Play Castlevania - The New Generation (Europe) (Beta) Online

Castlevania: Bloodlines (or "The New Generation" if you're in Europe) is one of those Genesis gems that doesn't get talked about enough. It's classic whip-cracking action, but they actually dragged the Belmont legacy into World War I-era Europe this time. You get two characters to pick from - John Morris (whip guy) or Eric Lecarde (spear dude), and honestly, Eric's reach makes some of those platforming bits way less frustrating.

The levels have this cool gimmick where the scenery warps and twists as you progress - like one moment you're in a crumbling castle, next thing you know the whole room's rotating sideways while skeletons chuck bones at you. The music's pure Genesis too - those crunchy synths really nail that gothic vibe. Just don't expect Symphony of the Night-style exploration; this is old-school, jump-on-a-clock-pendulum Castlevania through and through.

Fun fact: This was the only Castlevania game ever made for the Genesis, and you can kinda tell they were showing off what the hardware could do.