I agree except for:
2.5D is great. I wouldn't mind that at all.
I don't really see a problem with having similar combat to God of War. I still don't understand the outcry on this one. THough you're asking for 2D gameplay anyway, so it's kind of a moot point either way.
I don't mind the exploration style, just lay off the RPG elements a bit. Lament was perfect in that you gained equipment, not level ups.
Just a brief reply from my perspective, and maybe it's redundant based on things I've said in the past:
1.) I wouldn't mind 2.5D as one format as long as it's done right with "pixel"-perfect jumping and hit detection (ala New Super Mario Bros). The DXC felt a bit off in that regard. Visual tricks like the river stage are very welcome, however.
2.) Now, as for the God of War combo combat problem, it ruins the action-platforming flow necessary in a classic Castlevania game, 2D or 3D. It becomes more about pre-set combos and dodges than player ingenuity mixing different attacks together while moving around the enemy. It also encourages tank-like enemies that slow the game down unnecessarily, and prevents jumping/platform combat, as you start into a combo every time you attack, thus making you susceptible to narrow death pits. Finally, it reduces the importance of sub-weapons to complement your attacks.
EDIT: This is the
bare bones of what an ideal boss battle flow for Castlevania in 3D should be like, from LoD: Medusa:
Castlevania Legacy of Darkness - Medusa (Carrie - Hard)Grim Reaper:
Castlevania Legacy of Darkness - Death (Reinhardt - Hard)Carrie's fight is slightly distorted here because she has her magic powered up to max, which slows down some of Medusa's attacks--though, she eventually gets those off, as you see the result. Regardless, what you see here that's different and better than GoW or LoS is it's not a check/checkmate kind of fighting, where its input set button combo for maximum damage, dodge roll, come back and repeat. It is organic, moving around with your control stick, sticking in short attacks when there is an opening like in classic Castlevania. You can do a lot of different tricks, too, including the usage of various sub-weapons to differect effects, or mix in slides and close-quarters slashes while jumping at the enemy. Same for the fight with Death. It feels a lot faster and much less robotic than God of War. That's the best I can explain it right now. One less specific way of saying it is there's not a separation between the boss battles and the main gameplay of fighting and platforming; they flow into one another naturally for whatever you need to do.