Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse (USA) (Castlevania Anniversary Collection)

Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse is a classic action-platformer that puts players in the role of Trevor Belmont, an ancestor of Simon Belmont, in his quest to defeat Count Dracula. The game is set prior to the events of Castlevania and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.

A standout feature of Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse is the ability to recruit companion characters. In addition to Trevor Belmont, who wields the traditional Vampire Killer whip, players can rescue and control three other characters: Sypha Belnades, a sorceress with powerful magical attacks; Grant Danasty, an agile wall-climbing thief capable of swift movement and high jumps; and Alucard, Dracula's son, who can transform into a bat and fire energy projectiles. Each character possesses unique skills and combat styles, adding significant variety to the gameplay.

The level structure of Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse is also quite unique, featuring branching paths. At certain points, players can choose to follow different routes, leading to distinct stages, enemies, and even potential companion characters. This encourages multiple playthroughs to discover all secrets and endings.

The core gameplay remains true to the Castlevania series: side-scrolling movement, jumping over obstacles, dodging, and attacking numerous monsters with the main weapon and various sub-weapons. Sub-weapons include axes, holy water, daggers, and stopwatches, each with specific uses and consuming hearts collected from enemies. The game's difficulty is notably high, demanding patience, skill, and memorization of enemy attack patterns and boss strategies.

The ultimate goal is to traverse Dracula's castle, defeat various sub-bosses, and eventually confront Count Dracula himself in an epic battle to save Transylvania from darkness.