This is a series with games like MOF, Judgement, LOS2, Harmony of Despair, and Curse of Darkness... And you're calling Simons Quest a low point?
I can't get into this with you people..
Simon's Quest is a hallmark of the series. It pushed the envelope on what was a new genre at that time.
It's a low point. It's a bad game. The concept not being explored again (until OoE homage) is telling. The nods to the game in future games was just the director respecting the source material (not talking about LoS, but SOTN and OoE).
It had good music (one of the best themes of Castlevania is there ffs) and the idea was nice, but the execution flawed. The game was only beaten by very few people because of how obnoxious the game was. The "leveling" system was something almost no one noticed that was in the game. Also the level design was completely bullshit in some of the mansions, some precise platforming that made you drop to the bottom of the level many, many times and just made the game frustating sometimes (the wrong kind of frustating).
It's just... not good. And it's a pretty common opinion by players in forums and everywhere, really.
Simon's Quest feels kinda unfinished and is lacking in a couple of areas (mainly the bosses, the repetitive graphics and the overall confusion of where to go and what to do), but I sort of like that. The game has great atmosphere, unlike anything seen in the series since. It's really weird and eerie and interesting. It's like Dark Souls in the 80's!
I wonder if the game was rushed? It seems they didn't have enough time to iron out some of its shortcomings. Like, was it really intended to be so....empty? It's a real classic, nonetheless. I think a lot of the hate for Simon's Quest came after that video by the Angry Video Game Nerd. I don't remember people hating on it before that.
I'd love a remake, even more so than a Dracula's Curse remake. The potential for a fantastic game is there.
This is getting pretty common. (Trying to blame these youtubers as the ones who created the bad opinion about a game. ). I can't talk for the others, but I thought the game was bad since when I was a kid, and really, I liked almost anything as a kid.
Same with Super Castlevania IV for me. There was something off about that game that made me never want to finish it (besides not owning it, but I had the access to finish it if I really wanted) until I was older (in respect for the series).