I'm pissing my pants here over the new Simon, almost literally. I mean, the Trevor design is great and all, but after seeing Simon absolutely wrecked after Chronicles, this design looks wonderful.
No generic Greco-Roman NES Simon, no tight leather Chronicles Simon, but a real, angry, barbaric looking Simon with a sexy awesome firebeard to boot.
Seriously, that thing is giving me chills. Move over Julius, Simon just took the Beardmont title.
Gameplay-wise this sounds like everything I've ever discussed that I've wanted in a Castlevania. Exploration of a Metroidvania combined with Classicvania level design, and a combat and movement system that complements the unique Belmont family weapon style. I don't see what there is not to like.
In addition, seeing the environments so far makes me feel like the non-Castlevania-like environments in Lords were completely intentional, because it wasn't a "Man vs Dracula" game. It was Castlevania: Dracula's quest, so it's only natural it wouldn't take place in the same environments a Belmont would go to. A Belmont game is a dark gothic adventure, but the creation of Dracula would be a dark fairytale.
I might be grasping at straws, but it seems so clever in retrospect.