The second Castlevania was not well received by gamers. Konami jumped the shark a bit with this release and made it more of an action adventure title incorporating various role playing elements into it. This in and of itself doesn’t sound so bad, but the execution was questionable to say the least. Progression was almost impossible without a guide because everything was too darn cryptic. That’s putting it nicely. Either way, it’s safe to assume that the franchise lost some fans with that installment. It must have been popular enough because Konami green lit yet another Castlevania game, and even despite the more powerful Sega Genesis and Turbografx-16 having already launched they stuck it out with the original Nintendo once again.
The developers also omitted just about everything fans found so frustrating in Simon’s Quest and instead returned to the classic formula and built upon it. By and large this is more of a sequel to the original Castlevania than the immediate follow up. I have no nostalgia attached to Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse and just recently completed it for the first time. I was already a long time fan of the franchise, and this is definitely the best one released on the original Nintendo. Not only that, but it’s one of the best action platformers on any system. How did Konami manage to make such a come back? Keep reading to find out.
Rather than continuing the story from where Simon’s Quest left off the developers instead decided to make this a prequel. That’s probably a wise choice, because Dracula was already revived once in the last game. Before Simon did battle with, and defeated the king of vampires. His ancestors have been banished from Europe for fear of their ‘super human’ powers. They’re called upon when Dracula rears his blood sucking head, and the protagonist Trevor Belmont is called into action. What’s interesting about this release, particularly for this franchise, is that this is the first time when the protagonist actually teams up with other characters. You’re given branching paths this time around and your choice determines which of these helpers you will run into.
The other characters include Sypha who is weak but has powerful magic at her fingertips. Next we have a pirate named Grant who is one of the most unique playable characters across the entire franchise. He has a short ranged attack but he has a major advantage in his ability to climb on walls. This helps significantly in many of the platforming sections. Lastly is the most cool of the bunch; Dracula’s son Alucard (who would later become famous as the protagonist of Symphony of the Night). His main attack is a powerful projectile and he can also transform into a bat at the cost of your inventory of hearts. Unfortunately you can only take one of these companions with you, and encountering one while you already have another will result in you being forced to make the choice between them. Personally I like both Grant and Alucard because of their different handling. This is one of the most interesting features introduced into the franchise in my humble opinion and I’m a little disappointed it didn’t become a staple.
Dracula’s Curse is a side scrolling action platformer (as I’ve already mentioned) that plays just like its predecessors. You move from one end of the stage to the other with hanging candles that can be destroyed to reveal items. When playing as Trevor the basic gameplay is almost identical to the original title. You have a whip with limited range as your main weapon, but its length can be expanded when you collect specific power-ups. You have a life bar at the top of the screen that depletes as enemies touch your or when you’re hit by their projectiles (or environmental hazards). Hearts don’t restore life, and instead these are saved up and consumed when you use special items. These secondary weapons are used by holding up with the standard attack button, and the arsenal is pretty much the same as it was previously. You have throwing daggers, axes which are flung at an angle, potions which cause fire on the ground, a stopwatch which freezes foes, and more. They’re pretty useful in specific areas but because they’re not infinite you’ll be relying on your whip most of the time. The other characters don’t have access to these sub-weapons and instead they consume hearts with their special abilities. As usual there aren’t a lot of items here that restore your health and these are generally hidden in the stages revealed by striking specific blocks.
With that fact in mind Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse is seriously tough. Enemies have a variety of patterns that make them hard to hit (the medusa heads in particular will cause a lot of controller throwing). The biggest problem with this title is that the tradition of being knocked back whenever you take damage continues here. It can be frustrating and can make the platforming heavy sections a nightmare. You’ll be knocked around and find it’s all too common to fall down a pit and lose a life. While Trevor and friends can move through quicksand this isn’t too common of a hazard. Plus, none of them can swim which is a major bummer. The developers really stepped up the level design for this sequel. I had a lot of trouble completing this title. The offering of multiple paths is a huge bonus, and after completing it I just had to go back for another night of throwing my controller around. Generally when you’re given an option of which path to follow the upper path is considered the easiest.
If you really want the full experience you’ll have to play through multiple times though. The hazards are especially creative here. I loved the ooze that drips from the ceiling and destroys blocks which you must sometimes wait for in order to open a path. Blocks that fall from the ceiling requiring you to wait until you can reach the platform to reach the way forward can be annoying considering the fact that you’re on a timer but it’s a cool effect. The most interesting of the bunch are the stages in which the water constantly rises. Touching it is instant death which makes the gameplay more frantic. This game also is one of the few in which I’ve had trouble completing a stage within the time limit. This is because of the intricate platforming required and the obstacles that require you to wait, but I found the gameplay here is more frenetic in general compared to other Castlevania titles because of these elements.
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse is one of the very best looking games on the NES. It takes the franchise’s distinct art style to a whole new level. Gone are the environments that are plain and lack detail; the artists here packed distinct tiles and layouts into every screen here. There’s a much bigger variety in terrain due to the multiple paths, and I found myself impressed with just how much the developers were able to make each area look distinct. What’s more is that the developers were able to cram some effects thought previously impossible on this archaic hardware into this cartridge. Rotations are a big one. In a few sections of the game you’ll be jumping on large moving gears, and the sprite animations are seriously impressive here. In addition you also have limited use of parallax scrolling. In one area of the game you’ll find backgrounds that animate independently from one another, and this effect is truly an impressive one.
Unfortunately there is some slowdown, but Konami tuned up their engine a bit with this release and it isn’t as obvious as it previously was. On the plus side I noticed very little flicker here which is a major plus. Now, the soundtrack isn’t quite as good as it was in Simon’s Quest. That’s not to say it’s bad, because it really isn’t, but Konami kind of hit the ceiling with their last compositions. I enjoyed the music here, but this isn’t something I’m going to listen to outside of actually playing the game anytime soon. Fans of the franchise will still love it though.
I’m not the biggest fan of the Castlevania franchise. Outside of the limited exposure I had as a kid I never thought the games had what it took to stand toe to toe with Mario or even Mega Man. I did enjoy the original, but Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse has made me a real fan. Because of this title I’m now seeking out every installment in the franchise. Part III is a perfect evolution of what the original was. It has its problems, but these are easily overlooked with how amazing the new features, gameplay, and level design is.
