Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse Complete Guide (27 Sections) | Ludo.guide

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Welcome to Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, the 1989 NES classic where you play as Trevor C. Belmont, Grant Danasty, Sypha Belnades, or Alucard to battle Dracula's forces across treacherous castles. This single-player action-platformer challenges you to navigate dangerous environments, defeat iconic bosses, and make crucial choices that determine your path to victory.

This guide is your key to mastering Dracula's Curse. We'll help you navigate the game's multiple paths, understand each character's unique abilities, and overcome the toughest boss fights. Whether you're aiming to find all the secrets, achieve the best ending, or simply survive the onslaught, we've got you covered.

Controls

Alright, let's get you up to speed on how to actually play Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. It might seem a little daunting at first with all the characters and their unique moves, but once you get the hang of the basic controls, you'll be whipping Dracula's minions in no time. This guide covers the original NES controls and also touches on how they map to the Virtual Console versions on 3DS, Wii, and Wii U.

NES Controls

Here's the breakdown of how to control your characters on the original NES:

Control	Action
D-Pad	Press Left or Right to move characters to the left or right. Press Up or Down to climb up or down stairs.
Select	Press to select Opening, Password or Continue. Also press to transform into a partner spirit.
Start	Press to begin the game and to pause the action during the game.
A	Press to jump.
B	Press to attack with your Main Weapon. Also press the Control Pad Up and the B button simultaneously to attack with a Warakiya War Item currently displayed in the Warakiya War Item Window.

Character-Specific Moves

Some characters have special moves that use the basic controls in unique ways:

Guiding Grant

Grant can cling to walls and climb around. To do this, press and hold the Control Pad toward the wall you want Grant to cling to. Then, press the Control Pad in the direction you want him to move, and he'll climb. You can also vary the height of his leaps by how hard you press the A Button.

Assisting Alucard

Alucard has a cool transformation ability. Press the Control Pad Down and the A Button simultaneously to transform Alucard into a bat. If you want him to turn back into his human form, just repeat this procedure.

3DS/Wii/Wii U Virtual Console Controls

If you're playing on a more modern Nintendo system, the controls are emulated, but you can use various controllers. The button mappings are pretty straightforward, just match them up with the NES layout above.

Button Key

Here’s how the buttons on different controllers correspond to the original NES controller:

3DS	Wiimote	Wii Classic Controller	GameCube Controller	Wii U GamePad	NES Controller
Circle Pad	D-Pad	D-Pad	Analog Stick	Left Analog Stick	D-Pad
D-Pad	Left Analog Stick	D-Pad	D-Pad	Right Analog Stick
B	1	B	B	B	B
X
A	2	A	A	A	A
Start	+	+	Start	+	Start
Y	−	−	Z	−	Select
Select

Other Controls (3DS)

Control	Action
L + R + Y	Switch between first and second controllers (second controller not used).
Touch Screen	Enable Virtual Console Menu where you can choose to Resume Game, Reset and (if enabled) Create/ Load Restore Point.
Home	Bring up Home Menu while pausing the game; press again to hide Home Menu and resume play.

Other Controls (Wiimote & Wii Classic Controller)

Control	Action
Home	Bring up Home Menu while pausing the game; press again to hide Home Menu and resume play.

Other Controls (Wii U GamePad)

Control	Action
Touch Screen	Enable Virtual Console Menu where you can choose to Reset, change Controller Settings or Create/ Load Restore Point.
Home	Bring up Home Menu while pausing the game; press again to hide Home Menu and resume play.

Guide Opening (2)

Walkthrough

1
This guide covers Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, the third installment in the Castlevania series, set 200 years before the first two games.
2
The game features Trevor C. Belmont, a forefather of the Belmont family, as the main protagonist.
3
Players guide Trevor through Dracula's castle using his whip and other weapons against his minions.
4
The path to Dracula's castle is not linear; the path will occasionally split, allowing you to choose your route, which changes the levels and challenges.
5
Trevor can be joined by up to three additional characters, each with unique powers and abilities.
6
You can only have one assistant character at a time; choosing a new partner means dropping previous ones for the remainder of the game.
7
Reaching and defeating Dracula with Trevor alone or with one of the three additional characters results in different endings, offering significant replayability.
8
This guide includes a complete walkthrough for every stage on every path, enemy and item lists, boss strategies, secrets, and essential information before starting.
9
The guide was initially released on 4 May 2021, version 1.00, with all content complete.
10
The authors, Ryan Harrison and Gregory Wright, welcome feedback and helpful information.

Tips

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse offers a more refined playing experience compared to its predecessors.
The choice of path and allies significantly impacts the game's progression and ending.
Consider experimenting with different character combinations for varied gameplay experiences.

Story

The time is 100 years before Simon Belmont's birth. The moon burns red overhead and black clouds loom large on the horizon. All is still and quiet. Only the call of a distant crow stirs the cold night air. Suddenly, thunder roars out of the Morbid Mountains and into the village of Warakiya. Like the yell of an angry giant, the terrible sound shakes homes and shops as if they were sapling branches.

But no one blinks an eye. The village is dead calm. For all the people have fled after receiving warnings from the Great Beyond that Count Dracula has assembled a mighty army of evil, and they're poised to march up from the Valley of Graveyards to bury mankind in a Tomb of Terror. Unfortunately, there's no corner on Earth that won't be gobbled up by this bloodthirsty legion of Swamp Dragons, Slasher Skeletons and Forces of the Undead.

The last line of defense is you, Trevor Belmont – the forefather of Simon Belmont and the origin of the Belmont Warlord Chromosomes. But your chances are slimmer than Jim. In fact, the only real edge you have over this fang sharpened freak is your power to transform into three different partner spirits: Grant DaNasty, the ferocious Ghost Pirate. Sypha, the Mystic Warlord. And Alucard, Dracula's forgotten son. Each of these spirits will confront you as you fight through 17 possible levels of never-ending fright, including the Haunted Ship of Fools, the Clock Tower of Untimely Death and Curse Castle. You must also possess the strength to wield the mighty Battle Axe and Mystic Whip, which were given to you by the Poltergeist King.

So go forth young Trevor into the cold black night, where death lurks around every corner and evil lingers on every stone. And remember, if your courage and cunning are any less than magnificent or if you fail to choose the correct Paths of Fate, you'll be banished to the world of the undead, and zombies will rule until the end of time.

Characters

MEET YOUR TEAM OF VAMPIRE HUNTERS

Trevor C. Belmont

Trevor is the infamous forefather of Simon Belmont – the mighty warrior who pulverized Dracula in _Castlevania_ and again in _Simon's Quest_. Trevor has a number of oldie but goodie attack items that have been given to him by the Poltergeist King. These include the Mystic Whip, Battle Axe, Banshee Boomerang, Dagger and Sacred Water. Trevor is also the master of special items, including a Pocket Watch, Invisibility Potion and the Rosary.

"Spirit" Alucard

As the son of Count Dracula, Alucard once tried to prevent Trevor from accomplishing his mission. However, he reached a point where he could no longer abide by his father's evilness and is now looking for a partner to help him put an end to his father's wicked plans. A resident of underground tunnels, Alucard attacks with a Ball of Destruction, which he can also fire in three directions (if he captures a special power booster). Alucard's primary strength, though, is his ability to turn himself into a bat. However, he cannot attack while he is airborne and will turn back into a human form if his wings are clipped by an evil enemy.

"Spirit" Grant DaNasty

Count Dracula used his sinister powers to turn this Pirate Captain into a ghost. And as one of Dracula's gruesome gang, he will attack you from the top of the Clock Tower of Untimely Death. However, if you can defeat this scoundrel, his spirit will join you. He's small, nimble and has a strong spring in his step, so he's able to jump up onto walls or ceilings and stick to them like glue. Grant's primary attack weapons are an axe and a dagger. Another of his weapons is his skill to scurry along hidden routes not accessible to Trevor. Unfortunately, both his body and his ego bruise easily.

"Spirit" Sypha Belnades

Sypha, the Mystic Warlord of Warakiya, is also a vampire hunter who walks quickly and carries a big stick. Rumors of his death were spread throughout Eastern Europe, but in truth he was captured by "Cyclops," the one-eyed Ultimate Evil. Sypha uses his Warakiya Staff to attack. Other attack favorites of his include flames, frozen crystals and lightning bolts. With these, he can destroy evil enemies before they get close to him. However, his skin is very thin and blisters easily when blasted by grotesque enemy attacks. To score BIG, Sypha must attack before his enemies find him.

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Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse