{"id":925,"date":"2020-10-24T23:40:55","date_gmt":"2020-10-25T03:40:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gaminginsurrection.com\/reviews\/?p=925"},"modified":"2020-10-24T23:42:09","modified_gmt":"2020-10-25T03:42:09","slug":"925","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gaminginsurrection.com\/reviews\/index.php\/2020\/10\/24\/925\/","title":{"rendered":"Castlevania III<\/span>: Dracula\u2019s Curse \u2014 4Q2020<\/span> issue"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Drac\u00adu\u00adla slays in thirds<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Castl\u00ade\u00adva\u00adnia. The name alone is well renowned to vet\u00ader\u00adan gamers world\u00adwide as one of Konami\u2019s mas\u00adter\u00adpiece fran\u00adchis\u00ades, hav\u00ading expand\u00aded from the NES<\/span> to var\u00adi\u00adous gam\u00ading con\u00adsoles and a glo\u00adri\u00adous revival in ani\u00adme form thanks to Net\u00adflix. As a video game vet\u00ader\u00adan myself, I know of the many bat\u00adtles between the GOAT<\/span> vam\u00adpire hunt\u00ading Bel\u00admont fam\u00adi\u00adly and the infa\u00admous prince of hor\u00adror mon\u00adsters, Count Drac\u00adu\u00adla. Ever since I was exposed to the first Castl\u00ade\u00adva\u00adnia game, I fell under its spell, want\u00adi\u00adng my chance to place a stake into Dracula\u2019s chest. I final\u00adly got my chance to do so when I got my first game, Castl\u00ade\u00adva\u00adnia III<\/span>: Dracula\u2019s Curse for the NES<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Dracula\u2019s Curse, you take on the role of Trevor C. Bel\u00admont, fore\u00adfa\u00adther of series hero Simon Bel\u00admont, who is called upon to save his vil\u00adlage of Warakiya from Drac\u00adu\u00adla and his res\u00adur\u00adrect\u00aded army of dark\u00adness. Trevor has one small but pow\u00ader\u00adful advan\u00adtage with him: the abil\u00adi\u00adty to trans\u00adform into three part\u00adner spir\u00adits: Alu\u00adcard, Dracula\u2019s for\u00adgot\u00adten son; Grant Denasty, pirate ter\u00adror of the seas; and, Sypha Bel\u00adnades, vam\u00adpire hunter\/mystic war\u00adlord. Along with this shaper-shifter abil\u00adi\u00adty and equipped with the mys\u00adtic whip and Pol\u00adter\u00adgeist ax bequeathed by the Pol\u00adter\u00adgeist King, Trevor sets off into the night ready to do bat\u00adtle against Dracula.<\/span><\/p>\n

Game\u00adplay is basic like most action-plat\u00adform\u00ading games with sim\u00adple moves such as mov\u00ading left and right with the con\u00adtrol pad, jump\u00ading with a but\u00adton, and attack\u00ading with basic weapons by using com\u00adbi\u00adna\u00adtions for spe\u00adcial weapons. These con\u00adtrols have spe\u00adcial des\u00adig\u00adna\u00adtions for Grant, con\u00adtrol\u00adling how high he can jump and climb walls, and for Alu\u00adcard, who can trans\u00adform into a bat. To give this team of vam\u00adpire hunters an extra advan\u00adtage, Trevor can upgrade his mys\u00adtic whip to a long-ranged chain whip and can use var\u00adi\u00adous Warakiya items such as the ban\u00adshee boomerang, bat\u00adtle ax and a pock\u00adet watch that tem\u00adporar\u00adi\u00adly freezes ene\u00admies. Sypha has her mag\u00adic staff as her main weapon in addi\u00adtion to using ele\u00admen\u00adtal orbs that can pro\u00adduce fire, ice and thun\u00adder attacks. Grant has use of the dag\u00adger, but he can only use the mys\u00adtic ax as his sec\u00adondary weapon. Alu\u00adcard has use of a destruc\u00adtive ball that can be upgrad\u00aded to shoot three directions.<\/span><\/p>\n

While I appre\u00adci\u00adate these effec\u00adtive tech\u00adniques to dis\u00adpatch the undead, there were flaws such as learn\u00ading to time each attack or risk falling off a stage. Also, whichev\u00ader part\u00adner spir\u00adit Trevor teams up with, the part\u00adner takes dam\u00adage, cre\u00adat\u00ading a strug\u00adgle to sur\u00advive in cer\u00adtain stages. I also learned that you col\u00adlect stone hearts to pow\u00ader weapons and if Alu\u00adcard is your part\u00adner, he would turn into a bat. That\u2019s fine but that skill eats up your hearts and if you run out, he could turn back into human form putting him and Trevor in a MAJOR<\/span> bind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adding to the frus\u00adtra\u00adtion, there is a time lim\u00adit to com\u00adplete each stage, adding either chal\u00adlenge to game\u00adplay or mak\u00ading you curse and smash your con\u00adtroller to pieces.<\/span><\/p>\n

A word to the wise: Dracula\u2019s Curse is chal\u00adleng\u00ading but LOOK<\/span> hard for spe\u00adcial items such as leg of were\u00adwolf, which refills your life meter; and, the invis\u00adi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty potion that also gives tem\u00adpo\u00adrary pro\u00adtec\u00adtion to give you the upper hand. Also, if you must go up a row of stairs, ALWAYS<\/span> press up on the con\u00adtrol pad to walk oth\u00ader\u00adwise you will fall and lose a life.<\/span><\/p>\n

The game\u2019s music is excel\u00adlent, stay\u00ading true to the series\u2019 theme of clas\u00adsi\u00adcal hor\u00adror. If you heard a Castl\u00ade\u00adva\u00adnia theme before, you won\u2019t hear any\u00adthing new here. This isn\u2019t Castl\u00ade\u00adva\u00adnia IV<\/span> just yet, after all. The replay val\u00adue is there although it will require you to have patience to and excel\u00adlent strate\u00adgic skills when choos\u00ading paths to take and part\u00adner spir\u00adits to work with.<\/span><\/p>\n

Castl\u00ade\u00adva\u00adnia III<\/span>: Dracula\u2019s Curse is an exam\u00adple of how Kon\u00ada\u00admi built a respect\u00aded fran\u00adchise in its ear\u00adly days with\u00adout dis\u00adre\u00adspect\u00ading their devel\u00adop\u00adment staff and let\u00adting them do what they do best. Dracula\u2019s Curse is good but not with\u00adout its quirks and flaws. If you love old-school plat\u00adform\u00ading in the Castl\u00ade\u00adva\u00adnia con\u00adtrol vein, jump in and part\u00adner up to take on Drac\u00adu\u00adla once more.<\/span><\/p>\n