I'm actually playing it on PS3 now and it's actually really good. Platforming and combat are much better than in Castelvania: LoS, and combat just feels really good and responsive.
It has somewhat... Ninja Gaiden feel to it: soon enough you will learn to fight without receiving any damage, while most enemies can in theory deal huge damage - and this makes combat intensively satisfying. As for platforming - it's not really hard, I'd say it's mostly easy, it's just really bland and a bit boring. No Persian princes here.
And yes, the Mask is really funny. And review is generally bullshit, honestly. Greg Tito sucks at this game I presume? BTW weapons actually last quite long, especially if you upgrade corresponding skill. Also you're always free to grab an enemy and tear his arm off to use it as weapon. After a couple of chapters you can keep yourself always armed by either fleshy or metal weapon.