[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o] +x .# ## # # x+;,- =X # # # # # # # # . #### #####.#=########################-############.########## ###### ###,+x###xxx##. #. ##=+X##. #, =#;-+###+#x##;##;==x#####x =# x=x#X# ##x +# ;. x, #x -#; # # # # # # # , # -+ X- -##+# -#; .#########X# ####;. +# .#### +#, #. # # # ##-,. # -# =# x##;. +#x;######X. #########X# ##= ,# .### ## ,# # ####+ # .# # # # # -- +- -##=####### x# =+#X# . ##= - x xx # # # ## ## # # # # ; - ##=#;##= ###### , ###-+X+##+==+##-.xX ##,,.=## ##X-X=;# =#;x#,##-++;###### -####,;.#####x#X##################### ########################## +=--# #, # #x ; #=.-= #;, # ## #x# .# - DRACULA X - -##= ### # .# # ,# # # ## [o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o]~[o] *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* * Castlevania: Dracula X * * FAQ/Walkthrough * * By Super Nova * * supernova54321@hotmail.com * * Final Version, last updated 28/2/04 * *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* =============================================================================== >>>>> T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S <<<<< =============================================================================== ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you want to go directly to one of these sections, highlight the ID of the one you want (e.g. if you want II. Introduction then highlight #2.0) and do Find (Ctrl + F). I used roman numerals for no particular reason other than because they suit the style of the game (dark) better than normal numbers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Version History.................................................... #1.0 II. Introduction...................................................... #2.0 III. Story............................................................ #3.0 IV. Basics............................................................ #4.0 i. FAQ............................................................... #4.1 ii. Controlling Richter.............................................. #4.2 iii. Characters...................................................... #4.3 iv. Items............................................................ #4.4 v. Enemies........................................................... #4.5 V. Walkthrough........................................................ #5.0 i. Stage 1 - Burning Town............................................ #5.1 ii. Stage 2 - Castle Gates........................................... #5.2 iii. Stage 3 - Castle Center......................................... #5.3 iv. Stage 4 - Mine................................................... #5.4 v. Stage 4' - Catacombs.............................................. #5.5 vi. Stage 5 - Inner Sanctum.......................................... #5.6 vii. Stage 5' - Underground Lake..................................... #5.7 viii. Stage 6 - Clocktower........................................... #5.8 ix. Stage 7 - Castle Keep............................................ #5.9 VI. Endings........................................................... #6.0 VII. Bosses........................................................... #7.0 VIII. Game Genie Codes................................................ #8.0 IX. Email Me.......................................................... #9.0 X. Credits............................................................ #10.0 XI. Legal Disclaimer.................................................. #11.0 =============================================================================== O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O | #1.0 - Version History | O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O O-------------O |Final Version| O-------------O Submitted 28/2/04 New additions in this version include: -A FAQ section to answer any common questions; -A new strategy for defeating the Water Dragon. O-----------O |Version 1.0| O-----------O Submitted 21/11/03 A complete walkthrough for the game. This version includes: -Story; -Basics (controls, items etc.); -A full walkthrough for every level; -The different possible endings; -A boss guide; -Game Genie codes. O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O | #2.0 - Introduction | O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O Castlevania: Dracula X (also known as Akumajou Dracula XX in Japan and Castlevania: Vampire's Kiss in Europe) is certainly one of the weakest entries in the classic series, and it is dwarfed by its excellent predecessor, Super Castlevania IV. Nevertheless, it is a solid game with some good platforming. It's really a SNES port of the great Akumajou Dracula X: Chi No Rondo, which never made it out of the Land of the Rising Sun, but is hailed by some as the best Castlevania yet. Some of the best bits (like playing as Maria) have been cut out, but Richter is still the best Belmont, and the game has one of the more memorable Dracula fights (because it's so damn hard). So if you were brave and bought this game seven odd years ago (or got it off eBay for a few pounds) then congratulate yourself on your sense of adventure. Hopefully this FAQ will prevent you from going crazy from frustration and flinging your cartridge out of the window. Wow, have I really been wittering on for three paragraphs? OK, let's get started... O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O | #3.0 - Story | O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O (This is taken from the introductory sequence in the US version). Transylvania. The Middle Ages.... An evil Darkness had befallen the land, giving rise to sinister vampire legends. Until now the people of Transylvania had grown accustomed to their peaceful existence, secure in the knowledge that their famed hero, Simon Belmont, had sealed the fate of Count Dracula several hundred years prior. Wicked townsfolk, possessed by the Darkness conspired to revive the King of Blood.... Dracula, now undead once more, plotted to exact revenge upon the descendant of the family that destroyed him... Richter Belmont. The Prince of Evil viciously attacked the town with his unholy legion. He snatched away Richter's girlfriend, Annet and her sister, Maria. Imprisoning them in his vile castle, he lives in wait for Richter to attempt a rescue. Richter, burdened by his destiny, left for Dracula's castle with his legendary ancestral whip, the determination to save his loved ones and the resolve to send Dracula to eternal damnation once and for all! O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O | #4.0 - Basics | O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O O----------O |#4.1 - FAQ| O----------O Question: What is Castlevania: Dracula X? Answer: It is the SNES conversion of the Japan-only Akumajo Dracula X: Chi no Rinne, released for the PC engine in 1993. In order to fill in the timeline for US and European players, this watered-down version of the aforementioned classic was released for the SNES in 1994. It is also the direct prequel to the acclaimed Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on PlayStation. Q: What are the main differences between Chi no Rinne and Dracula X? A: Well, apart from sound and graphics issues (the PC Engine game was on a CD, and so could support excellent quality sound and beautiful anime graphics), the games are essentially the same. However, all of the levels in Dracula X are different (smaller) than in Chi no Rinne. The feel of each level has been retained, however. Also, some BGM themes (like the excellent "Cross a Fear") have been dropped, along with their counterpart stages. Finally, and most unforgiveably, Maria has been dropped as a playable character. Apparently there wasn't room on the cart (how did they make FFVI, I wonder?) Q: Is it worth getting Dracula X if I own Chi no Rinne? A: If you own Chi no Rinne, you're a lucky person, as they go for $200+ on eBay! If you are truly a member of the elite Castlevania Collector's Club, then you'll probably own Dracula X anyway. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother. This is just a downgraded version of Chi no Rinne. However, if you own Dracula X but don't own Chi no Rinne, and have a spare $200, I can only recommend that you get it. Q: Where in the series does this game fit? A: This is Richter Belmont's quest which took five years prior to the events of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. According to the Castlevania timeline, that puts this game in 1788. For anyone who's interested, Richter is the son of Juste Belmont (hero of Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance), and Maria is the descendant of Sypha Belnades (heroine in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse). Q: What is the music like in this game? A: The music is, as you would expect from a Castlevania game, excellent. As previously mentioned, the quality has suffered in the transfer from PC Engine to SNES, but it's still great. Themes that are particular favourites of mine are "Bloodlines" (Stage 1), "Picture of a Ghost Ship" (Stage 5') and of course the classic "Vampire Killer" (Stage 2). Q: Is this game really that hard? A: Well, compared to Super Castlevania IV, it is tricky. However, it's nothing compared to Castlevania on NES. Seriously. And the difficulty doesn't really detract from the fun. Except the fight against Dracula; that's so hard that "frustration" isn't an adequate word to describe how you'll feel. Q: How many characters are there? A: Richter is the only playable character, which sets this apart from most of the later installments in the series, where there is always at least one other person to unlock. Q: How long will this game last? A: A Castlevania veteran or a good gamer will have this licked in about three hours (four if you then use passwords to play the alternate levels you missed). Anyone else could take five to six hours, depending upon how often you die. O--------------------------O |#4.2 - Controlling Richter| O--------------------------O (The controls for the Whip, Jump and Itemcrash can be changed under "Options"). Control Type A Attack - Y Jump - B Itemcrash - X Control Type B Attack - A Jump - B Itemcrash - X Control Type C Attack - Y Jump - B Itemcrash - A Start - Pause game, display lives and score Select - Navigate menu L - No function R - Switch items on password screen Left/Right - Move Richter Down - Crouch Up - Climb stairs ~Tips You Should Know~ -Press Up + to throw your subweapon normally. -Press twice to backflip. -Make use of the "jump-hack" technique, whereby you launch yourself at the enemy while attacking, landing a more accurate hit. -Use the itemcrash wisely. It is very powerful, but drains jewels big time. -If you pick up an itemcrash you didn't want, don't worry; the old item will be thrown out of you, and you can pick it up again if you're quick. -Try to finish a level without getting hurt at all (virtually impossible!) You will be rewarded with a 1-Up. -If you have no subweapon or item equipped, pressing itemcrash will use the fire whip. -When you are in an area where you do not want to fall, duck when enemies are near. Normally, being hit makes you flinch backwards, but this holds you steady. O-----------------O |#4.3 - Characters| O-----------------O Name: Richter Belmont Description: After the destruction of the village and the kidnapping of his sister and girlfriend, Richter has no choice but to go after Dracula. Name: Annet Description: The girlfriend of Richter, she is kidnapped and locked up by the Dark Lord. Name: Maria Renard Description: The feisty half-sister of Richter. She too is captured and subdued in a cell. Name: Dracula Description: The main antagonist in the story, the Dark Lord who is the icon of this series is back again, and this time it is down to Richter to finish him off (the plots in Castlevania games are always original, aren't they?) O------------O |#4.4 - Items| O------------O ~Subweapons~ These can be used as throwing weapons or in conjunction with Itemcrash. +------------+----------------+----------------------------------------------+ | Name | Cost in hearts | Normal Effect | +------------+----------------+----------------------------------------------+ | Dagger | One | Throws a weak dagger | | Axe | One | Tosses a decent-powered axe | | Boomerang | One | Hurls a cross which returns after striking | | Holy Water | Three | Breaks a vial of holy water onto the ground | | Stopwatch | Five | Freezes time, stopping enemies | +------------+----------------+----------------------------------------------+ ~Items~ +-------------+---------------------------------------------------+ | Name | Effect | +-------------+---------------------------------------------------+ | Key | Opens one locked door | | Potion | Grants invincibility for a short period | | Rosary | Kills all enemies on-screen | | Money | Adds varying amounts of points | | Roast Beef | Refills some of the energy bar | | 1-Up | Grants an extra life | | Small Heart | Adds one to heart total, for use with subweapons | | Big Heart | Adds five to heart total, for use with subweapons | +-------------+---------------------------------------------------+ O--------------O |#4.5 - Enemies| O--------------O Note that where I denote the frequency of an enemy, I mean that to correspond only to levels in which they appear at all. +-----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+ | Name | Frequency | Description | +-----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+ | Medusa Head | Common | A floating head | | Bat | Common | A flying bat | | Vampire Bat | Normal | A darker version of the bat | | Skeleton | Common | A walking, bone throwing skeleton | | Ape Skeleton | Normal | A larger, weapon-wielding skeleton | | Were Skeleton | Rare | A powerful, "mutant" skeleton | | Blood Skeleton | Rare | A skeleton who never dies | | Dog Skeleton | Rare | A pouncing skeleton of a dog | | Skeledragon | Normal | The skeleton of a dragon's head and neck | | Paranthropus | Rare | A colossal sized skeleton with a club | | Ghost | Normal | A drifting spirit | | Eye | Normal | An eye with a tail | | Zombie | Common | A moderately weak undead being | | Fishman | Common | A jumping fish-man hybrid | | Pillar of Bones | Normal | A fire-breathing, flame spitting sentinel | | Axe Guard | Normal | A powerful knight with a big axe | | Axe Lord | Rare | An upgraded version of the Axe Guard | | Spear Guard | Common | A knight who attacks with a long pike | | Sword Lord | Rare | A powerful knight with a large sword | | Water Head | Common | Like Medusa, but made of water | | Raging Bull | Once | A half-skeleton bull who chases you | | Demon Tombstone | Rare | A tombstone that rattles and dives at you | | Crow | Common | A weak flying enemy | | Mudman | Common | A mud-throwing mudman | | Mudzombie | Normal | A zombie made of mud | | Goblin | Common | Small, agile hopping creature. | +-----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+ O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O | #5.0 - Walkthrough | O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O NOTE: There are many, many enemies and torches throughout these levels, so I won't be pointing out every single one. I expect that you will kill everything and hack all torches that you can reach anyway. O-----------------------------O |#5.1 - Stage 1 - Burning Town| O-----------------------------O Password: ("AXE"=Axe, "WTR"=Holy Water, "HRT"=Heart) +---+---+---+ |AXE| |HRT| +---+---+---+ |AXE|AXE|AXE| +---+---+---+ | |WTR|WTR| +---+---+---+ When the level starts, hack the first three torches for hearts and a knife. As you approach the steps leading up to a raised platform, kill the skeleton with a flick of your whip. Another skeleton awaits behind the steps, so shatter it then climb up. Kill the undead up here and get the axe. Climb down and whip away another skeleton. Hack the final torch for a big heart and move on to the next screen. The next tall, tower room is a ladder of platforms. The bottom torch has a big heart in it, so collect it and ascend the ladder, killing the skeleton on the way up. As you go up the next staircase you will be confronted by more bats and another undead foe. Up another pair of steep stairways is a large heart you should be sure to get, and further up is a moneybag. Now jump across the two stone ledges and climb the final few steps then exit the area. You come to a fork; there is an upstairs and a downstairs. Kill the skeleton who jumps at you and jump up to the above platform. You will come to a gap above the heads of three stacked pillars of bones. Jump up and hack the torch to reveal a rosary. Collect it just as the medusa head flies in; if you get the timing right you can kill all four enemies. You may fall down; use this opportunity to get the torches on the lower level (which include a boomerang and some beef) then climb back up when you reach the spikes, whipping any annoying medusa heads as you go. Always wary of the medusa heads, make your way along the platform to a jump section after the first two gaps. Use the intermittent ledge to get to the opposite side, and whatever you do don't collide with the medusa heads or you will fall onto the spikes below and most likely die. Get the big heart and move on. You will be set upon by two skeletons on both the upper and lower levels, and the higher one will throw bones at you. Dodge the bones and kill the first then climb up and jump-hack the second. Go along the platform, down to the lower level and then to ground level. Cross through to the next screen, the hardest section of the level. It is a flat road with zombies coming at regular intervals. Keep moving, only pausing to hack the undead at the right moment. The torches contain varying amounts of hearts, money and a boomerang. After a few steps the raging bull (a.k.a. Behemoth, and one of the classic recurring enemies in the series) will appear, running after you from behind. You cannot fight it, so keep moving forward and jumping over or hacking zombies. The pit is really hard to jump, so go right to the edge before performing a leap of faith. The same applies for the second and third pits. The fourth pit requires you to jump over two rotating ledges in quick succession - very difficult indeed! - but then you can move on to meet the boss. Collect the axe if you don't have the boomerang and hack all the torches for hearts. Follow the path down and up then into a lower pit area. Move forward a little and the boss appears. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Cerberus ATTACKS: Pounces at you, charges forward into you, spits fire at you. STRATEGY: This guard dog from hell pounces from ahead of you and lands on the other side of the pit. Run to the other side and climb the ledges to reach a torch with a big heart. Wait until Cerberus comes near to you and unleash itemcrash to do about 15% damage. Now keep whipping and jumping when he charges, ducking when he pounces and dodging when he spits fire. If you get cornered on the far right, hop up to the high ledge and jump over Cerberus to relative safety on the ground. Keep at it until you tame the big mutt. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* Collect the boss crystal orb and you'll be teleported to the next level. O-----------------------------O |#5.2 - Stage 2 - Castle Gates| O-----------------------------O Password: ("AXE"=Axe, "WTR"=Holy Water, "HRT"=Heart) +---+---+---+ | |WTR|AXE| +---+---+---+ |AXE|AXE|AXE| +---+---+---+ |AXE|WTR|WTR| +---+---+---+ You start on a broken bridge. Jump across the first two platforms and on the third, longer one, hack the fishman who appears from nowhere. Keep going and collect the cross from a torch. Two more fishmen assail you as you go to the end of the ledge. Hop onto the next small segment and quickly jump to the next one and the next one as they sink beneath your feet. Another fishman attacks on this stepped ledge, so kill him and jump across to another beam, this time supported by columns. Be quick, and run along it, as it crumbles beneath you after a second or so. Unfortunately, there are many fishmen who continually fly up onto the ledge. As you know, getting hit by one sends you flying backwards. Try to time it so that you can hack them all and not get hit. You will soon be standing on a single outcrop. From here the drawbridge will open and you will automatically walk into the next section. You are now in a hallway of arches. A short way along is a skeleton, and then another. Bats fly overhead throughout the area. Get the torch for a big heart then run forward and jump as soon as you see a barrel. Kill the skeleton who threw it at you, and his brother who tosses barrels from higher up the stairs. Move along to the next screen. Now the decor has changed into a corridor with big curtained windows and a shiny floor. A zombie is up ahead, and as you move forward his friends come from behind and in front. Just keep going, and hack away from time to time. The undead melt like butter before the mighty whip of Dracula's Bane. When you are below a landing an eye appears. Kill it while the lid is closed and climb the steps. Get the holy water from the torch then jump across to the opposite landing. Here is an axe guard. He will either throw an axe above or below; jump or duck accordingly. It takes a few hacks to get the armour off and a few more to kill. Climb the stairs. Next up is a purple maze of passages. Go left and kill the skeleton dog then, from a distance, the spear guard. There are another two along this corridor, and those above will hack down if you stay still for too long. Get the big hearts along the way then kill the dog before the stairs. Walk along and kill the spear guards, both of whom like using the whirling attack, so beware. Jump the gap in the floor and go up some more steps. Out here is the castle exterior. There is a skeleton dog, a were skeleton and, further on, two eyes. Get the hearts and beef and use your best jumping and dodging skills to take out those mobile eyeballs. Now you can make your way to the boss. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Phantom Bat ATTACKS: Uniting into one large bat, which flits about and hurts when you come into contact with it. STRATEGY: Initially this boss is just a mass of smaller creatures. However, they unite into one big bat which flits about, filling the room and almost certainly hitting you. It is therefore in your interest to attack the small bats and, when the big bat is complete, attack it fast to make it small again. Use your subweapons (itemcrash if you've been stocking hearts) and whip from the vantage points on the left and right until it is killed. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* Use the crystal to get to the next stage. O------------------------------O |#5.3 - Stage 3 - Castle Center| O------------------------------O Password: ("AXE"=Axe, "WTR"=Holy Water, "HRT"=Heart) +---+---+---+ | |WTR|WTR| +---+---+---+ | |WTR|HRT| +---+---+---+ | |WTR|WTR| +---+---+---+ Descend the flight of steps and kill the pillars of bones. Go over to the far wall then jump up the ledges towards the left. Collect the big heart in the only torch. Avoid the falling spiked block and climb the stairs. Looking out for medusa heads, jump up the platforms to above where you just were and, dodging both spiked blocks, get past the gap. Kill the pillars of bones and jump through the steps on the right then climb them. Get the big heart and use the ledges to access the other side of the room. There is another heart by these steps. Climb them and jump to the next level. Then climb these steps and jump the gap where the moving spiked block is. Make your way to the stair going left and follow them up. Jump right to the first platform then again to the rotating block. Quickly kill the pillars of bones and get onto firm ground. Go across to the next platform which is similar, then up to the jetty leading out. In the bedroom, collect the big heart and carefully jump over the block and past the spear-weilding enemy onto the stairs. Go down and kill the other spear guard. Get the roast beef and go down to the sewers below the castle. Get the stopwatch, and jump to the platform below. Get the invincibility potion and ride the block across the pit. Duck at the spikes and watch that you don't get knocked off by bats. At the middle section, wait until you can jump onto the next block then do so. Fishmen also now join the crowd of guys wanting your ass. There is another pause for breath; breathe then jump onto the last block. Ride it to the far end of the sewer then jump up to the ledge and climb both stairways to go back up to ground level. Go right and kill the pillars of bones in the lower pit. Keep going in this direction, looking out for the axe lord's weapons, and climb the stairs. Hop along the platforms to the large one he is standing on and take him out (remember the strategy from level 2?) Go left to get to some pillars of bones and, beyond that, the way to the next area. You arrive in a room of pillars. You now have a choice; either you can continue on to the normal level four (follow the walkthrough to the end of the level) or you can drop down between the pillars and play stage 4' instead. You cannot do both in one sitting. Note that you cannot rescue Maria or Annet - and thus will miss out the best ending - if you choose to play stage 4'. If you choose to play the normal path, carefully jump across the pillars. After five jumps some pillars of bones await on a raised column, and medusa heads flock to harass you. It's really hard to make it through unscathed and without falling, so good luck. After the long straight of flat pillars you come to a horrendous pile of pillars of bones. This is evil. Thanks Konami. If by some miracle (or with the help of your Game Genie ^_^) you kill them, the worst is over. Collect the beef on the next pillar, and hop down to where the skeleton is. Kill it and move along to a double-pillar ledge. Another load of pillars of bones. Whoopee. If you have enough hearts, now is the time to itemcrash. The rest is just a matter of a few straightforward jumps to the far side and into the next area. This section is critical to the game ending. You are in a hallway of torches; most contain hearts, but the last two have holy water and a key. Take the key unless you don't care what ending you get, then move on to the next boss. I hope you're up to the challenge of never dying or losing an item. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Dyruahan ATTACKS: Swings his lance, jumps at you, throws icicles along the ground, throws his head at you, slowing you down for a second or two or causing rocks to fall from the ceiling. STRATEGY: If you want Maria and Annet, you'll have to do this without dieing. Luckily the boss isn't too tough. He appears from nowhere, where his lance was spinning. This is a horrible headless knight, but he's very mechanical and shouldn't be too hard to dodge. The head attacks are most dangerous, so use the roast beef at the far end of the room if you need it. You'll have no items to help you, so you'll have to rely on your whip to separate this knight from his other body parts too. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* Now hop into the crystal and Bob's your uncle! O---------------------O |#5.4 - Stage 4 - Mine| O---------------------O Password: ("AXE"=Axe, "WTR"=Holy Water, "HRT"=Heart) +---+---+---+ |AXE|AXE|AXE| +---+---+---+ | |WTR|WTR| +---+---+---+ |AXE|HRT|HRT| +---+---+---+ As soon as the level commences, a zombie runs towards you. Eliminate him, and make your way down the tunnel. Be sure to collect all the hearts in torches, but if you're planning on rescuing Maria you'd better not collect any items. You'll meet three more zombies on the way to the first step up to a higher level. Go up to the staircase, get the large heart in the torch and ascend the stairway. More and more zombies come if you hang around. Move left along the tunnel, past the cages in the backdrop. Three bats will fly above you on the way to the first gap in the ceiling, and you'll need to look out for incoming attacks from enemies. You'll meet a skeleton soon afterwards, so smash him and make your way to the stairs at the end of the corridor. Climb up and kill the bats and pillars of bones. Go back towards where you came from, this time on the upper floor. Get the big heart in the top left hand corner and move right. Jump the gap and kill any bats in your way. There is a skeleton and, beyond the mound in the floor, pillars of bones. Then you will be confronted with one more bony character before you can access the next screen. Jump up the stairs (collect the big heart on the way up) and get on the moving spiked pad. Jump off on the other side of the pit and kill the bat and axe lord. Look out; he is vicious and will charge at you causing heavy damage. As you follow the path along the tunnel, be sure not to be crushed by the falling spikes. There is some roast beef next to the fourth. Use the fifth to access the higher ledge and make it safely to the other side and beyond. Now you are in a deep shaft. Jump onto one of the upwards travelling buckets, and be careful not to fall off. Remember that doing so will lose the key. Skulls generate, with the intention of knocking you off, so make sure you're trigger-happy. Jump off to the left and step up the ledges to another set of rotating blocks. Hop onto one then *CRITICAL* travel past a small inlet on the right and jump across to a bucket travelling downwards. Get off into the niche and open the door with your key (Up + ). You will find Maria in a small chamber inside. She'll tell you that Annet is elsewhere in the castle. But don't rejoice yet! You'll still need the key, so stay alive! Get back onto the upwards side of the pulley system and jump off to the right at the top. Get onto another rotary and whip like hell as you go up, as by now the screen is filled with skulls. Remember to duck, and try to get the rosary on the way up to save hacking. Jump into the inlet on the left to access the next area. Go left up the ledges, and kill the goblin that jumps at you. Ignore the blood skeleton, as it will not die. Knock it down for enough time to sneak past. Kill yet more goblins and walk over the first spike block. Use the second when it is lowered to cross the pit. Use your (hopefully) good whipping skills to deal with the goblins on the other side and knock down the blood skeleton. Ascend the ledges of stone then go down again, constantly fending off goblins all the way. In the lowest recess is another blood skeleton, then the exit. Now you have another choice; assuming you still have the key, you can use the ledges to open the door in the upper right and rescue Annet in the next level. Alternatively, you can continue on the normal path to get one of the other two, less good endings. This walkthrough will carry on to the end of the level, so skip to stage 5' walkthrough if you took the Annet option. This next, final room is home to the boss of the level, whom you would otherwise avoided fighting. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Minataurusu ATTACKS: Stabs with his axe, jumps with an axe swing, dashes in mid-air, throws stones at you, breathes fire that causes temporary petrifaction. STRATEGY: There are big hearts on either side of the room, but as you may still have the key (which you will no longer need, thank God) they are fairly useless. Minataurusu is very aggressive and will constantly vary his attacks which he uses quickly and efficiently. Jump up on the small ledge at either end of the room and swipe at his head, then jump over him when he lunges at you. Also, try to get him in the back if you are quick enough to catch him off guard. After he uses the mid-air dash, he may crash into the wall, giving you some valuable seconds to get some attacks in. Soon victory will be yours. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* Get into the orb and you'll appear on the castle map, ready for the next level. O---------------------------O |#5.5 - Stage 4' - Catacombs| O---------------------------O Password: ("AXE"=Axe, "WTR"=Holy Water, "HRT"=Heart) +---+---+---+ |WTR|AXE|WTR| +---+---+---+ |AXE| |HRT| +---+---+---+ |AXE| |AXE| +---+---+---+ Run along the passage, due right, and jump up to the ledge. There is a big heart, but to get it you must fall into the slime, which pulls you down and is infested with spawning mudmen. Keep going right and kill the skeleton on the first outcrop. Hop across the next pit and collect the holy water from below if you feel it is worth the risk. Jump across another hole, and use the ledges to get past the big bog and up to the jutting rock leading onwards (again, look out for the skeletons). You appear in a passage below an axe lord and a skeleton. Both chuck stuff at you, so run right along the corridor. Kill the skeletons and collect the axe on the way if you wish. Use the staircase to gain access to the upper level and use your vantage point on a higher ledge to take out the two enemies up here with minimum effort. Follow the path to the next screen. You are now in front of another long mud section. The slime is now green, and sucks you in even faster, so if you want to take the lower road bear in mind that it is now very treacherous. I prefer to jump up to the rocky platforms above and jump along the rotating blocks to the first interlude in the middle. If you fall you can always keep walking along the bottom. Once again you are faced with the choice of the upper or lower road. The slimy pit is not without its rewards (a big red heart, money and a boomerang) but spawns many bats and mudmen, as well as the ever-present threat of being sucked down. If you go along the top, jump into the middle of the row of four twisting blocks and onto the other side then double-jump across the long line of rotating blocks to the stairs which lead to the next room. Go right along the corridor and you'll come across a large paranthropus. These giant skeletons can take a lot of punishment, so hack away and dodge to smash up the undead, and beware its bone-throwing capabilities. Further up is a skeledragon attached to the wall. Kill it from a safe distance and collect all the hearts it leaves before moving on. In this cavern you have no choice when you reach the end of the rock but to brave the pit of mud. Keep jumping, and try to avoid the spikes on the ceiling. Mudmen will spawn, but die to a single whiplash. Collect the big heart on the middle ledge and continue down the pit, this time with even more spikes on the ceiling. The key to getting pas them is letting yourself sink down a little while moving along then jumping to prevent complete immersion. There are two of these sections, separated by a torch containing a big heart. Look out for bats too. Then you'll come to a very long stretch of spikes which go higher at the end. Fortunately after that is firm land. Break the mound for some roast beef and enter the next area. Three of the torches in this chamber contain big hearts, and there is a knife if you need it. When you're ready, walk onwards to the boss. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Cloaked Sorcerer ATTACKS: (1st form) Throws triple fireballs, drops showers of bones which slow you down and form skeleton minions. (2nd form) Surrounds himself with demon tombstones, summons mudmen from the ground. STRATEGY: The arena is a long room full of blocks just above the ground. Many swirls of fire will combine to form the sorcerer. He will begin to attack with the techniques described above. This means that you'll be fending off other enemies as well as the boss himself. Keep on the ledges to avoid the skeletons altogether. If it gets too bad, take out the minions (they die in one hit). Killing the boss himself is a simple matter of jumping off the higher ledges and swinging your whip in mid-air. He takes damage quite quickly so the battle should be short. You can always use itemcrash to help if you need it. Unfortunately there is also a second form. A similar strategy should be employed, but take out the gravestones before attacking the boss. Whew! That was hard work! At least his death is very cool (shattering into pieces). *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* Now you can continue on to level 5. O------------------------------O |#5.6 - Stage 5 - Inner Sanctum| O------------------------------O Password: ("AXE"=Axe, "WTR"=Holy Water, "HRT"=Heart) +---+---+---+ | |HRT|WTR| +---+---+---+ |WTR|AXE| | +---+---+---+ |AXE|HRT|HRT| +---+---+---+ If you retained the key this far, you'll be pleased to know that within the path you have chosen it is no longer necessary. Go right along the screen and kill the ravens in your way, while dodging the swinging axe of the axe lord above. Jump up the platforms and onto the higher level where two more birds attack. Kill the axe lord and ascend the stairs to the exterior. The first thing you see is a bat holding a goblin. Slash them both and go right along the screen, killing the bats and the goblins in your way. They come from all sides in large numbers, so beware. You'll come to a slab sticking out of the ground; beyond this is a large heart and a money bag in torches. Keep going and climb up the stairs. Hop up to the level above and ascend these stairs too. In this room you should be warned that all brick platforms crumble within milliseconds of your landing on them. Go up the steps and run up and along to the moving block. On the higher level run right along the platform to another block. Jump across the gap to the crumbling block opposite and get onto the moving platform. If you need to buy time and it is not back down yet, jump up and down to avoid standing on the blocks. The same goes for the rest of this room. When you get up to the stepwise blocks, jump up them. You have to be skilled to get the torches, but it's worth it as all three contain big hearts. Try using the stopwatch if you have it to freeze the enemies and prevent them from knocking you off. Now go right and on to the next chamber. This is just a long landing with spear guards in it. They attack in all directions, so be on your guard (no pun intended). Kill the one in front of you, go downstairs, and eliminate the ones here too. Skulls also come to harass you. Go down the stairs to another corridor which looks identical to above. Fortunately, there are fewer enemies here. Only now they're sword lords! Kill the one in front of you, and keep backflipping out of range before once more coming in on the offensive. Traverse down to the lowest level and take out the sword lord's brother. Another guy blocks the stairs leading up, so kill him and go right upstairs using the staircase on the right. There is a skull here and a torch with an axe. Go back down and this time take the staircase on the left (go into the small chamber below for roast beef). You are now on the other side of the corridor you started from. Kill the spear guard and look out for blows from his mates above you. Climb the stairs and get rid of two more guards up there. Jump the gap and kill the spear guard on the other side (if you fall, you can go down the stairs and appear down below again, so take the left staircase to go back up). Climb up the stairs to get to the battlements. Go up the staircase and go right. Once more you will need to be vigilant, as many ravens attack in the area. Jump the first two gaps and carefully kill the axe guard. It is best to stand at the edge of the intermittent platform and attack him when he comes into range. Another axe guard awaits on the next ledge, so use the same tactic to kill him. Now quickly jump along the ledges, which crumble beneath your feet. Hack the torches for big hearts. You will reach a jetty leading to the boss room. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Lypuston ATTACKS: Rolls into a ball and jumps at you, runs along the walls and ceiling to lunge into you, punches, kicks, throws yellow fireballs, elbow-dives into the floor causing a semi-earthquake which throws debris at you. STRATEGY: You see a silhouette howl in the distance, and then it's upon you! This werewolf is very speedy, so have your wits about you. A bit like in a beat-'em-up, it will use a flurry of combos (kicking, punching, rolling), so maximise Richter's acrobatic abilities. Run out of the way when it dives, backflip when it comes in to punch, jump when it slides in a kick. And try to get an attack in whenever possible, until this full-moon goon goes down. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* Grab the crystal and you're home and dry! O----------------------------------O |#5.7 - Stage 5' - Underground Lake| O----------------------------------O Password: ("AXE"=Axe, "WTR"=Holy Water, "HRT"=Heart) +---+---+---+ |AXE|HRT|AXE| +---+---+---+ |AXE| |AXE| +---+---+---+ |HRT|HRT| | +---+---+---+ You needed the key to get you this far, but now at last you can substitute it for something more useful and no longer need to fear losing a life. Go right and use the two columns above the water as stepping stones to the opposite platform. Kill the fishman on it. Jump up to the tall thick pillar and kill another aquatic enemy who pops up in that annoying manner. Hop up the series of pillars to reach a solid platform, and look out for water skulls and more fishmen. Ignore the stairs and jump across the ledges in front of you. Take out the fishmen, get the axe in the torch, and hop down to the lower level. Fishmen will attempt to power slide into you, so beware. If you wish, you can collect the stuff in the torches in this passageway (hearts and a boomerang). Jump over to the skeledragon and kill it. Get the hearts and move on. Drop down to the platform on the right and kill the fishman. Fall to the right, then the left again. Get the big heart and fall onto the moving block when it's moving right (not left if you don't want to be impaled!) Jump onto the pillar then up onto the vertically-moving block on the far right. Jump onto the middle one and duck, and as it moves downwards get onto the one on the left to go up even higher (the columns on the upper left and lower right house torches containing big hearts). From here you can get the axe and big heart from on top of the spikes and use the horizontal block to get over and into the next area. You're now in a corridor of columns (I love alliteration). In a nod to level 2 of the Genesis Castlevania game, bloodlines, the water begins to rise rapidly. Ignore all items and run along to the right, jump up to the platform above, and keep going up along these passages. Look out for the skeledragon in the top right and evil water skulls. Always be wary of the spikes on the ceilings, which make jumping awkward. There is an invincibility potion at the beginning of the third level, so get that. Knock down the blood skeleton on level number 4, and kill the skeledragon which guards the stairs leading out. Whew! This is another important room, where you get the opportunity to rescue the second damsel in distress, your girlfriend Annet. Go down to the gushing spring in the bottom right hand corner and hack the pouring spring with your whip three times. This drains the water below you, allowing you to use the platforms to drop down to the bottom (don't be too hasty or you'll fall to your death!) The bottom left hand corner leads to the chamber in which she is held prisoner. She warns you that Dracula's power is increasing by the second, so hurry! Leave the room and use the platforms to get back up to where you first entered the tall chamber. Go to the left platform with a staircase leading upwards. Go right into the next area. Now get the big heart and fall down to the basins of water. The usual contingent of water skulls and fishmen await, but the tops of the small waterfalls also bubble up at you. The path goes down a step and then you'll reach a gap. Jump across to the other side and kill the raven in your way. Jump on to another series of waterfalls and follow this course. You will soon come across a stopwatch, just after three earthenware brick pillars, so collect it. Keep following this path which goes on for several metres, always producing more fishmen and skulls. Jump the last gap and travel on to the boss's room. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Water Dragon ATTACKS: Flies around the room, charging into you, breathes flames onto the ground. STRATEGY: This leviathan is very long, as is the battle you must undertake to defeat it. Only the final showdown with the count is longer. Hack at its head when it comes face on, and its tail when it travels away from you. Just jump along the vast hallway that serves as an arena. As usual, you'll have to be an opportunist; it's not easy to get attacks in, and you should therefore do so whenever possible. If you have the stopwatch itemcrash it can do a lot of damage. Whipping is hard, as the profile of the sea serpent makes it a pain to connect with. Unfortunately, this is all the advice I can give. Eventually, with perseverance, the boss will fall. Keep at it! NOTE: Thanks to Ardy who has this advice to make the fight very quick rather than a three-hour struggle: "You mentioned how long the leviathan fight can take and after killing him, I have a great tip in taking him out QUICK. The boomerang itemcrash effect does huge damage on him if you hit it at the right times (when he just enters the screens, he'll travel through all the boomerangs). 2 itemcrashes and 1 whip attack later, he was dead." Thanks! *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* Use the crystal the Water Dragon drops and prepare for another level of side- scrolling, whip-cracking action. O---------------------------O |#5.8 - Stage 6 - Clocktower| O---------------------------O Password: ("AXE"=Axe, "WTR"=Holy Water, "HRT"=Heart) +---+---+---+ |HRT|AXE|HRT| +---+---+---+ |WTR| |HRT| +---+---+---+ |WTR| |HRT| +---+---+---+ (Use this to get to the level as if you had done the bare minimum so far). Password: ("AXE"=Axe, "WTR"=Holy Water, "HRT"=Heart) +---+---+---+ |WTR|AXE|AXE| +---+---+---+ |WTR| |WTR| +---+---+---+ |AXE|WTR| | +---+---+---+ (Use this to get to the level as if you had rescued both the girls). Go right and up onto the mound upon which rests a blood skeleton. Knock it down temporarily in order to get past and kill the raven that flies at you. Jump onto the small ledge and onto the higher level in front of you (after K.O.ing the blood skeleton). Get rid of the last bloody specimen and climb the stairs to the next chamber. Hop across the slab in the middle of the pit and onto the staircase side. Ascend these stairs and get the moneybag and big heart in the torches. Kill the pillars of bones at the top. Climb up yet another steep staircase (with more money on the way up) and kill the pillars of bones at the top (ever get a sense of déja-vu in this game?) Go across the platform on the left, and beware the ravens that fly around you. Climb the stairs, kill a raven, get to the top, and kill the axe lord. Progress to the next area. Now you see a series of ledges falling downwards. Jump towards one when it is about level with your head and jump off to reach the other side safely. Kill any offending ravens and bats then repeat the acrobatics here. This time, however, you must jump onto another downward-moving ledge, then another, then another (four total) before reaching firm ground. It's tricky, and you have to be prepared to swish your whip in mid-air if a bat gets in the way. Climb to the far right and jump onto the platform and hack the torch for a big heart and another for roast beef. Now jump back across the four layers, this time keeping the extra height from which you jumped, so that you get to the higher level of the intermittent corridor. Hack the spear guard to pieces and be careful not to let him hit you back into the Jump across the single column of ledges (seems lame now) onto the other side and out. You're now in the clock tower proper. Hop over the two pits and climb the stairs. Jump up to the next level and kill the spear guard. Get the big heart and ascend yet another stairway. Go up the next staircase and kill the spear guard. Use the cog wheel to get up there. Jump onto the vertically moving block and hop off onto the cog at the top. Quickly jump onto the platform above and destroy the spear guard there. Climb the stairs, hop onto another moving block, and jump off to the right. Make your way along the cogs, get the big heart, and leave by the right exit. Hop onto the middle cog and onto the block on the other side, using the first moving block as a stepping stone. Look out for skulls that generate here. Jump across the next cog and surf the little one below it and get onto the large spinning wheel to reach the far side where an axe lord awaits. Bait and kill him, then keep going right to reach the next room. Kill the medusa head flying at you, get the heart in the torch and climb the stairs. Now ascend another staircase and jump along the cogwheels on your right. Should you fall, use the lower wheels to avoid the spikes. Still on the lookout for medusa heads, jump off at the far left and ride the block upwards. Get the roast beef and moneybag and ride another block up to the platforms on the left. Collect the rosary in the torch to rid the screen of any offending medusa heads and ride the final cog to reach a block which leads to the platform and exit on the left. Get the five big hearts in torches located in this room and ignore the knife unless you need it. Exit to the left. You will now fight one of two bosses; the grim reaper if you rescued both Maria and Annet, or the Skull Sorceress if you got just one or neither of them. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Skull Sorceress ATTACKS: Eyes pop out and turn into flames, red and blue poles or lightning- shooting spheres. STRATEGY: When you enter the screen you'll see a woman on the floor and a skull. The latter will come down and pick her up, and the battle begins. Collect the hearts in the torches either side of the tiny arena. All of the attacks involve the eyes, which makes the skull vulnerable at all times, as it has no self defence. You can, if you wish, attack the eyes themselves, but this is a waste of time. Use up your itemcrashes and attack the skull like mad while dodging the eyes themselves. This easy battle will soon be over. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Grim Reaper ATTACKS: (1st form) Throws spinning scythes which slow you right down. (2nd form) Swoops at you and hacks with a scythe, does a spinning scythe attack for serious damage. STRATEGY: He forms in the middle of the clock, and immediately begins swooping about you. There are hearts at either side of the tiny arena, and hopefully you have a decent item and a few more hearts already in stock. This is a tougher battle than with the Skull Sorceress, so use itemcrash as much as you can. Otherwise you'll have to rely on dodging and hacking. It can be incredibly hard to avoid all the scythes of form 1, and you'll probably want to use up most of your hearts then. The second form is easier because then Death stays on the ground, and is somewhat slower. However, his attacks at this point become much more powerful, so look out. He will soon go down after that. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* Whoever your boss was, get their crystal and prepare for the final stage! O----------------------------O |#5.9 - Stage 7 - Castle Keep| O----------------------------O Password: ("AXE"=Axe, "WTR"=Holy Water, "HRT"=Heart) +---+---+---+ |HRT|AXE|HRT| +---+---+---+ | | |HRT| +---+---+---+ |WTR|WTR| | +---+---+---+ (Use this to get to the level as if you had done the bare minimum so far). Password: ("AXE"=Axe, "WTR"=Holy Water, "HRT"=Heart) +---+---+---+ |WTR|WTR|WTR| +---+---+---+ |AXE| |HRT| +---+---+---+ | | |AXE| +---+---+---+ (Use this to get to the level as if you had rescued both the girls). Aside from your two main tasks in this level (completing it and listening to the cool music), you should try to preserve all your hearts, not to mention collect as many as possible. This will make the horrible final boss fight to come a little easier. Go right and up the steps to enter the final tower. Go right along the screen, collecting all the torches' content and killing any zombies that get in your way. Exit by the steps. The next room contains some pillars of bones. Trash them from the bottom and their pals under the stairs. Get the 1-Up here then ascend the staircase to a higher level with more of these skeleton sentries who guard the way onwards. Kill the skeledragon on the wall opposite where you enter this next chamber (lots of hearts!) and go down the stairs on the right. Drop down and kill the were skeleton and get the big heart in the torch then go out on the right. Using the two moving blocks, make your way up the first few inlets in this room. Collect first the heart in the first torch, and the rosary in the second (clears an annoying axe guard and some medusa heads) and keep travelling up. The niches on the next two levels contain hearts and a spear guard. Eliminate him and his friend on the floor above to facilitate the upward journey. Jump off on the top right for some roast beef then exit on the left (do not jump in the middle or the spikes will hurt you and you'll tumble to your doom!) Drop to the lower level to get the contents of all the torches then leave on the right. Go back up to the top again and back into the room. Jump onto the moving platforms and get to the waiting axe lord on the opposite side. The torch on the ceiling contains an invulnerability potion, handy for disposing of those blessed medusa heads. Exit on the left. OK, I hope you're ready for the final struggle between good end evil. Collect the content of all the torches, and have your subweapon as the boomerang unless you still have a stopwatch. Now, armed with your whip, a plentiful supply of hearts and your own courage, prepare to face the Dark Lord young warrior... *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Dracula (1st form) ATTACKS: Throw triple-fireballs at you, launches two black orbs that home in on you every four attacks. STRATEGY: This is an extremely long battle, especially when you combine the time taken to defeat both of Dracula's forms. He will teleport around the room, generally making himself hard to hit, and occasionally unleash one of the attacks mentioned above. You just need to be patient. Itemcrash is helpful, but you might like to save your hearts for form number 2. Just stay on a higher column, and whatever you do don't fall down. Whip Dracula's head when he appears to your left or right. That's basically all there is to it. The room is huge, so you could hop around it hoping to get a shot at Dracula en passant, but this is unlikely and risky. Stay put and get him to show his true colours, so that you can finally defeat him... Note that there is some roast beef at the far end of the room, but again you might like to save that for the harder, longer battle later on. NOTE: It's best to crouch on the pillars, so as to avoid being knocked into the bottomless pits below. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Dracula (2nd form) ATTACKS: Throws two huge flames which swirl around, aimed at you, and unleashes a beam of concentrated energy. STRATEGY: OK, this is incredibly difficult. It might even rank up there among the hardest boss battles in the history of video games. Dracula morphs into a horned monstrosity that jumps from pillar to pillar, crushing you if you're beneath him. You'll therefore need to be very mobile. He will also throw huge infernos at you, two of them, which weave downwards at you with the sole intention of knocking you into the pit. Occasionally he'll release a super beam of concentrated energy. Try to predict when this is going to happen, as the only way to avoid it is by ducking on the lowest pillars. Use guerrilla tactics; get in a hit where possible and make use of all the hearts you've stocked up. You may find it easier not to use them on itemcrash, but to shoot at the demon's head. Good luck - you sure are going to need it this time! *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* If by some incredible stroke of skill and luck you win, sit back and enjoy one of the most well-deserved endings of all time. You certainly earned this one - I hope you feel satisfied and fulfilled! O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O | #6.0 - Endings | O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O WARNING: Needless to say, this section contains major spoilers. If you are someone who likes to find out what happens on your own, DO NOT READ ON! Or if you do, don't come moaning to me. You have been warned. OK, so you want to know the three different possible endings. Maybe you don't want to play the game three times. Maybe you can't defeat the evil Count. Maybe you want to find out what happens, as the anticipation is killing you. Whatever the reason, if you would like to know the different ways in which the game ends, you've come to the right place. Here is a description of the ending sequence: Several anime-style screenshots of Dracula dieing and light returning to the Dark Castle are seen. The sun burns his flesh and his soul escapes. The next screens change depending upon who you managed to save. If you saved no-one, Richter is seen on his horse looking on at the distant crumbling castle. If you saved Maria only, he is seen holding her shoulders and the spirit of Annet is visible in the background. If you saved Annet only (unlikely, but possible), you see him holding her in his arms with the spirit of Maria in the background. If you saved both women, you see Richter hugging Annet while Maria weeps to their right. In all three of the endings in which at least one woman is saved, the next picture is that of Richter on his horse, as seen in the ending where you saved no-one. O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O | #7.0 - Bosses | O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O Here all the boss walkthroughs are put together from the guide, for your convenience. If you need help on a boss, it avoids your having to sift through all the text. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Cerberus ATTACKS: Pounces at you, charges forward into you, spits fire at you. STRATEGY: This guard dog from hell pounces from ahead of you and lands on the other side of the pit. Run to the other side and climb the ledges to reach a torch with a big heart. Wait until Cerberus comes near to you and unleash itemcrash to do about 15% damage. Now keep whipping and jumping when he charges, ducking when he pounces and dodging when he spits fire. If you get cornered on the far right, hop up to the high ledge and jump over Cerberus to relative safety on the ground. Keep at it until you tame the big mutt. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Phantom Bat ATTACKS: Uniting into one large bat, which flits about and hurts when you come into contact with it. STRATEGY: Initially this boss is just a mass of smaller creatures. However, they unite into one big bat which flits about, filling the room and almost certainly hitting you. It is therefore in your interest to attack the small bats and, when the big bat is complete, attack it fast to make it small again. Use your subweapons (itemcrash if you've been stocking hearts) and whip from the vantage points on the left and right until it is killed. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Dyruahan ATTACKS: Swings his lance, jumps at you, throws icicles along the ground, throws his head at you, slowing you down for a second or two or causing rocks to fall from the ceiling. STRATEGY: If you want Maria and Annet, you'll have to do this without dieing. Luckily the boss isn't too tough. He appears from nowhere, where his lance was spinning. This is a horrible headless knight, but he's very mechanical and shouldn't be too hard to dodge. The head attacks are most dangerous, so use the roast beef at the far end of the room if you need it. You'll have no items to help you, so you'll have to rely on your whip to separate this knight from his other body parts too. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Minataurusu ATTACKS: Stabs with his axe, jumps with an axe swing, dashes in mid-air, throws stones at you, breathes fire that causes temporary petrifaction. STRATEGY: There are big hearts on either side of the room, but as you may still have the key (which you will no longer need, thank God) they are fairly useless. Minataurusu is very aggressive and will constantly vary his attacks which he uses quickly and efficiently. Jump up on the small ledge at either end of the room and swipe at his head, then jump over him when he lunges at you. Also, try to get him in the back if you are quick enough to catch him off guard. After he uses the mid-air dash, he may crash into the wall, giving you some valuable seconds to get some attacks in. Soon victory will be yours. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Cloaked Sorcerer ATTACKS: (1st form) Throws triple fireballs, drops showers of bones which slow you down and form skeleton minions. (2nd form) Surrounds himself with demon tombstones, summons mudmen from the ground. STRATEGY: The arena is a long room full of blocks just above the ground. Many swirls of fire will combine to form the sorcerer. He will begin to attack with the techniques described above. This means that you'll be fending off other enemies as well as the boss himself. Keep on the ledges to avoid the skeletons altogether. If it gets too bad, take out the minions (they die in one hit). Killing the boss himself is a simple matter of jumping off the higher ledges and swinging your whip in mid-air. He takes damage quite quickly so the battle should be short. You can always use itemcrash to help if you need it. Unfortunately there is also a second form. A similar strategy should be employed, but take out the gravestones before attacking the boss. Whew! That was hard work! At least his death is very cool (shattering into pieces). *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Lypuston ATTACKS: Rolls into a ball and jumps at you, runs along the walls and ceiling to lunge into you, punches, kicks, throws yellow fireballs, elbow-dives into the floor causing a semi-earthquake which throws debris at you. STRATEGY: You see a silhouette howl in the distance, and then it's upon you! This werewolf is very speedy, so have your wits about you. A bit like in a beat-'em-up, it will use a flurry of combos (kicking, punching, rolling), so maximise Richter's acrobatic abilities. Run out of the way when it dives, backflip when it comes in to punch, jump when it slides in a kick. And try to get an attack in whenever possible, until this full-moon goon goes down. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Water Dragon ATTACKS: Flies around the room, charging into you, breathes flames onto the ground. STRATEGY: This leviathan is very long, as is the battle you must undertake to defeat it. Only the final showdown with the count is longer. Hack at its head when it comes face on, and its tail when it travels away from you. Just jump along the vast hallway that serves as an arena. As usual, you'll have to be an opportunist; it's not easy to get attacks in, and you should therefore do so whenever possible. If you have the stopwatch itemcrash it can do a lot of damage. Whipping is hard, as the profile of the sea serpent makes it a pain to connect with. Unfortunately, this is all the advice I can give. Eventually, with perseverance, the boss will fall. Keep at it! NOTE: Thanks to Ardy who has this advice to make the fight very quick rather than a three-hour struggle: "You mentioned how long the leviathan fight can take and after killing him, I have a great tip in taking him out QUICK. The boomerang itemcrash effect does huge damage on him if you hit it at the right times (when he just enters the screens, he'll travel through all the boomerangs). 2 itemcrashes and 1 whip attack later, he was dead." Thanks! *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Skull Sorceress ATTACKS: Eyes pop out and turn into flames, red and blue poles or lightning- shooting spheres. STRATEGY: When you enter the screen you'll see a woman on the floor and a skull. The latter will come down and pick her up, and the battle begins. Collect the hearts in the torches either side of the tiny arena. All of the attacks involve the eyes, which makes the skull vulnerable at all times, as it has no self defence. You can, if you wish, attack the eyes themselves, but this is a waste of time. Use up your itemcrashes and attack the skull like mad while dodging the eyes themselves. This easy battle will soon be over. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Grim Reaper ATTACKS: (1st form) Throws spinning scythes which slow you right down. (2nd form) Swoops at you and hacks with a scythe, does a spinning scythe attack for serious damage. STRATEGY: He forms in the middle of the clock, and immediately begins swooping about you. There are hearts at either side of the tiny arena, and hopefully you have a decent item and a few more hearts already in stock. This is a tougher battle than with the Skull Sorceress, so use itemcrash as much as you can. Otherwise you'll have to rely on dodging and hacking. It can be incredibly hard to avoid all the scythes of form 1, and you'll probably want to use up most of your hearts then. The second form is easier because then Death stays on the ground, and is somewhat slower. However, his attacks at this point become much more powerful, so look out. He will soon go down after that. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Dracula (1st form) ATTACKS: Throw triple-fireballs at you, launches two black orbs that home in on you every four attacks. STRATEGY: This is an extremely long battle, especially when you combine the time taken to defeat both of Dracula's forms. He will teleport around the room, generally making himself hard to hit, and occasionally unleash one of the attacks mentioned above. You just need to be patient. Itemcrash is helpful, but you might like to save your hearts for form number 2. Just stay on a higher column, and whatever you do don't fall down. Whip Dracula's head when he appears to your left or right. That's basically all there is to it. The room is huge, so you could hop around it hoping to get a shot at Dracula en passant, but this is unlikely and risky. Stay put and get him to show his true colours, so that you can finally defeat him... Note that there is some roast beef at the far end of the room, but again you might like to save that for the harder, longer battle later on. NOTE: It's best to crouch on the pillars, so as to avoid being knocked into the bottomless pits below. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* BOSS: Dracula (2nd form) ATTACKS: Throws two huge flames which swirl around, aimed at you, and unleashes a beam of concentrated energy. STRATEGY: OK, this is incredibly difficult. It might even rank up there among the hardest boss battles in the history of video games. Dracula morphs into a horned monstrosity that jumps from pillar to pillar, crushing you if you're beneath him. You'll therefore need to be very mobile. He will also throw huge infernos at you, two of them, which weave downwards at you with the sole intention of knocking you into the pit. Occasionally he'll release a super beam of concentrated energy. Try to predict when this is going to happen, as the only way to avoid it is by ducking on the lowest pillars. Use guerrilla tactics; get in a hit where possible and make use of all the hearts you've stocked up. You may find it easier not to use them on itemcrash, but to shoot at the demon's head. Good luck - you sure are going to need it this time! *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O | #8.0 - Game Genie Codes | O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O You require a Game Genie to use these codes. All credit goes to World-of-Nintendo.com for these. +---------+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | Code(s) | Effect | +---------+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | 83D95F25| Collect one heart to receive 99. | +---------+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | 84850CA5| Infinite life. | +---------+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | 84850DA2| Collect a weapon and get hit to receive 38 hearts. | +---------+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | 84850DA3| Collect a weapon, get hit and you'll lose your weapon. | +---------+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | 848502A4| Collect a weapon then get hit to get infinite hearts. | | 84850DA3| | +---------+--------------------------------------------------------------+ O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O | #9.0 - Emailing Me | O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O I've written a few guides now and I know that you need to be explicit to avoid stupid questions. Here is my list of golden rules for email writing: 1: Never, ever send me spam. Any kind of inappropriate or junk mail will go straight to the trashcan, your address will be filtered and if I deem it necessary, further action will be taken. 2: I always write correctly and politely, with no grammar or spelling mistakes. I expect the same from you. I'm fed up with seeing this: "omg gimme any chets 4 [insert badly spelt game name here] thx!!!11!" or "liek wtf, i cant fnish lvl 7 tel me how plz :))))" I'm going to disregard this kind of mail in future, so please make an effort. 3: If you can, check that what you need to know is in the FAQ. I'll probably help you even if it is, but it saves me time if you find what you need to know in the guide before emailing me. READ THE FAQ BEFORE ASKING A QUESTION! 4: Watch your size. I have a Hotmail account, and the limit is 2 MB for my inbox. Don't clog it up, please. Between 1 and 20k is fine, but no higher if possible. 5: Finally, please put the subject as "Castlevania: Dracula X" so I can check at a glance what your e-mail’s about. If you follow these guidelines I will happily reply. Oh, if you want to speak to me over AIM my screen name is SpNov3. Don't speak to me over MSN - I use that privately. If you add me, I'll probably block you. O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O | #10.0 - Credits | O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O This isn't a very long list, but I always believe in giving credit where it's due. • CJayC: For posting this FAQ, and being the admin for GameFAQs, the best gaming site on the web. • IGN: For also posting my guide. • Ardy: For submitting an alternative strategy for defeating the Water Dragon. • World-of-Nintendo : I obtained the Game Genie codes from this web site. • The folk on the FAQ Contributors Message Board: Most of you guys make it a pleasure to visit and write for GameFAQs. It is only this online community that inspires myself and others to keep writing. • Myself: Yes, I know I'm a conceited idiot, but I like to credit myself. OK? O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O | #11.0 - Legal Disclaimer | O=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O This file is Copyright (c)2003 Duncan Hardy. It is for personal use only, and the only places in the public domain at which it may be found are GameFAQs , IGN and my site, Castlevania Central . No other web site currently has permission to use it. Violation of the above terms might result in legal action, but probably won't. However, I will do all I can to prevent you from using my guide if you steal it. So save me the hassle of chasing after you and leave it alone. Although the file isn't very big, I spent a long time researching the information inside it. Castlevania and all related media is the property of Konami. END OF DOCUMENT. ===============================================================================