<s>
Castlevania	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dracula	I-Application
's	I-Application
Curse	I-Application
is	O
an	O
action-adventure	O
platform	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Konami	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Castlevania	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dracula	I-Application
's	I-Application
Curse	I-Application
is	O
the	O
third	O
installment	O
in	O
the	O
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
video	O
game	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
prequel	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
(	O
much	O
like	O
the	O
earlier	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
game	O
Castlevania	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
)	O
,	O
set	O
a	O
few	O
centuries	O
before	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Castlevania	B-Application
III	I-Application
abandons	O
the	O
action-adventure	O
and	O
role-playing	O
elements	O
of	O
its	O
immediate	O
predecessor	O
Castlevania	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Simon	I-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
and	O
returns	O
to	O
the	O
platform	O
game	O
roots	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
,	O
however	O
,	O
Castlevania	B-Application
III	I-Application
is	O
non-linear	O
:	O
Trevor	O
,	O
the	O
main	O
character	O
,	O
can	O
be	O
assisted	O
by	O
one	O
of	O
three	O
possible	O
companions	O
,	O
and	O
after	O
completing	O
the	O
first	O
level	O
,	O
and	O
at	O
several	O
other	O
points	O
throughout	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
is	O
given	O
a	O
choice	O
of	O
two	O
branching	O
paths	O
to	O
follow	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
feared	O
the	O
Belmonts	O
 '	O
"	O
super-human	O
"	O
power	O
,	O
but	O
with	O
Dracula	O
menacing	O
to	O
swallow	O
Europe	O
in	O
darkness	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
left	O
with	O
no	O
choice	O
but	O
to	O
call	O
Trevor	O
Belmont	O
(	O
Ralph	O
C	O
.	O
Belmondo	O
in	O
the	O
Japanese	O
version	O
)	O
,	O
current	O
wielder	O
of	O
the	O
Vampire	B-Operating_System
Killer	I-Operating_System
whip	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Joining	O
Trevor	O
Belmont	O
in	O
his	O
mission	O
to	O
defeat	O
Dracula	O
are	O
three	O
new	O
playable	O
characters	O
:	O
Sypha	O
Belnades	O
,	O
a	O
young	O
sorceress	O
with	O
poor	O
physical	O
attack	O
power	O
but	O
powerful	O
elemental	O
magic	O
spells	O
at	O
her	O
disposal	O
;	O
Grant	O
Danasty	O
,	O
a	O
pirate	O
with	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
climb	O
on	O
walls	O
and	O
change	O
direction	O
in	O
mid-jump	O
(	O
a	O
rare	O
ability	O
in	O
earlier	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
)	O
;	O
and	O
Alucard	O
,	O
Dracula	O
's	O
son	O
,	O
a	O
dhampir	O
with	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
shoot	O
fireballs	O
and	O
transform	O
into	O
a	O
bat	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
contains	O
a	O
specialized	O
"	O
VRC6	O
"	O
coprocessor	B-General_Concept
chip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Castlevania	B-Application
III	I-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
have	O
different	O
packaging	O
artwork	O
outside	O
Japan	O
,	O
painted	O
by	O
Tom	O
Dubois	O
using	O
alkyd	O
paints	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dubois	O
would	O
go	O
on	O
to	O
design	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
packaging	O
for	O
Super	B-Application
Castlevania	I-Application
IV	I-Application
,	O
Castlevania	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Belmont	I-Application
's	I-Application
Revenge	I-Application
and	O
Castlevania	B-Application
:	I-Application
Bloodlines	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
in	O
the	O
PAL	O
regions	O
on	O
October	O
31	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
January	O
12	O
,	O
2009	O
and	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
April	O
21	O
,	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
in	O
the	O
PAL	O
regions	O
on	O
April	O
17	O
,	O
2014	O
and	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
June	O
26	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
April	O
16	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
June	O
26	O
,	O
2014	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
PAL	O
regions	O
on	O
September	O
4	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
again	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
Anniversary	I-Operating_System
Collection	I-Operating_System
for	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
on	O
May	O
16	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
listed	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
ninth	O
best	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
video	O
game	O
,	O
praising	O
it	O
for	O
its	O
strong	O
improvements	O
over	O
previous	O
entries	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
Informers	O
Tim	O
Turi	O
felt	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
return	O
to	O
form	O
after	O
Castlevania	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
staff	O
felt	O
that	O
it	O
returned	O
to	O
Castlevanias	B-Operating_System
roots	O
after	O
Castlevania	B-Application
II	I-Application
yet	O
"	O
took	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
new	O
heights.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
GameZone	O
ranked	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
third	O
best	O
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
staff	O
preferred	O
III	O
the	O
most	O
as	O
it	O
felt	O
like	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
the	O
most	O
;	O
they	O
felt	O
its	O
price	O
on	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
was	O
worthwhile	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
retrospective	O
review	O
,	O
Allgame	O
editor	O
Christopher	O
Michael	O
Baker	O
highly	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
describing	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
the	O
greatest	O
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
game	O
to	O
ever	O
grace	O
the	O
NES	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
possibly	O
even	O
the	O
greatest	O
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
game	O
to	O
ever	O
hit	O
any	O
system	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
placed	O
Castlevania	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dracula	I-Application
's	I-Application
Curse	I-Application
5th	O
on	O
their	O
list	O
of	O
the	O
Top	O
100	O
NES	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Former	O
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
Producer	O
and	O
developer	O
Koji	O
Igarashi	O
cites	O
Castlevania	B-Application
III	I-Application
as	O
his	O
favorite	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
noting	O
the	O
sound	O
and	O
setting	O
as	O
the	O
reasons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shutaro	O
Iida	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
a	O
programmer	O
for	O
the	O
GBA	O
and	O
NDS	O
games	O
and	O
director	O
of	O
Castlevania	B-Application
:	I-Application
Harmony	I-Application
of	I-Application
Despair	I-Application
,	O
also	O
said	O
it	O
is	O
his	O
favorite	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
and	O
cited	O
the	O
special	O
sound	O
chip	O
in	O
the	O
Japanese	O
version	O
as	O
the	O
reason	O
why	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
1991	O
Captain	O
N	O
:	O
The	O
Game	O
Master	O
episode	O
"	O
Return	O
to	O
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
"	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
this	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
animated	O
Dracula	B-Application
's	I-Application
Curse	I-Application
movie	O
had	O
been	O
in	O
development	O
since	O
2007	O
with	O
writer	O
Warren	O
Ellis	O
,	O
Frederator	O
Studios	O
,	O
and	O
James	O
Jean	O
attached	O
to	O
the	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Titled	O
simply	O
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
first	O
season	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
premiered	O
on	O
Netflix	O
on	O
July	O
7	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
