Castlevania Video Marathon: Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse (NES) (Trevor only - One life run) Part 1About the video:
I HATE THIS GAME. In the video I used very cheap tactic to kill Doppelganger, but that was the only way I could gurantee myself victory over the bastard. After two weeks of playing in THIS GAME, I quite lost any patience to continue playing it until he will behave as expected. And by the way, this video showcases my first succesfull attempt to complete CV3 on one life. All attempts before this one were failed.
Now onto actual (weighted) review:
For the first time I've heard about CV3 from my NES guidebook "120 secrets in 1" in 1996. I was pleasantly surprised that there was another Catlevania on the NES. However I didn't have a chance to play in that game until 2003, when I played it on the emulator in the internet club. Back then I managed to get to the Ghost Ship level and couldn't continue, since I didn't have much time to play in the club. For the second time I played this game and completed it, in the 2005, on my old computer. This playthrough left only bad memories - I played CV3 on the crappy emulator, that didn't had save states function for the NES games and worst yet, didn't allow to reassign buttons on the keyboard. So, I struggled through the game playing in the very uncomfortable buttons layout. I must admit, that I can't play console games on the keyboard for dear life, so my attempt to complete CV3 on the keyboard and without save states was a very bold and ill-thought effort. I completed the game after a week or so, but in the process I broke said keyboard, cursed this game countless time and in general was very dissappointed with it. Of course, most of my hatred towards CV3 was unjustified back then, since it wasn't fault of the game, that I couldn't play it on joypad or at least save progress. But for a long time I ignorantly hated this game and recent Marathon was the first time, when I decided to complete it after disaster of a walkthrough 7 years ago.
So what is my new opinion of this game? It doesn't become better, but for a different reasons. But let's begin form the begining. For a quite a time, after playing CV2 on my NES-clone, I assumed that CV3 should have been like CV2, but better. Meaning more territory to explore, more mansions, towns, better defined clues for Dracula's Riddle, normal bosses e.t.c. I was genuinly surprised, when I started playing CV3 for the first time. It was like I played some sort of original Castlevania variation. I was very puzzled by that turn of events to say the least. I am not sure what exactly possesed Konami to get rid of everything that made CV2 stand out from its predeccesor. Maybe CV2 wasn't commercially succseful? Or maybe Konami decided that it was to experimental for its own good? So in the end they threw practically every single element of the CV2 out of this game. No open world, no towns, no mansions, no clues, no merchants. The second thing that surprised me is that the game tryed to look like CV1. And that after CV2 was slightly different in its appearance. But did they threw everything away and didn't try to make something new in place of thrown out elements? Well, first and foremost this game feature several playable characters. You start the game with Trevor C. Belmont. On your road to the Dracula's Castle you can team up with several other characters - mage Sypha Belnades (who disguise herself as the man - it was surprising revelation for me, when I completed CV3 for the first time), Grant DaNasty - wall climbing pirate and Alucard - son of Dracula, who reblled against his own father and try to stop him from destroying the world. Each additional character have its special powers - Sypha could use lighting, ice and fire magic, Grant - crawl on the walls and ceilings and Alucard can use fire attack, similar to attack Dracula used in the first game, and he can transform into a bat. You can have only one teammate at a time, and if you come across one of those characters, when you already have someone with you, you can only exchange you current partner to a new one. Having different teammates allow you to explore levels (since some parts of them are only available for certain characters) and also see different endings. Also, as some sort of remain of CV2 style you can choose your path after some levels. It adds tonnes of replayability to the game.
Now about graphics. CV3 tries to do two things at the same time -to look like CV1 and be prettier. That said, its quite a hard task, since CV1 unique looks was a product of NES graphical limitations and time when the game was released. Said limitations created an unique look for the game, that was very natural and very distinct. CV3 tries to emulate it and add some new colours and schemes. However, it doesn't look that good. Graphics has advanced in 4 years since release of the CV1 and game looks like designers always struggling to stay in the style dictated by CV1 appearance. Sometimes it really shows. For example in the Mad Forest there is beautiful and dark area inhabitated by owls that shows how the graphic advanced, but most other levels look pretty uninspired and consist from platforms formed by blocks, very often bright orangeish blocks for whatever reason. Graphics in CV3 are more crispier and brighter, but that works against the game. CV1 had quite a dark colour scheme, while CV3 adds some bright colours into the mix. The result is strange and sometimes less then pretty. Sometimes levels look like a mish mash of different colours and strange palettes, as if graphical artist loose his senses. In general, most of the levels in this game look like something you can find in any other game. It wouldn't be that bad since there is only so much locations you can put into the game about midieval monster hunters, but they actually looks like it. Especially Ghost Ship, probably on the the ugliest locations, I've ever seen in the series. I think the reason for this is quantity of the levels in this game. CV1 had only six, relatively short levels, and it was one of the reasons why they were so good. There was no neccessary for designers to go out of the way and force themselves to create locations and designs. Each level was carefully planned and designed in a way that you can't add anything to it, but it was not even neccessary since everything was already there. In CV3 some locations look like they were designed just to fill the place. Another my gripe about level design in this game, is that it looks unnatural. In CV1 levels made some sort sense and felt like they could be some actual locations more or less. In CV3 most of the levels are just levels in the game. They doesn't give impression that they could be even remotely real. Some of them, like Ghost Ship, consist from several rooms filled with platforms. In the end they just feel unnatural. There are around 16 levels in the game, some contain subbosses. You have ability to choose which level you'd like to visit sometimes, but in general there are two paths to complete the game. I dubbed them "the easy route" and "the hard route". In the easy route you can take a Ghost Ship and arrive Dracula's castle via bridge, while in the hard route you will go through some underground catacombs and gain access into the Dracula's Castle through the basement. The hard route is the only one in which you can team up with Alucard, and the easy route is the only one where you can gain Sypha as your teammate. Before choosing "easy" or "hard" route, you can visit Clocktower to safe Grant and gain him as partner. Interestingly, if you complete his level, you'll need to get back to the very entrance of the tower from the boss room. Quite an unique experince, through a bit puzzling. The hard route leads to one of the most annoying and idiotic sequences in the NES game I ever encountered. In second basement level of the Dracula's Castle there is a big room, in which you must wait until it would filled with bricks. In theory you probably can escape turmoil of this part, by using Alucards's Bat-transformation, however if you don't have him...well, you screwed up. The next part of the level is also hard and concludes with boss rush against three foes. I must admit, I never mustered enough patience to get through this level, mostly because of this annoying "Tetris" sequence. I could go through every other trap and obstacle in the game, but waiting until the room will fill with those bricks...is beyond just annoying. It is tiresome, especially, if you replay this levels several times.
Music not so unique as in previous entries. It seems that american CV3 uses the same sound engine that was used later for the majority of the Konami games realesed on the NES in the begining of the 90s. So, I constantly hear familiar notes from Zen Intergalactic Ninja, TMNT TF and Batman Returns here and there. CV1 and CV2 didn't had this effect on me and soundtracks from this games formed a whole picture. Each melody in those games sounds unique, while CV3 constantly reminds me about something else, but not quite Castlevaniash enough or even interesting enough. It doesn't mean that music is bad, its just not that good as in previous two games. I believe that abundance of levels played a negative role here. CV1 and CV2 didn't had that many levels, so to speak, and there weren't many tracks. In CV3 there a lot of levels and naturally not every track will stand out. Most of the tracks in this game didn't leave any lasting impression on me. However, I found few melodies that I actually liked in this game - Mad Forest and Evergreen. I've listened to the japanese versions of the tracks, and to be honest didn't found them all that better than american version. There are richer, but for me the problem with the music in this game is not in arrangements.
Controls or rather physics undergone slight changes. Trevor is fast, almost like certain Ninja Gaiden. And in physics in this game are quite floaty. It is good when it comes to platforming, but not so good, when it comes to the rest of the elements. Controls had a sense of weight in them. It did make characters somewhat clanky, but it didn't stop them from being relatively dexterous. In CV3, on contrary, controls are so light, that they almost feel weightless sometimes. It could be quite uncomfortable during jumping and fighting. Another big problem is ducking and striking at the same time. In the past, when player made a strike while ducking and at the same released "Down" button, character made a low strike and only then stood up. In this game, as soon as you release "Down" button, Belmont immediately stands up and continue his strike animation. It is very inconvinient during battles with certan enemies that should be attacked while ducking. Especially with Axe Armors, when they throw ground axes. It takes some time to use, and it still feels quite uncomfortable in the later playthroughs. Three Trevor's teammates have different controls. Sypha is not dexterous at all and have very low jump. Her basic wepaon is very weak, though very fast. Her main strength lies with use of magical attacks. However you need to obtain one of the three magical books first. And all your magical attacks are powered by hearts, so it is very important to constantly collect them. Grant have some awkward jumps, as if he is sliding throgh the air. It is very hard to land exactly where you want with him. Also, when Grant climbing on the wall or a ceiling, you need to constantly push corresponding direction on the joypad. One wrong move and Grant will fall. Often to his doom. Alucard is the tallest character in the game, so naturally he is the biggest target for the enemy attacks. In terms of controls he is somewhere between Sypha and Grant. In general he feels awkward. His basic (and only) attack is simple fireball, which you can upgrade, however it is still will reamin quite weak. And his main power - is ability to transform into bat. In theory it allows you to escape certain parts of the levels, but bat-form drains hearts very fast, so you need them even more so, than Sypha.
Gameplay is traditional for the Castlevania. Difficulty was upped a notch. As is general speed of the game. There are much more platforming than in two previous titles on the NES and it looks like developers took few notes from CVA, adding some timed segments, where Belmont must escape some danger. Most of the enemies and bosses from CV1 returned in this game and some of them were simply reused. The Bat, Reaper, Frankestein's Monster, Medusa, Mummies (as bosses and common enemies) returned in this game. The Bat now have ability to multiply itself after damage, but it is very easy boss.
Reaper have second form - giant skull that is very easy to defeat. And in his first form, he is quite more predictable and more easy than he was in CV1. Medusa has body in this game and bow. But she is very easy to defeat and besides, acts as a mere subboss on the Ghost Ship. Frankentein's Monster looks like an average alcoholic and fights pretty much like one (if average alcoholic had super strength and ability to toss bricks from nowhere). He is very easy boss and acts like subboss in the "hard route". Mummies are once again a cakewalk, if you know where to position yourself on the screen. Or if you have ever helpful cross-boumerangs. Two of the bosses are actually emulate fighting style of the Dracula forms from CV1. Alucard mimics his firss form (albeight toned down) and Gargoyle - mimics his second dragon form (also made easier). Some of the bosses appear several times thorugh the game. Most notably Cyclops. In the easy route you can fight three of them in different places. Interestingly enough, aside form Reaper first form, game doesn't have difficult or interesting bosses. For that reason, I believe, designers decided to compensate quantity with the quality, so several levels in both rotes, end with some sort of boss rush, where you need to defeat several bosses, one after the other. Happily Trevor's whip much stronger than one of his descendant, so one strike take several lives from enemy lifebar. The hardest boss in this game is a Doppelganger. It takes form of whatever character you currently using and worst yet, acts completely indepedently on your actions. This means that is very hard to predict what he will do next. Dracula has three unique, never before seen forms, and even in his human-like appearance have an unique attack patern. However all his forms are laughaubly easy. Especially the second one. I'd say you need to put some effort or be very nervous during that fight to receive any damage. His third form could be a problem, however if you have Axe subweapon and 16 hearts it will be a cakewalk. There are several moments that were reproduced from previous games - collapsing bridge (two times), climbing sequence, when the tower gradually collapse under your feet (two times) and sequence when you must go to the lowest floor of the clocktower and avoid being crushed by the ceiling. Also, this game marks the second time, when melody from the previous entry was reused. This time it was Vampire Killer (under the name "Deja Vu") playing appropriately in the remake of Entrance Hall level from CV1 (this level was remade for the third time in the series).
By the end of the game, I sometimes caught myself on the thought that I don't feel like playing a Castlevania game. I felt more like I am playing some sort of CV1 hack or something like Ninja Gaiden. It has something to do with the level design and general mood I believe. The game is all around the place with the atmosphere, constantly balancing on the verge of loosing it and turning into "just action game". Some of the levels are pretty uninspired. Not something special, like you will expect from Castlevania series. Coupled with strange looking levels, that sometimes look like they could belong to any generic action game, there is sometimes feeling that I play some other game, and not the Castlevania game. It is not a bad game, by any margin. There were a lot of effort and creativity put into it. But I think some of those elements weren't exactly refined as they should be and shouldn't have been limited to the CV1 style. I bet CV3 could have looked much more pretty, if it tried to establish its own unique look, rather than borrowing it from the 4-years old game and add a new spins on it. Besides it has tonnes of replayability, several playable characters and several endings to boot. But in the end, it's just not Castlevania that I like.