Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse: all version differences

Category × version

Version differences

• AudioFamicom (JP)NES (NA/EU)

  The Famicom cartridge uses Konami's VRC6 chip, adding two pulse channels and a sawtooth channel. The Western cartridges use Nintendo's MMC5 instead, so the soundtrack was rearranged for the console's standard five channels.¹

• DifficultyNES (NA/EU)

  The Western versions are harder overall: several enemies hit harder, damage grows as the game goes on, and losing to the final bosses sends the player back to the start of the stage.²

• GameplayFamicom (JP)

  In the Japanese version Grant attacks by throwing daggers, while in the Western releases he stabs with a short dagger at close range.¹

• CensorshipNES (NA/EU)

  For the Western releases some enemy nudity was covered up, religious imagery was toned down and some enemy sprites were redrawn; for example, the ghoul rabbits became hunchbacks.²

• GraphicsFamicom (JP)

  Several stage backgrounds and color schemes differ, and the Famicom version has background effects that the NES releases lack.¹

• TextFamicom (JP)NES (NA/EU)

  The hero is called Ralph C. Belmondo in Japan and Trevor Belmont in the West, and the Western versions use a blackletter-style font.²

• GameplayNES (NA/EU)

  Only the Western versions respond to special name entries, such as HELP ME for ten lives, starting with any partner, or the harder second quest.¹

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