Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

From thecrankyhermit

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
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Companies Konami
First release date Dec 22, 1989
Original platform(s) NES
Current official platform(s) Official emulation: VC

Sidescrolling platformer

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Castlevania returns to form, keeping the feel of II's large and varied world, but retaining I's action heavy linearity, great level design, and it cranks the difficulty up even higher. Branching pathways provide several routes to the endgame at Dracula's castle, and give plenty of length and replay value, as even after playing through once, with subsequent playthroughs you will traverse different levels, encounter different enemies, and even have different playable allies join you. Even with a bigger scope than the original, it keeps the original's sense of consistent setting and satisfying progression as you journey through Translyvania, every step bringing you closer to your undead quarry.

The original Japanese version abandoned the disk format of the first two games in favor of a high capacity cartridge, and compared to the US release features superior music, graphics, slightly easier gameplay, and uncensored visuals. Translated ROMs are out there.