/\ / \ \ / )( /\/ \/\ / _ \ | / \ | | | | | | | | | | | \_| ### ## | | #### ##### ## ## ###### ### ### #### ## #### | | # ## ## ## #### ## ## ## ### ### # ## ###### ## # ## | | #### ### ## ## ###### ###### #### ## ## ## #### | | # ## ## ## ## ## ##### # ## ## ## ## # ## | | # ## ## ## ## ## ## ## #### # ## ## ## ## # ## | | _ ### ## ##### #### ## ###### ### ### ## ## ## ## ### ## | | / | ## | | | | # | | | | | \_/ | B O S S G U I D E \ / \/\ /\/ + Updated December 25th, 2005 5:49 PM )( ____ / \ _________________________________________________________________ \ / \/ Table of Contents For the Nintendo NES ----------------- Version 1.3 (FINAL) Written by Pseudonym Revision History Email: shdwswrm@hotmail.com Copyright FAQ Introduction General Help Boss Strategies Closing =============================================================================== Revision History =============================================================================== November 18th, 2005 Version 1.3 (FINAL) Added a few things here and there, and fixed some mistakes. I scrapped the stage strategies, since I'm working on a full walkthrough as a future guide. =============================================================================== Copyright =============================================================================== This document is licensed for public use according to the GNU Free Documentation License, available at [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/fd1.txt]. If you'll read the license, you'll see that it allows for inclusion within another work, provided that the other work in turn maintains the license. Some key parts of the license: This license applies to any manual or other work, in any medium, that contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it can be distributed under the terms of this license. Such a notice grants a world-wide, royalty-free license, unlimited in duration, to use that work under the conditions stated herein. The document refers to any such manual or work. Any member of the public is a licensee, and is addressed as you. You accept the license if you copy, modify or distribute the work in a way requiring permission under copyright law. A modified version of the document means any work containing the document or a portion of it, either copied verbatim, or with modifications and/or translated into another language. You may copy and distribute a modified version of the document under the conditions of sections 2 and 3 above, provided that you release the modified version under precisely this License, with the modified version filling the role of the document, thus licensing distribution and modification of the modified version to whoever possesses a copy of it. To summarise, you may use my guide in part or whole, without any additional permission from myself, provided that the resulting guide is similarly released under the GNU FDL. If this is problem for you, I would be happy to give you separate permission, PROVIDED THAT I AM GIVEN CREDIT. The latest version of this guide can always be found at GameFAQs. It's the responsibility of any other site that has this guide to get the latest version, and no, I won't send updates to sites already hosting this guide. Copyright 2005 Tim Courchene aka Pseudonym. All rights reserved. =============================================================================== FAQ =============================================================================== Q: I have an alternate strategy for . Will you use it? Sure, just send it in and I'll add it whenever I do another revision. =============================================================================== Introduction =============================================================================== Castlevania is one of the tougher games that Konami released for the NES. Yes, really. The stages can be tough and they only get tougher as you progress though the game... and the bosses are nearly as tough as well. This is where this guide comes in. It will help you against the bosses and general help with the stages and the enemies within them. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, praise or criticism, they should be sent to shdwswrm@hotmail.com with the heading Castlevania. All flames, threats, childish comments, etc. will be deleted and you're email address filtered. =============================================================================== General Help =============================================================================== Just getting to the bosses is half the battle, especially later on when the stages get tough. Here's some help that should get you to the bosses with most of your health and lives intact. Most of the enemies in this game will appear and react depending on the direction you're facing and the height you're at, even if you're in the air. Bats and Medusa Heads will appear from the direction you're facing, and other enemies, like Skeletons and Axe/Spear Knights, will move in the direction you're facing. You can take advantage of these enemies in particular by turning away from them to draw them close and then whipping them. If you're trying to get a candle while you're on a moving platform, NEVER jump from the back. It's not even worth trying to get most of them. Avoid jumping and hitting candles to get the contents while it's still in the air, especially if you don't know what's in them. It would really suck to trade off a desirable weapon like the Boomerang for a less desirable one like the Dagger. A few enemies are weak against specific weapons. For example, the Skele-Dragons can be killed easily with the Boomerang. Axe/Spear Knights can be killed quickly with the Axe (hah, who would have thought) or even with the Holy Water. I personally prefer the Holy Water since you don't have to have aim over the Axe Knight's shield. It takes a little longer to kill them though. Enemies ------- Ghouls HP: 1 They walk across the screen and then leave. They often appear in groups of two or three and from both sides of the screen. Wait until the Ghouls get close and hit them all at the same time to get rid of them quickly. Bats HP: 1 They will appear at the height and the direction you're facing and then fly off of the screen. They are fairly slow and simple to kill. You shouldn't have too much trouble with these enemies through the game. Fish Men HP: 1 They jump out of the water, and if they touch down on ground, they will walk around and shoot out fireballs once in awhile. They are simple to kill but watch out when they jump out of the water, especially when you're on the moving platforms on stage 4. The best way to avoid getting knocked into the water on that stage is to move to the edge of moving platform or kill it if you can. Spear Knights HP: 2 They walk around the screen randomly but they have no real attack. It takes two hits to defeat one so give yourself some room before attacking. Since it might turn back towards you at any time, avoid approaching one from close range while it's walking away after you drop down or jump from a platform. Medusa Heads HP: 1 They appear from the direction you're facing and then leave the screen. When you encounter them try not to turn in the other direction or they will start coming from that direction instead. Jump over or walk under them to avoid them. Or just hitting them works as well. =) Spirits HP: 2 They appear in set places in a few stages. They don't move very quick but it takes two hits to defeat one. Whip them quickly and move on or they will just follow you around until they run into you. Bone Towers HP: 6 These stationary objects can take quite a beating and their fireballs are a slight hazard. The fireballs are spaced far enough apart that you can jump over each one quite easily but whipping them is just as effective. Hunchbacks HP: 1 Hunchbacks don't appear randomly, except when a Bird is carrying one, but they have a random attack pattern which is usually a short hop, short hop, and then a jump. Hit them as soon as possible but don't let them get close or gather in groups. You don't need to duck to hit one, which is something I usually did out of habit for a long time before I stopped. Skele-Dragons HP: 6 They rarely appear but they are one of the toughest enemies in the game. They attack by shooting fireballs out of their mouth, and moving their bodies around to avoid your attacks. Since it's anchored to the wall, you should stand as far away as you can and attack it from a distance. Axe Knights HP: 8 The upgrade of the Spear Knight and one of the toughest enemies in the game. They attack with throwing axes that they will toss either high or low. The axes will also come back after flying a distance away. The best way to destroy them is to use Holy Water or Axes. Whip the Axes that they throw as well so that they don't become a bother when they come back towards the Axe Knight. Birds HP: 1 They will only appear carrying Hunchbacks back and forth across the screen. The Hunchback fall to the ground randomly and bother you until you kill it. If you kill the Bird while it's carrying the Hunchback, both of them will be killed at the same time. Ravens HP: 1 They are pretty quick but are easily killed since they follow an obvious path which for the most part is flying a little bit when you activate one and then flying straight across. They usually leave the screen when they fly straight across but other times they will fly down toward you or back up to try and attack you again. Whip them quickly when they activate to be done with them. Skeleton HP: 1 They are the main enemy you encounter after the Ghouls in the first stage. They walk around slowly and wait to turned into a pile of bones. Simple enough. Throwing Skeleton HP: 1 The upgrade of the regular Skeleton. They are quicker and have an actual attack but they are still pretty simple to kill. Red Skeleton HP: 1 (infinite) They are the same as the regular Skeleton but they can't be killed. When you hit one, it will collapse into a pile of bones but they will get up again after awhile. Just whip it and then move on before it gets up again. Legend ------ Important Items: The items on the screen that make it easier to kill the boss. Recommended Weapons: The best weapons to use against the boss. Attack Pattern: The way that the boss attacks. Strategy: The best way(s) to defeat the boss. =============================================================================== Boss Strategies =============================================================================== First Boss - Vampire Bat ------------------------ IMPORTANT ITEMS: Double Shot RECOMMENDED WEAPONS: Axe, Stop Watch ATTACK PATTERN: It flies around randomly and occasionally swoops down at you. STRATEGY: The easiest way to defeat the Vampire Bat is to use the Axe from the candle a few screens back and toss them at the boss. Hit the rightmost block in the platform under the stairs for a Double Shot to defeat the boss even quicker. It's best to stay on the left side of the stairs since there's more room to attack and dodge the Vampire Bat when it swoops at you - just duck or move out of the way when it does. If you want to use the Axe or you forgot it, the Stop Watch is a nice alternative. Wait for the Vampire Bat to swoop in to use the Stop Watch and then whip it until it unfreezes. Second Boss - Queen Medusa -------------------------- IMPORTANT ITEMS: None RECOMMENDED WEAPONS: Holy Water, Stop Watch, Boomerang ATTACK PATTERN: It flies around randomly but it will try to run into you. It will also drop snakes which will move toward you. STRATEGY: The Holy Water is the weapon of choice against Queen Medusa. You can get one near the beginning of stage 4. And before you ask, yes, she will bust out of the statue in the center of the room, therefore, stand to the right of it and wait for her to appear. When she does appear, start tossing the Holy Water at her, which will freeze her in place. Keep tossing and whipping and she will be done in no time at all. The Stop Watch works in the same manner. Use it to freeze her and then whip the crap out of her. If you don't have either of those weapons, the Boomerang will also suffice, although you will likely get hit by the Snakes Queen Medusa drops. Wait near the statue until Queen Medusa breaks out and then run to the right side of the screen. Crouch in the corner and start tossing Boomerangs and whipping her when she's close. You can't do much about her running into you but try to avoid her. Third Boss - Mummies -------------------- IMPORTANT ITEMS: Meat RECOMMENDED WEAPONS: Holy Water, Boomerang, Whip ATTACK PATTERN: Both of the Mummies randomly walk around, occasionally throwing bandages toward you. You can control the movement of the Mummies somewhat by standing in the direction you want them to go. It doesn't always work though. STRATEGY: The best way to defeat the Mummies is to avoid hitting the block where the meat would be - that is the lowest block on the left. Stand on the block instead and use the height to your advantage. With all of the weapons recommended here you should face left to draw them close to you and then whip them. Turn right if the Mummies are sticking close to you to make them walk away and then turn in the other direction again to continually keep them in range of your attacks. The Holy Water is weapon of choice against the Mummies - just start dousing them in it when they are close enough. The Holy Water should freeze them in place long enough that they won't be able to escape. If you don't have that, the Boomerang is another good weapon. Crouch and start tossing them at the Mummies. It has longer range therefore you won't have to keep them as close as you normally would. The last choice is your trusty old whip. Crouch and whip them when they are close enough. Retreat to the higher blocks when they get too close and/or force them away by using the above methods. One final method is to leave the low block intact and hit the Mummies from the ground. Keep the Mummies on one side, NOT between you, and run and jump back onto the low block if they walk to the left corner. Grab the meat if you need it and continue pummelling them until they are both destroyed. Fourth Boss - Frankenstein's Monster ------------------------------------ IMPORTANT ITEMS: None RECOMMENDED WEAPONS: Holy Water, Boomerang ATTACK PATTERN: Igor: Hops to the left and then back to the right, shooting fireballs at you. Frankenstein: Walks around randomly. STRATEGY: Frankenstein is the first boss that can give you a hard time if you don't know what you're doing - of course it's not really Frankenstein that you have to worry about, it's his miniature partner, Igor. If you know how to avoid Igor and it's fireballs you can defeat Frankenstein easily. It will generally hop while it's in the middle of the screen and then jump high when it reaches the platforms in the corners. Hide on the inside edge of the platforms to avoid it. But you should keep your eyes open and stay ready to move around since it won't follow this pattern completely. Frankenstein can get in the way but he will usually stay on right side of the screen. Stay close to the platforms so you can jump over Frankenstein or Igor if you find you are getting trapped. When you first enter the room, run and jump onto the side of the lower right platform to get in some quick hits before Igor starts moving. If you have the Holy Water, you can do some serious damage to him and maybe even defeat him without Igor ever moving if you have a Double or Triple Shot. Without the Double or Triple Shot Frankenstein and Igor will break out of the stun after a few seconds but you should be able to take anywhere between 1/4 to almost 1/3 of his health. After that keep hitting him with the whip and stun him with the Holy Water when you get the time. If you have the Boomerang, stay on the ground and toss them at Frankenstein at the start. Hit Frankenstein from a distance with the Boomerang and use the whip if you are close to him. The other weapons are not as good as the first two I talked about but you might end up with one of them. With the Dagger you can use the same strategy as the Boomerang. The Axe isn't such a good choice here but at least you can hit both guys from a distance. Fifth Boss - Death ------------------ IMPORTANT ITEMS: None RECOMMENDED WEAPONS: Holy Water, Axe, Boomerang ATTACK PATTERN: Death: Randomly flies around, although he seems to like to be near the corners. Scythes: Motionless for a second and then they slowly follow you around. STRATEGY: The fight has several similarities to the last one with Frankenstein. The first on being that Death is a lazy bastard and has someone or something else do most of the work for him, namely the dreaded scythes that he creates. Many a Castlevania player has yelled (or swore) into the night in frustration because of their inability to deal with the scythes. They move slowly but they are numerous and do quite a bit of damage - four bars of damage to be exact. Destroy as many of them as you can when they are created and retreat a bit to avoid getting hit as they close in on you. Hide in the corners if things get too tough but don't stay too long since Death has a habit of floating there as well. The second similarity is Death is extremely venerable to the Holy Water. If you do have the Holy Water stand on the right edge of the center platform and wait for him to appear and start throwing the stuff at him. It's not necessary to jump and throw the Holy Water if you're standing right at the edge but you have to be quick. Even without the Double or Triple Shot Death shouldn't be able to get away but having either of those items will cement your victory for sure. The jump and throw method is just as good if you're not comfortable with standing on the edge. The bad part is that if Death breaks out of the stun, the Holy Water is unwieldy to use against him from this point on. A good alternative weapon to use here is the Axe, which will give you much- needed vertical protection against scythes that are above or on either side of you. You can also use it to hit Death from a distance rather than having to get close to him. Another good weapon is the Boomerang. It has more range than the Axe but you will have to jump around and toss them to hit the scythes and Death. Just keep your distance as best as you can and toss them around. An added bonus for the Boomerang is that you can always find it in the candle on the left side of the first set of stairs in stage 14. The whip is tough choice since you will have to get close to Death and the scythes to hit them therefore don't bother using it unless it's in combination with one of the weapons above. The Stop Watch is unfortunately useless against Death since it won't effect him. It's good for the long corridor with the Axe Knights though. Sixth Boss - Dracula -------------------- IMPORTANT ITEMS: Holy Water RECOMMENDED WEAPONS: Boomerang, Holy Water, Whip ATTACK PATTERN: Dracula 1: Shoots three fireballs and then randomly teleports around the room. Dracula 2: Jumps toward you and occasionally shoots out three fireballs. STRATEGY: The fight with Dracula is pretty disappointing after that dramatic climb to his chamber. The moon in the background is a nice touch though. Get the contents of the candles except for the last one on the far left side in Dracula's chamber. It contains the Holy Water which will help you finish off Dracula later on. Wait until he rises from his coffin (best said in garbled Altered Beast tone for maximum effect) and stops flashing before you attack him. You can only damage his head therefore hitting the rest of his body is a moot point. So having said that, there are two ways to defeat Drac: with the Boomerang or with the whip. The Holy Water isn't effective against him in this form. Now wait for Dracula to appear. If he's fairly close to you, jump over his fireballs and whip him in the head. If he's on the other side of the screen, don't bother trying to damage him, just whip the fireballs instead. You can follow the same strategy with the Boomerang but keep in mind that they move slower. Keep moving around to avoid getting teleported on and whipping him. After you take his last bar of health he'll lose his head. =) While he's in his death throes, you can either get the Holy Water from the candle or just use continue to use the Boomerang. You're better off using the Holy Water though because it will make the rest of the fight easier. When Dracula becomes remerges again in his new and improved form (hah, you thought he was dead?) toss the Holy Water at him and then start whipping the crap out of him. He will try to jump toward you but you should keep him stunned long enough to take 2 or 3 bars off of him before he does manage to break out. When he does just back up and continue pummelling him with the Holy Water and your whip. Keep going until he's finally dead. Enjoy the ending. =============================================================================== Closing =============================================================================== Final Comments -------------- Goodbye. It's been fun writing this thing for you all. Well, not really, but I had to have something nice to say since this guide is almost at the end. Heh. Just kidding. Anyway. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, praise or criticism, they should be sent to shdwswrm@hotmail.com with the heading Castlevania. If you're looking for specific information and it isn't in this guide, please tell me about it and I'll fix it as soon as I can. Credits ------- Konami for creating this game. David Wonn for some stuff that I took from his excellent Castlevania FAQ. I hope he doesn't mind. Pepsi and Mountain Dew for keeping me awake while I'm writing, as always. And you for reading. Thanks. Anyone else who contributes will get a nifty spot here, so don't delay, contribute today! End of Document________________________________________________________________