Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES)

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Description

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.

Screenshots

Promo Images

Alternate Titles

• "悪魔城伝説" -- Japanese spelling
• "Akumajou Densetsu" -- Japanese title

Part of the Following Groups

• Castlevania / Akumajō Dracula series
• Fictional character: Count Dracula
• Game Center CX challenge games
• Gameplay feature: Multiple endings
• Games with original fan translations into English
• Theme: Hunchbacks
• Theme: Vampires

User Reviews

The last and best Castlevania installment for the NES	Multimedia Mike (20407)
A must play, the best NES game made	Scott G (793)
Castlevania III: Action-Packed! Non-Linear! Dracula's Son!	ETJB (450)
A slight disappointment	TheNightWalker (16)	unrated

Critic Reviews

HonestGamers (Staff reviews only)	Oct 11, 2006	10 out of 10	100
VideoGame	Apr, 1991		100
The Video Game Critic	Dec 06, 2004	A	100
Classic-games.net	Oct 06, 2017	9 out of 10	90
Ultimate Nintendo: Guide to the NES Library	2016		90
All Game Guide	1990		90
NES Times	Nov 11, 2006	9 out of 10	90
Random Access	2005	8.9 out of 10	89
Total! (Germany)	Feb, 1994	1.75 out of 6	85
N-Force	Sep, 1992	70 out of 100	70

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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"

Information also contributed by Big John WV and CaptainCanuck

Related Web Sites

• Castlevania Dungeon (Fansite dedicated to everything and anything Castlevania.)
• OC ReMix Game Profile (Fan remixes of music from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, 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 Castlevania series. In part 2, he takes a second look at Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and reviews Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, both on NES.)