by Russell Cohrs

Created on: October 03, 2009

The third and last sequel to Castlevania appearing on the NES.

Story

In the year 1476, 100 years prior to the events in Castlevania, Dracula is threatening to take over Europe with his army of darkness. The only hope lies in Trevor Belmont, the ancestor of Simon, who must use the trusty Vampire Hunter whip to thrash the forces of evil into oblivion. Trevor also has the option of recruiting some help along the way, in the forms of Sypha Belnades, Grant DaNasty, and Alucard, the son of Dracula himself.

Gameplay

This is your standard Castlevania fare, without the quest element found in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. It's an action platformer where Trevor and friends progress on a linear path, defeating hordes of minor enemies before attacking a stage boss. There is a non-linear element to the game however, as you can sometimes pick a different path after a stage ends. Depending on the path you choose, the game can be shorter, different levels are seen, and you can find one of the hidden characters to help you.

Each of the hidden characters has unique attributes that are helpful to Trevor. Grant DaNasty is small and can evade hits, he moves faster than the rest, and most importantly he can climb walls and ceilings. The drawback is that he takes more damage from enemies, and his range of special weapons is very limited. He can access hidden areas that sometimes contain extra lives, and he can also skip over large areas by climbing on the ceiling and walls.

Sypha Belnades is a sorceress with a weak and short physical attack. She can cast powerful magic spells however, which can be devastating to enemies. The spells can be pretty pricy in hearts though, and in my opinion she is the toughest of the three hidden characters to use.

Alucard's main attraction is that he can transform into a bat. It's possible to use this ability to fly over large sections of stages, provided you have enough hearts. He uses a fireball attack, which can be upgraded. He's taller and seems a bit more difficult to control than the other players. He also moves a bit slower, but can be a formidable ally.

Once you defeat Dracula, the ending sequence changes according to which character you brought along, including none at all. The game can also be restarted in a more difficult mode, and you can bring along the ally you used to beat the game. This can lead to prior unreachable treasure being explored, but this is mostly just high value point bags.

There is a high amount of replay value in the

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