Pachislot Castlevania III

Game Overview

Wow, talk about flooding the market. For almost a decade Konami hadn't released any new, Castlevania-themed gambling machines, and then in short order we had not only Castlevania: The MedalThe earliest of Konami's second wave of gambling machines, this is a two-phase slot game starring Richter Belmont as he goes on a recreation of his adventures at Castle Dracula. but all three back-to-back-to-back releases in the "Pachislot" series. And like the previous two editions, this third game, Pachislot Castlevania III (titled Pachislot Akumajo Dracula III in Japan, with the "Akumajo Dracula" translating as "Demon Castle Dracula") is the same basic game all over again, just with different art and thematics.

As with the previous two editions, Pachislot Castlevania III is a three-reel slot machine with an additional digital display above. Players are tasked with spinning the reels and then pressing a button for each reel when they want them to stop. Line up the symbols on the reels and the player would earn extra credits in the games. As a bonus, if they got a lineup of Lucky 7s they would unlock "Bonus Missions" on the top screen. By now, in this third iteration, you should be quite familiar with the concept of this game.

Like the previous games, Pachislot Castlevania III is light on the story, leaving most of the details up to the imagination of the players. The game is set as a prequel this time, featuring hero Trevor BelmontThe third Belmont revealed in the release history of the franchise, Trevor's clout among fans has grown. Between love for his first game, and his starring role in the Castlevania anime, Trevor is perhaps even more popular now than even Simon., aided by his classic allies Sypha BelnadesOne of three heroes recruited by Trevor Belmont on his quest to defeat Dracula, Sypha is a powerful sorceress, and one of the most famous members of her clan. and AlucardOne of three heroes recruited by Trevor Belmont on his quest to defeat Dracula, Alucard was the son of Dracula who turned from his fathers evil, battling against his cursed family line again and again., in a battle against DraculaThe lead antagonist of the Castlevania series and most famous vampire character in all media, all thanks to Bram Stoker. Based on the historical figure Vlad the Impaler, a vicious ruler of Wallachia in the mid-1500s.. As this is a prequel, and the previous games were based on assets from Castlevania: Curse of DarknessKonami's 3D follow-up to Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, this game featured expanded powers, exploration, and story, marking a deeper, although maybe not better, game., this could be thought of as a creative retelling of Castlevania III: Dracula's CurseThe third, and final, NES entry for the series, Dracula's Curse returned the series to its roots with a more traditional adventure. But it also added in branching paths, multiple characters, and new hero Trevor Belmont., although that's probably a bit of a stretch.

Still, this game marked the last game in this little sub-series, at least until the Lords of ShadowThe first full reboot of the franchise, the Lords of Shadow series introduced a new hero, Gabriel Belmont, and reimagined villains all in league with a new antagonist, Satan. spin-off machine (Pachislot Castlevania: Lords of ShadowThe fourth Castlevania pachislot game from Konami, this game came out a few years after the initial set. Instead of focusing on Trevor, this game is all about newer protagonist Gabriel Belmont on his quest against the evil lords of the realm.) released seven years later, so while the games did prove popular, the market was probably too saturated at the time to support any further games in the series for a while. Not that Konami was done with gambling machines, not by a long shot.