Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse

Only you can stop Dracula from drawing first blood!

JP release: 22nd December 1989
NA release: 1st September 1990
EU release: 19th December 1992
AKA: Akumajō Densetsu (Japan)
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Total! UK Magazine Review: 80%
Platforms: NES
Version Played: NES

As the Game Boy title told the story of Christopher Belmont, the hero they preceded Simon, Konami decided to go back another 100 years again to the original rise of Dracula and how the people of Europe turned to a supernatural family they had shunned to help them, with Trevor Belmont stepping up. Not only did the story survive the translation process, but it’s also told in the game itself. It helps to make the game feel more meaningful, and feels like the series is now taking storytelling seriously.

When the game first started, I was initially quite disappointed. It feels like the first Castlevania again, with everything that Simon’s Quest brought forward being completely thrown out. We’re back to linear levels and a timer pushing you forward (although it’s very generous this time). Even the HUD is the same, so it feels like going backwards.

However, as I played through it, I realised that it wasn’t just a rehash of the first game, but Konami taking the original Castlevania and making it into something that’s the best it can be. The levels feel much more interactive, with moving parts and set pieces like sections that fall downwards, forcing you to rush upwards. It feels like a much meatier game with more levels. And that’s just one playthrough.

A few levels in, you’ll encounter a fork in the road, letting you choose between a few different paths, with a couple of choices to make before you reach the castle. This results in significantly different levels and also additional player characters. In my first playthrough I encountered Sypha, a fellow vampire hunter (I thought she was a ghost until she took her hood off at the end of the game). You can swap between Simon and his partner at any point with the select button. I didn’t use Sypha they much, although I found out she has some strong magic attacks.

I enjoyed the game enough that I wanted to see the other characters. I made the mistake of not realising that a second game (you keep your partner when the game automatically restarts) doesn’t let you recruit a new person so had to start again, this time meeting Alucard, the son of Dracula. I know he’s a major player in Symphony of the Night so I was surprised he turned up this early. He’s a lot of fun to use, and can turn into a bat, which can be used to skip some tricky platforming sections.

The final playable character is Grant, a hunchback-like creature you find in a clock tower. He can climb on walls, which also lets you skip sections, and this ability doesn’t even use up your heart ammo. It is a bit fiddly at times, especially when climbing round corners (I’m so glad for rewind functions), but is a lot of fun to use. Overall. Dracula’s Curse is a sublime game that takes the original game and brings out its maximum potential.