Castlevania: Dracula’s Curse

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse is a platform action game developed and published by Konami, released in Japan in 1989 and in North America in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a prequel to the original Castlevania (1986), following Trevor Belmont, ancestor of Simon Belmont, as he leads a mission to defeat Dracula before the vampire lord can conquer Transylvania.

The game significantly expanded on the original Castlevania's design by introducing multiple branching routes through its stages and three recruitable companions: Grant DaNasty, a pirate with wall-climbing ability; Sypha Belnades, a magic-wielding sorceress; and Alucard, Dracula's half-human son. Players can swap between Trevor and one companion at any time, giving the game considerable replayability through different route and character combinations. The North American version is notable for its revised soundtrack, produced separately due to limitations in the NES audio chip used in western cartridges, which differs substantially from the Japanese Famicom Disk System original.

Dracula's Curse was well-received at the time of release for its ambition and difficulty, and it holds a significant place in Castlevania franchise history. Alucard's introduction here set the stage for his lead role in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997). The game is available through Nintendo Switch Online's NES library.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse (2026), developed by Evil Empire and Motion Twin, is a direct sequel set 23 years after this game's events.