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Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (NEC PC-Engine CD)
FAQ/Walkthrough Version 1.0
Written by AstroBlue (tetsuwan_blue(at)yahoo.com.au)
Last Updated: August 11th, 2002
*******************************************************************************
I've always found Castlevania to be one of the most challenging and enjoyable
video game series to date. So when I found out that there was a Castlevania
dubbed a "masterpiece" that was never released to western audiences, I was
quite annoyed to say the least. Thankfully, I found this out during the build
up for the release of Symphony of the Night in late '97, so it was pushed into
the deep recesses of my brain by the anticipation of Symphony of the Night.
Anyway, after roughly 5 years I ending up getting it and ended up writing this
FAQ/Walkthrough for it... so there :p
C O N T E N T S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1)PROLOGUE
2)CONTROLS
3)CHARACTERS
i)Richter
ii)Maria
4)FAQs
5)WALKTHROUGH
6)THANKS TO
===============================================================================
1)PROLOGUE
===============================================================================
(Translation of Japanese story)
In the good old days, people lived in peace and prosperity. Nobody believed
that in the future a threat would come...
On the underside of peace and prosperity, there is pure evil. Those who resist
prosperity and intend on destroying peace. The disciples of this corrupt world
gathered to resurrect the powers of evil. Smiling in eager expectation, they
awaited the creation of their new world.
One hundred years later, the evil one is resurrected once more. Able to
transform into a bat, wolf, or mist; and preferring to act in the darkness of
night. He who drinks the blood of young maidens, to maintain his eternal life.
The lord of Castlevania, god of malice, Count Dracula was reborn.
===============================================================================
2)CONTROLS
===============================================================================
Directional Pad - Left - Move left.
Right - Move right.
Up - Climb up stairs.
- Whilst jumping, hold to land on stairs.
- Hold and press the I Button to use Sub-Weapon.
Down - Make character crouch.
- Climb down stairs.
- Hold and press the II Button to drop off stairs.
I Button - Attack
II Button - Jump
SELECT Button - Perform "Item Crush" attack.
RUN Button - Pause
===============================================================================
3)CHARACTERS
===============================================================================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
i)Richter
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Richter is a direct descendent of the Belmont family line. He wields the whip
that was first used against Dracula three-hundred and sixteen years ago by his
ancestor Ralph C. Belmont. It is called the "Vampire Killer".
Richter is drawn to Castlevania via two forces; his own cursed bloodline which
beckons him to destroy Count Dracula, and his love for a girl called Annette
Renard, who was taken from her village to Castlevania by evil forces.
Most veteran Castlevania players will find themselves more comfortable playing
as a Belmont, rather than a 12 year old girl that kills demons with fluffy
animals. Richter is one of the strongest Belmonts to ever battle with Dracula,
he cannot brandish his whip like he could in Symphony of the Night (PSX/SS) and
like Simon could in Super Castlevania IV (SNES). But he makes up for it with
his immensely powerful Item Crushes! Like the opening anime shows, he can
destroy a whole group of Skeletons in one go ;)
SPECIAL MOVES
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Fire Whip - If you perform an Item Crush without a Sub-Weapon, Richter will
use a giant fire whip at a cost of 15 Hearts. It causes strong
damage to enemies and reaches over most of the screen. But try
going through the game without collecting a Sub-Weapon, it's
harder then you think.
Backflip - Press the II Button twice quickly and Richter will perform a
backflip. This move is very useful in dodging enemy attacks, and
for getting onto higher ledges.
Back Step - To walk backwards, hold down the I Button and press the opposite
direction you are facing. This is very useful when you have to
whip things coming from behind you while running... like the
beginning of the Clocktower.
SUB-WEAPONS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Knife - At a cost of 1 Heart, Richter throws three Knives out in front of
him. They causes relatively weak damage, but they travel
extremely fast. Its Item Crush causes Richter to produce a rapid
stream of knives for a short amount of time, at costs 10 Hearts.
The knives are extremely weak, but there is a lot of them.
Axe - At a cost of 1 Heart, Richter throws an Axe out in front of him
in an arc, causing a decent amount of damage to anything it
touches. Item Crush causes Richter to float up and produce a
circle of Axes that fan out around him, at a cost of 10 Hearts.
The Axes in the circle cause less damage to enemies than a normal
thrown Axe does.
Cross - At a cost of 1 Heart, Richter throws a Cross that flies forward
and returns like a boomerang. It causes a decent amount of
damage and can hit the enemy up to two times. Its Item Crush
causes the screen to be bombarded with large crucifixes, at a
cost of 15 Hearts. This is probably the most useful Item Crush
in the entire game.
Stop Watch - At a cost of 5 Hearts, some enemies are slowed down considerably.
It doesn't work on some of the larger enemies, and definitely
doesn't work on all of the bosses. Pretty useless really. Its
Item Crush causes a circle of clocks which attack enemies at a
cost of 30 Hearts. The clocks cause a lot of damage, but like
Maria's Dragon Item Crush it uses far too many Hearts.
Holy Water - At a cost of 1 Heart, Richter will smash a bottle of Holy Water
into the ground, releasing a wave of holy fire. It causes a
decent amount of damage to any enemy that touches it. Its Item
Crush is the famous "Hydro Storm", which bathes all enemies
on-screen in holy water.
Holy Bible - At a cost of 3 Hearts, Richter throws a Bible that swirls out
around him, causing damage to anything it hits. Its Item Crush
causes a circle of bibles which fly forward, at a cost of 10
Hearts. The bibles in the circle cause a generous amount of
continuous damage to enemies.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ii)Maria
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the tender age of 12, Maria Renard is a very capable Vampire Hunter. She is
a distant relation of the Belmont family line... distant enough to not make her
sister Annette's relationship with Richter weird.
After venturing into Castlevania in search of her sister, she was captured
and imprisoned by the dark priest Shaft. Shaft then sealed her in a envelope
of light in preparation to be sacrificed like her sister Annette, as a blood
offering to Count Dracula for his complete resurrection. However, if Richter
is able to free Maria from Shaft's magical seal, she will be able to join
forces with Richter in his quest to destroy Count Dracula once and for all.
Maria is faster and smaller than Richter, but she is also more vulnerable to
damage. This means as Maria it is easier to dodge enemy attacks, but it also
becomes more crucial that you do so to survive. Instead of a Holy Whip, Maria
uses a pair of Doves as her main vampire killing weapon. These Doves fly out
in front of Maria and then return to her, kind of like a short range
Boomerang. They cause as much damage as Richter's Holy Whip, but because
there are two of them and because each Dove can hit the enemy up to three
times per flight, the Doves tend to kill enemies (especially bosses) a lot
faster than the whip. Also, instead of traditional vampire killing sub-weapons,
Maria uses animals which represent the Four Celestial Beasts of Chinese
mythology, that are her guardians.
SPECIAL MOVES
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Double Jump - Maria is capable of performing a double jump, simply Jump again
after jumping once.
Slide - Hold down and press the II Button. Maria will slide forward,
pounding her fists into the ground in a tantrum
Roll - Hold either diagonally left-down or diagonally right-down and
then press the II Button. Use this to retreat from attacks.
Black Maria - To project Maria's darker-side; press down, up, and then
down-forward and the I Button. Maria's darker side will rush
forward and attack the enemy causing massive damage.
SUB-WEAPONS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Cat - At a cost of 3 Hearts, a black and white striped cat will run
across the ground causing damage to any enemy it touches.
Its Item Crush summons Baihu; the White Tiger, at a cost of 20
Hearts. Maria will hop on Baihu and will ride it back and forth
across the screen, causing heavy damage to anything they touch.
Turtle - At a cost of 3 Hearts, Maria hides under a turtle shell making
her invincible, but far less agile and unable to attack. Hold up
and press the jump button to remove the shell. Its Item Crush
summons Xuanwu; the Dark Turtle, at a cost of 10 Hearts. Xuanwu
will flash the screen with darkness causing minimal damage to
enemies on-screen, then it will charge off the screen, stopping
to cause continuous damage to the first enemy it touches.
Dragon - At a cost of 5 Hearts, a Dragon hatchling will fly forward
causing heavy damage to any enemy it touches. Its Item Crush
summons Qinglong; the Cerulean Dragon, at a cost of a whopping
50 Hearts. Qinglong will appear onscreen and then will constantly
attack enemies on-screen with its tail for massive damage.
Red Bird - At a cost of 1 Heart, a pair of Red Birds will fly up above
Maria in opposing diagonals, they cause relatively weak damage to
any enemy they touch. Its Item Crush summons Zhuque; the Crimson
Sparrow, at a cost of 20 Hearts. Zhuque picks up Maria and then
will proceed to shower enemies in flaming meteors. The meteors
cause a decent amount of damage.
Egg - At a cost of 3 Hearts, Maria throws an egg out in front of her
that hatches six small doves that fly up, the egg causes decent
damage on contact with an enemy and the small doves cause
minimal damage on contact with enemies. Its Item Crush causes the
egg to hatch a diamond of birds that fly to one side of the
screen, at a cost of 5 Hearts. The birds only cause minimal
damage to enemies... but it's a bargain at 5 Hearts.
Music Book - At a cost of 3 Hearts, Maria uses the Music Book to sing, each
note produced from the song causes minimal damage. Its Item Crush
causes the notes to float up to the top of the screen and play
a little song, at a cost of 10 Hearts. Again, they cause minimal
damage, but it's semi-useful for attacking enemies up high.
===============================================================================
4)FAQs
===============================================================================
Q: Is the hype true, is Rondo of Blood the best Castlevania game ever?
A: Well... it depends on your taste. As far as "classical" action based
Castlevania's go, it's probably the best... or at the least it's up there
with Castlevania 3 (NES) as one of the best. However... I'm a really big fan
of the last two Koji Igarashi produced Castlevania games, Symphony of the
Night (PSX) and Harmony of Dissonance (GBA). The change from action to
exploration really reinvigorated the series. So in my opinion, Symphony of
the Night is the best Castlevania.
- - - - - - - - - -
Q: Is there a translation available for all the cut-scenes?
A: Yo Kosiman has translated all of the anime cut-scenes, and thankfully most
of it is translated perfectly! The only part I have problems with is the
introduction, as it seems he has translated the Japanese Prologue in the
manual instead of the actual German dialogue. I only learnt a little
German in Primary School, but I'm 100% sure the introduction is read out
from the perspective of the disciples resurrecting Dracula. I know this
because most of the sentences referring to these evil people start with
"wir", which is German for "we". Anyway, you can find this wonderful
translation on the "The Castlevania Dungeon". Here is a direct link:
http://www.classicgaming.com/castlevania/drac-tra.txt
- - - - - - - - - -
Q: Do you actually use a Turbo CD to play this game?
A: Well... no. I use the Magic Engine (www.magicengine.com) emulator to play
Dracula X. I highly recommend it for gamers who really only want a Turbo
CD to play Dracula X. Otherwise, you're looking at paying $100 at the VERY
least for a system you'll play one game on! Magic Engine has excellent
Game Pad support, which is great... since playing Castlevania with a
keyboard is utter sacrilege.
- - - - - - - - - -
Q: Whenever I load Dracula X, I can only play this one extremely kiddy looking
level called "Stage X". Is this a joke?
A: That's what happens when you load Dracula X with the wrong System Card. You
cannot use a System Card 1 or a System Card 2 to load Dracula X, you must
use a System Card 3.
- - - - - - - - - -
Q: I find this game hard, are there any cheats for it?
A: Yes, if you enter X-X!V''Q as your name, you will be able to access every
stage in the game from the beginning.
- - - - - - - - - -
Q: Is Castlevania: Dracula X/Vampire's Kiss (SNES) a direct port of this game?
A: No, it reuses a lot of graphical elements, and the basic premise is the
same. But... all of the levels are very different, plus there are new
bosses, the music isn't CD quality and the most shocking difference... you
CAN'T play as Maria. But, overall I think it's a very enjoyable game. Most
people dislike it because they were hoping for a direct port, and instead
got something very different. It's probably the weakest Castlevania (even
weaker than Castlevania 64), but being the worst game in an excellent series
means its still head and shoulders over most video games.
- - - - - - - - - -
Q: What is a Rondo?
A: A Rondo is a musical composition of reoccuring elements or themes.
However, the by-line of Dracula X is written "CHI NO RINNE" with RINNE
having furigana attached to it which says Rondo. Furigana is a sub-script
of Japanese which denotes the pronunciation of a word. So, in this case
its purpose is basically to say the meaning if the word is RINNE, but you
say it as Rondo. Now, RINNE means the endless cycle of rebirth in Buddhism,
in other words reincarnation. So it is referring to the way Count Dracula is
constantly resurrected by evil forces.
- - - - - - - - - -
Q: What are the creatures called that Maria summons?
A: Maria summons the Four Celestial Beasts of Chinese Mythology, nowadays they
are probably most recognisable from Fung Shui. Anyway, the black turtle is
called Xuanwu (Genbu in Japanese) and represents the north, the red bird is
called Zhuque (Suzaku in Japanese) and represents the south, the blue
oriental dragon is called Qinglong (Seiryuu in Japanese) and represents the
east, and the white tiger is Baihu (called Byakko in Japanese) and
represents the west. Why the guardians of a small Franco-Prussian girl are
the Chinese Celestial Beasts is beyond my comprehension.
===============================================================================
5)WALKTHROUGH
===============================================================================
S T A G E 0 - Autobahn
*************************
Whilst riding his carriage to the burning town of Aljiba, Richter encounters
Death. Just rush forward and whip Death twice quickly and he wont have time to
attack. You can stand on the harness between the horses for a better vantage
point. Before Death flies away, he will summon a large flaming skull. To dodge
it, either backflip out of its way, or whip it.
S T A G E 1 - Village Ruins
**************************************
This first area is filled with many torches and Skeleton Apes. The Skeleton
Apes are fairly harmless, but whip them dead anyway. Whip all the torches for
Hearts and $ Bags. The third torch on the ground drops a Knife, and further on
one will drop an Axe. Keep the Axe and head right to the next section.
The sign on the other side of the small waterway says "ORUJIBA NO MACHI", which
translates to "Town of Aljiba". Head up the stairs, the Skeleton Ape up there
will throw a flaming barrel at you. Once you're up on the higher section, whip
the wall on your left for a $ Bag. Skeleton Apes and a lone Skeleton Blades
will ambush you up here, bursting out of the windows. So watch out for them.
Also, there are more Skeleton Ape's with flaming barrels up here, make sure you
jump or whip the barrel before it hits you. Now head down the stairs. This is a
cross road, you can either just head right through the door (Normal Route), or
you can open up the Secret Route. To do this, break the wall to the left of the
water with your whip, then jump over the water to collect the Heart. Then jump
up on top of the bricks and whip the left wall to open up the Secret Route.
Normal Route
This area is filled with bats and two Armoured Giants. To kill the giants,
jump up and whip them in the face. Be sure to stop jumping if they wind up
for a punch, or Richter will be thrown back pretty far, and watch out for the
fireballs they breath. Then, head right to another section.
Whip the torches for Hearts, one of the torches drops an Axe if you haven't
already got one. Soon you will see a Dragon-like monster flying in the
background... that's the boss.
W Y V E R N
-----------
The Wyvern tends to fly out of Richters range for whipping. So you will almost
always have to attack it with Axes. The Wyvern's Fire-Breath is pretty easy to
avoid, just find a spot between the flames and stay there until they begin to
fade. If you are having trouble avoiding the flames, just use the Axe Item
Crush for temporary invincibility. You'll have 10 less Axes to kill it with,
but at least you'll survive longer. Watch out when the Wyvern swoops, if it
latches on to Richter with its talons it will cause massive damage to him. The
Wyvern's "eagle head made of flames" attack is pretty easy to avoid, stay out
of its way when the Wyvern fires it, and then jump over it when it scorches
across the ground. After 10 or so Axes, the Wyvern should die. Collect the
Magical Sphere and you will proceed to Stage 2 - Castle Entrance.
-----------
Secret Route
Up ahead is an Ectoplasm, if you make contact with it you will be Cursed.
Whilst Cursed Richter will move very slowly. So just whip it three times
before it can get to you. Anyway, jump on the moving platform up ahead until
it breaks and you fall down to a lower section. Break the left wall to get
to dead-end with a Man-Eating Plant. Breaking the right wall will open up a
passageway to a another section.
Jump on the buckets to get to the other side of the water, and then whip the
wall on the right to uncover some food. Make your way up on the buckets, and
hit the candles for Hearts and Holy Water or a Cross. Break the Urn that's
hard to get to for three large hearts. Make sure you have the Cross and then
head outside onto the bridge. You will see a serpent emerge from the water in
the background, it's time for a boss battle...
S E R P E N T
-------------
The Serpent will constantly jump back and forth over the bridge, stay away
from its head and parts of its body that that are in the foreground. Whip at
its head to damage it. When it rears up, it means it's getting ready to blast
you with water. Throw a Cross at its head and then run under it to avoid the
water blast. When it winds itself around the bridge, stay in between its
coils and use the Cross' Item Crush to inflict massive damage onto it.
Eventually, you will wound the Serpent enough, it will have one last ditch
attempt to injure you before it dies. So be careful. Collect the Magical
Sphere and you will proceed to Stage 2' - Bridge over the Lake.
-------------
S T A G E 2 - Castle Entrance
**************************************
This initial area is filled with Black Crows and the occasional Skeleton. The
crows are hard to see in the darkness, so be on the lookout for them. Before
the drawbridge is an Axe Armor. It will randomly throw axes either at head or
knee height, and will sometimes even throw them in an arc like Richter. Whip
every axe it throws whilst attacking it. Once it's dead continue on, the
drawbridge will come down and Richter will enter Castlevania.
The castle foyer is almost identical to the first level of Castlevania (NES),
filled with candles, stairs and Zombies... and now the occasional Peeping Eye.
Towards the end a candle will drop Holy Water, and the very last candle will
drop a Rosary, which once collected instantly kills all enemies on-screen.
Head right to the next section.
After venturing a short distance in this section, a Behemoth will burst through
the side of the Castle and will begin to chase you. At this stage you can
either keep heading down the corridor (Normal Route), or you can drop down the
hole just ahead (Secret Route).
Normal Route
Jump the pits while killing Zombies, make sure you hit the second candle after
the first pit to collect a Key. You cannot collect a sub-weapon at this point
or you'll lose your Key. Keep heading down the corridor to the next section,
don't stop or the Behemoth will send Richter flying. Scramble up the wall in
the next room, and the Behemoth will run head first into the wall, killing it.
Go down the stairs, whip the wall down here on the right for some food. Go
down the stairs, into the flooded basement filled with Half-Fish Men. Watch
they don't knock you into the water for an instant death. Head over to the
locked door to the right and open it with the Key (use it like a Sub-Weapon).
Inside, Maria is imprisoned in an envelope of light. Whip the apparition of
Shaft to free her. After talking to Richter, Maria will become a fully
playable character. Head up the stairs, and then up over to the door to the
right and head through it.
Hit all the candles in this room for hearts and Holy Water. Whip the bottom
of the stairs for a large heart, and then head through the door to the
courtyard. Something will stand up on the tower in the background, boss fight
time...
W E R E W O L F
---------------
The Werewolf will bound around the courtyard rapidly, attempting to use spin
attacks, projectile attacks and slide kicks on Richter. Just try to be as
agile as the Werewolf, dodging attacks and whipping it at every possible
moment. Finish it off with the Holy Water Item Crush, it will cause a
tremendous amount of damage. The Werewolf will attempt to pound Richter with
its last ounce of strength, so be ready to Backflip out of harms way. Collect
the Magical Sphere and you will proceed to Stage 3 - The Chapel.
---------------
Secret Route
This basement is filled with Half-fish Men, Bats and Peeping Eyes. It will
take a miracle and/or pure skill to get through here without getting hit into
the water. Just make sure you take out every Peeping Eye that emerges from
the water, and make sure you check for incoming Bats and Half-Fish Men ready
to leap from the water before jumping over to another platform. Once you make
it to the next section, hit the candles for Hearts, a $ Bag and a Cross. Whip
the cracked column under the stairs or some food, and then head into the
next room. The room will shake and a monster will form from the pile of bones,
it's the Bone Golem.
B O N E G O L E M
------------------
As soon as it appears, begin to constantly whip its head. The Bone Golem has
two attacks whilst in this form; when it goes orange and opens its mouth it
means it's going to breath fire, and when it rears up it means it's about to
attack with its extending hand. Both these attacks can be dodged easily, by
either running away from it, or by crouching right next to it. After getting
its HP down to 2/3 of the bar, it will transform into a club-tailed dragonfly
made of bones. Watch it's swinging club-tail, it will damage and curse you on
contact. Dodge the skulls it drops whilst constantly attacking with Crosses.
After you get its HP down to 1/3 of the bar, it will transform again, this
time into a moving mound of bones. Take note that you can safely stand on it.
Just keep whipping and jumping over it until it disintegrates. Collect the
Magical Sphere and you will proceed to Stage 3' - The Graveyard.
------------------
S T A G E 2' - Bridge over the Lake
**************************************
The first section of the bridge is pretty standard Castlevania stuff, filled
with lots of candles, Skeleton Warriors, Black Crows & Bone Pillars for you to
attack with your whip/doves. If you're Maria, collect the Cat from the candle
near the start and keep it for the rest of this level. Watch out for the
crumbling parts of the bridge that fall from under Richter/Maria's feet. In the
next section, there are Gargoyles which come to life from some statues (like
most Gargoyles do). Destroy the base of the first Gargoyle for food. You can
actually fall down the hole near the second Gargoyle, it takes you to the
Alternate Route.
Alternate Route
You will fall down to the Ferryman. The Ferryman will say "II TOKORO HE ANNAI
SHIYOU" which translates to "I'll lead you to a good place". And then once he
rows to the next area he will say "KAKOGO HA YOIKANO", which translates to
"It's good to be prepared". He's hinting to get ready for the many Half-Fish
Men, that will attempt to knock you off the boat. If you manage to stay on the
boat, the ferryman will take you to Stage 3' - The Cemetery, without having to
fight a boss!
Keep crossing the bridge. Go down the stairs at the end of this section and
then head right. If you're playing as Maria you can go the Secret Route by
simply jumping over to the platform to the right. Head up the stairs. This
section is the same old same old, just with Skeleton Warriors and Spiders. To
head to the Secret Route as Richter, drop down the hole just after the skeleton
bridge. Otherwise, just keep heading across the bridge for the Normal Route.
Normal Route
Make sure the Skeleton Warriors don't knock you into the water on your way to
the next section. Once in the next section, hit all the candles in this room
for hearts and Holy Water/Turtle. If you Richter collect the Holy Water, but
if your Maria don't collect the Turtle, keep the Cat you were supposed to
keep. Whip the bottom of the stairs for a large heart, and then head through
the door to the courtyard. Something will stand up on the tower in the
background, it's time for a boss fight...
W E R E W O L F
---------------
The Werewolf will bound around the courtyard rapidly, attempting to use spin
attacks and slide kicks on Richter/Maria. Just try to be as agile as the
Werewolf, dodging attacks and hitting it with your Whip/Doves at every
possible moment. If you are Maria, use Cats on the Werewolf whenever it's on
the ground. If you're Richter, finish it off with the Holy Water Item Crush,
it will cause a tremendous damage. The Werewolf will attempt to pound
Richter/Maria with its last ounce of strength, so be ready to Backflip/Roll
out of harms way. Collect the Magical Sphere and you will proceed to
Stage 3 - The Chapel.
---------------
Secret Route
Keep jumping from platform to platform, eventually you will reach a Great
Armor. Be careful and dodge all of its devastating attacks, whilst continually
attacking it. It will leave behind a 1UP after you kill it! Then head right to
the next section. Once inside the next section, hit the candles for Hearts,
a $ Bag and a Cross/Dragon. Whip the cracked column under the stairs or some
food, and then head into the next room. The room will shake and a monster will
form from the pile of bones, it's the Bone Golem.
B O N E G O L E M
------------------
As soon as it appears, begin to constantly attack its head. The Bone Golem has
two attacks whilst in this form; when it goes orange and opens its mouth it
means it's going to breath fire, and when it rears up it means it's about to
attack with its extending hand. Both these attacks can be dodged easily, by
either running away from it, or by crouching right next to it. Although Maria
won't have to crouch. After getting its HP down to 2/3 of the bar, it will
transform into a club-tailed dragonfly made of bones. Watch it's swinging
club-tail, it will damage and curse you on contact. Dodge the skulls it drops
whilst constantly attacking with Crosses if you are Richter, and Dragons if
you are Maria. After you get its HP down to 1/3 of the bar, it will transform
again, this time into a moving mound of bones. Take note that you can safely
stand on it. Just keep whipping and jumping over it until it disintegrates.
Collect the Magical Sphere and you will proceed to Stage 3' - The Graveyard.
------------------
S T A G E 3 - The Chapel
**************************************
The Armor Knights in this first area are quite formidable, they will twirl
their spear blocking your attacks, will swipe and attempt to skewer you. If
they are directly above you on a higher section they will spear down at you,
and if they are directly below you on a lower section they will spear up at
you. On your way up to the next area, destroy the wall behind the Bone Pillars
in the bottom-right corner, to uncover a Large Heart. And, before heading up
the stairs to the next section, break the wall on your left to uncover food.
Skeletons will swing down on you constantly in this section. So, collecting the
Rosary from a candle near the middle of this area will make your life easier
for a second. Whip the top of the large crucifix for a Stop Watch/Egg, make
sure you keep the Egg for the rest of this stage as Maria. Destroy the Bone
Pillars before heading left to the next section.
Fleamen will slide down the banister of the stairs in the section. Hit the
candle half way up the stairs for a very helpful Bible if your Richter, and
a very useless Music Book if your Maria. The "bridges" up ahead will spin if
you stand on them, making you fall into the basement below (Alternate Route).
Alternate Route
Head to the left and then climb the flights of stairs riddled with Skeletons
and Bone Pillars. Once you make it to the top of the stairs, break the ledge
to your right for food. Head right whilst battling Flea Men, Armor Knights
and Bone Pillars. Make sure you don't get speared in the arse by the Armor
Knights below you before the door to the Normal Route. If you're playing as
Maria, you can always slide under the stairs to get in their crawl space to
defeat them.
The Candle at the end of this "bridge" area drops a Rosary, and the Urn at the
end drops food if destroyed. From the edge of the urn, jump up and hit the
statues standing on the skulls. If you get them to all face to the left a large
$ Bag will fall down. Up ahead is the Skeleton Giant under the Chapel Bell.
The Skeleton Giant is quite easy to kill, it just takes a lot of hits to do it.
Retreat whenever it makes a threatening sound, as it means it's going to
attack. After killing the Skeleton Giant, if you haven't rung the Chapel Bell
yet, it will ring once and will drop some food. If you ring the Chapel Bell at
any time, it will drop a random things... including Flea Men.
In the next area, if you're playing as Richter collect and keep the Axe from
the next candle. Watch out for the Ghosts in here, they take a couple of hits
to kill. In true Castlevania style you can even put out the HUGE candles for
Hearts and power-ups! The Armor Knights are very annoying in this area, as
they will tend to knock you down to the Alternate Route. Just before the end a
Thief will ambush you, trying to steal your current Sub-Weapon, fend him off
at all costs. At the end, you can either just head left (Normal Route), or you
can stand on the left "elevator" and throw an Axe if your Richter, or use an
Egg if you are Maria to break the rock above the right elevator. This will send
you up to the Secret Route.
Normal Route
Hit all the candles in here for hearts and a Cross/Dragon! If you are Richter
and have the Axe, don't get the Cross. But if you're Maria, definitely get
the Dragon. Whip the cracked wall behind the stairs for large food and then
head to the next room. Something, emerges from the doorway.. a boss...
M I N O T A U R O S
-------------------
Attack the Minotauros furiously, every attack will knock it back a little.
Maria will really be able to rip it to shreds by constantly launching Dragons
at it. Just watch for any change in its movements, as it means it will
probably try to cleave or stab you with its large axe. If you get turned to
stone by its petrifying breath, wiggle the Directional Pad and tap the buttons
rapidly to break free. If it throws some of the rubble at you, either dodge in
between the rubble carefully, or if you are Richter use your Axe/Cross Item
Crush for temporary invincibility. When it flies out at you, it will end up
stuck in the wall or will be giving fellatio to the Zeus statue *giggles* This
is the perfect time to damage it with your whip/doves. But be careful, when it
pulls its head out, as it will fly backwards at you. Once you defeat it, it
will use its last breath to do a flaming uppercut. The only way to dodge this
as Maria is to jump up on the knee of the statue of Zeus, and then from there
jump over the Minotauros when it charges at you. As Richter you can just use
the platforms to get up high to jump over him. Collect the Magical Sphere and
you will proceed to Stage 4 - Passageway in Castle.
-------------------
Secret Route
Break the wall on your left for a large heart, and then head right to the next
section. Go down the first stairs and break the right wall for a $ Bag. Stand
up against the wall you just broke, and attack the rat on the other side of
wall. It will randomly drop something good, either a $ Bag, a good Sub-Weapon
or even a 1UP. Run quickly to collect whatever it drops. Break the wall in the
bottom-right corner of this area to uncover food, before you head down the
stairs. The screen will shake... boss time.
D O G E T H E R
---------------
Dogether is a very strange monster, it's a giant eyeball with a mouth that
produces weird symbols O_o. Some people say they are Japanese kanji, but I
have never seen kanji like that. Anyway, it will teleport all over the place.
You can tell what attack it's going to use by the colour of the symbol. A
green symbol means it is going to shoot three lasers, an orange symbol means
it is going to use a flame attack, and a blue symbol means it's going to hurl
rubble at you. The flame and lasers are fairly easy to avoid, but the rubble
is a bit tricky. If you are Richter use your Sub-Weapon to clear the rubble,
try a normal Bible or an Axe Item Crush. Anyway, just keep attacking Dogether
and eventually it will kick the bucket, well... after it tries to take you
out in a flaming kamikaze attack. Collect the Magical Sphere and you will
proceed to Stage 4' - Mountain Region.
---------------
S T A G E 3' - The Graveyard
**************************************
The Graveyard is filled with bats and Mudmen. Climb the stairs at the beginning
of the level and move the grave they take you to. You will sink down into a
secret room,. Hit the candles for your choice in a Sub-Weapon, there is a
Cross/Dragon, a Stop Watch/Egg, Holy Water/Turtle and a Cat/Axe. Take the Axe
as Richter and the Dragon as Maria. The other candles drop a large heart and
a 1UP. Anyway, drop down the hole at the bottom of the secret room to exit.
You'll be outside again, so head right... the living Graves are very weak, so
just attack them before they pounce on you. Something will fly up in the
background... it's the Big Ghost. To defeat it, simply throw Axes at its three
eyes as Richter, or jump and launch a Dragon at its three eyes as Maria. It's
that simple. Climb up on the ledge above the quicksand and break the wall to
the right, you'll uncover some food. Once you make it to the door to the next
section, don't go through it. Instead whip the bottom-right wall and head
right to the next section.
Go down the wooden stairs in this lower section, they are barely visible so
look hard. You'll find Sister Tara praying down here, after she and
Richter/Maria talk, she'll head back to the Village. Break the wall to your
right and jump up to the higher section. The Gravekeepers up here are quite
annoying, they will attack with gliding punches without any warning. If you
are Maria, simply launch a Dragon at them as soon as they stand up. But as
Richter, you will have to whip them carefully, and you'll have to face the
other way and backflip over them whenever they punch, very tricky stuff.
Once you make it to some stairs, keep heading to the right. Drop down the hole
at the dead and break the rocks to your left to uncover food, a $ Bag and
Holy Water/Turtle. Keep your current Sub-Weapons and collect the food and
money. Then head up the stairs. Destroy the Bone Pillars and then jump across
the platforms carefully, timing so you don't get hit by the spike balls. If you
break the chain of the second spike ball with your whip/doves, and then drop
down its hole, you'll go the secret route. Otherwise keep heading left over
the platforms for the Normal Route.
Normal Route
Head left to the next section. Climb up the stairs to the next section, whilst
avoiding the bats. Use your Axe as Richter, or jump and launch a Dragon as
Mario to chop the vines holding up the boulder. And then use that boulder to
climb up to the higher section, make your way to the right (it's sooo much
easier with Maria's double jump) and break the Grave at the end for an
enormous Heart, it's worth 50 Hearts! Otherwise, the White Dragons are quite
annoying, use your Sub-Weapon to keep your distance, and avoid their fire
breath. If they rear back, run! As they will lunge forward and will extend
themselves out quite a bit. To get under the screw, sink under it in the
quicksand and then press jump raipidly at the last second to get out of it.
Head right to the next section.
Hit all the candles in here for hearts and a Cross/Dragon! If you are Richter
and have the Axe, don't get the Cross. But if you're Maria, definitely get
the Dragon. Whip the cracked wall behind the stairs for large food and then
head to the next room. Something, emerges from the doorway.. a boss...
M I N O T A U R O S
-------------------
Attack the Minotauros furiously, every attack will knock it back a little.
Maria will really be able to rip it to shreds by constantly launching Dragons
at it. Just watch for any change in its movements, as it means it will
probably try to cleave or stab you with its large axe. If you get turned to
stone by its petrifying breath, wiggle the Directional Pad and tap the buttons
rapidly to break free. If it throws some of the rubble at you, either dodge in
between the rubble carefully, or if you are Richter use your Axe/Cross Item
Crush for temporary invincibility. When it flies out at you, it will end up
stuck in the wall or will be giving fellatio to the Zeus statue *giggles* This
is the perfect time to damage it with your whip/doves. But be careful, when it
pulls its head out, it will fly backwards at you. Once you defeat it, it will
use its last breath to do a flaming uppercut. The only way to dodge this as
Maria is to jump up on the knee of the statue of Zeus, and then from there
jump over the Minotauros when it charges at you. As Richter you can just use
the platforms to get up high to jump over him. Collect the Magical Sphere and
you will proceed to Stage 4 - Passageway in Castle.
-------------------
Secret Route
Watch the spike ball and head right to the next section. Go down the first
stairs and break the right wall for a $ Bag. Stand up against the wall you
just broke, and attack the rat on the other side of wall. It will randomly
drop something good, either a $ Bag, a good Sub-Weapon or even a 1UP. Run
quickly to collect whatever it drops. Break the wall in the bottom-right
corner of this area to uncover food, before you head down the stairs. The
screen will shake... boss time.
D O G E T H E R
---------------
Dogether is a very strange monster, it's a giant eyeball with a mouth that
produces weird symbols O_o. Some people say they are Japanese kanji, but I
have never seen kanji like that. Anyway, it will teleport all over the place.
You can tell what attack it's going to use by the colour of the symbol. A
green symbol means it is going to shoot three lasers, an orange symbol means
it is going to use a flame attack, and a blue symbol means it's going to hurl
rubble at you. The flame and lasers are fairly easy to avoid, but the rubble
is a bit tricky. If you are Richter use your Sub-Weapon to clear the rubble,
try a normal Bible or an Axe Item Crush. Anyway, just keep attacking Dogether
and eventually it will kick the bucket, well... after it tries to take you
out in a flaming kamikaze attack. Collect the Magical Sphere and you will
proceed to Stage 4' - Mountain Region.
---------------
S T A G E 4 - Passageway in Castle
**************************************
Fleamen infest this entire passageway, they are so fucking annoying. Sorry,
about the language ^_^ Red Skeletons are invincible, you can only disable them
temporarily by attacking them. Make your way up to the next section, whilst
watching out for the bones the Skeletons on the above platform throw, and hit
the candle in the top-right corner for an Axe if you're Richter. Once in the
next section, as Richter throw Axes from a safe distance at the White Dragon,
whilst avoiding its fire breath and retreating whenever it rears up in
preparation to strike. If you're Maria just attack it aggressively with your
Doves. Once it dies the White Dragon will change into lots of hearts!
Just ahead are spinning blades and Skeletons, time your jumps carefully and
don't jump over to attack the Skeletons. Wait for them to jump over to you
before you attack them. The red switch pads up ahead will trigger arrow traps,
so get read to duck or jump if you accidentally trigger them. Head up the
stairs, if you kill the Fleaman to your left you'll uncover a switch, press it
and some stairs will come down, they'll take you to the Alternate Route.
Alternate Route
Wait for the swinging spike ball to swing over to the right before you jump
down to the switch. Once you press the switch, jump on to the spike block
that moves before it impales you. If you're Richter, hit the candle ahead for
a Bible, you don't want the Music Book as Maria. To get past all the spike
balls; follow them over to the right and then crouch, and then when they swing
back over your head stand up and run to the right. You'll have to deal with a
couple of Fleamen while doing so, but the Axe Armor near the door to the next
section is the most annoying.
This section is filled with lots of delicate jumps, if you misjudge you'll
end up in the spikes. I suggest to NOT use double jumps as Maria, as it will
tend to make you overshoot no matter how hard you try not to. Take out every
Peeping Eye, don't let any stray as they will tend to knock you off into the
spikes. Fleamen will rain down if you stand on the red switch pad in the
middle of the room, so try not to stand on it. The switch at the end doesn't
seem to do anything, but if you stand to the left of it and break the last
platform over the spikes you'll get some food. Once you kill the White Dragon
around here, it will turn into $ Bags. The three switches up ahead control
what the White Dragon ahead will drop once defeated. The left switch causes it
to drop 100 point bags, the middle switch causes it to drop 400 point bags and
the right switch causes it to drop 700 point bags. Now, head right and then
up the stairs to the room with the Axe Armors.
Be patient with the crushers, only walk under them when they are at their
highest. Break the corner of this ledge for food. The White Dragon ahead drops
$ Bags once killed. The next section has more Red Skeletons and some Skull
Worms, the last candle drops a Rosary... which is not really helpful so just
head right. If you drop down the hole up ahead you will be taken to a place
where the iron balls are taken up by pulleys, it's much easier to be taken up
on a pulley. Attack the cracked blocks three times on the third ledge for a
1UP. Hehehe, a Blanka clone is unloading the iron balls. Anyway, if you go up
the normal way, you'll have to jump on the iron balls to be able to jump up
to the higher platforms, which is quite hard as Richter. Head left to the
next section.
Make your way around to the next section, past the Axe Armors, Peeping Eyes and
Bone Pillars. In the next area is a bronze Axe Armor, they don't throw axes,
they only will charge at you with them. So whilst attacking him, get ready to
jump him whenever he puts his axe to his side. Whip the Spike Chain ahead to
make it flick up so you can pass under it. Then, break the platform after it
for more food, then use whatever sub-weapon you have to kill the large column
of Bone Pillars up ahead... Axes are very useful. Jump on the moving platform
ahead, but jump over the spike ball that balances it. If you want to head the
via the secret route, drop down and break the wall to your right. You'll
uncover a bomb, so crouch and attack it to set it off. This will blast the way
to the Secret Route. Otherwise, just head up for the Normal Route.
Normal Route
Head up the stairs ahead and go through the door. The candles in here drop
Hearts, a $ Bag and Holy Water/Turtle. Whip the bottom right corner for food
and then head right... time to fight a boss.
D U L L A H A N
---------------
Never get cornered against the wall by Dullahan, as it means certain death.
Try to jump over him at the start, so you can corner him against the left wall
and then attack him rapidly with your whip/doves. The candle up high in the
middle of the room drops a Bible/Music Book. Watch out, he will try to skewer,
lunge & stab and icicle stab you constantly. Also, if his head floats up it
means rubble is going to fall from the ceiling, this is the perfect time to
use the Holy Water Item Crush, Hydro Storm. It will prevent all rubble from
getting to you, and it will do pretty decent damage to Dullahan. If his head
becomes engulfed in greenish purple flames, avoid it at all costs as it will
curse you. Jump up the platforms and then jump over the head when it comes
for you. Once defeated, he will use his last ounce of strength to make his
head shoot multiple energy balls. Collect the Magical Sphere and you will
proceed to Stage 5 - Phantom Ship.
---------------
Secret Route
Head right to the next section, you'll have to fight lots and lots of Axe
Armors and other enemies on the way. You'll also have to hit another Spike
Chain to get past it. Once in the greenish corridor, hit the candles for
Hearts, Holy Water/Turtle or a Knife/Red Bird. Richter should collect the
Holy Water and Maria should collect the Red Bird. Head to the right section,
a woman in red is waiting for you... pity she's a boss.
C A R M I L L A
---------------
Carmilla the lesbian vampire will snog (kiss in American) Richter/Maria to
suck them of Hearts. So if you're Richter, use the Holy Water Item Crush
straight away, before she can prevent you from doing so. Firstly, attack her
alter ego (the nekkid chick on the skull) whilst avoiding the flaming bloody
tears it cries. Beware, if you touch the skull you will be cursed. After you
destroy the skull, attack Carmilla to knock her clothes off, revealing a
catsuit. She'll bound around, trying to kick Richter/Maria. You only have to
hit her a couple of times and she will die, releasing lots of hearts. Collect
the Magical Sphere, if you have already defeated Count Dracula you will
proceed to Stage 5' - Lake. If not you'll proceed to Stage 5 - Phantom Ship.
---------------
S T A G E 4' - Mountain Region
**************************************
You wouldn't think so, but the Frogs and Black Crows are actually quite a
threat. It's because they are so small and move around a lot, so they are hard
to hit. Once you head through the gate to the next section, you can choose your
route. Keep heading right for the Normal Route, or jump on the log as it falls
down the waterfall for the Secret Route.
Normal Route
Hit the frog statue in front of you so it sinks down. Jump over the waterfall
gap and hit the candle ahead for a Axe as Richter. Don't collect the Cat as
Maria, keep the Red Bird you got at the start of this stage. Use your Axes/Red
Birds to clear the Skeletons that hang from the roof on the way over the rope
bridge. Once you make it over to another frog statue, hit it so its sinks like
the last one. The candle around here drops a Rosary. Now, since you hit both
frog statues the middle of the rope bridge has opened up. So backtrack to the
opening and jump down it and then head down the stairs. You'll end up in a
grotto filled with Half-Fish Men. Break the ledge just under the stairs for
food. Hit the candle to the left for a Cross/Dragon, before you start heading
to the right. Hit the candle above the moving platform ahead for a 1UP, but
make sure you're directly below the candle when you do it, so you can collect
it. The bottom candle above the ice platforms drops a Rosary, so it may be a
good idea to get it. Anyway, head through the door to the right, inside is
Iris the doctor's daughter. She'll patch up your wounds. Now head back up to
where you hit the second frog statue, and head right through the gate to the
next section.
Blue Albatrosses fly in and drop Flea Men, just keep moving to the right to
the next section. The candles in here drop Hearts, a $ Bag and
Holy Water/Turtle. Whip the bottom right corner for food and then head
right... time to fight a boss.
D U L L A H A N
---------------
Never get cornered against the wall by Dullahan, as it means certain death.
Try to jump over him at the start, so you can corner him against the left wall
and then attack him rapidly with your whip/doves. The candle up high in the
middle of the room drops a Bible/Music Book. Watch out, he will try to skewer,
lunge & stab and icicle stab you constantly. Also, if he's head floats up it
means rubble is going to fall from the ceiling, this is the perfect time to
use the Holy Water Item Crush, Hyrdo Storm. It will prevent all rubble from
getting to you, and it will do pretty decent damage to Dullahan. If his head
becomes engulfed in greenish purple flames, avoid it at all costs as it will
curse you. Jump up the platforms and then jump over the head when it comes
for you. He will use his last ounce of trength to make his head shoot
multiple energy balls. Collect the Magical Sphere and you will proceed to
Stage 5 - Phantom Ship.
---------------
Secret Route
This log ride down a steep river may look exciting, but realy it's quite lame.
Hit the lock-up box held by the Blue Albatrosses for random items, it's
unlikely you'll be able to collect anything though. As for the Skeletons with
spears riding on logs, if you simply face backwards and constantly attack they
will never cause you any harm. However, If they do happen to skewer you, it's
good night nurse. As soon as you see the Blue Albatross with the sign, jump
off the log to the right. The sign says "SHI NO KEIKOKU" which translates to
"Death Valley". Head right, the ferryman will take you over a very small body
of water. He will still say "II TOKORO HE ANNAI SHIYOU" which as I said
before translates to "I'll lead you to a good place". Watch all the bats in
here, two of the candles drop Rosaries which are quite helpful to clear bats.
After the first Rosary is a moving platform, it has a candle above it that
drops a key. When you are just below it, hit it to get the key. It's needed to
head through the locked door to the right. Once in the greenish corridor, hit
the candles for Hearts, Holy Water/Turtle or a Knife/Red Bird. Richter should
collect the Holy Water and Maria should collect the Red Bird. Head to the
right section, a woman in red is waiting for you... pity she's a boss.
C A R M I L L A
---------------
Carmilla the lesbian vampire will snog (kiss in American) Richter/Maria to
suck them of Hearts. So if you're Richter, use the Holy Water Item Crush
straight away before she can prevent you from doing so. Firstly, attack her
alter ego (the nekkid chick on the skull) whilst avoiding the flaming bloody
tears it cries. Beware, if you touch the skull you will be cursed. After you
destroy the skull, attack Carmilla to knock her clothes off, revealing a
catsuit. She'll bound around, trying to kick Richter/Maria. You only have to
hit her a couple of times and she will die, releasing lots of hearts. Collect
the Magical Sphere, if you have already defeated Count Dracula you will
proceed to Stage 5' - Lake. If not you'll proceed to Stage 5 - Phantom Ship.
---------------
S T A G E 5 - Phantom Ship
**************************************
The Flying Skulls and Skeleton Morning Stars in this area will try to knock you
into the water. Jump down to the lower section of the wharf at the start and
head right to find a candle down there, hit it for a Stop Watch/Egg. The Stop
Watch is actually quite helpful in this area, as it will make the Flying Skulls
easier to dodge, and it will give you more time to kill the Skeleton Morning
Stars before they can mace you into the water. Once you make it over the
platforms to the ship, two Skeleton Blades will ambush you, deal with them and
then head into the ship.
Once in the ship, hit the edge of the roof just above you for a large heart.
One of the candles around here drops a Knife/Red Bird, ignore the Knife as
Richter, but collect the Red Bird as Maria. To defeat the Archer Skeleton
easily, duck and attack rapidly, as then any arrows they fire will either hit
your weapon or fly over your head. Head down the stairs ahead.
To head via an Alternate Route, head to the left and break the cracked blocks
resting on the end of the girder. Then move the girder to the right by pushing
up against its edge. Then head over to the other side of the girder, and break
the blocks just above where part of the girder fell down, to open a passageway
down. Keep heading right otherwise.
Alternate Route
Attack the engine to the left until you receive a 1UP. If you're Maria you can
jump on top of the engine and then slide through a small tunnel up there. Once
through the tunnel, head up the stairs. There are lots of Hearts and a
$ Bag... and a strange ominous, luminous and seemingly functionless doorway.
Head back down the stairs and through the small tunnel. Head right, killing
the Skeleton Gunmen on the way, and then head up the stairs. You'll emerge
just after where you would have fought the Ruler Sword.
Defeat the Archer Skeleton like the last one, and as Richter whip the candle
ahead for Holy Water. Soon you'll make it to the Ruler Sword, a sentient sword
that controls a whole armoury of weapons. As Maria, just jump up and use your
Red Bird on the Ruler Sword to kill it instantly. As Richter, you will have to
take out a couple of the weapons it's controlling (or alternatively use the
Holy Water Item Crush to destroy them all instantly) so you can get an easier
shot at whipping the Ruler Sword. It only takes one crack of the whip to kill
it, but the problem is actually getting a chance to. After battling three more
Archer Skeletons, you'll have to battle a Possessed Potrait (maybe it's Vigo
from GhostBusters II). Simply keep jumping and attacking it. Don't let it touch
you at all costs, it spells instant death. Once you've defeated it, head right
to the next section.
Kill the Skeleton Gunman and then head up the stairs to the deck of the ship.
Up here Flea Men riding on birds will constantly attack you from above. Maria's
Red Birds will do fine protecting her, but as Richter you should probably head
to the bow (front) of the ship and hit the candle there to get an Axe. Use the
Axes to fend of the Flea Riders easily. Head towards the stern (back) of the
ship, you'll encounter a couple of Heavy Armors on the way. Whip the Heavy
Armors like crazy, retreating when ever they begin to spin their ball and
chain. Eventually you'll make it to the main mast. Whip the left side of the
mast base for food. Then climb up the mast, whipping candles on the way for
Hearts, Holy Water/Turtle, a Cross/Dragon and a Knife/Red Bird. Collect the
Cross as Richter and the Dragon as Maria. Once you make it to the top Death
will materialise in the background, it's time for a battle.
D E A T H
---------
Keep jumping around avoiding Deaths many sickles. Do this while constantly
barraging him with Crosses/Dragons, hopefully they will also take out some of
the sickles. If things get hairy, as Richter use the Cross Item Crush for
temporary invincibility, the destruction of all sickles on-screen and to take
some damage out of Death. Once you get him roughly down to 2/3 of his life bar,
he will head to the background and will launch many skulls at you. Just keep
moving to avoid them, if you get hit he'll launch some more at you. Death will
then remove his cloak, revealing his more classic form. In this form he will
slice at you with his scythe, and use a devastating spinning scythe attack.
He's very agile, almost ninja-like. As Richter, don't use Crosses on him in
this form, he'll just brush them off and counter-attack with magic. Some small
sickles will still fly around, but there are a lot less than his first form.
Anyway, to kill him without being harmed, rush in and hit him a couple of times
and then retreat, then wait for him to attack and then after he has finished
rush in and hit him a couple of times and then retreat, rinse and repeat.
Collect the Magical Sphere and you will proceed to Stage 6 - Inside the Castle.
---------
S T A G E 5' - Lake
**************************************
This secret stage is only accessible after you have defeated Dracula. It has no
bosses, but it's probably one of the most challenging stages in the game. The
first part of the stage is a long dock with heaps of platforms. It's filled
with Black Crows, Bats, Half-Fish Men and Skeleton Warriors, all intent on
knocking you into the briny depths. Above the first moving platform is an
Invincible Pot, the invincibility it gives you is far too short. When you come
to the second moving platform, as Richter you should crouch to get past the
platforms, and as Maria you should jump on top of them and fight the Skeleton
Warriors. Once you get to the next section, you'll realise that it's split in
two. The top route has many Armor Knights and will take you to stairs that take
you up to the Great Armor Route. The bottom route is swarming with Medusa Heads
and has tricky platforms to cross, it will take you to stairs that take you
down to the Bat Route.
Great Armor Route
After fighting three Axe Armors (one being a Bronze Axe Armor), two Great
Armors will close in on you from both sides. Attack the right one first, as
then you can break the block above the doorway for food. After you kill both
of them head right to the next section, you'll be outside on a bridge. Many
Peeping Eyes will float up from below, and there is a Axe Armor before the
passage to the next section. The next section is filled with jumps and
annoying Medusa Heads... not a good combination. When you get to the Armor
Knights, break the edge of the ledge they are standing on for a large hearts.
To get past the Armor Knights, jump past each of them just when they are
lifting their spears up. After fighting one more Axe Armor head through the
door to the right, you will proceed to Stage 6 - Inside the Castle.
Bat Route
This route is filled with platforms and Bats. Hence, you'll have to be very
careful you don't jump into the path of a flying bat, as it will result in
almost certain death. Head right to the next section, you'll be outside on a
bridge. Many Peeping Eyes will float up from below, and there is a Axe Armor
before the passage to the next section. You will have to battle Black Crows,
Axe Armors and Armor Knights in this section. Near the end just before the
door, watch out for the Armor Knights below you... as they will try to spear
your arse. After heading through the door, you will proceed to
Stage 6 - Inside the Castle.
S T A G E 6 - Inside the Castle
**************************************
Jump along the platforms on the bottom of the room, and break the column
furthest to the right down there for a large $ Bag, then whip the darker blocks
on the right wall for a Bible/Music Book. Whip the candles in this room for
Hearts, a Knife/Red Bird, Holy Water/Turtle, a Cross/Dragon & a Axe/Cat.
As Richter keep the Bible and as Maria get the Dragon, then head right into the
next room. Shaft will resurrect all the bosses that Simon Belmont killed in
Castlevania (NES), except now they are in glorious 8+8 bit.
First, it's the Giant Bat. It will fly around, breathing fire at you, and will
occasionally curl its wings and will drill itself into the ground. Use your
sub-weapon sparingly, just jump up and attack it when it flies fairly low.
Once you have defeated it, it will dissolve into lots of hearts.
Next up is Medusa, whip her rapidly. If her head has a blue aura around it
she's about to use her petrifying stare. Crouch to avoid it, although you
really don't have to crouch as Maria, since she's short enough as it is. If you
get petrified, wiggle the Directional Pad and tap the buttons rapidly to break
free. Retreat if she jumps up, as she will whip you with her tail.
Then it's the Mummy. Crouch down to avoid its arms and attack it rapidly. He
will make three blocks appear, jump up them and use your sub-weapon at the top
to clear all the bits of wrapping the Mummy will launch at you. Once its
defeated it will leave food in its wake.
Lastly is Franken! Run away, if he heads for you with a hand outstretched. As
he will pick you up and throw you. If he jumps, he will dislodge debris from
the roof that will rain down on you. If you are Richter, use the Bible to
protect him from the debris. After you kill Franken, Shaft will reappear so
you can battle him.
S H A F T
---------
Attack him constantly as he teleports from side to side. He will only really
attack with his two orbs. If they become engulfed in flames, as Richter use a
Bible to clear them away. If they fly above you and become electrified, never
stay directly below them as they will blast you with electricity. Sometimes the
best places to be is between them. If they get a purple-orange aura and twirl
at you, get ready. To avoid them as Richter run away and backflip over them
at the last second, and as Maria you should jump up and then roll under them.
Once defeated, Shaft will try to take you out with his orbs. Collect the
Magical Sphere and you will proceed to Stage 7 - The Clocktower.
---------
S T A G E 7 - The Clocktower
**************************************
If you have played Symphony of the Night most of this stage will be quite
familiar to you. Sure, in those 5 years the ol' Count must have done some
interior decorating, but it's generally identical. Hit the first candle for an
Axe/Red Bird, you'll need it for what's just ahead! Run across the crumbling
bridge, and a swarm of large bats (some wielding swords) will come from behind.
This is really easy as Richter, simply face right, hold down the I Button and
then start heading to the left so he's walking backwards. Then whenever a bat
comes, jump and whip it... but hold down the button when you whip so he
continues to walk backwards. As Maria you will have to run left whilst jumping
and releasing your Doves behind you when the bats come, you can also use your
Red Bird whenever a bat gets close for the same effect. At the end of the
crumbling bridge, hit the candle for a Rosary that will clear the screen for
the while so you can head right into the Clock Tower.
Once inside, whip the brown cracked blocks for an Axe/Red Bird, or a large
heart if you already have one. Watch out for the Water Ghosts that emerge from
the falling water. Climb to the top of this section, there will be weak
Skeletons to destroy on the way up. Once at the top, whip the cog above the
right door until it opens. Outside is a Blue Albatross with a key around its
neck, use your sub-weapon to kill it before it can attack you with a flury of
feathers and then collect the key. Head back inside and then to the left to the
next part of the Clocktower. Negotiate down the cogs. The two Harpyiai's in
here are quite annoying, they will throw knifes at you and will attempt to
snatch you. At the bottom of this area, break the brown cracked blocks on the
right for food and then head left to the next area. Use the key to open the
door on your left. You will be reunited with your loved one, Annette. But there
is still the business of killing Dracula to take care of. Anyway, make your way
to the top of this area, avoiding the Water Ghosts again. Maria will have an
easy time here with her double jump. But Richter will have to use the many cogs
to get to the top. Head left through the door to the next section.
Don't head down the stairs, jump over the gap and fight the Victory Armor
there, and then drop down the hole ahead. Break the brown cracked blocks on
your right for some food. Below are lots of Victory Armors and Black Panther
Skeletons... once you kill the few below you, head right and hit the candles
for an Axe/Cat before continuing on. The Cat is especially helpful in killing
Victory Armors, but it will soon be superseded by the Dragon you can get from
the candle further down... Richter should keep the Axe over the Cross. Head up
the stairs to the fire place and then down the stairs on the other side.
Kill the Victory Armor above with your Axes/Dragons, and then watch out for the
Werepanther Skeleton ahead, as it will throw heaps of bones at you and will
extend its head at you. Head up the stairs and then over to the left and on to
the desk, break the left wall for a 1UP! Then head right and up the stairs...
As Maria you can just double-jump up to the pendulum above and then head left
to the next section. As Richter you'll have to head right, use Axees to kill
the Werepanther Skeleton and then drop down the hole below the second
pendulum. Then, go up the stairs and then jump across the pendulums and head
left to the next section.
As Maria just keep your Dragon (or get the Red Bird if you died fighting the
boss) and hit as many candles for hearts before heading left to the next room.
As Richter, whip the first candle for a Knife, and then backflip on to the
platform above. Jump up and throw a Knife at the candle in the top right corner
of this room for Holy Water, and then jump from the platform to the right and
whip the wall below the spider's web for food. Then use the Holy Water on the
Holy Water blocks to get an Axe. You can also use the Axe on the Axe Blocks to
get a Cross, and then the Cross on the Cross Blocks to get a Stop Watch... but
the Axe is best. Backflip onto the platform at the end and jump and hit the
candle for a large heart. Then head left to the next room. Shaft's cloak will
fall down from above and will drift down... it's Shaft's Ghost!!!
S H A F T ' S G H O S T
------------------------
Like before, Shaft will not attack you directly. Instead he will summon dark
bats and the corpses of the Behemoth and Wyvern you slayed. The Behemoth will
rise from the ground and intend on biting you, simply jump over it (Backflip
as Richter for better results). The Wyvern will breath flames everywhere, which
are very hard to avoid. Also, if you touch Shaft's Ghost you will be cursed,
which will make you fodder for the Behemoth and Wyvern corpses. Attack Shaft's
Ghost with your main weapon when he's close, but if he flies over to the other
side of the room, use your sub-weapon. It just kills him a lot faster that way.
Collect the Magical Sphere and you will proceed to Stage 7 - Castle Keep.
------------------------
S T A G E 8 - Castle Keep
**************************************
Head up the stairs, jump and hold up just below the doorway to find an
invisible staircase. Walk up it to a secret room filled with candles that drop
$ Bags. To head back down, press down around the middle column in the
background. Hit the candles on your way left for Hearts, a $ Bag , a
Cross/Dragon and Holy Water/Turtle. Richter should keep the Cross and Maria
should keep the Dragon. Head left to find Dracula waiting.
D R A C U L A
-------------
Dracula will teleport all over the place opening his cape and attacking. He
will either use Hellfire, which is three fireballs, or he will create two
smouldering lava balls. The lava balls can be easily dodged by ducking the
first and jumping the second, but Hellfire has to be dodged differently.
As Richter you can jump and whip Dracula's head as soon as he materialises and
then jump and whip once more to jump the Hellfire, which is probably the best
way but it's pretty tricky. Or you can jump and whip Dracula's head as he
materialises, and then as soon as you touch the ground you throw a Cross at
Dracula. The Cross will absorb the Hellfire. As Maria you should jump and
release both Doves at Dracula's head as soon as he materialises, then you
should run away from him as far as you can. If done correctly, the doves will
absorb the Hellfire as they return back to Maria. After you get Dracula's
health down to nothing, he will transform into a giant demon and the background
will change into a really cool endless sky, it moves every time you hit
Dracula. Anyway, this is so much easier as Maria, as she can drain Dracula's
health much faster with her Doves, and she can run underneath Dracula if he
jumps much faster. As Richter, you'll have to stay reasonably close to Dracula
at all times whilst you jump and whip his face, so it gives you enough time to
run under him when he jumps after cornering you. Once you kill the evil count,
collect the Magical Sphere and watch the great ending!
-------------
===============================================================================
6)THANKS TO
===============================================================================
Demajen for aiding me in obtaining a copy of Dracula X, and then helping me get
it work on my computer with the Magic Engine emulator.
Colin Moriarty for consulting me on this FAQ/Walkthrough during its creation.
I highly recommend his Walkthroughs for the three Castlevanias on the NES, you
can find them on his GameFAQs Contributor Page:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/4280.html
*******************************************************************************
FAQ STATS
-=-=-=-=-=-
Version 1.0
Update No 0
Size 74.8KB
Pages 22
Words 13203
Characters 73968
Paragraphs 1138
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GameFAQs CONTRIBUTER PAGE- www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/4127.html
EMAIL- tetsuwan_blue(at)yahoo.com.au
If I don't reply, it's either; I don't know the answer to the question, the
answer to your question is in the FAQ, or you're sending me info I already know
or someone else has sent before you.
LEGAL SECTION
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
No material from this FAQ may be paraphrased, copied, changed or re-formatted
without my permission. It may only be posted on GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com).
Under no circumstances may this FAQ be posted on Cheat Code Central.
This document was written exclusively for use on the internet. It is not
intended to be used in any way that is profitable for anyone other than the
author. It is not to be reproduced in any way without express written
permission from the author.
More information on copyright laws can be found at the copyright section of
the official Library of Congress web site. (
http://www.loc.gov/copyright).
Dracula X and related characters are trademarks of KONAMI Co.
_______________________________________________________________________________
© Copyright 2002 AstroBlue
