The Japanese version of Castlevania III, superior to the western release in many respects. Legendary soundtrack, multiple paths, multiple characters. An absolute masterpiece.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player12+
Description
Castlevania sequel featuring three Belmont warriors with distinct abilities battling Dracula and allies. Published by Konami, released in Europe in 1992. Trevor, Grant and Sypha with distinct weapons and powers, non-linear multi-path, high-quality bosses and monumental music by Hirokazu Ando. Absolute NES masterpiece, European version of Castlevania III.
Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
An absolute peak of chiptune, the entry deploys a score of stunning richness, magnified in Japan by the VRC6 sound chip. Heroic themes, anxious melodies and nervy rhythms compose a gothic fresco of unequalled breadth on NES. This musical mastery makes it an absolute benchmark of the console.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Switching between four heroes with distinct abilities — a powerful jump, wall-climbing, magic — multiplies your options across branching routes. The whip demands precise positioning, and the difficulty stays steep but fair. The peak of the 8-bit trilogy, this gothic journey retains a demanding level design and a variety that command admiration.
An especially short European PAL print, regarded as one of the hardest NES PAL cartridges to find complete. Beyond raw scarcity, this version swaps the VRC6 for the MMC5 chip, which audibly reshapes the soundtrack compared to the Japanese cut. PAL CIB copies routinely hit top auction prices, and the cote has climbed steadily over a decade on the back of the 8-bit Castlevania trilogy's aura.
Memorable bosses
Vaster and more formidable, this odyssey lets you pick companions and paths, multiplying varied guardians across alternate routes. The doppelgänger that mirrors your blows, a fiercer returning Death and a Dracula of successive forms punctuate a steep difficulty. Enhanced by an upgraded sound chip, the Japanese version lends these fights a rare heroic intensity.
Is Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse still worth playing in 2026?
Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse, whose Japanese release Akumajou Densetsu features the sublime VRC6 chip absent in the West, is one of the NES's absolute peaks. Three playable companions with distinct abilities, multiple branching paths through the castle, level design of rare precision and a legendary score by Hidenori Maezawa and Jun Funahashi build a 2D action classic. The difficulty is brisk but fair, the pacing exemplary. For demanding platforming fans and Konami heritage lovers, still an absolute must on the console today.
