Man I don't understand "SOTN clone" as a negative point. In a perfect world we would have TONS of SOTN clones and they would battle each other for supremacy =)
A proper SOTN clone would be a great thing. But HoD only has the framework, and pretty much nothing of what made SOTN great.
I remember when COTM came out everyone was ecstatic because we'd FINALLY get a new SOTN! After playing the game, it turned out to be a much more straight forward, linear game, disguised as a metroidvania, and a lot of people were disappointed by that, myself included (I've later learned to appreciate the game for what it is, one of the best portable CV's in fact).
So when HOD followed up on COTM, history repeated - THIS would be the SOTN "sequel" we had been waiting for. So I don't mind it coming across as a "clone". And I really liked the smooth controls with a button for each dash direction, but as a whole the game was just extremely repetitive and uninteresting in its design, and the complete lack of any kind of challenge resulted in no real memorable moments from the game.
It's by no means a bad game, but looking back at it today, I'd say HOD is without a doubt the worst of the handheld Castlevania games. Every game since HOD has been an improvement of the formula, and COTM was an incredible one off for what it was.