Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse is a great classic Nintendo game, which like many other games of its time is extremely difficult and unforgiving. Naming your character "HELP ME" gives you 10 lives instead of 3, which in all honesty is the only way I was able to make it to the final level of the game. Thankfully, there are unlimited Continues, because you will die a lot as you get used to each level. When you beat a level you have been struggling at for hours, it will feel like one of the most satisfying gaming accomplishments one makes. Playing the game as Trevor is as you would expect, running and jumping through levels while striking enemies with your whip; however, the game also has three optional characters which play completely differently, allowing you to climb walls, cast magic spells, and turn into a bat. In particular, I used Alucard's bat to skip some difficult encounters by flying over them. No matter how many times I have tried, I have never been able to beat the final boss, who is three encounters back-to-back and had to watch the endings on Youtube.
The Good:
- When you beat a level you have been struggling at for hours, it feels like a satisfying accomplishment.
- Choose your path, which levels you wish to play, and which optional characters you encounter.
- Some of the best graphics and music on the NES.
The Bad:
- Unforgivingly difficult.
- Unless you are a Castlevania god, the final boss is nearly impossible.