While I wasn't too impressed with Castlevania III on my first run through, I had the sudden urge to replay it this week. This time, I played the Japanese version, which features a plethora of small little difficulty tweaks and other changes, alongside an improved soundtrack, and it changed my opinion of this game A LOT. This might be my new favorite Classicvania, with how much it improves on the formula of the first game.
A lot of the bullshit difficulty in the international release isn't found in the Famicom version, which makes for a much more pleasant experience. You can typically survive one or two more hits on later levels, one of the sub-characters has infinite ranged daggers, Dracula's final phase isn't stupidly difficult, and dying to Dracula sends you back to the beginning of the stairs leading up to the boss fight instead of in the middle of the level. Whether it be the game's lesser (but still quite present) challenge or my experience from a previous playthrough, I found myself using save states and rewinding nowhere near as often.
In addition, just playing through the game a second time really highlighted how unique this game is. All of the music (except the obligatory Vampire Killer) is original and quite catchy, and many tracks would go on to be used in a bunch of other Castlevania games. The ability to choose what path to go on makes for really cool repeat playthroughs, allowing you to see completely new areas and even bosses! The ability to play as multiple characters is also pretty cool, and although I played as Trevor 95% of the time the other characters are a great addition to the Castlevania formula.
Of course, it has a handful of flaws, but for a game on the NES (or Famicom, I suppose) you have to give it credit. If you're going to emulate it, find the Japanese copy and enjoy.
A lot of the bullshit difficulty in the international release isn't found in the Famicom version, which makes for a much more pleasant experience. You can typically survive one or two more hits on later levels, one of the sub-characters has infinite ranged daggers, Dracula's final phase isn't stupidly difficult, and dying to Dracula sends you back to the beginning of the stairs leading up to the boss fight instead of in the middle of the level. Whether it be the game's lesser (but still quite present) challenge or my experience from a previous playthrough, I found myself using save states and rewinding nowhere near as often.
In addition, just playing through the game a second time really highlighted how unique this game is. All of the music (except the obligatory Vampire Killer) is original and quite catchy, and many tracks would go on to be used in a bunch of other Castlevania games. The ability to choose what path to go on makes for really cool repeat playthroughs, allowing you to see completely new areas and even bosses! The ability to play as multiple characters is also pretty cool, and although I played as Trevor 95% of the time the other characters are a great addition to the Castlevania formula.
Of course, it has a handful of flaws, but for a game on the NES (or Famicom, I suppose) you have to give it credit. If you're going to emulate it, find the Japanese copy and enjoy.