Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse (USA) ROM

The plot of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse is a prequel to the original Castlevania set a few centuries before the events of the original game.
Castlevania III abandons the adventure game elements of its immediate predecessor and returns to the platform game roots of the first Castlevania title. Unlike Castlevania, however, Castlevania III is not strictly linear: Trevor, the main character, can be assisted by one of three possible assistant characters, and after completing the first level, and at several other points throughout the game, the player is given a choice of two paths to follow.

Castlevania III returns to its roots and features all the best platforming goodness, now with 100% more awesome. Well, except that opening animation...blurg, motion sickness.

Controls seem more fluid as well as the addition of variable jump distance/height.

Graphics seem to remain in the same degree as the previous titles but the world is more fleshed out, more detailed, and more interesting to look at. Bosses were very well done.

Sound was top notch, featuring a fully fleshed out soundtrack and was a pleasure to listen to. SFX were at an acceptable level and sounded just fine.

Gameplay, as mentioned previously, is classic platforming with more puzzle elements. There are weighted see-saw poles, deteiorating floors, floors that flip to spikes, moving platforms, and more. The levels that moved where the player had to anticipate and navigate the platforms before the screen edge caught them were my favorite, not sure what the proper term for that is. Also new to the series is the addition of 3 potential 'team mates' and multiple endings based on the paths/teammate you choose. It gives the game a sense of replayability. The boss fights were way more interesting, too. Defeating the final boss actually felt like an acomplishment!

Overall, I found the entirety of the game to be enjoyable and challenging, certainly more challenging than the previous two titles. This is a must-play in my book.