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Boss FAQ. for Castlevania by Megaman1981
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Version History
---------------
Version 1.0, March 8, 2005,  Submitted first version.

Version 1.1, March 9, 2005,  Fixed some general errors.

Version 1.2, April 20, 2005, Added Were-Tiger boss fight in the Forest
                            of Silence. Added Were-Cheetah, Werewolf,
                            Aqua Minotaur, and Were-Tiger boss fights
                            in the Duel Tower.
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Table of Contents
1.      Introduction
2.      Characters
3.      Enemies in the game.
4.      Bosses
5.      Copyright

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1. Introduction
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This is my second FAQ. I decided to give a description of every
enemy that is in Castlevania, and general tips on how to defeat them. I
also gave detailed tips on how to beat each boss in the game. Some of
these enemies are simply out for your blood, but some are also physical
traps. I believe that Castlevania is one of the most underrated games
ever created. Although it's follow up, Legacy of Darkness is better,
Castlevania is still very solid.

I believe that this game is a fine addition to the N64 library.
Unfortunately, there are many gamers out there that feel that the
Castlevania series only belongs in 2D. I feel that they are wrong, and
hopefully this guide will give you a better understanding of the
diverse amount of enemies in this game.

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2. Characters
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Reinhardt Schneider
-------------------
He is a direct descendent from the Belmont clan of vampire hunters. He
also carries the legendary holy whip. He is a bit slower than Cornell
and Carrie, but he's a true fighting machine.

Carrie Fernandez
----------------
Carrie is young girl with gifted powers. She senses Dracula's return
and sets off alone to Dracula's castle. She's the fastest character in
the game, but is also the weakest fighter since she uses a long range
attack method.

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3. Enemies
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Lizard Men
----------
These creatures are located in several locations in the game. Early in
the game they carry simple shields and weapons, or they spit acid. They
be defeated quite easily. Later in the game you'll encounter orange and
dark green Lizard Men. The orange ones spit fire and the dark green
ones spit poison. Simply use your main weapon and keep attacking them.
If they are being hit by you, they won't attack you.

Vampires
--------
The cool thing about the N64 Castlevania games is that for the first
time we have vampires in a Castlevania game. They come in several
forms; maid, butler, servant, and lady. All are dangerous, and caution
must be used. The main concern is that if a vampire gets too close,
they will drink your blood, and curse you with vampire status. The
basic strategy is to battle them quickly and get right up in their
faces.

Minor Vampires
--------------
These are weaker forms of vampires. They pop out from under the ground,
but can withstand only one hit. While they are weak, they can still
infect you with vampire status.

Skeletons
---------
They are the most basic enemy in the game and in the series. They come
in numerous forms. First is your basic form that uses a bone as a
weapon. They come in normal size, and a giant one as a boss. When you
attack a skeleton, it is possible to only knock off a head or a leg.
Even though the skeleton is weakened, it will still pursue you. One
more hit should take care of him. Skeletons also ride motorcycles, and
blue ones will try and explode next to your character. The best
strategy is to simply run away from these two types.

Demon Heads
-----------
These are created from the skulls of giant beasts. They usually come
alone, or in a group of three. They will spit fire balls at you unless
you get too close, which then it will then simply blanket the entire
area with fire. The basic idea is to attack them from afar.

Ghouls
------
They are much like minor vampires. They are very weak and only one hit
is needed to defeat each one. Still they are best known from their
erratic jumping. The idea is to attack them while you are jumping.

Floating Enemies
----------------
Ghosts, Medusa Heads, and Floating Skulls all fall into the same
category. They are very weak, but they usually show up when you are
climbing platforms, and will try and knock you off. Defeat each one
quickly from a distance.

Bats
----
Bats are basically like Floating Enemies. One hit is all that is
needed to defeat each one, but they usually show up when you are
climbing platforms. Later in the game you will also encounter bats that
can breathe fire.

Cerberus
--------
These dogs guard the Villa and show up in the Castle Center. There are
two forms. The regular ones simply will try and bite you. The second
form will use fire as well as bite. It's also worth noting that they
usually attack in pairs, so the basic idea is to dispose of one dog at
a time. Speed is the key.

Stained Glass Knights
---------------------
They appear in the Villa and the Castle Center. They will try and stab
you, but they go down after two or three hits. They also leave behind
red jewels, so it's easy to stock up.

Snakes
------
They only show up in the Villa. All they will try and do is bite you.
To get them off, simply use a short range attack. They will also attack
Carrie when she is battling Medusa.

Knights
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These suits of armor guard several areas of Dracula's castle. They move
slow but pack a punch. They can also endure several hits, and become
invincible. Run up to one of them, attack a few times, and back up and
repeat.

Spider Women
------------
They guard the Tunnel level. They are fast, use spears, and spit acid.
You must battle the first two that you come across, but you're best bet
is to avoid the rest of them during the level.

Dirt Men/Ice Monster/Blood Monster
----------------------------------
These are three creatures that live under ground and spit poison at
you. Three hits usually will take them down. Dirt Men are encountered
in the Villa and should just be avoided. Ice Monsters are located in
the Tower of Sorcery and its icy surface. You must battle them, but
speed is the key since a single hit from them can knock you off the icy
platforms. The Blood Monster can be simply avoided all together by not
looking at the goddess statue in the Castle Center near the elevator.
If you do trigger them, you might have a hard time transporting the
nitro later in the level.

Spiked Cubes
------------
Only located in the Tower of Science. The only damage they cause is
when you touch them. One hit will blow them up.

Laser Turret/Laser Crystal
--------------------------
The Turret is located in the Tower of Science, and the Crystal is in
the Tower of Sorcery. They fire short bursts of energy at your
character. Both go down in a few hits.

Werewolf
--------
Located in the Forest of Silence, he is fast and can be a real pain.
Still, he can be defeated with a few well timed hits. Just use a long
range weapon

Stone Dogs
----------
These two dogs will chase you in the hedge maze, and their poison
saliva will paralyze your character. They are also invincible. They
cause minimal damage, and only a short range attack will get rid of
them. Their true purpose is for...

Frankenstein
------------
He's not a boss, but he carries a chainsaw and is invincible like the
Stone Dogs. The dogs' job is to slowly paralyze you so Frankenstein can
carve you up. The best strategy is to run! Only attack him when he gets
to close.

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4. Bosses
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Giant Skeleton                  Difficulty 2/10
--------------
Located in the Forest of Silence, he's a piece of cake. You do fight
him twice, but both times are the same. His basic attacks include
trying to crush you with his bone, or calling up smaller skeletons to
help him. All of these attacks are simple to avoid. He also has several
skeletons on motorcycles fighting along side him, and they can be a
real pain. Just keep attacking him. It is worth noting that sometimes
Reinhardt has a hard time hitting the target, so it's best to use a sub
weapon. Carrie should just use her main weapon.

Were-Tiger                      Difficulty 2/10
----------
Located in the Forest of Silence, he is simple to defeat. In fact, I
gave him a 2/10 only because Carrie and Reinhardt have a little tougher
time thanks to the confined space. Either way, two or three well timed
hits is all it takes.

Two Headed Snake                Difficulty 7/10
----------------
Located in the Castle Wall, this is a pretty tough fight. There are two
forms to each snake. The first one is pretty easy. All the snake does
is spit fireballs at you. These can be avoided by jumping onto the
platform above the door and attacking from there. The second form is a
bit tougher. Once the snake loses its skin, it will shoot out a long
stream of fire. This can be very difficult to avoid. The best strategy
is to simply attack quickly once the snake loses its skin and always
stay on the move. Any weapon works, but only attack one snake at a
time. Believe me; you don't want two skinless snakes attacking you at
the same time.

Vampires in the Villa           Difficulty 1/10
---------------------
Both character's will have to fight vampire bosses in the Villa at
different times. They attack just like regular vampires. All they do is
try and suck your blood, and swipe at you.

Vampire Duo                     Difficulty 2/10
-----------
These are the bosses of the Villa stage. Carrie and Reinhardt face the
Vampire Duo in the crypt. The first vampire is the same one from
earlier in the level. The second is simply a vampire girl that
disappears and reappears in different spots. Her only attack is using
bats. All of these vampires are easy, and should be treated like any
other vampire.

Giant Bull                      Difficulty 10/10
----------
Located in the Castle Center, you will be hard pressed to find a
tougher enemy in the game. That's right the bull is tougher than
Dracula himself. The problem is that it can take a LOT of damage, and
dish out a ton. A common practice is to come into this fight with lots
of roasted chickens and roast beef. Always remember to heal yourself if
you take more than say 50% damage. Anyways, Carrie and Reinhardt face
it after releasing the power of the crystal for the elevator. It has
two attacks; a head butt, and a laser attack. The head butt is very
difficult to avoid. The best trick is when the bull starts running
towards you, run towards its stomach. You'll avoid the head butt most
of the time, and get some nice hits in the meantime. The laser attack
comes in two forms, a blue and a yellow one. The yellow one sets off a
huge explosion, while the blue one is an electrical attack. Both do
tons of damage either way. The best way to beat this bull is to
actually attack its legs. Clearly if it can't move, it can't really
attack you. One word of caution, as you attack sections of the beast,
its skin will come off. If you attack that same area, poison will hit
you. If the bull loses its skin, then attack from a distance with a sub
weapon. Above all, you will lose most of your jewels and healing items,
but don't worry. Most of the bosses coming up are weak, and some stages
have no bosses at all.

Carrie's Cousin                 Difficulty 4/10
---------------
After that huge battle with the bull, this battle is a piece of cake.
Only Carrie fights her cousin. Her attacks are to shoot spells at you,
and cast a mist in order to trap you in a crystal. The best strategy is
to stay a safe distance away, and use Carrie's orbs to attack while
dodging her cousin's attacks.

Rosa                            Difficulty 4/10
----
This battle is just like Carrie's Cousin and happens right after you
fight the bull, except with Reinhardt. Rosa will either shoot spells at
you from a distance, or up close. Neither causes much damage. She'll
also attack with her sword. The best strategy? Get right up in her
face, and show her what kind of a man Reinhardt is. The battle will be
over quickly.

Were-Cheetah                    Difficulty 5/10
Werewolf                        Difficulty 5/10
Aqua Minotaur                   Difficulty 8/10
Were-Tiger                      Difficulty 3/10
--------------
All of these creatures are located in the Duel Tower. All of these
creatures use the same attacks. They will try and swipe at you, stomp
you, or ram you. The only difference is that some of them are fast, and
some are very slow. The best way to win is to get right up in their
faces and attack very quickly. If you do want to attack from a distance
you can, but a sub weapon is the only way. However, these attacks can
miss a lot, so use your main weapon instead. You have already fought
the Werewolf and the Were-Tiger in the Forest of Science. The Were-
Cheetah is very fast, but similar to the Werewolf. The Aqua Minotaur
(cool name) can take 20% of your life bar in one hit. Although is he
pretty strong, he isn't too bright. All he does is sit back, turn red,
power-up, and charge at you. If he connects it will cause lots of
damage, but while he is charging up, you can keep attacking him, and
hopefully end the battle quickly.

There is one more thing that I want to point out to you. There are no
save crystals in the Duel Tower. While the battles aren't that hard,
the stage itself is very dangerous. While Konami did include save
crystals in Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, they simply aren't present
in this game. There is a nice trick to help you get threw this tough
stage. Once you beat the Were-Cheetah, go back to Stage 5, the Castle
Center and save your game. Do this after you beat thhe Werewolf as
well. In this case, if you do die during the Duel Tower, at least some
of the bosses won't return. However, this trick isn't very useful after
beating the Aqua Minotaur because by this time you are almost done with
the stage, and going back to the Castle Center is very risky thanks to
this difficult stage. Good Luck!

Death                           Difficulty 7/10
-----
I must say that Death is really cool looking in this game. He's also a
cinch to beat, but there are some dangerous attacks that he uses. First
he uses his common scythes which almost always cover the roof top. The
best way as Reinhardt to succeed is to keep jumping around and
attacking him constantly. Death will also try to ram you, but this
attack of his leaves him wide open for your assault. Just be careful
not to jump off the roof. Death has one more attack. Once he has about
1/3 health left, he'll summon demon fish to help him. These are
annoying, and one will probably hit you, but it causes minimal damage.
Just keep attacking Death like before. Don't use any jewels because you
will need them against Dracula coming up. After the fight he says that
he'll save you a spot in hell. Don't you believe him!

Actrise                         Difficulty 1/10
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What a joke! Her only attack is to try and trap Carrie in a crystal,
and whack her with another crystal. Use this strategy, and she won't be
able to hit you once. Simply run around her, don't stop, and just keep
shooting orbs at her. Simple. Don't use any jewels because you will
need them against Dracula coming up.

Renon                           Difficulty 7/10
-----
You only face Renon if you spent more than 30,000 gold. He attacks much
like Death, with bolts and the demon fish. Use the same strategy as
Death. Don't use any jewels because you will need them against Dracula
coming up.

Charlie Vincent                 Difficulty 2/10
---------------
If you are destined for the "bad" ending, then you will face Charlie
Vincent in the second tower. His only attack is to hurtle poison at
you. Also once his health dips to 25%, he'll throw the vials
constantly. Simply attack him with your basic main weapon, and don't
use any jewels because you will need them against Dracula coming up. If
you get poisoned during the battle, wait until the end of the fight to
heal yourself.

Dracula                         Difficulty 9/10
-------
Finally, Dracula. The basic strategy is simple. Carrie should use her
orbs to attack him from a distance, while Reinhardt needs to get close
to inflict damage. He is only vulnerable in the head; no surprise!
Unfortunately his attacks are plentiful. His most annoying one is a
disappearing and reappearing act, which makes him hard to hit. His
other attacks include: Firebats, a massive flame, rings of energy, and
electricity. Do your best to avoid all of these attacks because there
is one more attack to be on the look out for; Dracula's Vac and Suck.
Basically he will try and suck you into his arms, suck you're blood,
infect you, and heal himself. AVOID at all costs!

Dracula Reborn                  Difficulty 9/10
--------------
The biggest problem with this form of Dracula is that he can appear in
five different spots. He uses simple attacks; mist, bats, and a shock
wave, but the real trick is simply being able to inflict damage to him.
The basic idea is to try and keep moving around in a small circle in
such a way that you can see four of the five locations. If you don't
see him, then run, he'll be right behind you. Once you see him, attack
with a main weapon if he is close, or a sub weapon if he is far away.

Dracula Serpent                 Difficulty 7/10
---------------
Somewhat of a weak final boss. Dracula will either swipe at you, call
fire creatures from the ground, or cause a massive explosion if you get
too close. Much like the Giant Bull battle, heal yourself after you
fall to 50% damage. The best strategy is to attack from the distance,
with Carrie's orbs, or Reinhardt can try to get behind Dracula's tail,
and whip his backside. Reinhardt is liable to endure the massive
explosion, but this method of attack will work on Dracula quickly.
Overall, a pretty easy fight.

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5. Copyright
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Copyright 2005 Megaman1981
--------------------------
This guide may not be recopied in any way. It may not be placed on a
web site. Use of this guide for any public display is strictly
prohibited, and a violation of the copyright.