Castlevania II: Simon's Quest isn't a bad game by any means, but the Vampire Killer-like gameplay combined with a rather easy difficulty level didn't sit well with fans of the series. Hoping to repair the Castlevania name, Konami looked toward the previous games in the series to see what fans liked, what worked well, and what it could tweak to make a new Castlevania game a little more appealing. Konami knew that the branching paths helped to extend gameplay value because it let people explore the Transylvanian landscape a little more, and it knew that fans liked the straightforward approach of the original Castlevania. The result of the combination of gameplay from previous games: Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.

Castlevania III marks a return to original Castlevania gameplay, but there is one major difference--Simon Belmont isn't the only playable character. In fact, Simon Belmont isn't even playable at all. In Castlevania III, fans are introduced to Trevor, a new Belmont, who is a little different from Simon. One, he has a cape that he so triumphantly throws over his shoulder at the beginning of the game, and two, he has a headband. Aside from these minor details, Simon and Trevor are basically the same, since they use the same special weapons, walk in the same manner, and have the same jumping and whipping abilities. So there is no reason to complain about Simon Belmont's absence in Castlevania III.

The next playable character Trevor encounters is a sorceress named Sypha Belnades, who is frozen as a statue within an area guarded by an enormous hammer-wielding cyclops. When you free her by defeating the cyclops, you again have the option of letting her join your party. But by letting her join, you force Grant to leave the group. It's an interesting system that adds some depth to an otherwise simplistic game, since you actually have to decide whether or not you want Sypha's advanced magic attacks instead of Grant's climbing ability. Though if you know how worthless Sypha's abilities are before making the decision, there isn't much strategy involved at all, and the decision to stick with Grant is clear.

	Evolution of Alucard
	Needless to say, Alucard's metamorphosis from a simplistic cape-wearing vampire to a dynamic Vampire Hunter D-like figure is rather dramatic.

Though Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse plays very much like the original Castlevania, Konami put a twist on the old formula when it introduced the branching paths found in Vampire Killer and Simon's Quest. After completing a level, a map shows up on the screen to show where you are in the game. Underneath the map, there are two levels separated by a staircase that you walk up or down, depending on the next level you select. For example, after defeating the first level, you can take a side quest that leads up to the clock tower to find Grant DaNasty or you can continue on the main path that leads into the forest. The branching paths that lead into linear levels work well and add even some more depth to a genre that traditionally lacks such features.