So what is it about this game, that makes it so highly regarded, especially if you aren't into that whole Vampire/Dracula theme, (and probably never will be..)
I first played SotN on PS3 as a digital title and instantly understood why it is so highly regarded. It's instant fun with a lot of freedom to explore and customise. There is so much that is entirely optional and missable, from obscure secret moves with weapons, to platform shoes that make you 1 pixel taller just because they felt like putting it in the game, to outright broken weapons that will tear everything in the game apart in seconds. It's a labour of love that doesn't take itself serious and demands very little of you, but keeps you hooked. It's also set to a genuinely fantastic soundtrack that people don't tend to tire of.
The Igavania sequels are objectively better in various ways, but SotN is more than the sum of its parts. Perhaps it's that it's more experimental. Perhaps it's that it's on console rather than handhelds. Whatever the case, SotN is one of my favourites of all time and I revisit it more readily than perhaps my more commonly listed favourites.