Akumajou Densetsu, best castlevania game ever, varied environments, epic story, multiple endings and one of the longest boss fights (dracula) of the 8 and 16 bit eras. Interchangeable characters, alucard, this game is the epitome of greatness and is the one I feel really pulls the player in the most with hard but manageable difficulty that starts out easy and gradually gets really tough (though not as tough as C1 that game still holds the title of hardest castlevania game ever) giving the player time to get good enough to adjust to it. It also has one of the best castlevania soundtracks ever.
I like a game that doesnt treat players like inept one button monkeys
I didn't think the x68000 version was that hard bro. Yeah it's insanely tough but mainly due to cheap parts like the doppleganger fight, and werewolf fight, And the last level of course but that's to be expected. The dracula fight I found really easy he gives you a heads up as to where he's teleporting to and the monster form is really freakin' slow.