Luigi Mario

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

Developer/Publisher: Konami

Ststem: NES

Introduction:

Who's ready for another blast from the past? I know I am.

N-E-Ways, I was going to review the first Castlevania, but then I thought.......Nah.

In the year 1989, Konami, over at our friendly gaming neighbors to the East, Japan, Came out with yet another sequel to there popular "Akumajou Dracula" Series and came out with "Akumajou Densetsu,"(which was later named Castlevania 3 in the US), and it came out a year later to the States under a different name. Of course, this HAD to be the best Castlevania cart for the NES.

The plot takes place back in the old day over in Europe. Dracula has, once again, risen from the underworld to control all of the contryside. He has turned Places who were, before good, into absolute evil. Fortunately, the Belmont family is on the scene, again. However, people got afraid of their ":Supernatural Powers" and asked them to leave.....all of them did, except one, Trevor Belmont.(That's right. Trevor, NOT Simon). He got off on a journey to destory Dracula.....again.....and restore all of Europe to peace.

This game took a slightly different turn than the Castlevanias that people were used to back then. Read on, and you'll see what I mean.

Reviewed by: MattDDR

Graphics: C+  

I'd have to say that the graphics for this one were......bland.....at best. They were good, but not THAT good. The characters and the backgrounds were all nice and colorful, but they just didn't look that impressive to me. But, then again, it's the NES. Everything moved kinda choppy, but it still wasn't all that bad. The enemies look very good for NES, enough to tell what they actually were.....so............not the best....but certainly not the worst.

Sound: B         

Again, NES port. The sound isn't flashy or anything, but it's enough to let you know what's going on. The music is excellent and fits every stage very well, in fact, the music fits just about the entire game very well. I've also discovered that the Japanese version sounded a little better than the English version, in terms of music, but the sound was the same on both carts. So.....at least...halfway decent.

Control: A       

The controls are, of course, going to be easy. A button Jumps, and B button attacks. Up and B Throws out a weapon(Similar to Ninja Gaiden's Ninja Arts) Everything is well responsive and you should have no problem getting used to it. I just don't like the fact that this is one of those games that you can't control the momentum of your jumping, meaning, if you jump forward, you have to jump forward, snd NOWHERE ESLE. So, I'd work on timing your jumps before doing so.

Gameplay: A+  

I like the gameplay a LOT, and it shows. Trevor is, of course, a Simon Belmont clone, and does just aboout all of his moves, from throwing, to that incredibly short jump that they do, but the game and storyline are both all new, PLUS, Trevor will also find that he is not alone. Once in a great while, you'll be given a choice of paths to make. And if you chose the RIGHT path, you might just find help. THAT'S RIGHT! If you beat certain bosses, you'll discover a new friend, begging to accompany you on your quest to beat the Unholy hell(and that's technically what it is) outta Dracula. By pressing SELECT, you'll have access to one of three partners...

One's name is Grant. He has a dagger for a weapon. It is weak, but he attacks quickly. Plus, he can grab the walls and climb up and down them. Oh and BTW, he can grab and walk across the Celing too. You'll wanna use this ofter to either get you out of a tight spot, or find items that Trevor can't reach. Another is Syfa, Who has magical abilities, but can't jump very high, like Trevor, and has a stick to attack(Which is about as weak as the dagger). But who knows? Syfa may come in handy. And the third is.......Are you ready for this?..........ALUCARD! That's right. Alucard, who was the main character in Castlevania:Sympony Of The Night, got his start in this game, helping Trevor rebel against his own Father, Dracula. In this game, Alucard has the ability to fire projectiles from his cape, and can even turn into a bat. Yep. That's right. However, it drains your hearts a lot, so if you find Alucard and take him along, only use it in a tight spot. Only thing I DON'T like about this, you can only have 1 partner at a time......booooo.....

The challenge is easy as pie in the beginning, but, as you travel to the dark castle, the forces of darkness grow STRONGER!!!!!!!! Mwuhahahahahahaaaaa! *ahem* I mean, you'll take more and more damage when an enemy hits you while you traverse from stage to stage. Also, extra energy is kinda difficult to find, and is hidden within the walls. You'll have to do some searching to find it. Aside from his trusty whip, Trevor has 4 weapons at his disposal. A throwing dagger, an Axe, a Holy Cross(Which in the instruction booklet is called a "Banshee Boomerang"), and a clock that stops time. The other characters can also have throwing weapons(Except for Alucard....Booooo), but I'll let you figure that one out. =)

Overall: A     

Putting aside the shotty graphics, this game will leave you wanting more. The storyline to Castlevania has always been good to me, and it gives you the opportunity to discover the past of one of the series' most famed characters. I'd have to recommend this game to just about anybody, but remember, Dracula's a BEAST to defeat. N-E-Way. I can't really say anything else. Get the game, grab your controller, and go kick Drac's hide. Happy hunting. =D