Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse is one of the games that I don’t remember if I played before. I’ve owned my copy since the early 2000s, and I must’ve played it at some point. It is one of the retro games that I don’t remember playing as a kid, but I do remember hearing one of my friends talk about it.
My friend Andy had this game. He bought an NES in 1996 or 1997, and for some reason, he bought Castlevania III. I remember him talking about it on the bus, and then he sold the system and all of his games shortly after he bought it. It was a little weird, but rather memorable.
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse was released in 1990 in North America. It acts as a prequel to the first game, which is something that many other franchises did in the late 1980s and early1990s. I’m just noticing this, but I’m positive that someone else on the internet has said the same thing. Heck, it has probably been mentioned plenty of times this year!
This game did move the series in a different direction that is more in line with the first game in the series. Konami took some things from the first two games and added more characters. I have a good idea of what I’m getting into with this game, and I’m looking forward to playing it.
TLDR: Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse is the best game of the three NES Castlevania games.
Narrative for Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
This game acts as a prequel to the first game in the series. It is actually the third game in the series according to the series chronology. Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse takes place in 1476, and you play as Trevor Belmont.
Count Dracula has started attacking Europe, and Trevor Belmont is called on to defeat him. This time he’s joined by three other characters. Sypha, Grant, and Alucard. Each of them has unique abilities, and depending on the companion you choose, you’ll get a different ending.
Let’s check out what the manual says about the game’s story (Link). Well, it doesn’t actually add much to the overall story. Each character is given a little background, which is something that I enjoy from these older manuals. The bosses are also listed, and the artwork is fun. The story isn’t all that different from what you see in the game’s Wikipedia entry.
Overall, the story gets the job done. It isn’t too different from the other Castlevania games. You know that the big bad guy is Dracula, and you’re going to play as a Belmont. Well, the last part is at least true of these early Castlevania games. It is a decent story that does a good job of setting up what happened in the other games.
Gameplay
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse has very good gameplay. The controls are a little stiff, and add to the game’s overall challenge. It also brings the series back to the action platformer gameplay from the first game. There are also a few new things that make this game a little more fun to play.
The stairs are the biggest enemy in this game, which is something you can say about each of the three NES games. While you can defend yourself on the stairs, it doesn’t always help. There is a feeling of extreme vulnerability when you’re walking up or down them. Not to mention that it can be a little awkward getting on them.
There is an overall stiffness to the controls in this game that makes jumping a little awkward at times. This is common in the other Castlevania games on the NES. It isn’t game-breaking, but it does make it harder in some spots. If you haven’t played the game for a while, then it can take some time to adjust.
All the power ups and subweapons you’d expect to see are in the game. What is different are the other playable characters and the branching paths. I really like this because it gives you a reason to play this game a few times. The other characters also add some variety to the gameplay, which is a lot of fun.
Overall, I really like this game. Castlevania III is a classic NES game, and the best of the three games on the NES. The gameplay is very good, and I enjoyed the branching paths in this game. Despite a few issues with the controls, I think this game has the best gameplay out of the the trilogy of Castlevania games.
Visuals
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse has great graphics! This is a dark and gothic game, much like the other two NES games. It does have more detail, and I like the cutscenes in this game.
Character sprites look very good for the time this game was released. This is a graphical upgrade over the second game in many areas. I really like how the backgrounds look very creepy. It shouldn’t be a surprise that this game looks much better than the previous two games in the series.
I do like the atmosphere in this game. It also brings back a feeling that you’re watching an old movie. That was something that the first game did very well, and it is even better in Dracula’s Curse.
The level design does make the game a little difficult at times. You can see where you need to go and how to get there. There are some jerky vertical scrolling issues, which are a design choice. It is still easy to see where traps are, and once you know they’re there, it is easy to avoid them.
9/10. Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse is the best of the three games on the NES. I can see how this game could be someone’s favorite from the first few games. The changes that Konami made added a lot to the game. It has great graphics, good gameplay, and a fun story.
Pros
- Great Graphics
- Fun Story
- Several Playable characters
- Branching paths
- Solid gameplay
Cons
- Stiff Controls
- Might be too hard for beginners
Conclusion
Going back to play Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse was fun. I didn’t remember playing the game when I was a kid, but I definitely remember hearing about it. The Castlevania games were the closest thing I had to a horror movie when I was a kid. They were much darker than the other NES games, and they were a lot of fun.
While I think this game is better than the other two NES games, I think I would rather play Simon’s Quest. The only reason is that the game is so weird when compared to the others. Also, it is more the type of game that I enjoy playing. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that I don’t enjoy the action-platformer games as much as I used to.
The third game in the series set up some things that you’d find in the later games. Some of the characters would pop up in future Castlevania games, and the branching paths would be used again. This is the best of the NES trilogy of games, and I love the creepy atmosphere.
If you liked this post, please check out my other posts on the Castlevania games. Such as Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge or Simon’s Quest.
This game has a lot going for it but I’ve always found it too difficult to finish in one set. My friends and I gave it the old college try, each of us playing on our own screens to see who could finish it first that night. None of us were able to complete it. However, when we tried the same type of completion with the first game, I was able to get through it just fine (with a few challenging screens here and there). Maybe I should give the third game another shot…with save states.
It took me a while to get to the end. I think I’m getting too old for some of these games lol. My friend Andy might’ve beaten it, but I don’t remember.
Oh I am absolutely too old for many of these!! Ive been doing my backlog project and my list is starting to dwindle down to the really old stuff. I’ve been considering busting out my game genie to try to learn the game I want to finish and then seeing if I can remove the training wheels with any sort of success. 😬
Nothing wrong with that! If my Game Genie still worked I would’ve used it. Reading your backlog list made me want to play the GBA Pokemon games.
Yesssss!! Do it! I had a really good time with Sapphire, and I’m so glad to have just finished Blue. Which one would you play?
Probably Ruby. I have both Ruby and Sapphire. If Emerald wasn’t so damn expensive I would’ve picked up a copy and played that one.
Looking forward to reading your future blog post on the topic!