If you're a Castlevania fan you definitely can't miss this.
This game has got to be, in my opinion at least, the best of the three NES Castlevanias. Despite being the third in the series it's actually a prequel to the first two titles. It tells the story of the Bellmont family's first battle with the evil Count Dracula, at least before the developers messed up the timeline in future games. You play here as Trevor rather than Simon Bellmont, though the two have more or less the same powers and abilities. Unlike the first two games you actually get companions on your journey, although you can only have one with you at any given time. These are Grant Da Nasty, an undead pirate with the peculiar ability to climb walls, Sypha Belnades, a warlord and magician whose gender has been the subject of some debate for years, and Alucard, Dracula's own son, who has chosen not to follow in his father's evil. The gameplay, aside from having companions, is much the same as in the original Castlevania, though you have multiple branching paths to choose from in your quest. This means of course that you can take different routes to Dracula's castle on each playthrough. The game also features a password system the way Simon's Quest did, and that can be useful if you get a game over and want to come back to the same stage later. One of the games greatest aspects is its incredible soundtrack, which is even better than that of the original. In fact there's even a catchy remix of the first stage theme from the original Castlevania. All in all this is an excellent game that should be in any NES owner's collection, especially if that collection happens to include the other two titles in the trilogy.
Reviewed by: Bryan Peterson from Twin Falls on 11/2/2012
5