Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse Stages
Courtyard
he first area through the gate of the castle is an open air bluish-green courtyard with a striking pink sunset sky. Unruly vegetation grows all over the stonework. Inside the castle, the defenses pick up and the traps get deadlier, so prepare for the worst. At the southeast end of this courtyard are three coffins and another evil spirit that will compel the inhabitants to attack. This time, Pazuzu joins the Mummies and Cyclops to put Trevor Belmont down for good.
The courtyard has a stunning appearance with fuchsia skies and rows of silhouetted black mountains. There is a bit of Garden Forgotten by Time flavor.
The vegetation grows wildly, hanging over stone passageways.
This is one of those jumps where you must get it just right. If Trevor is positioned like he is here, you should be able to make it to the tottering platform. Speaking of the platform, we'll see something like it again in Castlevania Chronicles.
This room is recalling of the Ruins of Castlevania from Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.
This is one of the coolest looking little areas in the entire series to me. I wonder if the graphic designers really knew what they had on their hands when they made this chamber.
Enemies:
• Scimitar
• Harpy
• Hunchback
• Ball of Destruction
• Bone Pillar
• Axe Knight
• Raven
• Gates of Death
Boss:
• Mummies
• Cyclops
• Pazuzu
Map:
Music Track:
• Aquarius
Underground Catacomb
Finally, inside Castlevania, but this is really coming in through the rear end of it. Welcome to the very bottom of the Castle and where the remains of the dead are stored. It's a deep dark cave of bones, skulls, bats, and floating platforms that aren't too hard to fall, or get knocked off of by the occasional clever bat or merman. This is the area you will eventually come upon if you choose to continue the path through Alucard's Cave, so it's one bleak cave to another. If that is getting a bit redundant, I regret to tell you that the area after this is another cave.
One love tap from an enemy is all it takes to send Trevor plunging to a watery grave. A stop watch is ideal for a risk like this. Maybe the catacombs from the first Castlevania game inspired this stage.
Wall mounted Skulls observe Trevor Belmont surrounded by mummies.
Piles and piles of human bones are stacked in this underground cave.
Talk about a bumpy ride. More floating platforms mean more bats that will try to knock you off them, so stay alert. And watch your head, too.
If you didn't face the abomination that is Frankenstein's Monster at the Curse Castle, you have an opportunity to stand toe to toe with this colossal monster of a man here.
Enemies:
• Bat
• Merman
• Scimitar
• Mummy Man
• Gates of Death
• Red Skeleton
Boss:
• Frankenstein's Monster
Map:
Music Track:
Abandoned Mine
Yep. Another cave. Trevor Belmont certainly doesn't have it as glamorous as his ancestor Leon did, who traveled through beautiful gardens, churches, and theatres. For Trevor, it's rugged terrain. This stage is incredibly long and there is quite a bit of waiting involved. You will find rooms where acid must melt blocks to open paths so you may continue, and others where blocks must fall from above to form towers to scale in order to reach greater heights. If you have Alucard with you, some of this can be bypassed.
The big bat from the marsh makes an encore appearance, but it can be more troublesome since there are pits around the battlefield. After the bat and falling brick segments, there is still a good deal of area to cover. Outdoor pathways with giant spiders and skeletons, a series of sinking platforms, and another one of those rising rooms that will leave you behind if you don't hurry up them. At the end, Trevor is stuck in a triple threat, where he faces Mummies, a Cyclops, and Pazuzu – the same set of bosses from the Courtyard.
Now, we're within the rocky innards of some mountain. Brace yourselves for a very long and difficult stage.
You will have to wait for the acid droplets to eat away enough of the stones to make a path.
Chains hold a stone path above water, but the bricks are not that sturdy. Hurry and get to solid ground, but watch out for incoming bats!
The Giant Bat returns for round two. Make sure it doesn't knock you into the deadly waters below.
This part requires a lot of patience, but it was courteous of the game designers to give us a pleasant background to look at while waiting for this tower of blocks to get tall enough so that we can move on.
Enemies:
• Dhuron
• Hunchback
• Bat
• Axe Knight
• Blood Skeleton
• Medusa Head
• Knight
• Winged Guard
• Mummy Man
Boss:
• Phantom Bat
• Mummies
• Cyclops
• Pazuzu
Map:
Music Track:
• Anxiety
Main Halls
At last, the interior of Count Dracula's Castle. It should be a very familiar sight to those who have played the first Castlevania game. Pallid walls with gauzy, tattered drapery and windows looking out to the nightscape beyond. . . Of course, this wouldn't be complete without the mindless undead zombies roaming the halls, would it?
Differences this time come in the form of an armory and spikes featuring the bodies of the impaled beneath a series of high suspension bridges, one of which is so fragile it breaks when Trevor lays a foot on it. Death is waiting at the end of this hall in a macabre chamber filled with skulls and bones. It is a striking sight to see in these familiar halls, but very fitting for Dracula's confidant.
Another difference between the Japanese and U.S. versions is that these statues are topless in the Japanese.
They don't call Dracula the Impaler for nothing. Below, you can see poor souls who were tortured by being impaled on spikes.
This armory is fittingly guarded by ghostly armor. It leads above to a long bridge.
Another collapsing bridge. This time we can see exactly what happens to those who fall . . . and it is a terrible fate.
The Grim Reaper has positioned himself in the Entrance Halls, which is uncharacteristic of him. His presence must mean his Master is nearby.
Enemies:
• Zombie
• Axe Knight
• Bat
• Spider
• Dhuron
• Slime
• Skeleton
• Bone-Throwing Skeleton
• Knight
Boss:
• Death
Map:
Music Track:
• Deja Vu
Inner Halls
This area begins outdoors in a small wood teaming with harpies and fleamen. It eventually leads into a structure connected to a waterfall that is riddled with traps and monsters. The defenses in this area are extremely high, and quick death looms around every corner.
If you've made it this far you are very close to Count Dracula, and things are only going to get tougher from this point on. At the waterfall are flights of steps. This is a very treacherous spot that ascends a long way. Enemies will be positioned on both sides while Trevor is left quite vulnerable on stairs. Once this area is past, another tower will need to be ascended as we climb higher up to the Castle's peak. Go up with the greatest haste, otherwise the traps may slay our heroes.
Work your way through this wicked forest quickly. The enemies will try to overwhelm you with speed and numbers.
Not the most welcoming accommodations ever seen, but that's no surprise.
Think back to that clash on the staircase in Curse Castle, but imagine it about two times harder and this area is what you'll get.
Going back to similar situations once more, this is like the Moat Bridge of Peril, but the positioning of Ravens makes this area much more problematic.
Whatever you do, don't jump. The platforms will flip over.
Enemies:
• Harpy
• Hunchback
• Bone Pillar
• Winged Guard
• Ball of Destruction
• Scimitar
• Axe Knight
• Raven
• Merman
• Medusa Head
Boss:
• Doppelganger
Map:
Music Track:
• Riddle
Castle Keep
This is the final area of Dracula's Castle, which begins atop golden towers obscured by mist where a view of a far off mountain range is seen. This area is short but as tricky as they come. After descent made down a clock tower, unsteady footing may give way, plummeting our heroes into spikes. If this weren't enough, the enemies have been placed in very strategic positions, giving them a distinct advantage. If you can make it past all this, you will stand at the fateful stairway to Dracula's chamber, where the Count waits. This is the first battle between the Belmonts and Dracula . . . a battle you cannot afford to lose, for the sake of Europe and the world.
Heavy fog covers the higher recesses of the Castle.
Another clock tower with Medusa Heads. Head down this vertical shaft before the screen leaves you behind, but don't go too quickly, or our heroes will fall to some uncertain fate.
A very precarious situation. A fortified bone pillar guards a door, and we can't even stand on the bricks for too long or they will break. Too add to the trouble, bats will stream in from different directions.
One false move is all it takes to end your journey here. Players of the Japanese version will have it easier, since there are no bats to add to their worries.
This is the moment you have been waiting for, and the moment Trevor's ancestor Leon has been waiting for. The fate of the world rests heavily on your shoulders.
Enemies:
• Raven
• Blood Skeleton
• Medusa Head
• Bone Pillar
• Spider
• Gates of Death
• Skeleton
• Bat
Boss:
• Count Dracula
Map:
Music Track:
• Pressure
