Aaand relax.
Having fought the first three bosses, slain a familiar parade of public domain monsters, and enjoyed many a crack of Castlevania's new whip, I can confirm that Evil Empire hasn't followed up The Rogue Prince of Persia with its first bad game. If you've been longing for this series to confidently get back to its Symphony of the Night-era glory days, you're in luck. Frankly, I'm happy just to see Castlevania finally back from the dead.