The third NES entry of the epically long Castlevania series, and a prequel to the original. This game chronicles the exploits of Trevor C. Belmont (Ralph C. Belmondo in Japan), grandfather of the original game's Simon Belmont. In 1476, Trevor, who has "a long history of fighting the forces of evil", is called forth by the citizens of Wallachia to defeat Dracula. The game chronicles his journey across the land to the titular Castlevania, and his subsequent infiltration of the castle and battle with Dracula.Generally considered the best NES Castlevania, and rivaled only by Super Castlevania IV or Castlevania Rondo Of Blood as the best old-school Castlevania. Following the overambitious Simon's Quest, Konami took a back-to-basics approach with this game, sticking to traditional platforming while improving the graphics and music. The result plays almost identically to the original Castlevania.Nevertheless, there were some important innovations. The path to Dracula's castle frequently branches, and the player will wind up following one of three paths to the final levels, plus an early side-route that is entirely optional. Along the way, Trevor may also pick up one of three companions: Grant DaNasty, a wall-climbing pirate; Sypha Belnades, a sorceress with elemental powers; and Alucard, Dracula's rebellious son. In addition to deepening the gameplay, the latter two would become very important in the series' Myth Arc. Ironically, Grant is rarely seen or heard of today unless in a group-cameo with the other three.In a technical sense, this was one of the most advanced NES games ever produced. It had a unique memory mapper as well as a special chip which offloaded some of the sound processing from the console. To this day, it remains one of the most technically difficult NES games to emulate due to these factors.Current Castlevania series producer Koji Igarashi said that Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse was his favorite Castlevania game.
Broad Strokes: Trevor can only be accompanied by one partner at a time, and it is impossible for him to meet both Sypha and Alucard in the same run. Despite this, future games imply that all four characters faced Dracula together as a team during this story. Which actually would've beenpretty cool.
Check Point Starvation: In the International versions of Castlevania III, dying against Dracula sends you back to the beginning of A-2 instead of A-3. While this seems bad, A-2's a very short section (the hardest part is the pendulums, which can be skipped if you have Alucard and enough hearts) and has a greater selection of subweapons (Axe and Holy Water as opposed to Knife). The only problem is the enemies can cut down your health before you even reach Dracula.
Crippling Overspecialization: Alucard can turn into a bat. He also lacks strength or speed, is the largest target of all the playable characters, has no subweapons, and can't attack while on stairs.
Defeat Means Friendship: Alucard. Grant is this to an extent, though he was turned into a monster before the events of this game.
Demoted to Extra: Dawn of Sorrow has an unlockable game mode where you control Alucard and descendants of Sypha and Trevor who play like their ancestors. Grant is nowhere to be seen, and nobody fills his gameplay role.
According to script buried within the game data, Hammer was originally intended to be playable. Though Hammer and Grant DaNasty look similar, there is little to no indication Hammer would have played like him or is even related to him.
Julius: You. Why are you here?
Hammer: Why? I'm here for Soma! My man's in trouble, I tell ya!
Julius: But it's of no concern to you.
Hammer: Heck yeah, it is! Soma's my pal, after all. Laying his life on the line for a pal... That's what a man does.
Julius: Wrong. An ordinary human is no match for a foe like this. Being a man has nothing to do with it.
Hammer: Hey, bud, I served in the military! I know weapons a whole lot better than you! And I'd like to think I've got enough sense to retreat if it gets too crazy.
Julius: Fine, then. But if you ever fear for your life, get out immediately, understood?
Hammer: Loud and clear. You have my word.
Difficulty By Region: In the Japanese version, enemy attacks never increase in damage with successive stages unlike in other versions, but each enemy does varying damage. Additionally, Grant is considerably more powerful, as instead of a short range stabbing attack, his primary attack is throwing his knife, similar to his knife sub-weapon in the U.S. release, but without the need for hearts.
Glass Cannon: Sypha. Her spells can dish out tremendous damage, and much faster than Trevor can, depending on the situation. However, she also takes more damage than Trevor.
Nintendo Hard: It's a NES Castlevania game. Anything else that needs to be said?
Nostalgia Level: The entrance to Dracula's castle is very similar to the first stage from the first game, complete with an updated version of Vampire Killer, titled "Deja Vu".
Power Up Letdown: Alucard's fireballs do about as much damage as a throwing dagger. Granted, they can go diagonally, and getting all three in on an enemy does 50% more damage than a swing of Trevor's whip, but you need to be close to an enemy to do that and the attack is pretty slow, meaning you're sure to take a hit in the process.
Put on a Bus: Grant and the DaNasty family, besides brief mentions and doppelgangers and his drastically (unneeded and unexplained) redesigned appearance in Judgment. The DaNasty family has never appeared in the proper games since Dracula's Curse. Hell, even Dawn of Sorrow has a mode where you can play Alucard and descendants of Trevor and Sypha.
There is an obscure novel that took place after Dawn of Sorrow which features a girl coming from the DaNasty clan, thus Grant managed to settle down and have descendants.
Spell My Name with an S: The names of the main characters are spelled differently in the manual (Grant DaNasty, Sypha Belnades) than they are in the ending (Grant DaNusty*
Apparently based on the real world Dănești family, distant relatives of the historical Dracula. (The singular of the name is "Danescu").
, Syfa Velnumdes*
No one outside Konami is completely sure, but her name was apparently originally supposed to be "Cypher Fernandez", which got badly mangled in transliteration.
). Wallachia is also misspelled "Warakiya" in the manual*
Which is actually a reasonably good rendering of a transliteration to kana and back.
Squishy Wizard: Sypha Belnades. She has equal, if not lower, constitution than Grant, but her spells are damn powerful!
Walking Shirtless Scene: Grant is usually depicted◊ as◊ one◊ in◊ artwork◊ (both Japanese and American), even though he's clearly wearing a vest and/or undershirt in-game (more accurate artwork here◊).
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