11. Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse (NES)My god, this game.
First, before we go any further, I actually recommend playing the JP/Famicom version "Akumajo Densetsu". It's superior in that it's got the sound chip, the enemies are rebalanced so they do static damage based on what enemy they are rather than the escalating CV1 style (2 in early stages, then 3, then 4 per hit, regardless of source) which makes for an overall easier playthrough, and Grant gets his throwing dagger so he can be as awesome as he should be.
Oh, and they added a bunch more enemy spawns in the US version to. And trust me, CV3 is plenty hard enough in the JP version. Go with the original here, it's superior in every way except you can't read what Alucard is saying.
Speaking of Alucard: CV3 introduces the ally system, in which three different characters can be recruited to your roster (though only one at a time).
They are:
Bad Boy Alucard in his first appearance, sporting the traditional slicked back black vampire hairdo, the ability to shoot fireballs from his cape flourishes, and bat form as his unique ability
Sypha, the frail and weak attacker, but has insanely powerful subweapons/spells
And Grant, who is fucking rad to the max. Climb walls and throw axes. Climb right over whole sections of stages. Playthrough that annoying moving platform part? Nah bro I'm just gonna climb right up into the status bar and skip all that shit
Each character has their individual strengths and weaknesses. Trevor/Ralph is the Belmont and excels at brawling. Alucard has a wide attack range and can fly. Sypha's spells are super powerful, and Grant is quick and slippery like an eel, able to climb around and avoid attacks.
Now let's talk about the best part of the game: The atmosphere.
A lot has been said about how CV1 gives the player a real sense of traversing and progressing due to it's inter-stage map screen.
Said screen returns in CV3, but this time, the route isn't forced: The player can pick where they go. Certain paths will lead you to different characters and different routes/levels into the castle. Each path even varies in how difficult it is, the quick Sypha/Ship path is the easiest, while the long bottom Alucard path that eventually takes you all up through the castle basement is the hardest.
Journeying through the countryside has never been so amazing on a NES game. The graphics are incredible and remain some of the absolute the best the NES has on offer. The music is just, so great. I had to seriously grit my teeth when I picked my favorite for the link at the top, because there were some other tracks that were equally good. (In the end, when I think of CV3, I think of the Frogs leaping through the muck of a swamp.) The sound design is crisp and fresh. The forest stage has a thunderstorm crashing in the background. There's a level that's filled with the noise of rushing water through an aqueduct. Each stage is memorable not just for its design but for the sounds you associate with them.
Is there such a thing as a perfect platformer? Probably not, but CV3 comes close.
Do I recommend this game:If I was talking about the NES version, I'd have to give a warning about the difficulty. But if you play the original Famicom version, you should be okay. The game is still plenty challenging, but not too cruel. And this is simply too much of a masterpiece of old school classicvania/platforming goodness to skip.
Gameplay: 8. The best when it comes to Classicvania. But it's still got the old clunky feel that drags it down a bit, such as not being to jump onto or off of stairs. Grant's controls are a bit hard to get used to. The bosses are actually kind of boring and they make you do repeat fights. (Drac is good though.)
Experience: 9. Absolutely amazing. The world feels truly alive, and achieving that level of immersion on NES graphics and sound (even if the game had a special sound chip) is a real feat.
