Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse -- Stage 7, Alucard (1/2)

I'm going to level with you here on this one. I really don't like this stage much. It's not so much difficult as it is long (in some parts repetitive) and most deaths will be more like annoying "traps" than

I'm probably being unreasonably critical, but it's long...like...really long, and a lot of that length is just sitting around waiting, sometimes with those gargoyle enemies flying around.

At least the repeat boss for the middle of the stage has a much more interesting layout to the room if you brought the Holy Water...which if at all possible, I always do...everywhere. But you're already well aware of this, because it's just way too fun for me not to in most cases. The bosses that don't have a vulnerability to Holy Water are in fact the exception rather than the rule, after all...even among a lot of the ones that can fly.

Fortunately, we have Alucard or Grant, surprisingly to much the same general utility as seen here, since my flights are all short enough that they're pretty much within Grant's jumping and climbing height.

...although I could technically have used Alucard to climb the whole screen after the miniboss, but as usual I didn't want to waste the hearts for some reason...plus that repetitive behavior thing took over and I just kept following the pattern instead of thinking about it until the pattern changed, interrupting my (lack of) thought process.

Anyway, this video was kept longer than halfway just to make sure that I caught that...interesting transition at the halfway. A doorway to the middle of nowhere with falling stone blocks all around. Very interesting.

I think after that ordeal, thy placed that one extra life as an apology in the obvious wall with a platform that exists only to take you down to a spot where you can stand and break it, so even Trevor can get this one, no questions asked. Or maybe it's an apology if you're Trevor and you've got to go through the next room the long way around...what with all the bats and platforms...and it doesn't exactly get much better after that.

Oh, and forgive Trevor for forgetting himself and his footing in the heat of the moment, I know it makes for a rather anticlimactic end for this segment.

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• Castlevania
• III
• Konami
• NES
• 1990
• Trevor
• Belmont
• Adrian
• Alucard
• Fahrenheit
• Tepes
• Dracula
• Vampire
• Killer

[Overhazard]

Ah, that first segment with the falling blocks--the gargoles were there so you could earn hearts, in case you run out of them. It looks like Alucard's flying abilities were required there.

It seems like 1-Ups are exceedingly rare and you get an extra life after 20,000 points. Are there any other conditions? The life counter has a tens digit, but I don't see how it could be attained.

[YuuGiJoou]

You just have to wait for blocks to fall so you can climb to the ledge with the door. Grant needs fewer blocks and Alucard can skip the waiting altogether.

Apparently, if you use the name "HELP ME" at the beginning of the game, apparently every continue will start with 10 lives.

I wonder if there's actually a route through the game with enough 1-Ups that can get you that many lives naturally...

If there are other point thresholds that can get you extra lives, I've never reached one.

[EvilRyuGuy]

Most annoying castlevania stage ever.

[SilentWeaponsIII]

This stage was harder than the final two stages for me when I was a kid. Just pure death insurance with a side order of fail.

[Overhazard]

Is THAT why you get a tens digit...So far, I've seen you nab 4 1-Ups total. Add that to the bonus you get at 20,000 points, and it reaches 7.