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EspañolCASTLEVANIA III: DRACULA'S CURSE
(Redirected from Grant DaNasty)
'''Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse''', known in Japan as , is the third installment in the ''Castlevania'' series of video games. It was published by Konami in Japan in 1989 and in North America in 1990. In Europe, it was published by Palcom Software, in 1992. It is the final ''Castlevania'' title to be produced for the Nintendo Entertainment System video game console.
''Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse'' is the third game in the Castlevania timeline, featuring Simon Belmont's ancestor, Trevor Belmont. According to the game's instruction manual, it takes place 215 years before the events in ''Castlevania I'' and ''. Many characters and elements introduced for the first time in ''Castlevania III'' became mainstays in the series. Many people who have worked on Castlevania games, and players who perfer the original platform style of Castlevania consider this to the be the strongest entry in the series.
The year is 1476, and after centuries of building his power with the ebony and crimson stones while laying in wait, Count Dracula has finally returned to Transylvania. The Belmont family of vampire hunters who had staved off evil after Leon Belmont defeated Mathias Cronqvist (Dracula) in 1094 are called into action by the Church. The Church had once feared the Belmont's "super-human" power, but they were thankful that Trevor Belmont, current possessor of the Vampire Killer whip, was able to answer the call.
Joining Trevor Belmont in his mission to defeat Dracula are three new playable characters: Sypha Belnades, a young witch with poor physical attack power but powerful magic spells at her disposal, Grant DaNasty, a fleet-footed pirate with the ability to climb on walls and change direction in mid-jump (a rare ability in earlier games of the series), and Alucard, Dracula's rebellious son, a dhampir with the ability to shoot fireballs and transform into a bat. Trevor can be accompanied by only one companion at a time, and the player can switch between Trevor and his ally with the "select" button. Both Trevor and whoever is accompanying him share the same health meter. The ending of the game differs depending on which companion Trevor has with him at the time, or if he does not take another character with him at all.
Trevor and his companions cross the Transylvanian countryside, defeat Dracula's minions, and eventually defeat the Count himself. Once his father is defeated, Alucard goes into a self-induced slumber, unable to cope with having fought his father. Moreover, he realized that his own power could pose a potential threat to the world. However, he would awaken in the late-eighteenth century when Dracula was revived by the Dark Priest. Grant DaNasty oversees the reconstruction of Wallachia after the battle is finished. Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades end up getting married once peace is restored in the region (according to the ''Castlevania Time Line'' included with ).
Alucard appears in several subsequent ''Castlevania'' games, as do Sypha's distant relatives (Carrie Fernandez and Yoko Belnades).
The storyline of this game is being transcribed into an animated feature by prolific writer Warren Ellis and art directed by James Jean [1] and is continued in 2005's '', which also features Trevor Belmont.
''Castlevania III'' abandons the adventure game elements of and returns to the platform game roots of the first ''Castlevania'' game. Unlike ''Castlevania'', however, ''Castlevania III'' is not strictly linear: You get an assortment of four characters, and after completing the first level, and at several other points throughout the game, the player is given a choice of paths to follow. The choices made by the player in these circumstances can have a profound impact on how the game unfolds. There are 15 stages in total.
There are two main routes through the game's 15 stages. The second stage is an optional excursion for picking up one of the three playable parter characters, and the main branch occurs part way through the third stage. Each route contains 9 stages total (10 if you choose to play the optional second stage). The upper route takes the player across the lake to the main bridge, entering Dracula's castle through the front gate, and is generally regarded as the easier of the two routes. The lower route takes the player through a series of underground tunnels and cavernous areas, eventually scaling the cliff side below the castle, and is generally considered more difficult than the upper route. The lower route also features one short branching section of its own at stage 6. The two paths converge in the main hall of the castle. The following table shows the routes available:[2]
Besides just the different name in Japan, ''Akumajō Densetsu'', the Japanese version has several other differences:
★ Instead of using a stabbing dagger, Grant throws daggers as his main attack.
★ In the North American version, each enemy takes away the same amount of energy when the player is hit. But as the game progresses, damage taken from enemies increases. Instead, in the Japanese game, each enemy takes a different amount of energy away from the player. Many fans believe this factor makes the Japanese version easier.
★ On the final stage, after losing to Dracula, instead of starting back at the level's second section, the player begins right outside of Dracula's keep (as in the original ''Castlevania''). This is another factor said to make the Japanese version much easier.
★ The game's font is different between versions, with the Japanese version using the same font as the original ''Castlevania''--a standard video-game font used in many other old games--and the American version using a Gothic-style font (with some similarities.)
★ The female statues in stage 8 are partially nude in the Japanese version. The statues were clothed for the North American and European releases.
★ The hunchbacks in the Japanese game are hopping gremlin creatures.
★ Several enemies are colored differently, have altered sprites, or have slightly different attack patterns, including the zombies in the first stage.
★ The original Japanese version contained a specialized "VRC6" music microprocessor chip which was removed in the North American and European releases. This chip added two extra pulse-wave channels and a saw-wave channel to the system's initial set of five channels. The majority of the music combines the channels to imitate the sound of a synthesized string section. ''See:'' Multi-Memory Controller. The reason for this removal was that the US version of the NES didn't have the ability support external sound chips, so the game was re-programmed for the USA release. Some of the percussion instruments were also slightly changed, even though the low-quality PCM channel was no less capable without the VRC6 mapper.
★ The Japanese version had slightly better graphics than the North American version. The backgrounds in many stages had special effects not seen in the North American and European releases, also due to the lack of the special mapper chip found in the Japanese cartridge (which Konami manufactured itself, all non-Japanese cartridges were manufactured by Nintendo).
List of Famicom Games
★ Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse Shrine
★
★ Mystic Spirit
★
★ ''Fan Listing and Information on Sypha Belnades''
'''Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse''', known in Japan as , is the third installment in the ''Castlevania'' series of video games. It was published by Konami in Japan in 1989 and in North America in 1990. In Europe, it was published by Palcom Software, in 1992. It is the final ''Castlevania'' title to be produced for the Nintendo Entertainment System video game console.
''Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse'' is the third game in the Castlevania timeline, featuring Simon Belmont's ancestor, Trevor Belmont. According to the game's instruction manual, it takes place 215 years before the events in ''Castlevania I'' and ''. Many characters and elements introduced for the first time in ''Castlevania III'' became mainstays in the series. Many people who have worked on Castlevania games, and players who perfer the original platform style of Castlevania consider this to the be the strongest entry in the series.
| Contents |
| Plot |
| Gameplay |
| Regional variations |
| See also |
| External links |
Plot
The year is 1476, and after centuries of building his power with the ebony and crimson stones while laying in wait, Count Dracula has finally returned to Transylvania. The Belmont family of vampire hunters who had staved off evil after Leon Belmont defeated Mathias Cronqvist (Dracula) in 1094 are called into action by the Church. The Church had once feared the Belmont's "super-human" power, but they were thankful that Trevor Belmont, current possessor of the Vampire Killer whip, was able to answer the call.
Joining Trevor Belmont in his mission to defeat Dracula are three new playable characters: Sypha Belnades, a young witch with poor physical attack power but powerful magic spells at her disposal, Grant DaNasty, a fleet-footed pirate with the ability to climb on walls and change direction in mid-jump (a rare ability in earlier games of the series), and Alucard, Dracula's rebellious son, a dhampir with the ability to shoot fireballs and transform into a bat. Trevor can be accompanied by only one companion at a time, and the player can switch between Trevor and his ally with the "select" button. Both Trevor and whoever is accompanying him share the same health meter. The ending of the game differs depending on which companion Trevor has with him at the time, or if he does not take another character with him at all.
Trevor and his companions cross the Transylvanian countryside, defeat Dracula's minions, and eventually defeat the Count himself. Once his father is defeated, Alucard goes into a self-induced slumber, unable to cope with having fought his father. Moreover, he realized that his own power could pose a potential threat to the world. However, he would awaken in the late-eighteenth century when Dracula was revived by the Dark Priest. Grant DaNasty oversees the reconstruction of Wallachia after the battle is finished. Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades end up getting married once peace is restored in the region (according to the ''Castlevania Time Line'' included with ).
Alucard appears in several subsequent ''Castlevania'' games, as do Sypha's distant relatives (Carrie Fernandez and Yoko Belnades).
The storyline of this game is being transcribed into an animated feature by prolific writer Warren Ellis and art directed by James Jean [1] and is continued in 2005's '', which also features Trevor Belmont.
Gameplay
''Castlevania III'' abandons the adventure game elements of and returns to the platform game roots of the first ''Castlevania'' game. Unlike ''Castlevania'', however, ''Castlevania III'' is not strictly linear: You get an assortment of four characters, and after completing the first level, and at several other points throughout the game, the player is given a choice of paths to follow. The choices made by the player in these circumstances can have a profound impact on how the game unfolds. There are 15 stages in total.
There are two main routes through the game's 15 stages. The second stage is an optional excursion for picking up one of the three playable parter characters, and the main branch occurs part way through the third stage. Each route contains 9 stages total (10 if you choose to play the optional second stage). The upper route takes the player across the lake to the main bridge, entering Dracula's castle through the front gate, and is generally regarded as the easier of the two routes. The lower route takes the player through a series of underground tunnels and cavernous areas, eventually scaling the cliff side below the castle, and is generally considered more difficult than the upper route. The lower route also features one short branching section of its own at stage 6. The two paths converge in the main hall of the castle. The following table shows the routes available:[2]
| STAGE 1 Warakiya Village | STAGE 2 Clock Tower of Untimely Death (optional) | STAGE 3 The Mad Forest | STAGE 4A The Haunted Ship of Fools | STAGE 5A Curse Castle | STAGE 6A The Moat Bridge of Peril | STAGE 7A Castle Courtyard | STAGE 8 The Main Hall | STAGE 9 The Inner Halls | STAGE 10 Dracula's Final Clock Tower |
| STAGE 4B The Murky Marsh of Morbid Morons | STAGE 5B Alucard's Cave | STAGE 6B-1 Sunken City of Poltergeists | STAGE 7B Abandoned Mines | ||||||
| STAGE 6B-2 Underground Catacombs |
Regional variations
Besides just the different name in Japan, ''Akumajō Densetsu'', the Japanese version has several other differences:
★ Instead of using a stabbing dagger, Grant throws daggers as his main attack.
★ In the North American version, each enemy takes away the same amount of energy when the player is hit. But as the game progresses, damage taken from enemies increases. Instead, in the Japanese game, each enemy takes a different amount of energy away from the player. Many fans believe this factor makes the Japanese version easier.
★ On the final stage, after losing to Dracula, instead of starting back at the level's second section, the player begins right outside of Dracula's keep (as in the original ''Castlevania''). This is another factor said to make the Japanese version much easier.
★ The game's font is different between versions, with the Japanese version using the same font as the original ''Castlevania''--a standard video-game font used in many other old games--and the American version using a Gothic-style font (with some similarities.)
★ The female statues in stage 8 are partially nude in the Japanese version. The statues were clothed for the North American and European releases.
★ The hunchbacks in the Japanese game are hopping gremlin creatures.
★ Several enemies are colored differently, have altered sprites, or have slightly different attack patterns, including the zombies in the first stage.
★ The original Japanese version contained a specialized "VRC6" music microprocessor chip which was removed in the North American and European releases. This chip added two extra pulse-wave channels and a saw-wave channel to the system's initial set of five channels. The majority of the music combines the channels to imitate the sound of a synthesized string section. ''See:'' Multi-Memory Controller. The reason for this removal was that the US version of the NES didn't have the ability support external sound chips, so the game was re-programmed for the USA release. Some of the percussion instruments were also slightly changed, even though the low-quality PCM channel was no less capable without the VRC6 mapper.
★ The Japanese version had slightly better graphics than the North American version. The backgrounds in many stages had special effects not seen in the North American and European releases, also due to the lack of the special mapper chip found in the Japanese cartridge (which Konami manufactured itself, all non-Japanese cartridges were manufactured by Nintendo).
See also
List of Famicom Games
External links
★ Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse Shrine
★
★ Mystic Spirit
★
★ ''Fan Listing and Information on Sypha Belnades''
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