As the last game in the NES trilogy, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse goes back to the original gameplay formula that made the first Castlevania work, and it's bigger and more replayable with multiple paths to take. For this review, I'll be going over the North American version and the Japanese version, which have some differences that are worth pointing out later in the review

You play as Trevor Belmont, another vampire killer from the Belmont clan that is an ancestor to Christopher and Simon. The story takes place in 1476, Dracula has been wreaking havoc all across Europe with his army of monsters, and the Belmont clan, who was once exiled from Wallachia, are called upon, and so begins Trevor's journey to defeat Dracula

As I said earlier, the game goes back to its original gameplay roots from the first game, with it being linear, Trevor having access to his whip that can be upgraded two times, and his supply of sub-weapons. One of the big new things to come out of Castlevania III is the multiple routes you can choose. Upon clearing certain levels, the player is given a choice. You can take the upper path or the lower path, and each way you take has its own set of stages and encounters

Then comes Castlevania III's main gimmick, the partner system. Along the way, you'll defeat certain bosses and meet a few companions depending on your route, and each one has a bone to pick with Dracula. First, there's Grant Danasty, a thief who can move fast, climb up walls and ceilings, and control his jumps in mid-air. He also has a dagger as his signature weapon. Still, He is pitiful in range, at least in the North American version, because the Japanese version allows Grant to throw the daggers making him more effective in combat. He can also use the same sub-weapons as Trevor. Next, there's Sypha Belnades, a priestess who uses magical powers of the elements, but like Grant, she also has a miserably short range with physical attacks. And lastly, we have Adrian Tepes, aka Alucard. He has the magical ball ability like Dracula from the first Castlevania game that can be upgraded twice. He can also transform into a bat that consumes hearts but helps escape annoying and tricky places. You can switch characters by pressing the Select button, but you can't take everyone along as it's only one companion along your side

I say the worst enemy in Castlevania III is not Medusa Heads or hunchbacks; it's the stairs. The stairs can mess up your movement and attack if you approach right near them, and there are a lot of stairs in this game. It's one of the most aggravating things I've experienced in my playthrough, and I haven't even gotten to the more bullshit parts

Now, I talk mainly about the regional differences between the two versions, with a few major ones. One is the soundtrack. The North American version has your typical 8-bit sound of music, but the Japanese version uses Konami's VCR6 SoundFont to make the soundtrack have a little more oomph to it. Honestly, you can't go wrong with either, and there are songs that I prefer on either version

The last big difference I want to talk about is the difficulty. In North America, it was made even harder compared to the more forgiving Japanese version. Enemies dish out more damage than you can imagine, they're everywhere, and checkpoints are scarce in this game. The first half is a lot of fun, but in the last few levels, get ready for an exercise in frustration. I tried to beat it without save states, and I did, but Block 9-4 pissed me off so much that I had to use them. It's not just that area either; the final level can also be a pain in the ass to get through. Dracula has three phases, and there is a day-to-night difference between the North American and Japanese versions, mainly because the Japanese Dracula fight is more straightforward and fair compared to the North American fight. Also, when you die in the Dracula fight in the North American version, unlike the Japanese version where it sends you back outside the castle keep, it starts you back at the level's second section instead. When you get a game over, you have to start all the way back to the beginning of the level all over again! After a bunch of save states and about 150-200 deaths later, I beat Castlevania III

There are four endings you can obtain, and for my two playthroughs, I got the ending with Sypha in the North American version and with Alucard in the Japanese version. This is where the replay value comes into play if you want to see the rest of the endings, but two is enough for me since I can see the rest of the endings on YouTube

Overall, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse is a solid game in the series, but it has a few significant issues that hold it back from being great in my book. If you are curious, you can try the Japanese version featured in the Castlevania Anniversary Collection, available on all platforms and is my preferred version if I want to replay it again. If you're going to play the NA version, I highly recommend you use the code "HELP ME." Using this code will give you ten lives, and believe me, this will be helpful. Also, if you haven't already, I recommend checking out the Netflix show since the show is based on this game (excluding Grant)

Reviewed on Nov 01, 2022


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