Castlevania Netflix used for series 1 of Castlevania (which is 4 seasons long) - a great show for those who haven’t seen it.

So, another thought on the game I want: while I want something fresh feeling that evolves past the style-rut they’ve been in for decades now, doing a game that’s Castlevania 3 meets Super Castlevania would be interesting too. Lean more into those styles. Perhaps update the game style to focus on having collectables (such as items and characters) that will make each new game feel like a bigger adventure. Kinda like Chrono Trigger’s New Game Plus, but with different paths. Make the ultimate path only feasible after collecting most/all of the mandatory stuff on other paths (not including secrets). And have that action/freedom feel of Super Castlevania, with some of the updates from later games.

So, would something else disappoint me? Not really. I think the existing Castlevania series offers quite a good experience as is. I don’t need or expect anything more… but I’d like it if it came (ah, phrasing). Or released (no that’s just as bad), exploded out into the gaming universe.

But that's partly why it's my favorite! lol. I felt like, apart from the last two levels, 4 was the only OG Castlevania that got the difficulty right. The NES games were great, and I can beat them... but it's similar to Contra for me. It's like a war of attrition. It's like sadism. They're such great games that you push through and enjoy them anyway, but I feel like it's in spite of the difficulty, not because of it. With the fourth game, that was balanced and mostly done away with. You get a game that can be beaten without rage, without feeling like you're punching your face every ten seconds. 

Also, the music. Everything from the intro cut-scene, to the theme that plays when you're approaching end-game. The way the flames come alive etc. It just oozes epicness for me. It draws me in and keeps me there. Such great presentation.