Been playing some Famicom lately, mostly Konami games.
Akumajou Densetsu (Castlevania 3 JP) - I made it to the final form of Dracula today. Beat him a LONG time ago as a kid (when I used a password skip to go to the end level), but this time I've been playing through the game and going through every single route, legit, no "HELP ME" or anything. So I was able to beat every single other level in the game, even the super-grueling cliffside stage with the falling blocks that everyone hates (that part wasn't too bad, the fact there are 2 bosses, one of them being a 3-parter, and the fact it's by far the longest stage in the game makes it really tough). Need a bit of a break, then I'll go in and clean it up. One thing that makes this possibly easier than the US version is Grant's basic attack is now a projectile, instead of a small stab with zero range.
Gradius 2 - But now, this is NOT easy. Punishingly difficult, due to the level designs requiring heavy memorization... I'm playing Gradius, not R-Type damnit! Even with the 30 life code, I couldn't make it further than the second part of stage 2... I am really surprised that this never got a US release back in the day, for a 1988 game it looks pretty impressive...and it was certainly better than all those shitty PC ports Konami was releasing under Ultra (I'd much rather have Gradius 2, Madara, Twinbee 3, King Kong 2... than fucking Silent Service, Defender of the Crown, Skate or Die, or Pirates... there's a reason those games clog up the bargain bins of any retro game store).
Wai Wai World - Not that great a game, I like how it mixes up several Konami franchises (Goonies, Castlevania, Goemon), but the gameplay leaves a bit to be desired. The main problem is that the screen scrolls when you're like 80% to the edge, meaning that you have limited time to react to what's coming. Reminds me of Exile 2: Wicked Phenomenon on the Duo. Levels are meandering with lots of dead ends, and no clear indication of where to go. I hear the sequel is much better...
Cocoron - A surreal platformer by Takeru (who'd go on to make Little Samson, one of the most sought-after retro games). You can select different body parts for your character, which gives you different stats... weapons... jumping abilities. The level design is semi nonlinear, and the music sounds eerily like Mega Man 1's. The game actually feels like a faster, floatier Mega Man actually. It's decent but feels a bit janky. Little Samson is much more polished.