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Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

aka: Akumajou Densetsu

Description official descriptions

Taking place 100 years before the events of Castlevania 1 and Castlevania 2, Dracula the Vampire has risen up to threaten the small village of Warakiya. Citizens who had banished the Belmont family now beg for Trevor Belmont's help in slaying Dracula. In his strange castle, Dracula has been assembling a massive army of undead creatures to sweep the Earth clean of life and bring everlasting darkness. Trevor agrees to help and equips his family's hereditary whip, the "Vampire Slayer", in order to destroy Dracula.

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse is a side-scrolling platform game. The gameplay is nearly identical to the first Castlevania game. The player takes the role of Trevor Belmont who is able to move left and right, jump, attack with his whip straight ahead and use a special weapon. These special weapons consume hearts, which can be found by defeating monsters or destroying candles. Power-ups include: a throwing dagger, a throwing axe, A time-stopping stopwatch, a cross-shaped boomerang and a vial of holy water. Additionally there is a double shot (II) and triple shot (III) power-up which increases the number of special weapons that can be used at one time. Trevor is defeated if his life meter runs out, and can find a roast turkey power-up to replenish it. Trevor progresses through each level defeating monsters and eventually encountering a boss creature. At different points in the game the player will be able to chose between different paths, which will determine which levels are played.

At the end of certain levels, the player may encounter a companion which can be recruited. Only one companion can accompany Trevor at any time; accepting a new companion means rejecting the existing one. Once recruited, Trevor can change between his own form and that of the companion. Each companion has an independent life meter and has unique abilities such as powerful magic, the ability to climb walls or flight. These abilities may also affect the types of power-ups that appear in candles and the exact function of special weapons.

Spellings

  • 悪魔城伝説 - Japanese spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (NES version)

19 People (14 developers, 5 thanks)

Reviews

Trivia

Japanese version

The Japanese version of Castlevania III has a few differences from the U.S. version, but here's the biggest one...

The Japanese version was built around a special mapper chip Konami created, called the VRC6. (In Japan, most third-party Famicom developers used to create their own custom memory mapping chips to enhance the power of the Famicom/NES.) The VRC6 had one special power to it: it allowed the system to play digital instrument samples during music playback, and Konami made major use of it for the Japanese version's music. In short, the Japanese version's soundtrack is better sounding.

Also changed between the two versions were the Hunchbacks (they were frog-like monsters in the Japanese version), some nudity, and the damage system (in the Japanese version, the amount of damage you took depended on what hit you). Trevor's name was "Ralph Belmondo". The zombies, mudmen, leviathan and mummies had more animation to them with slightly different sprites. Instead of having his regular stabbing dagger, Grant uses throwing daggers as his regular weapon (because of this, Grant can only collect the axe and stopwatch as his alternate weapons). Also, the Japanese version is easier than the North American version.

Awards

  • Electronic Gaming Monthly
    • December 1989 (Issue 5) - Best Sequel (Forecasting the 1990 Award Winners) (tied with Super Mario Bros. 3 and Phantasy Star II)
    • October 1990 (Issue 15) - Best Nintendo Game of the Year (NES version)
    • February 2006 - #119 out of 200 of the "Greatest Games of Their Time"
    • November 1997 (Issue 100) - ranked #57 (Best 100 Games of All Time)

Information also contributed by Big John WV and CaptainCanuck

Related Games

Castlevania
Released 1999 on Nintendo 64
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Released 2006 on Nintendo DS
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Released 2001 on Game Boy Advance, 2014 on Wii U
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Released 1999 on Nintendo 64
Castlevania Chronicles
Released 2001 on PlayStation, 2008 on PSP, PlayStation 3...
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Released 2005 on PlayStation 2, Xbox
Super Castlevania IV
Released 1991 on SNES, 2006 on Wii, 2013 on Wii U
Castlevania: The Adventure
Released 1989 on Game Boy, 2011 on Nintendo 3DS
Knightmare
Released 1986 on MSX, 2009 on Wii, 2014 on Wii U

Related Sites +

  • Castlevania Dungeon
    Fansite dedicated to everything and anything Castlevania.
  • OC ReMix Game Profile
    Fan remixes of music from <em>Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse</em>, including the album "Sonata of the Damned".
  • Video review of the Castlevania series (WARNING: Language)
    The Angry Video Game Nerd, James Rolfe, reviews games in the <i>Castlevania</i> series. In part 2, he takes a second look at <i>Castlevania II: Simon's Quest</i> and reviews <i>Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse</i>, both on NES.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 7415

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Longwalker.

Wii U, Nintendo 3DS added by Michael Cassidy. Wii added by gamewarrior.

Additional contributors: Roedie, Satoshi Kunsai, Guy Chapman, chirinea, Alaka, LepricahnsGold, Patrick Bregger, Thomas Thompson.

Game added October 10th, 2002. Last modified March 30th, 2023.