The combat system in Darkstalkers 3 is unique in comparison to that of the previous games in the series. No longer is it a question of rounds; rather, it is a question of the Damage Gauge System. Every character has not one but two different life meters. The objective is to deplete those possessed by the rival. The player has access to a total of six buttons for this purpose, including three for kicking and three for punching. Each time one of the players observes that his health bar has been depleted, the two combatants return to their starting positions as if the fight were just beginning.
The life gauge of the character who did not suffer a loss is kept by that character, while the other character is given a new gauge. As the players land blows, they fill up the Dark Force System, which, once it is full, enables them to perform special blows that are more powerful than those that are offered as standard. When the player is hit by an enemy, he will notice that some of his life points have been reduced to a white color. He will sustain no harm while regaining possession of them. “Dark Force Change” and “Dark Force Power” are the names of the two new game modes that have been added to Darkstalkers 3 in comparison to the arcade versions of the game. In both, the player must initially choose a character before engaging in a series of battles in order to level up that character’s capabilities.
