#
#!#
##!!# Before the days of Simon...
##!#
##!#### ...Trevor held the family whip...
##!!###!!!#
##!!!# #!!!# ...and took on Dracula in the name of the Belmonts...
##!!!# #!!!#
##!!!# #!!!# ##
##!!!# #!!!# ## ## #!!#
##!!!# #### ##### #!!# ##!# ### ## ## ##### ## ## #### #####
##!!!# ##!!!## #!!!!##!!!!##!!###!!!##!!# ##!!#!!!!## ###!!# #!!##!!!!##
##!!!# #!!##!##!!##!!##!!###!!##!!##!##!# #!!##!!##!##!!!#!!##!!##!!##!#
##!!!# ####!##!!######!!# #!!##!###!##!# #!!# ####!##!!##!!##!!# ####!#
##!!!# #!!!#!# ##!!## #!!# #!!##!!!!!##!!#!!# #!!!#!##!!##!!##!!##!!!#!#
##!!!# ##!!##!# ####!!##!!# #!!##!#### ##!#!!# #!!##!##!!##!!##!!##!!##!#
##!!!# ##!!##!##!!###!##!!# #!!##!!##!###!#!## #!!##!##!!##!!##!!##!!##!#
##!!!# #!!!!!###!!!!!###!!##!!###!!!## #!!!# #!!!!!##!!##!!##!!##!!!!!#
##!!!# ###### ##### ######## ### ##### ###### ###### #### ######
##!!!# ####
##!!!# #!!!# o#@@*#@#*@@#o
##!!!# #!!!# %@ @ @% |~~\ |~~\ /\ /~~| || /\ //~~\
##!!!# #!!!# %@ @ @% | ||__/ /__\| | || /__\ `--.
###!!####!!!# %@ @ @% |__/ | \/ \\__ \_/ |__/ \ \__/
#####!!### %@ @ @%
#!# %@ @ @% /~~| ||~~\/~~\|~~
##!!# %@ @ @% | | ||__/`--.|--
#!# %@ @ @% \__ \_/ | \\__/|__
### %@ @ @%
# O###########O
A Comprehensive FAQ/Walkthrough for the NES Smash Hit
------------------------------
| By Colin Moriarty (CMoriarty)
| E-Mail: cmoriarty311@cs.com
| Date: August 08, 2002
| Version: FINAL
------------------------------
This FAQ, and all 25 other of my FAQ/Walkthroughs, are now dedicated to the
over 6,000 innocent people killed in the World Trade Center and Pentagon
terrorist attacks in New York City, New York, and Washington, D.C., on
September 11, 2001. To all of the innocent working people, and FDNY Firemen, as
well as other emergency workers, you will always be remembered. We won't stop
until we bring these criminals to justice, your deaths were NOT IN VAIN! God
Bless America, death to all terrorists of all races everywhere.
------------------------------------------------------
-> http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/4280.html <-
------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE NOTE: This document was created using Microsoft Word with a 7" width,
and is best viewed using either your browser (preferably MSIE 5.0 or higher),
and a screen setting of 800x600 pixels or more. If the guide seems jumbled up
and not quite right looking, it's not the guide, but your screen and computer
settings. If you do experience this problem, you probably have your screen
settings on 640x480 pixels or less, which is rare but hey, it could be you.
Sorry about whatever problems this may cause.
IGN.com is now allowed to host all of my FAQs. Although the disclaimer says only
GameFAQs can use my FAQs, IGN.com is now a legal host of all of my work.
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******For easy navigation, press CTRL + F and type in your search string.******
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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S...
--------- --- ---------------
I.)........... | Legal Disclaimer
II.).......... | Versions of the Guide
III.)......... | Introduction
IV.).......... | Storyline/Plot
V.)........... | Characters
VI.).......... | Controls
VII.)......... | Game Physics and Mechanics (Battles and Movement, et cetera)
VIII.)........ | WALKTHROUGH
IX.).......... | Game Ending (SPOILERS!)
X.)........... | Your Aresenal
XI.).......... | Enemies
XII.)......... | Bosses
XIII.)........ | Secrets
XIV.)......... | General FAQ
XV.).......... | In Closing
XVI.)......... | About the Author
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----------------S E C T I O N O N E - D I S C L A I M E R----------------
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This guide/FAQ/walkthrough is copyrighted (c) 2002 to Colin Moriarty, and is the
intellectual property of Colin Moriarty. This guide/FAQ/walkthrough is only to
be found on GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com). If you are reading and/or found
this file ANYWHERE else but GameFAQs, please contact the author, Colin
Moriarty, immidiately, at cmoriarty311@cs.com. This guide/FAQ/walkthrough is
protected under International Copyright Laws, and it is prohibited to take any
piece of this document and reproduce it in anyway without the written consent
of the author, Colin Moriarty. Any website or other medium found to have this
document without permission will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the
law.
Please don't e-mail me and ask to have this document on your webpage. It's too
frustrating for me to keep track of all of the webpages that have my
document(s) on their page, especially the smaller, domain-less fan sites.
GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com) is the only, and I repeat, THE ONLY webpage allowed
to have this document on his website, GameFAQs.com. CJayC, owner and operator
of GameFAQs is the only person allowed to use this document on a webpage, so
please, I repeat once more, no e-mails regarding using this document on your
webpage. If you do e-mail me about it, your e-mail will be promptly erased and
ignored.
You ARE allowed to download this off of GameFAQs and keep it on your computer's
harddrive for personal use, as long as the document is not edited or otherwise
distributed except for personal use. You can even print out the entire FAQ or
portions therein to share with a friend who also needs help in the game. Just
please don't distribute it as your own, sell it for profit, et cetera. Well,
you guys get the idea.
Onward.
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------------------S E C T I O N T W O - V E R S I O N S------------------
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This version of the guide currently the last and final version of this FAQ,
aptly named VERSION FINAL!
Version Information:
Version: FINAL
Date: August 08, 2002
Percent Complete: 100%
Version Entails: Everything is complete. Hence, I've made this the FINAL
version of this FAQ!
--PAST VERSIONS--
Version: 0.1
Date: August 06, 2002
Percent Complete: 40%
Version Entails: Everything up to and past the Pirate Ship stage... no enemy
appendix yet.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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------------S E C T I O N T H R E E - I N T R O D U C T I O N------------
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In the history of videogames, there are few series one can mention that are
more famous than the Castlevania series. Much like the Mario series, the Mega
Man series and the Dragon Warrior series, the Castlevania series is often
considered an "epic" series of awesome games, by the most casual gamers, and
the most hardcore. Castlevania III is the third Castlevania game on the NES,
and the final one as well.
Released in 1990, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse takes place approximately
100 years before Castlevania and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, which took
place within two years of each other, according to Castlevania timelines. In
both Castlevania and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, you, as the player, played
as Simon Belmont, a member of the proud Belmont family lineage of vampire
hunters. Twice Simon defeated Dracula, and one hundred years of peace and
prosperity ruled the surrounding lands. However, after a century, Dracula's
castle mysteriously returns, directly outside of the Belmont hometown,
Warakiya. Simon's descendant, Trevor, now holds the famous Vampire Slayer (the
whip of the Belmonts), and it's his job to do away with Dracula, and not only
save his hometown of Warakiya, but Transylvania as a whole.
Along your quest, you'll come along three companions, which you can take with
you or leave behind. Each has a special ability and prowess, et cetera, which
you may find useful in your journey. Then again, maybe you won't...
In anycase, welcome, one and all, to my walkthrough for Castlevania III:
Dracula's Curse, on the NES Nintendo Entertainment System. This FAQ/Walkthrough
will be quite helpful on your quest in defeating Castlevania III: Dracula's
Curse. I guarantee you that it's the most complete and comprehensive resource
on Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse that you'll find anywhere on the Internet,
period. For that matter, anywhere, really. In anycase... enjoy.
-Colin Moriarty (cmoriarty311@cs.com)
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-----------S E C T I O N F O U R - S T O R Y L I N E / P L O T-----------
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This short part of the FAQ/Walkthrough is the storyline of the FAQ. I explained
quite a bit of it in the introduction, so I've simply dedicated this section of
the FAQ to the storyline as seen in the instruction manual that came with the
game. So the following "storyline" is copyrighted (c) 1990 to Konami, all
rights reserved. These are their words, NOT MINE!
--Begin Story--
It's a cursed world we live in (thanks to Drac!)
The time is 100 years before Simon Belmont's birth. The moon burns red overhead
and black clouds loom large on the horizon. All is still and quiet. Only the
call of a distant crow stirs the cold night air. Suddenly, thunder roars out of
the Morbid Mountains and into the village of Warakiya. Like the yell of an
angry giant, the terrible sound shakes homes and shops as if they were sapling
branches.
But no one blinks an eye. The village is dead calm. For all the people have
fled after receiving warnings from the Great Beyond that Count Dracula has
assembled a mighty army of evil, and they're poised to march up from the
Valley of Graveyards to bury mankind in a Tomb of Terror. Unfortunately,
there's no corner on Earth that won't be gobbled up by this bloodthirsty
legion of Swamp Dragons, Slasher Skeletons and Forces of the Undead.
The last line of defense is you, Trevor Belmont - the forefather of Simon
Belmont and the origin of the Belmont Warlord Chromosomes. But your chances
are slimmer than Jim. In fact, the only real edge you have over this fang
sharpened freak is your power to transform into three different partner
spirits: Grant DaNasty, the ferocious Ghost Pirate. Sypha, the Mystic Warlord.
And Alucard, Dracula's forgotten son. Each of these spirits will confront you
as you fight through 17 possible levels of never-ending fright, including the
Haunted Ship of Fools, the Clock Tower of Untimely Death and Curse Castle. You
must also possess the strength to wield the mighty Battle Axe and Mystic Whip,
which were given to you by the Poltergeist King.
So go forth young Trevor into the cold black night, where death lurks around
every corner and evil lingers on every stone. And remember, if your courage
and cunning are any less than magnificent or if you fail to choose the correct
Paths of Fate, you'll be banished to the world of the undead, and zombies will
rule until the end of time.
--End Story--
Again, the "storyline" above is NOT MINE, nor is it IN MY WORDS! It's directly
from the instruction manual that came with Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse,
and is copyrighted (c) 1990 to Konami.
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---------------S E C T I O N F I V E - C H A R A C T E R S---------------
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More so then in most NES games, the characters in Castlevania III: Dracula's
Curse are quite important. Why is this? Well, more so then any reason, the
characters in this game are important primarily because you have the option to
play as four of them. Yes, Dracula is an enemy, but he's also a boss. So look
for him in the boss section. Instead, consult this section of my
FAQ/Walkthrough for information on the four playable characters in the game -
Trevor, Grant, Sypha and Alucard.
For those of you who noticed that I also have a Character FAQ for Castlevania
III: Dracula's Curse on GameFAQs, all of this information comes directly from
it. Call it laziness, but why write the character information over again when
it's already written in my Character FAQ? If the information here on the
characters isn't enough, please feel free to consult my Character FAQ, also
found on GameFAQs. If you clicked on this from GameFAQs, click back on your
browser and click on the Character FAQ by CMoriarty (that's me). If you saved
it to your PC or whatever and are no reading this, the following URL is where
it's located:
http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/file/castlevania_iii_char.txt
And now... let me introduce the four characters. In each character's section,
you'll find information on the character, as well as a bio, strengths,
weaknesses, et cetera, for each. Enjoy.
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* * * * * * * * * * * * *
T R E V O R B E L M O N T
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Trevor Belmont is the best overall character to use in the game, and is your
base character, meaning that you'll not only start every game with him, but
that you will also have him at your disposal for the entire length of the game,
regardless of which path you chose to take ultimately.
As the earlier Belmont in the NES Castlevania series, Trevor's ancestors
spawned the mighty Simon Belmont, who battled valiantly in Castlevania and
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. As was Simon's main weapon, Trevor's main weapon
is also the whip, which the Belmont family dubbed The Vampire Killer. The
strength of the Vampire Killer, as well as its length and reach, can be
upgraded twice from its base strength, by picking up whip upgrades littered
throughout the lands of Warakiya and within and around Dracula's evil castle.
Trevor, as does all of the clan of the Belmonts, can also use special weapons
galore, called Warakiya weapons in Castlevania III. The Dagger, Axe, Holy
Water, Stop Watch and Boomerang are all at Trevor's disposal. But let's take a
closer look.
-NAME: Trevor Belmont
-FROM: Warakiya Village
-OCCUPATION: Vampire Hunter
-PRIMARY WEAPON: Whip (The Vampire Killer)
-OTHER WEAPON(S): Dagger, Axe, Holy Water, Stop Watch, Boomerang
-STRENGTH: Best (1)
-DEFENSE: Best (1)
-SPECIAL WEAPON USE: Best (1)
-MOBILITY AND MOVEMENT: Worst (4)
-JUMPING: Worst (4)
-OVERALL: Best (1)
Trevor is the character any normal Castlevania III player is going to want to
use for either a majority of the game or for the whole game. His strengths far
outweight his weaknesses, and he has the most range with his weapons, as well
as the most versatility. In addition, he can take the most damage from enemies,
making the other three characters in the game true novelty characters compared
to the ultimate and superior Trevor Belmont. Think long and hard before you
pass up using Trevor Belmont, especially if it's your first play through the
game. Leave the other characters for the experienced players, and those who
want a real challenge. If you're new to the game, or to the series, Trevor is
definitely your character of choice by far.
STRENGTHS
---------
+ Most attack power
+ Best defense power
+ Most versatility in weaponry
+ Longest attack range
WEAKNESSES
----------
- Hard to control Trevor midair
- Weakest jump
- Worst movement and mobility (slow)
- Makes the other characters look so much weaker than they actually are
OVERALL
-------
For the regular ole Castlevania III player, who has no or little experience in
the game. When most people realize how strong Trevor is in comparison to the
other three characters in the game, they'll most likely sway towards using
Trevor. It's not that the other characters are necessarily weak, but that
Trevor is inherently strong, and with good reason. He's a Belmont. =)
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* * * * * * * * * * * *
G R A N T D A N A S T Y
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Grant DaNasty (also known in some circles as Dynasty) is a mysterious
character. You first meet him in Dracula's clocktower, and fight him in a boss
battle, as an evil and possessed demon. When you slay him, finally, you find
out that he's only Grant DaNasty, a pirate/treasure hunter who was possessed by
Dracula and turned into an ugly, green monster when he was caught exploring the
Transylvanian region, and brought in to protect the clock tower.
Naturally, it's your option to take Grant with you, and since he's always the
first character you come across (as you -have- to come to the clock tower to
proceed in the game), it's always in lue of you to take him with you. He's not
the strongest or most useful special character in the game, but some people
might prefer some of his special skills. He can only use his hand dagger, which
is weak and has little range, and the only special weapon he can use is the
throwing dagger. However, Grant's strength is in his incredible jumping
ability, as well as the fact that he has Ninja Gaiden-like abilities... he can
actually grip onto walls and ceilings, and SCALE them. There are some items in
the game that can only be gotten by Grant's special abilities, so keep that in
mind.
-NAME: Grant DaNasty
-FROM: Unknown (speculation: pirate ship, port town)
-OCCUPATION: Pirate/Treasure Hunter
-PRIMARY WEAPON: Dagger
-OTHER WEAPON(S): Dagger (different from his primary weapon)
-STRENGTH: Below Average (3)
-DEFENSE: Below Average (3)
-SPECIAL WEAPON USE: Below Average (3)
-MOBILITY AND MOVEMENT: Best (1)
-JUMPING: Best (1)
-OVERALL: Average (2)
All in all, Grant has his strengths and his weaknesses, but the run-of-the-mill
Castlevania III player is going to pick him up and then immidiately discard him
once he or she sees a "cooler" character, like Sypha or Alucard. Grant is worth
a try, and you should try him out to see if you really like him right after you
acquire him, in the Clock Tower. This is a place where you can try out and let
him show off his inherent skills more than anywhere in the game, and see if
he's really worth your time or not. More importantly, see if he matches your
playing style, because his control is loose... too loose for some.
STRENGTHS
---------
+ Ability to grapple to walls and ceilings
+ Only player able to change directions of a jump while airborne
+ Farthest jumping ability
+ Fastest moving character/agile
WEAKNESSES
----------
- Fairly weak offensively
- Fairly weak defensively
- Terrible attack range
- Low weapon versatility
OVERALL
-------
Grant may seem kind of useless, and well, he kind of is. But if you're looking
for a good challenge, or the character Castlevania III players choose least to
play as, give Grant a try. He's really not too bad-a character, and his
quickness, agility, jumping prowess, and ability to grapple has its advantages
for your trip throught Transylvania.
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
S Y P H A B E L E N A D E S
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
To clear up ANY controversy, before I even start to write Sypha's section of
this FAQ, Sypha is NOT, and I repeat is NOT a woman. He is a man. Straight out
male, pure and simple. Not only does the game itself call him a man ("Take HIM
with you?") but the only evidence to back up the Sypha could be a woman is his
woman-like appearance. Fact of the matter is, Konami designed him as a man, and
a man he is. Now that I've gotten that out of my system. Oh, and although the
game does call him Syfa, it's a simple case of poor translation. Everyone
agrees that it's actually spelt Sypha.
In anycase, Sypha was on his own quest to fight Dracula when he was caught by
one of Dracula's henchman, the Hammer Cyclops, and made into a statue. When
Trevor fights and defeats this Hammer Cyclops (if you choose to take a certain
path that is...), Sypha is freed and he offers to go with you on your quest.
While it's up to you if you want to take him with you or not, keep in mind
Sypha's entire game can be made or broken by what he has equipped. His staff is
more of a novelty item than a weapon... having him equipped with a magical
spell and plenty of hearts at all times is most certainly a must. He can't
throw himself around in a physical battle like the other three characters in
the game can.
-NAME: Sypha Belnades
-FROM: Unknown (speculation: the netherworld)
-OCCUPATION: Magician
-PRIMARY WEAPON: Staff
-OTHER WEAPON(S): Magic Spells: Fire, Ice, Lightning
-STRENGTH: Worst (4)
-DEFENSE: Worst (4)
-SPECIAL WEAPON USE: Average (2)
-MOBILITY AND MOVEMENT: Below Average (3)
-JUMPING: Average (2)
-OVERALL: Worst (4)
From the stats above, it seems Sypha is the worst overall character... and
there's no denying or avoiding that he truly is. His weakness really does lie
in the fact that he is a sitting duck if you don't have a magic spell equipped
on him. Without one, you'll be using his wooden staff to be fending off
Dracula's minions. But don't sleep on my man Sypha... he's still got his
advantages, including UBER strong spells, and some average movement and jumping
abilities.
STRENGTHS
---------
+ Powerful spells
WEAKNESSES
----------
- Very weak offensively
- Very weak defensively
- Weak attack range
- Slow movement/lacks agility
- Poor jumping ability
OVERALL
-------
As you can see from reading above, Sypha is all around weak, and probably the
weakest character in the game by far. While I only suggest that experienced
Castlevania III players attempt to really use Sypha with regularity, most new
players to the game will insist on using him because he's cool looking, and he
can use spells. But heed my warnings; try Grant and Alucard before you really
give Sypha a try. Otherwise, he's going to seem weak and useless, when he has
an enormous amount of ability, if you just give him to an experienced player
who won't get him killed in two seconds.
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* * * * * * * * * * * *
A L U C A R D T E P E S
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Alucard... oh Alucard... you are an underachiever. Alucard, for those of you
who don't know, is Dracula's son. His blood, however, is half vampire, half
human, as his mother was a human being who Dracula fell in love with. Alucard,
if you examine the name, is Dracula spelt backwards.
Dracula and Alucard worked as a team, until Alucard realized that Dracula was
hurting people for no reason. Alucard decides to escape the grip of his
controlling father, and find someone who can help him overthrow his evil
father. When you fight Alucard, you might think you're fighting Dracula... they
fight similarly, and look nearly identical. However, after you defeat him,
he'll identify himself as Alucard, Dracula's son, and tell you he was testing
you. With his special abilities and marginal attack power, Alucard is worth
fighting with and bringing with you, although his control is stiff and he can
be difficult to get used to. Not only can Alucard fight from the greatest
distance with use of his fireball attack, but he can turn into a bat and fly
great distances in the air in his bat form... making him invaluable at certain,
more difficult and frustrating junctures in the game.
-NAME: Alucard Tepes
-FROM: Underworld
-OCCUPATION: Dracula's son
-PRIMARY WEAPON: Fireballs
-OTHER WEAPON(S): None
-STRENGTH: Average (2)
-DEFENSE: Average (2)
-SPECIAL WEAPON USE: Worst (4)
-MOBILITY AND MOVEMENT: Average (2)
-JUMPING: Below Average (3)
-OVERALL: Below Average (3)
By looking at the stats above, and then seeing who Alucard is, you'd probably
think to yourself... "wow, isn't this guy supposed to be the son of Dracula? He
should be a BIT stronger than he is... and certainly stronger than a human,
like Trevor Belmont." And you're right, but of course, you're using logic, and
logic has never held up in the world of videogames, with rare exceptions, now
has it? However, he has a strong command on the second spot in both offense and
defense, the ability to turn into a bat, and a long-distance attack that can
piss off any enemy... and it surely does.
STRENGTHS
---------
+ Average strength
+ Average defense
+ Long-distance attack
+ Able to turn into a bat
WEAKNESSES
----------
- Slow moving/no agility
- Poor jumping ability
OVERALL
-------
From above, you can see that Alucard is so average and run-of-the-mill that
there isn't any weaknesses or strengths to speak of with him, hardly. He's just
kind of "there" although he should be stronger... he is the friggin' son of
Count Dracula, I don't care if he's half human or not! Oh well, he's badass
nasty in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on the Playstation, isn't he? So I
guess that makes up for it. Oh, and play that friggin' game if you haven't...
it's SO GOOD... even better than this killer game. VAMPIRE KILLER GAME! Mwa-ha
ha...
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The controls for the game are quite elementary indeed. In anycase, for those of
you who don't know what an NES controller looks like (why the hell would you
playing this [or should I say "how"] if you're not familiar with the NES
controller?), here's one, in some shitty ASCII art:
_________________________________
| |
| _ Nintendo |
| _| |_ |
[D-Pad] -------->||_ 0 _| SELECT START A B |
| |_| [ ] [ ] o o |
| o o o o |
|________________________o____o___|
Now, for the button controls...
D-Pad:
*****
The D-Pad (or directional pad, if you're not into the whole brevity thing)
moves your character left and right, up and down stairs, and controls which
direction you face and jump. An elementary button, it shouldn't be too hard to
grasp what it does. =) Oh, and pressing down on the D-Pad will make your
character crouch (or duck, whatever). Very useful indeed.
Select:
******
Select has a few functions in the pregame areas of the game, but most vitally,
the select button allows you to switch between Trevor Belmont and your spirit
guide (if you have one) at any time. Just hit the button and you'll turn into
your spirit guide, and vice-versa.
Start:
*****
The start button's use is obvious, and almost the same in every video game
every created - press the start button to select certain pregame options, and
press start to pause your game.
A Button:
********
Press the A button to jump. Using the D-Pad while jumping will control which
way you jump. If you're using Alucard, pressing up and A at the same time will
turn Alucard into a Bat. You can remain a Bat until all of the hearts in your
heart reserves are spent. If you're Grant, press A to jump, and then over on
the D-Pad to cling to walls and ceilings.
B Button:
********
The B button's function is to attack. Press B along to use the regular attack
of any character. Keep in mind that you can attack while crouching and jumping.
Pressing up and B at the same time will allow Trevor and Grant to use their
Warakiya Weapons (such as the Dagger and Axe, et cetera), and will allow Sypha
to use any spell she has equipped on her at a certain time.
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I throw this very short section in most of my FAQs here at GameFAQs to simply
(and shortly) explain how the game works. Castlevania games (with the exception
of the two on the Nintendo64, which were crappy overall) play almost
identically to each other. With the exception of the two on the Nintendo64 that
I mentioned before (which were 3D platformers), the rest of the Castlevania
games are 2D side-scrollers. The newer Castlevania games, like Symphony of the
Night on the Playstation and both Castlevania titles on the Game Boy Advance
take the 2D side-scroller to the next level by making them non-linear
action/RPG titles, but Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, and most other
Castlevania games play identical to each other.
Side-scrolling, in essence, is only being able to move left or right, up or
down, but not OVER... if you follow what I'm saying. Hell, you know what 2D is,
correct? And better yet, you know what 2D gaming is. So take those two, combine
what I just said, and voila, you have yourself Castlevania III: Dracula's
Curse.
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-------------S E C T I O N E I G H T - W A L K T H R O U G H-------------
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Welcome to the walkthrough section of my FAQ/Walkthrough for Castlevania III:
Dracula's Curse. The beauty of this game lies in the semi non-linear nature of
it. That is, you can often pick which way you want to go, which allows you to
skip over entire stages, and forces you to play other. Because of this, I've
decided to write the walkthrough section in order of stage number. You can find
the stage number on the top of the screen, which allows you to follow the
walkthrough easily. So if you skip a stage, go to a certain stage, et cetera,
and you need help on that stage, simply look for the stage number on the
walkthrough that corresponds with the stage number on your screen.
Before the walkthrough, however, some items that you'll find in the game that
you need to know (as far as weapons go, see the Your Aresenal section of this
FAQ/Walkthrough)...
*Heart* - The heart is a basic Castlevania item. You can get these by getting
them out of candles and torches, and enemies sometimes drop them when they are
defeated. With hearts, you are able to use your special weapons, or let Alucard
fly longer. A small heart is worth one heart, a big heart is worth five.
*Whip Upgrade* - The whip upgrade is for use by both Trevor and Alucard. When
found and picked up, Trevor's whip gets longer and stronger, and Alucard can
shoot more fireballs. Both can pick up a maximum of two upgrades each to be at
full and maximum strength.
*Money Bags* - Money Bags' use are simply to add to your points total. When
your points totals reach certain levels, you are given an extra life. Their use
is small, but good in the long run.
*Golden Bottle* - These rare items, when picked up, makes the character you are
using invisible for a short amount of time. This means no enemy and no attack
can harm the person while the Golden Bottle is still in effect, but that
doesn't mean you can fall into holes and chasms and survive...
*Rosary Cross* - These rare items (but not quite as rare as the Golden Bottle),
when picked up, instantly dissolve any enemy on the screen, leaving the screen
empty of enemy influence. Extremely useful, but usually found in the most
useless of places.
*Wolf Leg* - These pieces of meat are only found in secret walls and blocks,
that you have to whip, smash and slash at to get. They are useful however, and
found on almost every stage at least once. They refill a good amount of your
health meter when eaten.
*II and III Blocks* - These rare blocks, when found, allow the user to use his
special weapon twice in a row or three times in a row, instead of having to
wait until the weapon leaves the screen to fire again. They are often found in
blocks and walls, and sometimes enemies drop them as well.
*1-UP* - These rare items are only found in candles and walls/blocks. When
grabbed, they naturally give your character or character team an extra life,
which, of course, is uber-useful.
The game itself doesn't really need a step-by-step walkthrough, so this
section, instead, entails "tips" for each stage, each marked by an asterik (*).
These "tips" tell you certain things you should know about each stage. Followed
by the tips for a particular stage, there will be no boss strategies. What is
the use of boss strategies, when I've not only made a seperate FAQ (which can
be found on GameFAQs) on the bosses, but there is also a boss section to this
FAQ. For those reasons combined, the walkthrough contains only stage strategies
and tips. For boss and mini-boss strategies, please consult the boss section of
this FAQ/Walkthrough.
So, here we go.
TIP - Enter HELP ME as your name at the beginning of the game. Doing so will
allow you to start with 10 lives, which could make your quest a whole lot
easier...
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I. Stage One - Warakiya Village
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*After Trevor finishes praying in the beginning of the game, you can control
him. Gain knowledge on the simple controls, and then head eastward. Before you
reach the first door, you should have gotten both whip upgrades (hence a full
strength whip), some hearts and a Dagger. Not a bad start to this fairly easy
stage.
*When you enter the Cathedral area at the beginning of the stage, keep an eye
out for Bats. You should be able to see them sitting there, but they can sneak
up on you if you don't have your eyes peeled for them. And bare in mind, when
you get too close to them, they quit just sitting there and fly at you. At that
point, whip them and move on.
*Once outside after the Cathedral area, at the end of this section before going
back down the stairs, you'll see a candle on top of a platform that you simply
can't reach. Unless you started the game with Grant (which you can, by entering
a certain code [see the secrets section]), you can't reach it. So just ignore
it.
*Right after you descend the stairs from the thing I just mentioned above,
you'll come across a split in your path. Both of these paths are lined with
switch floors, which when jumped upon, will turn upside down, sending you into
the chasms below. Make sure to take the top path, as the bottom path leads no
where but to a dead end. And this part also has some Medusa Heads for you to
contend with. DO NOT JUMP. That's what they want you to do. Just use some
strategic whipwork and you won't have to jump over the Medusa Heads as they fly
at you.
*In the part following the doorway out of the last part, you'll come across
masses of Zombies that randomly come out of the ground. And randomly is the key
word, so keep an eye out for them! While they are incredibly weak, they can
come up right underneath you if you don't keep moving and whipping as you head
rightward. And at the end of this stretch, before the stairs leading down,
you'll come across a Rosary Cross in one of the candles. This is your first
encounter with the powerful item, which automatically kills all onscreen
enemies with one fowl swoop.
*Once down the stairs, you can go back down to the main level via a set of some
platforms. However, you might notice an open area to the left of the platforms.
On the ground level, whip the bottom platform to the left, which will break the
leftmost of the two blocks, revealing a five heart piece. Jump to your left and
approach the lefthand side wall. Smash the bottom two blocks on the wall to
reveal a Wolf Leg, which will heal your energy meter.
*As you head right from the Wolf Leg, you'll have your first encounter with two
incredibly annoying Castlevania enemies, that are in every Castlevania game,
unfortunately. Igors (the small bouncy creatures) and Skull Pillars (the odd
creatures that shoot fireballs at you) are two enemies you need to learn to
deal with on a regular basis. With this in mind, slay the enemies (keeping in
mind the great jumping power of the Igors and the fact that you can whip the
fireballs the Skull Pillars at you), and make your way right through the door,
and right to the first boss in the game.
*Fight the Skeleton Knight, and grab the red orb when he's defeated.
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II. Stage Two - The Clock Tower
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*The clocktower is a pretty long stage. Just to get this out of the way so I
don't have to explain it at all - When jumping and running around this stage,
bare in mind that you'll be jumping on a lot of rotors and gears. These rotors
and gears rotate, naturally, so you have to be sharp and keep moving, so that
the rotors and gears don't rotate in such a way that they either crush you, or
better yet, drop you into a ditch or chasm. If you need to take your time but a
rotor or gear is rotating you into a ditch, chasm, et cetera, or about to crush
you, just jump back onto the top of the gear. It's simple, really.
*Another note about the gears and rotors... the spoke-things that stick out of
them, they do NOT hold you up from falling into a pit, so don't think you can
lean on them. Play as if they aren't even there.
*At the beginning of the stage, for an easy five hearts, go to your right and
jump over the small chasm. Then, bash the bottom two blocks on the righthand
wall there and a five heart piece will be there, waiting for you.
*You'll encounter them early on in the stage, but you'll see them later on in
the stage too - the yellow-red spikes you come across... DO NOT TOUCH THEM OR
FALL ON THEM. If you do, they will kill you instantly. Just a friendly reminder
for you.
*When you get to the pendulum section of the stage, go to the left platform and
time your jumps so you land atop the pendulum. Then, simply jump from platform
to pendulum to platform to pendulum, and so on and so forth. The area is a lot
easier then it looks, it just takes patience. Timing the second of the two
pendulum jumps is vital, however, because unlike the first jump, where there is
a floor underneath you, there is nothing underneath you here but a deep, dark
chasm. So be weary of that, and time your jumps properly. And the entire
rotation factor that you need to worry about with the gears and rotors in this
here clocktower don't apply to the pendulums... so no matter where you're
standing on them, you won't get knocked off.
*Right after the doorway into the next section from the pendulum area, drop
down the stairs, and face the left wall. Destroy the two bottom blocks in the
wall for another easy five heart piece.
*The horizontally spinning yellow and dark brown rotors and gears that you can
stand on like platforms DO NOT spin you off of them, even if they are spinning.
It's the physics of the game. So unlike the gray vertical spinning rotors and
gears, these lighter colored, horizontal counterparts give you nothing to worry
about. Stand atop them as if they were a regular floor or platform.
*After going through another door, walk right across a gray gear and to the
righthand wall. Stand atop the one block platform attached to the righthand
wall and break the two blocks there to find a II Piece.
*Although you have two bottom-to-top sections in the stage with Medusa Heads
flying about, the second of the two, the one you encounter right before the
boss fight in the stage, is by far the hardest. I can't tell you much here
except to be very patient, and fend off or avoid the Medusa Heads at all costs,
as they can equal your ultimate demise if you aren't careful!
*After coming up the stairs from the treacherous section I described below,
face the righthand wall and smash the two lowest blocks on it to get a Wolf
Leg! This will be very helpful in restoring your energy right before the
stage's boss fight!
*Fight Monster Grant, grab the red orb after he's defeated, and then choose to
take him with you or leave him behind. There's no reason not to take him at
this point, however.
*Surprisingly, after he is defeated, the clocktower starts to crumble, and you
now have to work your way back out of it. So you're basically traversing the
clocktower in the reverse order, which, in all honesty, is slightly harder. In
anycase, use Grant to get through the stage quickly. After you come out of your
first doorway, heading left, use Grant to climb onto the bottom of the platform
above him and work his way to the top of. Slashing the righthand side wall from
the top of this otherwise unreachable platform will result in you finding a 1-
UP!
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III. Stage Three (Part One) - The Mad Forest
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*If you opt to not take the route to the clocktower, and get Grant, you'll end
up here... this is a far easier stage than the clocktower, however, so if you
know you don't want the services of Grant, don't bother going there. Come here
instead.
*In the very beginning of the stage, you'll encounter some spiked smashing
devices that, if you touch the spikes at the bottom, or if they smash you or
touch you in any way, you will die instantly. So time your walks so that you
walk under them when they are going up, and before they come back smashing down
on top of you. Another way to easily avoid them is to jump on top of them,
where you are completely safe. While you'll miss out on all of the goodies in
the candles in between each smasher, you can jump from smasher to smasher like
they were regular platforms, and get to the other side easily and safely.
*After the smashers are done (or you're done with the smashers, whatever),
you'll come across your first Ghosts. These enemies aren't hard, but appear out
of thin air. For this reason, and this reason alone, be very, very careful with
them. They can literally appear out of nowhere.
*As you come up the first set of stairs in the stage, you have to go left, but
you can jump across a huge chasm and go to the right. Don't bother, however.
Especially not with Trevor. Not only is there nothing over there, but only
Alucard (with his flying ability) and Grant (with his jumping ability) can
actually reach that void platform. So seriously, don't waste your time.
*About midway through the stage, you'll come across a forested area. You'll see
sets of eyes peering out at you from the trees, before Owls soon-thereafter
appear and swoop at you. They are one hit kills, but there is a nice strategy
to defeating them without having to time your whip to hit them when they swoop
at you. About two or three Owls into this area, you'll come across a torch.
Within the torch is the strongest weapon in the game, the Boomerang. Use the
immense power of the Boomerang, combined with your incredible timing abilities,
to kill two and three Owls at the same time, by chucking the Boomerang before
the Owls come out of the trees, and hitting and killing them when they do come
out, on the Boomerang's return trip. It makes your life a whole lot easier,
trust me.
After the Owl section, you'll come across a red skeleton. These are Blood
Skeletons, staples of the Castlevania series. This is basically a reminder that
there is NO WAY to kill them. Whipping them will only dismember them (and
therefore, disable them), for just a few moments, so you can get past them and
move on. Then, they come back together again, and resume their previous
position.
*After the Igor/Skull Pillar section, you go all the way right and down some
stairs. The door to the right of this screen ends the stage. before going
through it, go from the platform that the stairs lead down to to the platform
right below it, to your right. Then, face left and kneel down. Whip at the
lefthand platform that you were just on, and a Wolf Leg will fall to the ground
below. Grab it to refill your health, and then go right, through the door, and
out of this stage.
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IV. Stage Three (Part Two) - The Mad Forest continued...
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*You get to this stage (3-03) by either completeing the Mad Forest and picking
this stage, or by coming back out of the Clocktower and picking this stage.
Either way, it's a continuation of the Mad Forest that some of you were just at
before...
*In the beginning of the stage, you'll come across a plethora of floating pink
creatures, and terrestrial pink creatures, called Pink Balloons. When you
strike them enough times, they spout little spores, and then the spores
disappear soon thereafter. Get across this area quickly, and carefully,
avoiding as many encounters with these pesky enemies as you possibly can.
*As you come down the stairs from the Pink Balloon fiasco, you'll see a door to
your left. Patrolling the area below your platform is a Whip Skeleton. Time
your jump so you don't hit into him or get whipped by him. When you land on the
ground, whip and kill him right away, and then head left into the next (final)
area of the stage.
*For the rest of the stage you will encounter Spiders that come from the skies
above on webs, and shoot smaller Spiders at you, before retreating back up
their web and out of sight. You can kill these Spiders, but bare in mind that
given enough time, another Spider will come back in the same exact position
that the one previously was chillin' at. As far as them shooting Spiders at
you, they shoot them RIGHT at you, so keep moving and there's a good chance
that the Spider will miss you completely.
*Fight the Cyclops, grab the red orb, and opt to take Sypha with you or not...
although you should. She's uber-useful.
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V. Stage Four - Swamplands
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*In this area, at the very beginning, you'll have to cross a swamp over a
series of platforms. All while you are doing this, Bullfrogs will be jumping up
at you from the swamp below, and this can get very, very pesky. DON'T LET THEM
GANG UP ON YOU! If you do, it could mean certain disaster for you. Whip them as
they come up to keep them in check. If you do get knocked into or jump into the
swamp below, do not stay still! If you stay stagnant in the swamp for too long,
you will get sucked under and die. You move slower in the swamp, and have to
jump to actually move, so bare that in mind as well.
*As you go down the first set of stairs, a swamp will be below you. Swamp
Creatures and Bullfrogs will be coming out of it. You can ignore it all
together and go through the righthand door and into the next area, or you can
traverse the swamp heading to your left, where you'll come across a wall. Smash
up the wall to find a Wolf Leg to heal you up a bit if you need it. You might
want to ignore it all together, however... going into the swamp and fighting
off all of those enemies might hurt you more then the Wolf Leg could recover.
Know when to say no, in otherwords.
*In the next, long swamp segment, take the platforms going over the swamp to
make your life easier. Thankfully, you don't have to worry about Bullfrogs in
this swamp area, only Swamp Creatures. A primary concern, too, should be the
Bats that are flying all about. These annoying bastards can basically sneak up
on you and knock you into the swamp, or into a Swamp Creature, or whatever.
Jump over them, duck under them, or whip them and kill them. Whatever you go,
keep an eye out for them and don't let them hit into you. They come from both
sides!
*As you come down the final set of stairs, beware that you don't grab the Stop
Watch from the candle there! You should have a Boomerang from the candles
above, so that'll do just fine... be careful of that!
*Fight the Vampire Bat, grab the red orb, and get the hell out of here. =D
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VI. Stage Four A - The Ghost Ship
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*As you start out on the Ghost Ship, head right to the first staircase. You'll
notice a platform with a lantern on the other side - unless you have Grant and
ARE Grant, do not attempt to jump across the chasm to the other side. It's
useless, you'll just fall into the chasm and die. Just a friendly reminder. =)
*You'll come across a shitload of Ghost Pirates on this stage (which is
natural, isn't it... this IS a ghost ship). What does this mean? Well, they
only take one hit to kill, sure, but be weary! They weild swords and know how
to use them. So time your attacks on them so you're attacking them while
they're parrying. Otherwise, they'll impale you with their sword and damage
you. Just another friendly reminder from your neighborhood FAQ writer.
*As you come to the first door in the depths of the pirate ship, you'll see a
platform above you, much like the one we saw in the Clocktower. Again, as it
was then, only Grant or Alucard can get there... by way of flight (with
Alucard), or ceiling and wall scaling (as with Grant). What will you find in
the lantern up there? A 1-UP!
*As you continue on your excursion through the pirate ship, you'll eventually
come across some "different looking" platforms, green in color. These are
"crumbling platforms" which crumble, the longer you stand on them. If you stand
on them long enough, they will fall out from under your feet, and you will fall
with them. So don't spend too much time on them! Instead, run or jump along
them, using them only briefly as so not to damage them in any way.
*When you get to the end of the second part, before going up some stairs to the
deck above, whip the righthand side wall to get a Wolf Leg to heal up your
health meter!
*Ghosts are crawling all over the Ghost Ship... NOT Ghost Pirates (although
they too), but regular Ghosts. They are in abundance, so just a quick reminder
to not let them sneak up on you, or worse yet, gang up on you. If either of
those things happen, it can mean certain doom for you.
*When you get to the point in the ship where you have to jump from platform to
platform, be careful, and time your jumps very carefully. Don't only allow for
the jump you're making at first, but figure out the rest of the jumps in the
jumping sequence before jumping, and killing yourself. Just be patient and time
your jumps so that you get over successfully, without killing yourself right
off the bat.
*This is the first stage in the game with a mini-boss. The mini-boss is easy,
however - Medusa. For information on her, consult the boss section of the
FAQ/Walkthrough.
*In the section after Medusa, go all the way right until you can't anymore, and
then go back up the stairs so that you'd be heading left again. However, jump
right across the chasm (on the top platform) and approach the righthand wall.
Whip the wall to reveal a Wolf Leg, which you are probably in desperate need of
at this point.
*When you get to the point at the top of the ship where you have to jump on
this odd looking platforms, do so carefully. When you jump on them, tip them to
make it so you can jump off of them and continue on your quest. They work like
a see-saw... just use logic to successfully get over them and continue on your
quest.
*You'll have your first encounter at the end of the stage with Crows, the
pesky-as-hell creatures that can easily knock you into pits and do some serious
damage if you aren't careful. Make sure to whip them when they swoop so that
they don't knock into you. When they DO knock into you, however, they dissolve,
so you won't have to deal with that particular Crow again.
*Fight the duo-boss enemy here of Cyclops and Mummies, grab the red orb, and
move on...
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VII. Stage Five - The Castle Subterrain
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*The first enemy you'll come across in this stage (and for a vast majority of
your time on this stage) are Eyeballs. These creatures are easy to kill, but
make sure to never walk underneath them. They have these annoying poisonous
fire drops that they drop from underneath them on the ground below, making them
quite annoying themselves. Make sure to kill them before they damage you.
*This stage has drops falling from the ceiling. These drops not only damage you
if they hit you, but they also disintegrate the blocks below you, with the
potential (over time) to make gapping holes in the ground which you can fall
into. Sometimes (actually, most of the time), these drops are meant to
eventually create passages for you, so you can get to some secret goodies and
easier pathways through the stage. While I'm not going to take the time to
point all of the times you should wait for the ground to disintegrate
underneath you to get to goodies, always opt to take the passageway that's
harder to get to, especially on this board. It can lead to extra goodies and
easier routes through an otherwise treacherous board.
*There are two other enemies you'll find on this stage that you should be extra
weary of - Mummies and Firemen. The Mummies aren't just THERE so to speak.
Instead, they appear out of these lightning bolts, and often flank you from
either side. So be weary of them, and the bandages they shoot at you often! The
Firemen on the otherhand are slow moving humanoid creatures that are on fire
(hence the name). They don't shoot anything at you, but what you need to worry
about with these guys is the fact that as they walk they leave flames behind
them... these flames can damage you the same as if you were to touch or walk
into a Fireman. So again, be very careful with these guys.
*As with other stages we've come to, there are certain platforms and the like
that you'll notice that Trevor and Sypha can't get to. These passages can only
be gotten to by flying (with Alucard) or wall-climbing (with Grant). Don't try
to make any of these jumps with Sypha or Trevor, or you WILL die!
*As we saw in abundance in the Clocktower stage, keep an eye out for spikes
here... and just like in the Mad Forest and Swamp stages, spike traps and
whatnot are also found here, so be quite weary of them! They can do massive
damage, and some can even kill you in one hit!
*Sparks are another new enemy that we'll find in this stage. Similar to the
ones you'd find in Super Mario Bros. 2 and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the
Past, these sparks move around platforms and staircases, and can't be killed by
any means... the only thing you can do is avoid them. So do just that, avoid
them. Don't let them hit you, or you will be damaged, and of course, they have
the potential to knock you into surrounding pits, holes and chasms.
*Fight Alucard, grab the red orb, and opt to take him with you or leave him
behind.
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VII. Stage Five A - Red Tower
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*As you begin this stage, you'll come across some more of these platforms that
turn around and dump you into the chasms and holes below them if you jump on
them. However, these platforms are now also covered in spikes, making them
twice as dangerous. Coupled with these platforms throughout the stage are Skull
Pillars that will shoot fireballs at you, like they often do. Make sure to whip
the crap out of the fireballs they shoot at you, because the idea here (if
you're the videogame programmers), is to get you to jump to avoid the
fireballs, therefore landing on these spiked turnover platforms, and fall into
the abyss below. Avoid doing that. Be careful!
*The first upward sequence in the Red Tower has you climbing up endless sets of
ladders while Flying Shield Skeletons come at you from all sides. These parts
can be very frustrating, because it's hard to predict how and where these
flying enemies will swoop. Because of this, have that whip of your ready to
kill these foes at the earliest possible convenience for you. They can really
be a damper on this stage, so just be patient, be careful, and be agressive,
while still knowing your limits. Oh, and when you come out of that first upward
area and fight an Axe Knight before the first door in the Red Tower, whip the
block above the door to get a Wolf Leg, which you'll probably be in great need
of by this point in the stage. And it's still early!
*As with Stage 5, this stage has the same Sparks that you can't kill... you can
only avoid. So as I warned you earlier and will warn you again, be careful of
these annoying enemies, and avoid them at all costs!
*There is a part about midway through this stage where you're climbing up the
tower some more. You'll fight two Knights on two different platforms, one on
top of the other... then, when they're both defeated, the screen starts to move
downward manually, in parts, every few seconds. You'll see it (because the
screen will go down), and you'll hear it (with a loud "boom). In anycase, you
have to keep moving, jumping from platform to platform, climbing various
staircases, and killing Knights as you go. This part can be very treacherous,
and not so much with the enemies (Knights are easy to kill), but instead, it's
because you have to move fast. If the screen "passes" you (in otherwords, if it
engulfes you as you go up), you are dead. And you can't fall back down past the
screen! It's considered a hole, even if there was once a platform. If you can't
see it anymore because the screen's moved up, then it's no longer there.
Period. No ifs ands or buts! So basically, with this part, be quick, tenacious,
and patient!
*Fight Frankenstein, grab the red orb, and move on.
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VIII. Stage Six - The Castle Subterrain
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*From the outset of the stage's beginning, as you head leftward, you'll be in a
hazardous area, that'll take great patience, and a whole lot of skill and luck
to get past. You have to jump from moving platform to moving platform over
water. That's not exactly the tricky part however (even though that in itself
can be hard)... the difficult part, my friends, is jumping from platform to
platform and STAYING ON these platforms while Fishmen are jumping out of the
water from underneath you, and Bats are flying at you from both the left and
the right. That, my friends, is the hard part. The Stop Watch you get in the
beginning of the stage is actually quite vital. An otherwise useless item for
Trevor to have, this item can freeze enemies in place, making your trip across
the water here a lot easier than it would be if the enemies were all over the
place. So use it! I'd tell you to pass up the Stop Watch every other time you
encounter it in the game but here, so make sure to pick it up. You have to head
left across the water along these moving platforms, then up the stairs, and
rightward along more moving platforms, and then up the stairs to the next area.
Oh, but on the way rightward, make sure that you duck under the ceiling rocks
when you're on the moving platform, or you WILL get knocked into the water
below, and die.
*If you're having problems with the above area in the beginning of the stage,
bare in mind that Alucard's ability to turn into a bat and fly is quite useful
here. You can pass by the entire room by flying up to the stairs and going into
the next area. Neat, eh?
*After the first part, before the first door, you'll get attacked by an endless
amount of Mummies. Your best bet is to get damaged and run through them (using
the invisibility that damage provides you for a moment or two), and run
leftward to the door and into the next area.
*On the second part of the stage where you need to use moving platforms, make
sure to duck under the various ceiling rocks that can knock you into the deep,
dark chasms below. You'll see candles scattered about as you go. Ignore them
unless you're skilled enough to get them. They're out of the way for a reason -
to try to make you jump, miss the platform on your way down, and fall into the
chasm below. Oh, and also, beware of the spikes lining parts of the ceilings.
Don't jump into them, or it'll mean certain death for you! Ah yes, and also, on
the stairs from the platform (after the floating platform takes you rightward),
take the stairs down to the lower platform. Trying to jump it will net you in
the pits below. =D At the top of the platforms before going up into the next
area, you can find a Wolf Leg in the rocks to your left...
*Fight Frankenstein, grab the red orb, and move on to the next stage.
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IX. Stage Six (A) - Walkway to the Castle
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*From the outset of the stage, watch out for the numerous Igors coming at you.
Those bouncy bastards are just as annoying as ever, and they're coming at you
quickly. So be careful!
*The second part of the stage is a stream made by a waterfall. You have to walk
through the water here, with the currents pushing against you in both
directions (depending on where in the water you are). To make matters worse,
Crows are above swooping down on you, and Fishmen are coming at you from all
sides, and in great numbers. So here, you'll have to keep an eye on the sky,
and an eye on the water you're in. And be weary that the water changes
direction as you pass the waterfall in the middle of this little stream we're
in. Don't let the water current push you or pull you to the sides of this area,
however, or you'll be washed down another waterfall, and, inevitably, to your
death. The little alcove at the end of this part, below the door, can only be
gotten to by Alucard (by flying), or Grant (by climbing). If you don't have
Alucard or Grant, don't attempt it, because it's not gonna happen.
*The third part of this stage is straight forward enough, but quite
treacherous. Take your time with all of the enemies, and notice that Bats will
fly at you every so often from both sides of the screen, even while your
engaging other enemies in battle. Keep an eye out for them, because they'll try
to distract you (and will sometimes succeed)... you'll get hit quite a bit down
here because of this. The Bats combined with the sheer amount of enemies makes
this part a crapfest, but oh well. At the end of the third area, by the door,
whip the block above the door for a much needed Wolf Leg to heal your wounds.
*The final stretch of the stage before the boss offers you quite a bit. As you
run rightward along the orange platforms, it'll start to crumble underneath
you. Make sure to keep going right while avoiding or killing the Crows that are
flying all about. After that ordeal, jump rightward from platform to platform
while killing the numerous Fishmen jumping up from underneath you. While not
all of them will jump correctly to be able to land on a platform, they can
still damage you, and more importantly, knock you backwards from a jump into
the water below, or knock you off of a platform into the water below. Either
one will kill you instantly, naturally. So be careful here, and take your time!
*Fight the Water Serpents, grab the red orb, and move on.
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X. Stage Six (B) - The Castle Water System
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*After you defeat the first Skeleton Knight in the very beginning part of the
stage, there is a jump that is quite annoying and treacherous. It's a jump far
to your left, and up high. To jump this properly, make sure to be on the
complete edge of the platform you're on, and jump leftward. You should get it
in the first try if you're far enough to your left on the platform. It's just a
big jump, that's why I mention it.
*In the beginning of the stage, you'll come across more water with Fishmen
jumping out of it. As I've said before, make sure that you time your jumps
properly, allowing the Fishmen to jump ahead of you if you see their shadows in
the waters below. They can be quite annoying, so as always, be careful.
*Throught out the stage, you'll meet a lot of a new type of enemy you've yet to
encounter on your journey - Snake Skeletons. You'll know exactly what I'm
talking about when you see one. These guys come out from various blocks
(usually before doors), and go up and down, shooting random fireballs at you.
The only vulnerable part of their bodies are their heads (skull), so aim your
whip at that part and whip away. When he shoots a fireball at you, dodge it if
you can, although if you're whip is right on the money, you can whip it out of
the air. And when these Snake Skeletons are defeated, they leave you goodies...
in a vast quantity! One goodie for each segment of his body! =D
*It's interesting... the boss battle on this stage takes place in two parts.
You fight the Skeleton Dragon one time in his first lair. Take away half of his
energy, and he'll go crazy. He'll escape through the roof of the room, creating
a waterfall in the lair you're in, and then you can leave to your right. As you
head right, the waterfall through the hole in the ceiling will make the water
rise as you go. What does this mean? Well this means you have to get to your
right, jumping from platform to platform (some of them crumbling under your
feet), while avoiding and killing slews of Bats and Fishmen. All the while, the
water level is rising, and rising. When you get to the end of this area, you
can go up the stairs to the next area, or you can continue right. Only go right
if you know that you're gonna be quick enough to get back to the stairs before
the water rises too much. To your right, up a set of stairs, and in the blocks
of the wall, you will find a 1-UP when you smash the blocks there with your
whip. Then go back left and up the stairs, and approach the boss' lair for the
second and decisive battle with the Skeleton Dragon.
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XI. Stage Seven - Underneath the Castle
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*This stage is interesting. It seems pretty run of the mill, except for having
to wait for blocks to disintegrate with the drops of "something" coming from
above you can move on, but we've seen that before. You'll basically have to sit
through a few screens of that, waiting for blocks to disintegrate and what have
you. Most of the time, you'll see that a few Igors are trapped in the blocks,
and will be freed when the blocks around them are dissolved. Because of this,
try whipping them or using your special weapon (you should get an Axe in the
beginning of the stage) to slay them and do away with them before they have the
opportunity to be freed. Other than that, there will be a screen that has you
wait for blocks to fall to the ground, to make the ground high enough for you
to jump to the platform with the stairs and proceed onto the next area. If you
happen to have Alucard as your partner on this stage, you're in luck, because
you can skip this entire part by turning him into a Bat and flying to the
stairs, instead of waiting for all of the blocks to accumulate.
*Fight the mini-boss (Bat) and go through the door into the next area.
*This area is interesting. Like the last area, you have to wait for blocks to
fall down so you can get above. The catch is... above is very, very, very high
above, and you have to last here a very, very long time to truly get to the top
and move on. There's not much of a tip I can give you here, except to watch for
the pattern of how the blocks fall from above, and time your movements
accordingly. Do bare in mind that midway through the falling sequence, the
sequence in which the blocks fall suddenly changes. So allow yourself to change
accordingly. Not doing so can lead to a certain death for Trevor and partner.
When you [finally] get to the top of this area, jump leftward to the platform
with the stairs on it (making sure no falling blocks knock you backwards, or
more importantly, downward), and go up the stairs.
*The rest of the stage is up to you, really. If you die, bare in mind that you
have to do the whole block sequence again, and that'd suck, so be extra careful
here!
*Fight the Mummies/Hammer Cyclops/Gargoyle trio, grab the red orb, and move on.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XII. Stage Seven A - Entering the Castle
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*At the beginning of this stage, you'll come across some moving platforms going
up and down that you need to use to get over the various holes and chasms and
work your way rightward. The first of these platform jumps is elementary, but
do be weary of the second jump, which consists of a series of four moving
platforms in unison to get over the large hole. When the first platform comes
down, jump on it as soon as you can, so it's as high as it could possibly be.
Doing that will let the other platforms be high enough so you can get safely
across without not having a platform to jump on (which will happen if you wait
too long to jump on the first platform). It's all about proper timing and good
planning. Naturally, this whole part can be flown over by Alucard in his bat
form, so having him for your spirit helper here is a plus, naturally.
*After the previous part I just talked about, you'll have your first run in
with the enemy Chimera. These enemies fly in and drop Igors all over the place.
While you'll only find them in limited numbers here, you'll find that they are
quite annoying, and that they keep on coming. Make sure to not let the Igor
number get too out of control, or it can mean certain doom for you! You know
how annoying they get!
*You'll find more of those seesaw-like platforms on this stage about midway
through, just like we found on the Ghost Ship. Jump from seesaw to platform to
seesaw to platform, et cetera. When you get to the final platform, however, and
have to jump to a seesaw, that jump is long and treacherous. Make sure you are
on the very edge of the platform, so that you can't be on the edge anymore (or
you'd fall in the chasm below), and then jump to safely land on the seesaw
across the way, so that you can go through the door and safely resume your
voyage. If you're not on the very edge of the platform when you jump, you WILL
miss the seesaw, fall into the holes below, and have to start over again from a
ways back. Save yourself the trouble and do it right the first time.
*As the stage winds to a close, you'll be on a bridge, which isn't the problem.
The problem is the amount of Blood Skeletons that are on the bridge (weilding
whips), and Crows above the bridge, that can be a duo which can equal some
problems. Speed through this area as quickly as possible to avoid any problems
with the two foes that patrol the bridge.
*The final area of the stage is an area where the screen is scrolling down, and
you have to traverse a bunch of crumbling platforms safely to get to the
platform with the stairs on it, and then work your way down the stairs. Since
the platforms crumble if you stand on them for too long, make sure to keep
jumping up and down, to avoid any crumble of the platform (or even cracking
them) whatsoever... a very good idea if you want to get out of this stage
alive. When you get to the final platform, simply go down the stairs, and
you're safe.
*Fight the Mummy/Hammer Cyclops/Gargoyle trio, grab the red orb, and get the
hell out of this stage. =D
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XIII. Stage Eight - Inside the Castle
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Just a side note - anyone who's played the original Castlevania on the NES
will recognize this stage instantly. While it's not IDENTICAL to the first
stage in the original Castlevania, they are pretty damn close in resemblance.
Even the music and enemy types (at least with the Bats and slews of Zombies) in
the beginning of the stage are the same. A pretty neat tidbit that I thought
I'd share with you, being that I'm such a nice guy.
*Other than a little nostalgia that this stage might bring a few of you, the
stage is incredibly straight forward and needs little to no explanation.
Seriously. It's quite simple. This is, however, the first stage where all
enemies will start dealing you four bars of damage for each time they hit
you... unlike the three we were previously getting, and the two we were at the
beginning of the game. It was always weird, and always something I wondered
about... how come Bats in the beginning of the game give you two bars of
damage, and later in the game, they give you four bars of damage? What makes
them so much stronger later in the game? It's mind-boggling.
*The only part of this stage worth mentioning is the very end, before the boss
fight. MAKE SURE TO GRAB THE BOOMERANG FROM THE CANDLE BEFORE FIGHTING THE
BOSS! And as you go rightward, and the blocks start disappearing behind you,
make haste and run! Grab what hearts you can out of the candles as you go (and
avoid getting any of the weapons from the candles you might encounter, as the
Boomerang is a MUST for the boss fight ahead.) When you encounter a Knight on
the crumbling bridge, toss a Boomerang at him and whip him to do away with him
quickly, and keep running. The bridge disappears behind you quickly, and any
amount of stoppage could cause you to fall with the bridge, and die... and then
start all over again. And that'd suck.
*Fight Death (the Grim Reaper) with the BOOMERANG (for ease), grab the red orb,
and move on. We're almost to Dracula!
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XIV. Stage Nine - Climbing the Castle
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*In the beginning of the stage, as you come up a flight of stairs, you'll
notice a platform to your left (far up and out) with a candle above it. You
can't get there as Trevor or Sypha, so don't attempt it. If you really need to
get up there, a good, solid jump with Grant, or turning into a Bat with Alucard
is the only way to get up there. Just to let you know, as I have throughout the
game, to save you from dying needlessly.
*As you head right from the place that I mentioned above, you'll come across
the annoying Chimera-Igor combonation that I mentioned in the walkthrough two
stages ago. This time, you'll have to deal with them to the full extent,
unfortunately. They come in DROVES (massive, massive droves), and you'll have
to deal with the bit by bit. Walk a bit, turn around or forward and hack and
kill any Igors that have managed to come down from the flying Chimeras above.
You'll be fighting a shitload of them, so be patient, and don't let ANY of them
off. Kill them ALL (or they'll chase you endlessly until you kill them,
damaging you in the process). When you finally get far enough to the right (so
you can see the stairs, around there), they'll stop coming... but bare in mind
any Igors you didn't kill will still be in hot pursuit of you. See why I told
you to kill them when you had the chance?
*You'll come across more of those spike crushers and spiked line thingies (but
for the last time, believe me) about midway through the stage. Don't fear them
though, attack them as we did the last time... (well not literally attack)...
jump on top of them or run under them quickly to get by them without a hitch.
Trust me, they look a lot harder than they really are. You and me both know
this. =D
*This next part is probably the worst it's going to get for you in the game. As
you climb sets of stairs, Skull Pillars are firing on you from all sides, and
Flying Shield Skeletons are all about, making matters worse for you. We've been
in this kind of situation before (think back about four or five stages), but
not quite to this extent, and certainly not to this difficulty level. This part
takes patience, practice, and a whole lot of skill (and a little luck too).
There's not a whole lot of information or tips I can give you on this part. You
really just have to give it a go and be patient. This is where the ten lives
you get from the HELP ME code come in real handy. This part more than any other
part in the game.
*Don't worry. The worst isn't over yet. You'll come across another one of those
downward scrolling parts, which forces you to keep jumping upward in a quick
pace, so that the screen doesn't pass you, and therefore engulf you and kill
you. Who the hell would want that to happen? The last time we had to do a part
like this, we fought Knights on our way up. This time, we have the sword-
weilding Skeleton Knights and platform revolving Sparks to deal with. Make sure
to lag far enough behind so that the enemies don't appear right on top of you
(and therefore damage you), but don't lag too far back where you can't catch up
to the pace of the moving screen, and die... there's not much else to say here.
But don't worry, a harder part's to come.
*In this final part (basically) before the boss, this is the most frustrating
part of the stage. You'll be in a water system, and all around you are Crows
swooping down on you and Fishmen coming in and out of the water, shooting
fireballs at you and the like. There's not much strategy here, it's all luck.
Kill the Crows as soon as they swoop at you, and keep an eye on the shadows of
the Fishmen in the water, killing them before they come out of the water or run
into you. You cannot afford to sustain any damage here (both because there's so
many enemies that four hits will do you in, and the fact that the hardest boss
in the game is ahead) so be very careful. Having Alucard at this point in the
game is CLUTCH, by the way, because he can fly around and above all of the
hazards and straight to the staircase in the upper lefthand corner, allowing
you easy passage out of this pain-in-the-ass area of Dracula's castle.
*Fight the Clone (Doppleganger) enemy (he's a hard one, so be patient!), and
move on to the final stage in the game!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XV. Stage Ten - This Is It...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*This short (but oddly difficult) stage leads to Dracula. Be prepared!
*As you begin the stage, watch out for the slightly-camouflaged Crows coming at
you, which are hard to see because of the dark night sky in the background.
*As you proceed through the stage, you'll come to a clock-tower-esque area,
which is another of these automatic scrolling areas. This time, it's scrolling
downward. Work your way downward along with the screen, not getting too far
ahead of yourself. Avoid the Medusa Heads coming at you (coming at you in pairs
of two, this time around), and keep going downward. When you get towards the
end of the area, the platforms you are on start crumbling, so start jumping up
and down to avoid them crumbling under your feet, and you falling into the
abyss below. Be patient here, and avoid the Medusa Heads at all costs!
*In the small part right after the Clocktower part, you have to fight off Bats
and two Skull Pillars... it's not all that hard except the Bats, because they
fly in from all directions and make fighting the Skull Pillars difficult. Don't
turn your back on the Skull Pillars however, or their fireballs will hurt
you... turn around quickly (if necessary) to kill the Bat coming at you, then
immediately turn back around and concentrate on the Skull Pillar. The Skull
Pillar guarding the door there has crumbling blocks in front of him. Underneath
the crumbling blocks are spikes... so there might as well be a pit there.
Either way, you die if you touch them. To get through the Bone Pillar (barring
you have more than four energy bars in your meter), jump into him, getting
damaged. Used the temporary invisibility provided by this collision to go
through the Skull Pillar and through the door, to the next area.
*On the final stretch of the stage, you have to jump from moving pendulum to
moving pendulum. To make matters worse, you're doing this over a huge open
abyss, and there are Bats flying at you from all sides. Make sure to take your
time here... there's not much else that can be said. When you get past this
part, you're essentially at Dracula's room.
*From this area, climb the stairs and grab the goodies out of the candles
there. Then, get ready to fight all three forms of Dracula. If you manage to
defeat Dracula (which most people don't, believe it or not), enjoy a well
deserved ending sequence!
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PLEASE BARE IN MIND THAT THIS SECTION, TRUE TO THE NAME OF IT, DISCUSSES THE
FOUR DIFFERENT ENDINGS THAT YOU CAN GET IN THIS GAME. THEREFORE, THIS SECTION
IS FULL OF SPOILERS, AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED IF YOU HAVEN'T BEATEN THE GAME, OR
DON'T WANT INFORMATION ON THE ENDING.
Okay, enough of the Caps Lock key for now.
There are indeed four different endings that you can get in the game. One for
Trevor alone, one for Trevor and Grant, one for Trevor and Sypha, and one for
Trevor and Alucard. On each of them, Trevor (and the person he's accompanying,
if any) stand on a cliff, at the edge of this cliff. Far off in the distance,
you can see Dracula's castle. With Count Dracula now defeated, the castle can
no longer sustain its incredible magical powers, and crumbles back into the
subterrain of Transylvania, gone for now...
From there, each of the four endings has a different epilogue about Trevor, and
whoever is accompanying him. They then celebrate their victory, and some short
credits roll. From there, Konami thanks you for playing, and the game is
done...
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This section of the FAQ/Walkthrough is dedicated to the weapons in the game.
I've taken the liberty of naming some of them myself (mainly Sypha's spells)...
but then again, who cares? It's not like anyone knows the real names for some
of this shit anyway. Typically, in this game, anyway, the weapons Trevor
Belmont use (other than his whip) are called Warakiya Weapons. Warakiya,
naturally, is the Belmont hometown, so the weapons are therefore aptly named.
WHIP
****
The whip is Trevor's primary weapon. It comes in three forms. Weak, medium, and
strong. The state of your whip depends on the whip upgrades you pick up during
your quest. Usually, you'll find two whip upgrades (therefore making your whip
the strongest it can be) within 30 seconds of starting a stage. Without the
upgrades, your whip is weak and doesn't go very far. A full strength whip can
do quite a bit of damage, however. You can only whip directly in front of you,
so learning the crouch-and-whip and jump-and-whip will be vital to your success
in this game.
STAFF
*****
The Staff is Sypha's primary weapon, and is incredibly weak. Being that Sypha
is primarily a character whom uses her magical spells and powers to get past
enemies, the Staff is really a last resort weapon, that does about half the
damage that a Whip does, although it sometimes seems to do even LESS damage
than that. When using Sypha, make sure you have a magic spell in your
inventory, and plenty of hearts. Trust me when I say that you don't want to be
relying on her Staff to be of much protection to you.
FIREBALL
********
The Fireball is the primary weapon of Alucard, son of Dracula. Half as strong
as the full strength whip, the Fireball doesn't seem to have much of an
advantage over the Whip, except for the fact that with the whip upgrades that
you'll find when you're Alucard, you can shoot two or three Fireballs at your
enemies, instead of shooting just one. The use of this is obvious, as you can
now damage an enemy three times, or, better yet, damage multiple enemies (on
multiple levels) at the same time! The downside is the Fireball is incredibly
slow to shoot... but it's long-range capabilities isn't anything to scoff at.
DAGGER
******
The weakest of the five Warakiya Weapons Trevor had available to him, the
Dagger is just that - a dagger than can be chucked from Trevor straight across
the screen at his foe. It does approximately half of the damage that a full
strength whip can do to any enemy, although with some weaker enemies, like
Skeletons, one Dagger can do them in. The Dagger Doubles as Grant's main
weapon, although his Dagger isn't throwable... it's a short-range slashing
weapon that does about half the amount of damage that the Whip does to any
enemy.
HOLY WATER
**** *****
Holy Water is another Warakiya Weapon available as a secondary item to Trevor
Belmont. The Holy Water isn't a distance weapon, nor is it very strong. The
real use of the Holy Water is throwing it on the ground, allowing its mystical
powers to create a short-lived fire where it was thrown. Doing this in a
strategic manner nearly guarantees that you will damage (and sometimes kill)
any enemy that happens to walk over it. This is especially useful against
stationary items, like Dragon Pillars and Axe Knights. You'll see exactly what
I mean when you get it. Keep in mind that you can also drop the bottles onto
enemies below, and the bottle itself can damage any enemy it hits, although not
for very much.
AXE
***
The Axe is a Warakiya Weapon that is available to use by both Trevor and Grant.
The Axe is a fairly strong weapon that does about the same damage as the full
strength whip does. The Axe is thrown into the air, into an arc. Especially
useful against airborne enemies, and enemies on platforms above you, the Axe is
thrown up, arcs, and then comes back down. The real beauty of the Axe is its
ability to damage multiple enemies with one Axe, as it arcs up and then comes
back down on even more enemies. The Axe is the second strongest special weapon
in the game for Trevor, and one that you'll want to have in your inventory
often.
STOP WATCH
**** *****
The Stop Watch is an entirely useless Warakiya weapon. The Stop Watch doesn't
have the capability to damage any enemy - instead, the Stop Watch literally
freezes time for a few seconds at a time, making all on-screen enemies freeze
in their tracks, which allows you to hack, slash, and whip at them over and
over again until they die, or until the time freeze is undone, and they are
once again able to move. It SOUNDS useful, but it really isn't. Freezing
enemies can sometimes make them harder to kill, or out of reach, or be frozen
in a really bad position. It's truly in your best interest to not have the Stop
Watch as your special weapon. It can't be used against bosses, and its effects
are weak and short-lasting. It was useful enough against Medusa in the original
Castlevania on the NES... but it's certainly not very useful on the bosses in
this game. Stay away from this one.
BOOMERANG
*********
The Boomerang is the cross-looking Warakiya weapon that is available to Trevor.
Coincidentally, some Castlevania players call the Boomerang the Cross, and
that's fine by me, but that's not the official name, nor a name that makes much
sense (it's not a cross, it looks more like a plus sign... and have you ever
thrown a plus sign, none-the-less one with boomerang characteristics?) In
anycase, the Boomerang is the strongest weapon in the game, stronger than even
Trevor's whip in its strongest form. Yeah, that's quite strong. Anywho, chuck
the Boomerang, and it goes clear across the screen, hitting any enemy in its
path. Then, it comes back to you, hitting any enemy in its path on the way
back. This is THE special weapon to have for Trevor, and one you strive to find
and keep throughout your quest through Transylvania. You don't have to catch
the Boomerang on the way back, you can duck under it or jump over it, allowing
it to hit enemies behind you as well. Catching the Boomerang actually has no
advantage whatsoever. It's not like you're saving a heart by catching it and
reusing it. It would make sense if that were the case, but alas, it isn't the
case.
FIRE SPELL
**** *****
The Fire Spell is the weakest of Sypha's three spells. However, saying it's
"weak" isn't saying much - it's still an incredibly powerful spell to have for
Sypha. You'll have this one most often with Sypha, so you should be prepared to
use it properly. It has an attack range similar to that of Trevor's full
strength whip. When you get into range of an enemy, use it, and Sypha will lift
her cape, shooting a stream of fire at her enemy. Extremely useful, and quite
powerful But wait, my friends... she has even more powerful spells. But you
won't find them with quite the regularity that you find the Fire Spell... so
use it wisely, use it well.
ICE SPELL
*** *****
The Ice Spell is quite interesting. The second strongest of the three spells
Sypha has available to her in the game, Sypha can shoot the Ice Spell at the
enemy, which doesn't damage them, but temprarily freezes them in place, encased
in an icy shell! From there, she can run up to them and give them a smack with
her Staff to permenantly dispatch them from this world for good. The Ice Spell
is good indeed, but quite rare to find. You might prefer it over the more
common Fire Spell, so make sure to try this one out as well as the Fire Spell,
and see which one you DO prefer!
LIGHTNING SPELL
********* *****
The Lightning Spell is the strongest of the three spells available for use by
Sypha throughout the game. Extremely, extremely rare to find, the Lightning
Spell is a diamond in the rough for you to find for Sypha. When found and used,
the Lightning Spell's powerful... well... power... is to shoot massive and
strong lightning bolts into three directions, practically decimating all
enemies it touches... and basically every enemy on the screen. Quite powerful
indeed. Make sure to keep an eye out for this one. This is one spell you do not
want to miss by any means.
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This section of the FAQ/Walkthrough discusses each enemy in the game that's NOT
a boss briefly, with a simple description for each.
(In Alphabetical Order, according to the names I give the enemies)
AXE KNIGHT
*** ******
These highly armored enemies are difficult to kill. They carry an endless
amount of axes, which they throw with great skill. While their axes can be
destroyed in midair, it's getting close enough to attack them that will prove
to be the real problem. Move in close and hack away for the easiest time
against these otherwise pesky foes.
BAT
***
A weak Castlevania enemy, you'll find Bats on almost every stage. They fly from
out of nowhere, and cross the screen, looking to run into you. Can be
surprisingly annoying if you're not expecting them, or if you don't see them.
Otherwise, they're easy to kill.
BLOOD SKELETON
***** ********
These enemies are literally immortal. That is to say, no matter what you do to
them, they won't die. They can't. You can whip them, hack them, do whatever you
want. They'll only fall down, and then reassemble. With these red-tinted
Skeletons, your best bet is to strike them and temporarily disable them, and
the run past them, and out of harm's way, before they come back to life. And
sometimes, they weild whips, making them even more annoying! Even with a whip,
you can't kill 'em.
BULLFROG
********
Where there is a swamp, you'll usually find this enemy. They can live under the
swampy waters of any swamp terrain, waiting for their prey to come by. And when
they do, they jump out of the swamp with great force, flying at their enemy. Be
careful of these hopping enemies! They move fast, and damage nicely!
CHIMERA
*******
Gratefully, you don't meet these creatures until very late in the game. These
enemies aren't anything you have to worry about, however. It's the fact that
they carry Igors in and drop them, and then fly away. You can kill a Chimera
while he carries an Igor, but that'll just make them drop the Igor sooner! A
very, very, very annoying enemy, that brings an even MORE annoying enemy into
the picture for you! Ugh!
CROW
****
These annoying airborne enemies are tenacious indeed. They sit atop their perch
until their foe gets close enough. Then they go airborne, and try to swoop down
on their enemies, damaging them in the process. It's a mystery why they bother
damaging their enemies however, for when they run into their foe, they
themselves are killed instantly.
EYEBALL
*******
An eerie enemy indeed, an eyeball is just that, an eye floating through the
air. How they stay airborne remains a mystery, but when they fly around, they
try to get above their enemy, where they secrete and drip a damaging poison
that can hurt even the most hardened foes, including you!
FIREMAN
*******
Firemen are rare enemies to find indeed. They are corpses that are forever
engulfed in flames. Miserable by their eternal state, they endlessly chase
anyone who's around, trying to share their pain. Be careful not to walk behind
them! Wherever they walk, the ground temporarily blazes in fire before
eventually going out.
FISHMAN
*******
Fishmen are another one of those Castlevania enemies that... well... you can't
have a Castlevania game without Fishmen. These water-dwelling enemies live in
the waterways surrounding Dracula's castle. They randomly hop out of the water
and can mysteriously shoot fireballs, even if they are water creatures. Be
careful around them! They are annoying, and come in great numbers most often.
FLYING SHIELD SKELETON
****** ****** ********
These incredibly annoying enemies dwell areas where you are climbing, jumping,
et cetera. They swoop in from both sides of the screen and swoop around
randomly as they head from right to left or left to right, trying to collide
with you. They are incredibly annoying, but weak to all weaponry. They are
often paired with Skull Pillars, so be careful of this treacherous duo!
GHOST
*****
These enemies are interesting, because at first, you can't even see them. Only
as time goes on do they appear to the naked eye so you can attack and kill
them. But be aware! These floating aparitions are aggressive enemies, and will
ceaselessly go after you until one of you dies!
GHOST PIRATE
***** ******
You first find these enemies on the Ghost Ship in Warakiya Bay. Mysteriously,
these enemies are headless. However, in one hand, they hold a sword, and in the
other, their heads! Mysterious, but cool indeed. They weild a sword which they
know how to use, so make sure to keep your distance. When they strike at you
with their sword, that's your cue to parry and then move in for the kill.
GREEN SLIME
***** *****
Straight out of the mansions of Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, the Green Slimes
are back in Dracula's Curse. These enemies bounce around, jump around, and
wreak havoc whereever they go. Their small size and active personality make
them difficult to strike with any weapon, therefore improving their rate of
hitting you before you hit them. Be careful around these guys.
IGOR
****
A very, very annoying enemy. Probably one of the most annoying enemies in the
Castlevania series, ever. These bouncy creatures can be quite ellusive, so make
sure to kill them as soon as you can. Otherwise, they'll bounce and move all
around, running into you and running back before you can hit them. You'll find
them quite formidable for their small size.
KNIGHT
******
A mindless member of Dracula's monster army, these armored enemies look more
difficult than they actually are. They simply patrol their platforms, and even
though they weild a weapon, they don't actually use it. Two hits of the whip
will do these enemies in quickly.
MEDUSA HEAD
****** ****
These run-of-the-mill Castlevania enemies can be surprisingly annoying. They
fly at you, but swirve up and down as they do, making them both hard to attack
and kill, and also hard to avoid. You'll find them in the most annoying of
places, making your trip through Warakiya and Dracula's castle that much
harder.
MUMMY
*****
A weak form of the Mummy boss enemy, these mummies come in massive droves from
a mystical electrical force that appears randomly throughout Dracula's castle
and surrounding areas. When you are trapped between two Mummies, you're
basically done, because they'll shoot their ribbons at you endlessly as they
move in closer for the kill! Whip and run, that's the technique to use on these
guys!
OWL
***
These night-dwelling forest enemies are only found in one area in the game -
the Mad Forest. You can see their eyes gazing out at you from the trees before
they come out and swoop at you. Make sure to attack them before they start a
mad swooping spree. Once they go after you, they won't stop until they're dead!
PINK BALLOON
**** *******
These odd enemies don't have the most freakish of names, but these enemies are
still formidable. Sometimes they're on the ground, other times they float
through the air, looking like jellyfish floating through the oceans... with
tentacles coming down from their body. And when struck, they explode into
pores! Be careful!
SKELETON
********
The Skeleton is one of the weakest enemies in the game. These bag of bones walk
around with no real purpose... just kinda patrolling their domain, looking to
run into their foe (which is the only real way they can damage you._ Easy to
kill, easier to avoid.
SKULL PILLAR
***** ******
A staple of the Castlevania series, Skull Pillars are those annoying enemies
with two faces, one on top of another, and each facing a different way. They'll
shoot streams of three fireballs at you. Fortunately, these fireballs can be
whipped out of the air, making them harmless. In this way, you can move in
closely to the Skull Pillar and kill it from up close.
SKELETON KNIGHT
******** ******
These formidable foes are lightly armored Skeletons, weidling a sword. And they
know how to use it. While they only take two hits to kill, the fact that they
swing their sword around every so often means you have to often attack them
from a safe distance. That, or wait until they swing their sword, then move in
and strike quickly!
SNAKE SKELETONS
***** *********
An enemy that looks a lot harder then he really is, Snake Skeletons randomly
(and quickly) appear out of various walls and blocks, almost always before
doorways. They are long in size and shoot fireballs, but the only vulnerable
part of their bodies are the head. Being that the head is the part closest to
you at all times, this doesn't exactly prove to be much of a problem. And hey,
when you defeat them, they drop craploads of goods.
SPARKS
******
These enemies are another one of those pesky creatures that you can't kill, no
matter what you do, just like the Blood Skeletons. You'll find these guys
exclusively revolving around various platforms, trying to collide with you and
knock you off, et cetera. You can slow them down with a dowsing of Holy Water,
but avoid these guys at all costs. There's no killin' 'em.
SPIDER
******
These enemies are elusive at first. But then they weave a web and come down
from above. This is when they're vulnerable to attack, but this is ALSO when
they attack you. How do they attack? By tossing little spiders your way. And
they are very accurate. So when they are around, keep moving so they can't
properly lock in on you!
SWAMP CREATURE
***** ********
A ghost of the swamp, these enemies literally rise up from the swamp,
surrounded by the mirky waters of their terrain. Although it's unclear what's
underneath all of the dirt and mirky water that surrounds their true body, one
thing is for certain - these enemies move quickly and are quite formidable. So
keep a look out for them. They literally appear out of no where.
THROWING SKELETON
******** ********
The Throwing Skeleton is a smarter version of the Skeleton. These Skeletons
move quicker than their weaker counterparts, and can throw bones at you to
boot. These guys are especially annoying to fight when they're underneath or
above you, throwing bones at you from a safe distance.
WHIP SKELETON
**** ********
A Whip Skeleton is basically a Skeleton equipped with a whip. Slightly stronger
and faster than a regular Skeleton, these enemies attack just as Trevor Belmont
does... although the Whip Skeleton doesn't use the whip with nearly the skill
and prowess that Trevor does.
ZOMBIE
******
The most brainless and simplistic enemy in the game, these enemies come out of
the ground and start walking towards you. They are easy to kill, but can
actually sneak up on you from underneath. When they are around, make sure to
tread carefully, or they'll come up from underneath you and actually damage
you.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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-----------------S E C T I O N T W E L V E - B O S S E S-----------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Welcome to the bosses section of the guide. If you think this looks familiar,
you're right... it's pound for pound a copy and paste job from my Boss FAQ on
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, also found at GameFAQs. You can see the Boss
FAQ in its entirety at the following URL:
http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/file/castlevania_iii_boss.txt
Some of you might think this technique to be cheap... easy KB or whatever.
Guess what? I don't care. Why the hell would I write the boss strategies for
the game over again when I already have them written on a seperate document. I
can plagerize my own work, thanks. =)
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-STAGE: 1 (ONE)
-BOSS NAME: Skeleton Knight (Unofficial)
-WEAPON(S): Sword
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip
-STRATEGY: The Skeleton Knight is the first boss character you fight in the
game, and is very, very simple to defeat. While the only candles you have in
the fight screen holds a heart (there's one candle), you don't need any
Warakiya weapons or hearts for this fight (although you should have an Axe or
Dagger, if you got them in the candles during the stage). There are two
platforms in the fight screen, and as the fight begins, the Skeleton Knight
comes from the left... so jump onto the right platform and crouch down. The
Skeleton Knight moves slow and has no attacks, other than swinging his sword,
and then walking slowly. As you're crouched down, start swinging that whip at
his head, over and over again. While you don't have to hit him in the head to
damage him, being on that platform will make you higher in the air than he is,
and crouching down is the only way you can hit him. Coincidentally, the head is
the only part of his body you can hit from there, if you follow what I'm
saying. Swing, swing, swing, and each hit of the whip will take two bars off of
his life meter. He'll be done in mere seconds with this technique, if you're
persistant with it, and do it correctly.
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-STAGE: 2 (TWO)
-BOSS NAME: Grant DaNasty
-WEAPONS: Daggers
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip/Dagger
-STRATEGY: Grant DaNasty isn't actually himself in this battle. He's a monster
version of himself, a pretty menacing looking green monster, reminding me a bit
of an alien. =) In anycase, he's still easy, but he has the use of Daggers in
the battle, identical to the Daggers you can use. That's all you really need to
be careful of in the battle. He can grip to walls and ceilings briefly, just
like Grant can when he's in his human form, staying true to form, so to speak.
But in anycase, get up close and start hacking with your Whip. If you want to
keep your distance, use the weak-but-still-potent Daggers from afar, to combat
his Daggers... fire versus fire, if you will. He's easy, and you get to use
Grant after you beat him (if you choose to)... which is always cool.
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-STAGE: 3 (THREE)
-BOSS NAME: Hammer Cyclops
-WEAPONS: Hammer
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip/Dagger
-STRATEGY: The Hammer Cyclops is an interesting enemy, and can be difficult if
you don't do something right at the outset of the battle. When the battle
begins, DO NOT DESTROY THE LOWER BLOCK ON THE LEFT, which can be destroyed to
reveal a five heart piece. Instead, jump up on it and stay there, and on the
platform left of it. Doing this, you'll be safe from the Hammer Cyclops
completly. When he walks towards you, whip at his head (the only weak spot on
his body to any attacks) and then jump to your left to the above platform, and
wait for him to walk away. Then repeat this process. If he runs towards you,
simply avoid him all together and again wait for him to walk away. If you're
fighting him on the ground, be weary of his hammer, which he smashes to the
ground quickly and accuratly if you happen to be in the way. And a cool little
trick - if you go into battle with him with the Dagger, try shooting it at his
head while the lightning in the background is going. If you do this right, the
Dagger will attract the lightning and do extra damage to him! It's a cool
trick, so you should really try it out if you have the patience. Otherwise, you
get Sypha if you want him at the end of the battle. And on we go.
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-STAGE: 4 (FOUR)
-BOSS NAME: Vampire Bat
-WEAPONS: None.
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip/Boomerang
-STRATEGY: If for whatever reason you choose to go to this stage instead of
going to the Sypha stage (stage 3), you'll fight this boss at the end. The
Vampire Bat isn't your traditional Vampire Bat boss, as found in the original
Castlevania. He's actually quite simple. Everytime you hit the bat, it splits
into twos. So the first time you hit it, it'll split into two, then hitting
each of the splits will split them, and so on and so forth. Since they have no
weapons (like fireballs or anything), you should have no problems. There is a
Boomerang on this stage... if you've managed to keep it to this point in the
stage, use the Boomerang on the Bats too, and you can hit and kill multiple at
the same time. It's a real life saver, trust me. =) In anycase, you should
never have to fight here anyway, because, in all honesty, unless you're bored
and beat the game before, you should never choose this stage over the Sypha
stage, period. =)
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-STAGE: 4A (FOUR A)
-BOSS NAME: Medusa (Mini-Boss)
-WEAPONS: Bow and Arrow/Sonic Waves
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip/Dagger
-STRATEGY: Medusa is the mini-boss on the pirate ship. She's pretty difficult
this time around in comparison to her appearance in the original Castlevania...
'tis a beautiful thing. In anycase, she has two modes of attack. One, she
shoots Snakes out of her bow, a bow and arrow, if you will. When these strike
you, they do normal (but ample) damage to you. The other attack she has is this
sonic attack, that when she hits you, it turns you into stone. Naturally, this
fits in nicely with the myth of Medusa (you could never look at her eyes, or
you'd turn to stone). She's simple though. If you have a good amount of energy,
run up to her and whip away until she's defeated. If not, stay away and chuck
Daggers at her from afar, and take safety in the upper lefthand corner of the
room. While she can still hit you up there with the snakes from her bow, he
gives you a little more room to maneuver and jump, et cetera, making this fight
far easier.
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-STAGE: 4A (FOUR A)
-BOSS NAME: Mummies/Hammer Cyclops
-WEAPONS: Bandages/Hammer
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip
-STRATEGY: God, it seems like half of the game has been a reintroduction to the
original Castlevania boss enemies. First the Vampire Bat, then Medusa, now
Mummies. Well this boss fight is interesting, because it's basically two boss
fights in one. As you enter the boss lair, you'll notice two caskets, one on
either side. As the fight begins, a skull ghost will appear. You can't hurt
him, so don't bother. He'll go into the left casket and two Mummies will come
out. They move in opposite directions and shoot bandages. If your health is
high when you come into the battle, stand a bit to the right of the casket, and
as they come out, just whip whip whip! You can destroy the bandages that they
shoot at you with your whip as well, so keep that in mind. You can kill one,
which makes the fight much easier when it's one Mummy versus you. At that
point, just run up to the remaining bastard and stick a fork in him, 'cause
he's done! When he's defeated, the Skull Ghost comes back, this time going into
the righthand side casket. In this casket is a remake of the Hammer Cyclops we
fought earlier. A carbon copy, really. No harder or easier, same attacks, et
cetera. If you need a tip on him, see the strategy for him above, he was on
stage three, for reference. =)
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-STAGE: 5 (FIVE)
-BOSS NAME: Alucard
-WEAPONS: Fireballs
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip/Axe
-STRATEGY: Dracula had a son, if you didn't know. His name? Alucard. Cleverly,
Dracula spelt his name backwards and named his son friggin' Alucard. Oh the
originality! But that's not what this guide is for... this is a boss FAQ
damnit! Alucard's fight is easy, you can beat it easily without getting hit. As
the fight begins, Bats come out of the coffin in the middle of the room. You
can't damage them, they can't damage you, so no worries. In anycase, they fly
around and stop, and form up Alucard (who is a Dracula look alike, trust me).
He opens up his cape, shoots three fireballs, and turns back into a bat. That's
all he does. So this is what YOU do. When he appears, jump up and whip him in
his head (that's the only part of his body you can damage him), then whip at
his chest as he fires fireballs at you to destroy them, and then he'll turn
into bats and do this all over again. So keep repeating this process and he'll
be defeated before you know it. Then you can decide if you want to take him
with you or not, et cetera. Naturally, you should take him with you. He's the
best companion you can get, in my opinion, unless you're really skilled and can
use Sypha properly.
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-STAGE: 5A (FIVE A)
-BOSS NAME: Frankenstein
-WEAPONS: Falling Debris
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip
-STRATEGY: Like many other bosses we've come across in the game thusfar,
Frankenstein is another blast-from-the-past boss enemy from the original
Castlevania. Thankfully, however, Frankenstein is a little different in this
game then he was in the original version, and is a lot easier to defeat. As
Frankenstein enters into the room from the left, start jumping up and whipping
him in his head. It's his only weak point, and hence the only place you can
damage him. When you can get to his left, hit the first block platform with
your whip to reveal some meat, which you will probably need, as the stage
getting to him is pretty long and arduous. In anycase, Frankenstein has one
attack, and that is to stomp on the ground, which causes an earthquake. Through
this earthquake, debris falls from the ceiling, to damage you. Avoid it the
best you can, and bare in mind that you can use the platforms in the air all
over the room as protection from the debris by simply standing under them. If
you don't want to have to jump and whip to hit him, get on one of these
platforms and hack away at his head... just be careful that he doesn't run into
you. Also avoid his seldomly used attack, which is throwing a block (identical
to the ones that fall from the ceiling) at you. They're easily avoided,
however. The battle seems hard, but it's actually quite simple for this stage
in the game.
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-STAGE: 6 (SIX)
-BOSS NAME: Frankenstein
-WEAPONS: Falling Debris
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip
-STRATEGY: No, this isn't a damn typo. Frankenstein is the boss of this stage
too, so either path you take, you'll end up fighting him. Indeed, it's a lame
programmer's shortcut, but what are you going to do. If you need a strategy on
him, just look straight above to the previous boss. You'll find that it's also
Frankenstein, and that the strategy is the same for the most part. Just take
out the parts about the hidden meat in the destroyable block, and hiding under
platforms. Otherwise, you should be just fine. =)
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-STAGE: 6A (SIX A)
-BOSS NAME: Water Serpents
-WEAPONS: Fire Breath
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip/Axe
-STRATEGY: The Water Serpents can be a real pain in the ass if you don't really
analyze what they do, and act accordingly. The Water Serpents are a duo that
shoot out of the water in the lair and shoot their fire breath at you. The
thing is, one hit will basically kill you; not on the health meter, but one hit
will knock you into the water, and you'll be dead. The lair of these enemies is
three platforms suspended over the water that they dwell in. You have to
strategically place yourself and move around on the middle platform to avoid
their attacks while still being in a good attack position yourself. Don't
concern yourself with the other platforms in the lair, the middle one is the
longest, and hence the easiest to maneuver on. It's vital that you stay there,
in that case. Other than that, when they come out of the water, they do it in
different areas, randomly, and at different heights. If they come up right at
your feet, run to the other side of the platform, otherwise, they'll knock your
ass right into the water. Oh, and they're only vulnerable to attack in their
heads, like every other enemy in the game. =P Make sure to have the Axe in your
inventory when you go to fight, too. They're uber-useful to hit the Serpents
from a long distance away. What else is there to say? This battle can be
difficult, but be tenacious and weary, and take your time. There is no rush.
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-STAGE: 6B (SIX B)
-BOSS NAME: Skeleton Dragon (Both Appearances)
-WEAPONS: His Body
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip/Axe
-STRATEGY: The Skeleton Dragon is a boss enemy that has no attacks, but can
still be quite potent. He is simply a long dragon skeleton that floats around
his lair, and goes after you. That's the catch with him, he actually goes after
you, goes around you and closes in. It's hard to really describe what he does
in detail, but you'll fully understand when you actually fight him. In anycase,
this fight happens in two parts. You fight the first half in one room and the
second half in another room. Don't worry, once you've halved his energy meter,
he escapes, and then you fight the OTHER half of the energy meter in the other
fight. In otherwords, it's not two full boss fights. In anycase, you have to
hit him in his head to damage him, and each his will shorten his body, making
him shorter, but slightly faster. It's a little give and take, you see. You
will get hit in both fights, it's a given, just make sure to put yourself on a
platform, in the middle, where you won't get hit into the water below. 'Cause
naturally, you'd die right away, and that always sucks.
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-STAGE: 7 (SEVEN)
-BOSS NAME: Vampire Bat (Mini-Boss)
-WEAPONS: None.
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip
-STRATEGY: Identical to the Vampire Bat boss we fought on stage four. If you
need a strategy, go there for it, so I don't have to retype it. He's only the
mini-boss here anyway, and is super easy to take down.
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-STAGE: 7 (SEVEN)
-BOSS NAME: Mummies/Hammer Cyclops/Gargoyle
-WEAPONS: Bandages/Hammer/Fireballs
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip
-STRATEGY: The main boss on stage seven is actually a trio. There are three
coffins in the room. The leftmost one is the one the Skull Ghost opens first,
in which are Mummies. We've fought these guys before. If you need a strategy
for them, see the stage 4A boss strategy. As far as the righthand coffin, that
holds the Hammer Cyclops, which we fought on stage three AND four, so see those
strategies if you need help. The middle coffin, however, holds a Gargoyle, a
new boss enemy indeed. The Gargoyle is huge, making him easy to hit. However,
he jumps around and shoots fireballs, and his massive body makes him very, very
difficult to avoid. Use his large massive body to your advantage, however, and
whip him as much as you can. When he jumps in the air and hovers for a second,
run underneath him, turn around, and repeat this process. It's that simple, and
the Gargoyle isn't hard using this technique, as long as you don't get
cornered. If you allow him to corner you, well... that's a whole 'nother story,
ain't it? If he does corner you, do anything you can (including running through
him) to get out of it. Surely you'll get damaged running through him, but he
will destroy you in a corner, like those cheesy kids at arcades that like to
Hadoken you in a corner over and over again... but I still beat them anyway. Go
figure.
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-STAGE: 7A (SEVEN A)
-BOSS NAME: Mummies/Hammer Cyclops/Gargoyle
-WEAPONS: Bandages/Hammer/Fireballs
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip
-STRATEGY: Same as Stage 7's boss trio. So either path you take, you end up
fighting the same enemies. Ugh. In anycase, if you need help, see the above
description (for stage 7)...
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-STAGE: 8 (EIGHT)
-BOSS NAME: Grim Reaper (First Form)
-WEAPONS: Scythes
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip/Boomerang
-STRATEGY: First and foremost, make SURE you get the Boomerang before you enter
this fight. It's in a candle before you get here, so there should be no excuse
for not having it. The fight with Grim Reaper is a hard one, and it's totally
an exchange of blows. You will get hit, but you have to outhit him, if you
understand what I'm saying. This isn't a battle of real skill, but of pure
quickness. As the Grim Reaper appears in the middle of the room in the air,
jump to the righthand side upper block, and toss a Boomerang at him. It'll hit
him once on the way there. Then jump, hit him with your whip, and land on the
ground. As the Boomerang comes back, it'll hit him again. After that, it's a
pure melee. He'll make scythes appear all over the room and they'll fly at you.
Destroy them if you can, or avoid them, whichever, and keep on whipping him and
throwing those Boomerangs. The quicker you beat him, the better... he's not
THAT hard, but he's a menacing guy to beat because he does so much damage to
you that FOUR HITS will do you in... plus, you have to save your energy for his
second form, which is much easier, but can still be a pain in the butt. So as
he floats around, throwing scythes, whip him and Boomerang him liberally, and
hopefully, he'll fall before you do. But then, he turns into something else...
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-STAGE: 8 (EIGHT)
-BOSS NAME: Death Skull (Grim Reaper's second form)
-WEAPONS: Scythes
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip
-STRATEGY: Okay, after the Grim Reaper dies, the screen turns black and this
HUGE skull appears on the screen. This is the Death Skull. He's really, really
easy, and there's no real excuse for you to get hit while you're fighting him.
He's vulnerable all over his form, and his form is HUGE, so flail that whip
around like you mean it, and you'll most certainly hit him. He is NOT
vulnerable to any sort of special weapon, including your Boomerang, so be weary
of that. Whip only, here. He can shoot one scythe at a time out of his mouth,
which is nothing; just whip it out of the air, to bring yourself out of harm's
way. The catch with the Death Skull is it can travel from one end of the screen
to another. That is to say, if it goes into the left of the screen, it comes
out of the right end of the screen to compensate, a lot like Pac Man, if my
analogy so fits. In anycase, you'll find in this fight that size doesn't always
matter. =) He is 20 times bigger than you, and you'll still whoop his butt...
trust me. There's nothing else to be said here, so sorry for the short
description.
*******************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************
-STAGE: 9 (NINE)
-BOSS NAME: Clone
-WEAPONS: Whatever Weapon You Have
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip/Dirty Trick
-STRATEGY: The Clone is basically like the clone in the original Mega Man... a
clone of you. The difference there is that he doesn't mimic everything you do.
Instead, he fights on his own, he's just a clone of whatever character you're
using (that means if you change into Alucard, so does he, Sypha, or Grant, the
same), and fights with whatever weaponry would be open to that particular
character. The catch is... well... the clone boss can be the hardest boss in
the game, that is unless you cheat a bit. There are two possible cheating
methods to use on the Clone. If you're not interested, then you'll have no
choice then to fight him like a man. But it's hard. The two cheating methods
are... pressing select often to switch between Trevor and your spirit guide.
When the spirit guide on the clone side comes up, switch back to Trevor. When
Trevor comes up, whip him and then quickly switch back. Repeat this process for
awhile and you'll chip away at the clone's energy until he's no more. The other
cheating method, which I claim to be founded by ME is the following glitch.
Get the character onto the platform in the middle of the room. Then start
switching back and forth between Trevor and your other character. If you switch
at the right pace, which isn't too fast, but not too slow either, the character
will get caught in the black box underneath the platform, and unable to move.
Then you can just whip the crap out of the character until he's no more. Either
way, that's the end of the clone.
*******************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************
-STAGE: 10 (TEN)
-BOSS NAME: Count Dracula
-WEAPONS: Fire, Disappearing
-PRIMARY WEAKNESS: Whip/Boomerang
-STRATEGY: There are a few forms of Dracula, but since the first form is
probably the hardest, I'll concentrate on it. As you walk into his lair, he
gets up from his relaxed position in his chair. Then, he casts two fire pillars
on either side of you so you can't move, and then a huge fire pillar shoots up
right in the middle of the two other pillars, damaging you. To avoid this, jump
out of the way of the original fire pillars before they get too tall to jump
over, then jump up and start whipping at his head and chuck some Boomerangs at
his head for good measure. It's not too hard, but it takes practice.
Frustratingly, if and when you die against him, you start like back in the
middle of the stage, which SUCKS. Try getting to him with perfect health. It's
vital that you have all of the health you can possibly have going into the
battle, to account for any mistakes you make.
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This section of my FAQ/Walkthrough shows you a few secrets for you to try your
hand at in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. There aren't that many, but they
are still quite worth trying your hand at.
****************
MEAT IN DA WALLS
****************
A commonly known secret, Wolf Legs (which heal your energy meter) can be found
within blocks throughout the game. Whip, slash, or bash various walls that may
seem suspicious to you to find these valuable items that will allow you to live
on. You can find other goodies in the walls too, including big hearts, and
II/III blocks.
*******************
GLITCHY BOSS BATTLE
*******************
When you fight the Clone boss on stage nine, there is a way to trap him in the
floor and destroy him before he can ever get free to attack you. How exactly do
you do this? Well it's simple really, but doesn't really need to be repeated.
So, for more information on this, see the boss section, and read the Clone boss
description. That'll tell you completely how to defeat the Clone with very
little to no problem.
**********
SOUND MODE
**********
One thing Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse has that kicks complete and total
ass is music. The music in this game, for MIDI format music, absolutely rocks.
So you want to listen to it? Cool beans. It's quite simple to be able to do
this, too. There's a FAQ by a dude named Ethereal that you can find at GameFAQs
at the following URL:
http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/file/castlevania_iii_music.txt
Go there to discover for yourself the wonders of music in Castlevania III:
Dracula's Curse.
********************
START WITH TEN LIVES
********************
To start the game with ten lives right off the bat, enter HELP ME as your
name... it's that simple!
*********
PASSWORDS
*********
For a password compilation, by Redrum, which can be found on GameFAQs, please
consult the following URL:
http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/file/castlevania_iii_passwords.txt
**************************
STARTING GAME WITH SPIRITS
**************************
Usually in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, when you start the game from the
beginning, you have Trevor, and Trevor only. But there is a way to start with
any spirit in the game, along with Trevor, from the very beginning. How? It's
simple. Enter the following names at the beginning of the game for the
corresponding character you'd like to have...
Fujimoto - Grant
Urata - Sypha
Okuda - Alucard
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This section of the guide is the "General FAQ", or just a few frequently asked
questions about Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. In past guides I've written,
the General FAQ can get to reach 40 and 50 questions... don't expect even 10%
of that here. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse doesn't leave a whole lot
unexplained.
-----
1.) Q - Which character do you recommend using?
A - You know, that's a tough question to answer. Hell, it doesn't even
really HAVE an answer. There are far too many factors to factor in on what
makes one character better than another. While I graded them in the Characters
section of this FAQ/Walkthrough, it's entirely impossible to tell you the best
character overall. I graded the characters in the Characters section based on
concrete things, such as jumping ability and strength. It's all about who you
are comfortable with, who you are good at using, and even more importantly,
what stage you happen to be on. While Trevor Belmont remains the strongest
overall character in the game, certain stages might command Alucard's ability
to turn into a bat and fly, Grant's ability to scale walls and ceilings, or
Sypha's incredibly powerful spellcasting ability. It truly is in the eye of the
beholder. Go with who you're comfortable with. That's your best bet.
-----
2.) Q - Do each of the four characters have individual endings?
A - Yes, they do. There are a total of four different endings for you to
get in this game. For a description on each ending, please see the Ending
section of the FAQ/Walkthrough.
-----
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Well my friends, it's time to close this guide out! =) I hope you found it very
helpful... I very much enjoyed writing it. It was fun, as is the game, and I'm
sure that it was/is/will be enjoyable for you as well. And hey, if you have
game related questions, comments, suggestions - whatever, e-mail them my way,
cmoriarty311@cs.com. And make sure to put Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (or
whatever game you're writing in on, I have twenty-five other guides), in the
header as the topic, so I know what the hell you're talking about. =) Take it
easy.
Thanks to Astroblue, fellow FAQ writer and good friend, for making my ASCII
art!
I'd like to take this chance to thank a friend of mine, Devin Morgan, a fellow
FAQ writer on GameFAQs, for just being a good guy, a good friend, and someone I
can talk to about everything. Thanks Dev. Thanks should also go out to other
fellow FAQers, including Nemesis, flowerpot, MetroidMoo, AdrenalineSL, Psycho
Penguin, Meowthnum1, et cetera.
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[accurate as of August 08, 2002]
I'm a 17 year old, and graduated from high school in June of 2002. I live on
Long Island, in New York, about half an hour from New York City. I play ice
hockey, I worked at a deli, until recently, when I quit (^_^) and I love
videogames, especially RPGs. My favorite series for videogames include the
Final Fantasy series (excluding VIII), the Dragon Warrior/Quest series, the
Mega Man series, and the Tales series. I aspire to go to Northeastern
University in the fall of 2002 to study History and Law.
THANKS FOR READING!
This walkthrough is copyright (c) 2002 to Colin Moriarty (CMoriarty), e-mail
cmoriarty311@cs.com. All rights reserved. Completely unofficial - Castlevania
and all related items copyrighted 1990 to Konami Japan/US, all rights reserved!
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/4280.html