In my nerdy life, I finally completed my NES completion quest of Castlevania 2, all endings. Believe it or not, the "worst" ending was the most enjoyable playthrough. Because the endings are based on your completion time, taking your time and exploring every inch of the game means you get the dud ending. But, I also realized that if the game had been translated properly it would be very plausible to play through it without needing any outside hints or tips. The hidden tip books (invisible unless you use Dracula's eye relic) all have tips that ALMOST makes sense, such as "Wait for a soul on Deborah Cliff with a red crystal". Confusing syntax aside, if they has said Kneel at the base of Deborah Cliff with a red crystal then things start making some sense--except of course, the game never mentioned where Deborah Cliff is.
Also of interesting note is the "Green Hell" dead end just above Castlevania and past the town of Yomi near the end of the game. There seems to be no purpose to this area except the option to climb an invisible staircase as a novelty.
And as a bonus, out-of-the-blue I decided to put Stinger in the NES and give it a whirl. Despite not playing through it in years, I was able to beat it without dying the first time through and muscle through a second playthrough in hard mode right after. I also racked up an impressive 1 million + score. Not bad for not playing in a while and I can check it off the NES completion project as game # 20.
