-Castlevania- for the Nintendo Entertainment System ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "The Complete Guide to Castlevania on the NES" By Colin Moriarty ----------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail Address: cmoriarty311@cs.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Version FINAL - Released October 17, 2001 *********************************************************************** 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. -TABLE OF CONTENTS- ***************** I.).......... - Disclaimer and Legal Information II.)......... - Introduction III.)........ - Versions of this 'Complete Guide' IV.)......... - Controls V.).......... - Characters VI.)......... - Items and Weapons (upgrades, et cetera) VII.)........ - Monsters VIII.)....... - *WALKTHROUGH* IX.)......... - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) X.).......... - Special Thanks, About the Author, and Closing Notes I.) -DISCLAIMER AND LEGAL INFORMATION- ********** *** ***** *********** This guide/FAQ/walkthrough is copyrighted (c) 2001 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 no 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. II.) -INTRODUCTION- ************ Welcome to the world of Castlevania. Originally released on the Famicom system in Japan in 1987, this classic game was released on the Ninteno Entertainment System later that same year in the United States and elsewhere. This game marks the beginning of the extremely successful series of games to be released with the Castlevania name afterwards, including, but not held to; Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES), Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES), the three Game Boy Castlevania games, Castlevania: SOTN (PSX), et cetera. All classics, all great games. [this is the introduction from the instruction booklet that came with the game, copyrighted to Konami!] Good Eeeevening! Step into the shadows of the deadliest dwelling on earth. You've arrived at Castlevania, and you're here on business: To destroy forever the Curse of the Evil Count. Unfortunately, everybody's home this evening. Bat, ghosts, every kind of creature you can imagine. You'll find 'em all over the place, if they don't find you first. Because you've got to get through six monstrous floors before you even meet up with the Master of the House. Your Magic Whip will help, and you'll probably find a weapon or two along the way. But once you make it to the tower, you can count on a Duel to the Death. The Count has waited 100 years for a rematch. He's ready. Are you? ---END INSTRUCTION BOOKLET EXCERPT--- This game is definetly the most simplistic of the series, and with only six unique stages, it's the shortest as well. It doesn't mean that this game still isn't fun, 'nor isn't it a challenge. It is both challenging and difficult. The first few stages are a synch, but have fun with the last two or three stages. =) Anyway, onward! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- III.) -VERSIONS- ******** This complete guide has only one version so far, that being version 1.0. It will naturally be updated as need be, whether it be new information or e-mail changes, et cetera. So, for now... 1.) Version 1.0 - Initial Release (released November 02, 2000) 2.) Version 2.0 - Fixed some faulty areas and spelling, letting all you Castlevania fans know that my Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest guide is now out as well. Also, I know that the last stage of the game isn't yet covered in this guide. I'm getting there, I really am! (released February 1, 2001) 3.) Version 2.5 - The guide and walkthroughs are now complete, this guide's next version will be it's final version, so keep a lookout for that. (released June 14, 2001) 4.) Version FINAL - Basically I fixed up some odds and ends on the guide, and this is now the final version of the guide. (released October 17, 2001) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- IV.) -CONTROLS- ******** Below I will draw a NES controller with simple ASCII art, and then, after this illustration, I will explain what each button does on the controller, so you know what you're doing. It's not hard to figure out, this controller only has two buttons and a D-Pad (and start and select, no one cares about those!). But this is a -complete- guide! =) _________________________________ | | | _ Nintendo | | _| |_ | [D-Pad] -------->||_ 0 _| SELECT START A B | | |_| [ ] [ ] o o | | o o o o | |________________________o____o___| D-Pad - The D-Pad is the directional pad, and, like in all videogames, controls the direction in which the character or object you're controlling moves. In Castlevania, you can control the direction in which Simon Belmont is moving. (the only character you can control in this particular game). Also, pushing a certain direction while jumping (A button) controls which way you jump. Holding down B while pressing up allows you to throw or use your special weapon. Select - No function in this game. Start - Press this button to pause your game. A - A's function is to jump. Press A while holding down the D-Pad in the direction which you want to jump towards to jump in that direction. B - B is the main button you'll be using. Press B while facing an enemy (or not facing an enemy, whichever) to use your whip. A few other tricks. Press A and hit B to hit candles in the air for the item they hold, and also, hold up on the D-Pad while pressing B to use your special weapon, if you have one at the time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- V.) -CHARACTERS- ********** There are many characters in this game. I will basically list the six bosses and Simon Belmont. Here! (keep in mind that although the bosses are listed below and there are some strategy on how to beat them, the walkthrough possess more in-depth strategies on each boss). Name.......... Simon Belmont Occupation.... Vampire Hunter Weapon(s)..... Whip, Dagger, Holy Water, Boomerang, Axe, Stop Watch Description... Simon Belmont is a decendent of the great Belmont family which is known for their vampire hunting heritage, and their great skill at protecting the common person from the threat of vampires. In this game, this is the character you control, and you'll have to control him through six perilous stages, through Count Dracula's five henchmen, and, eventually, to Count Dracula himself. Name.......... Vampire Bat Occupation.... Protector of the Castle's Entrance Weapon(s)..... Fireballs, Swooping Description... The Vampire Bat is the first, and weakest boss you come across on your journey. It is this bat's job to protect the entrance area of Count Dracula's castle. He flies in the air and swoops down on his enemies on occassion, so make sure to have the axe handy to hit him while he's airborne. Name.......... Medusa Occupation.... Stone Goddess, protector of the tower Weapon(s)..... Stone Gaze, Snakes Description... Medusa, the mythilogical creature that turns men to stone when making eye contact with her enemy, isn't exactly a challenge in this game. The protector of Count Dracula's tower, Medusa is only a menace if you make it to her lair with next to no energy. The stop watch and the holy water are both useful weapons against this foe. Name.......... Mummies Occupation.... Twin protectors of the castle turrets Weapon(s)..... Flying Bandages, simple run-ins! Description... These two mummies, the guards of the castle's upper surface, roof, and turrets, are a threat simply beacause there are two! Although the dagger weakens them greatly, you are better off getting the two mummies close together and whipping them to death. Be careful, and watch your back until one is dead, then it's easy sailing from there. Name.......... Frankenstein [and Igor] Occupation.... Creation of Mad Scientists [pet of Frank] Weapon(s)..... Mainly, Igor. Description... Frankenstein's main threat stems from the fact that his pet, Igor, is very agile, quick, and pretty damn intelligent as to how to injure you as well. The key to defeating Frankenstein is to first defeat his counterpart. See the walkthrough for more on this potential menace. Name.......... Death (Grim Reaper) Occupation.... Second In Command Weapon(s)..... Scythes Description... Death, also known as the Grim Reaper, is Dracula's second in command, and will risk it all to stop Simon Belmont from reaching his master, Count Dracula. Death is easily the most difficult boss in the game, and for god reason. The fact that he is quick, can teleport, and shoots many-a scythe at one time justifies this. However, even Death himself can die, with the right strategy. Name.......... Count Dracula Occupation.... Count of Transylvania's Castle Weapon(s)..... He's Dracula! Description... Count Dracula is indeed a hard foe to defeat, but he's not as hard as Death if you know what you're doing. The man himself has a whole slew of attacks up his sleve, but it's certainly no coincidence that the one special weapon shaped like a cross can be your most useful ally on The Man Himself! That's right, the boomerang can do him in quickly and effectivly if you use it properly. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- VI.) ITEMS AND WEAPONS ***** *** ******* Small Heart (worth one heart) - Collect these from candles, this is the most abundant kind of heart you'll find, and is worth one heart. Big Heart (worth five hearts) - Collect these from candles, these are around, but much more rare then the small hearts. These are worth five hearts. Whip Powerups - Found in candles and enemies, these items powerup your whip to a longer, more powerful whip. There are three degrees of whips. Cross and Chain - These are found in candles. When touched, all enemies on the screen will disappear instantly. Gold Fluid - This fluid, found in gold containers, makes Simon invisible for a certain amount of time, immune to all outside attacks. Can be found in both candles and enemies. Money Bags, et cetera - These bags, chests, and crowns are worth anywhere from 100 to several thousand points. The higher valued ones are difficult to acquire, usually it must be aquired via a secret. II - Allows a special weapon to be shot twice at once. Found in candles and faulty blocks. III - Allows a special weapon to be shot three times at once. Found in candles and faulty blocks. Roast Beef - Found in faulty blocks, this revives all of your lost energy. Rare and useful. Dagger - My personal favorite special weapon, the dagger flies straight in front of Simon, damaging any enemy for a small amount of damage. The most versitile of the special weapons. (takes one heart to use) Holy Water - Good for ground enemies, when thrown, the ground where it lands ignites in flames, injuring any enemy to walk across the fire. (takes one heart to use) Axe - Useful for airborne enemies, the axe is thrown up and forward, and then falls down, able to injure multiple enemies if thrown correctly. (takes one heart to use) Stop Watch - The most useless weapon is also the weapon that takes the most hearts to use. Temporarily freezes time for about two seconds, allowing Simon to hit the frozen enemies freely. (takes three hearts to use) Boomerang - The most powerful special weapon. Simon throws this forward and then the boomerang comes back to Simon. Can also be missed, allowing it to hit enemies behind Simon as well. (takes one heart to use) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- VII.) -MONSTERS- ******** _______________________________________________________________________ Name of Monster | Damage Done* | Hits to Kill** | Skills/Attacks | _______________________________________________________________________ Axe Knight | 4 | 10 | Axe Toss | Bat | 2 | 1 | Flying @ Target| DEATH [Grim R.] | 4 | 12 | Scythes | Double-Dragon | 2 | 6 | Fireballs | Eagles | 4 | 1 | Drops Igors | Falcon | 3 | 1 | Swoop | Fishman | 2/4 | 1 | Fireball/Run-in| Flying Skull | 2 | 2 | Hit From Back | FRANKENSTEIN | 4 | 12 | Igor | Igor [non-boss] | 3 | 1 | Skillful Jumps | Knight | 2 | 2 | Lance | MEDUSA | 2 | Approx 12 | Snakes | Medusa Head | 2 | 1 | Random Flight | MUMMIES | 3 | Approx 10 each | Flying Bandages| Panther | 2 | 1 | Fast Dash | Red Skeleton | None | 4 | Regeneration | Skeleton | 3 | 1 | Throwing Bones | Skeleton Snake | 4 | 6 | Fireballs | VAMPIRE BAT | 2 | Approx 12 | Swoop | Zombie | 2 | 1 | [Nothing] | _______________________________________________________________________ Notes on the Monster Chart * = Damage the monsters do to you fluctuates based on what stage you are presently on. The numbers listed for many of the monsters are the numbers accurate for the first two stages they appear on. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. ** = The same goes for the damage you yourself do to the monster. The exception here is that the numbers listed are much more accurate for a much longer period of time (up to and beyond four stages), so you can rely much more on the numbers given here. Boss names (there are six) are listed in all capital letters for easy recognition. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- VIII.) -WALKTHROUGH- *********** This walkthrough, the most comprehensive walkthrough you'll find on the Internet for Castlevania (as I'm sure you've found true for this entire guide), is segmented into six parts, for the six stages. Each section is marked accordingly for easy reference. Enjoy! STAGE ONE - The Castle Gates and Entrance ***** *** *** ****** ***** *** ******** As the same starts, you get a view of the castle, and the hero, Simon Belmont entering it. As soon as you get control of your character, head to your right. Hit the ignited torches for hearts and whip upgrades. The last torch holds a dagger, your first special weapon. To use this, hold up on the d-pad and press B, remembering that one heart is consumed each time you use the dagger. This first stretch is full of many candles and Zombies. The Zombies are easy targets for your whip, and make sure you get everything the candles hold. Hearts, money bags [points], and special weapons can all be found in the candles. When you get to the flight of stairs, kill the Panther and climb the stairs. From here, go right, kill the panthers (there are two more here), get the candles. amd jump back down. Jump and whip the last block on the last platform for a 400 point money bag, and continue to your right. Before long, you'll run into a long staircase. Climb up it, go right, and enter the door. From here, get the candles and kill the Bats flying at you. WHen you see a section of small blocks blocking your path, forcing you to go left, whip the bottom-most area for a Roast Beef. Then, head left, get the remaining candles, and decend the stairs. Here, you'll have your first run-in with Fishmen. Beware of the fireballs they shoot. Get the candles and kill what you can for points. When you get all the way to the right, go down onto the second to last platform and whip at the top platform's last block to your left. When this block is destroyed, go to the lowest platform, into the middle of it, and kneel or stand there for a few seconds. You'll hear a noise and notices that, on the top platform, a money bag has appeared. Get that money bag, and go right and up the stairs. In this area, simply avoid or kill the Bats, get what's in the candles, and go through the door to your right. This final area is a lot like the beginning of the stage in that there is once again a plethora of both candles and Zombies. Go right, kill what Zombies you can, get what candles your are able to, and obtain the axe from one of the candles before going all the way to your right. When you do go all the way to your right, prepare to take on the Vampire Bat. BOSS ONE ... Vampire Bat **** *** ******* *** This is the easiest boss you'll face in this game, so enjoy it. If you have the axe that I suggested you obtain earlier, use it here. Simply time your throws to hit the slow-moving (and often stationary) Vampire Bat. It does good damage. However, the Vampire Bat is slow enough that you can do him in with a few whip strokes as well. Either way works. There's no way that he's once-in-a-while quick swoops should do you in at all. He's easy. There's not much more to say! =) STAGE TWO - The Castle Tower ***** *** *** ****** ***** The first candle you get in this area hold the most powerful special weapon this game has to offer; the boomerang. Get it, go up the stairs, kill the Knight and Bat here and go up the next flight of stairs. (make sure to knock out the two blocks on the wall after going up the first stairway, then stand in the void the missing blocks create, and a crown will appear worth 2,000 points. Get it and move on!) You'll notice as you climb this long stairway that a Knight is trapped in a small area. Use your boomerang to kill him while still on the stairs. Then climb up, kill the Bat, and head right, dropping into the area the Knight was trapped in. Face left, jump and whip the top block to reveal a II. THen head right. Use either your boomerang or whip to kill the next Knight, then jump on the moving platform and to the door and go through it. Get the candles and kill the Medusa Heads as you head to your left. When you get to the two blocks making a platform above where you just were, stand upon it for a few seconds, and a treasure chest worth 2,000 points will appear. Then kill the Knight to your left, get what candles remain, and finally go up the stairs. From this point, head right, ignore the candles (they'll distract you from concentrating fully on the Medusa Heads trying to knock you into holes), and keep going right. When the Medusa Heads stop coming, you can get the candles, and kill the Knights. Make sure to destroy the block on the upmost pedistal for a Roast Beef. Once you get to the upper level of this area, head left. The Medusa Heads will start coming at you again, so be careful as you go. Carefully make your way across the moving platforms to the door. Right after going through the door, go down the short, one block platform, turn around and kneel, whip at the block, and get the Roast Beef. Then go right and get the candles. Here, you must time your movements as to not get crushed by the Spiked Platforms that move up and down. If one of these touches you, it kills you instantly, no matter how much energy you have. After getting through that obstacle, turn around and kill the Flying Skull coming from behind. Whip at the platforms in front of you and get the II tht appears and whatever candles you'd like, and then whip and kill the two Double-Dragons that stand in your way. Head right, getting the candles as you go, and then go up the stairs. (as an option, turn around and kill the Flying Skull coming from behind you once again.) The last stretch simply has some candles. Get the candles, and kill the Medusa Heads as you go left. At the end of this corridor is boss number 2; Medusa. BOSS TWO ... Medusa **** *** ****** Medusa is a slow moving but obtrusive boss that often gets in your way and can be a pain if you aren't properly equipped. The weapons of choice for this battle would have to be either the Holy Water (preferred), or the Stop Watch. If you have the Holy Water, drop it all over the place, which will intercept the droves of snakes coming from Medusa's scalp, and do some damage to Medusa herself. This will do her in fairly quickly. Another approach utilizes the Stop Watch. Use the Stop Watch everytime it runs out and whip the stuffing out of Medusa with this method. It takes a little longer, but it's just as effective; it gets the job done. If you have neither of this special weapons or none at all, just keep your whip flying at Medusa and do her in before she does too much damage. STAGE THREE - The Castle's Roof and Turrets ***** ***** *** ****** * **** *** ******* At the beginning of this stage, get the first few candles and then turn around and kill the Flying Skull coming from behind. Kill the two Igors as you go left. They can be a real pain in the ass, so concentrate and get it done one at a time. Before you know it, in some scenarios, there can be five and six on you at one time. The platform that the second Igor was originally on has a Roast Beef in it, so whip the leftmost block to get it. To your left a little more is a Skeleton throwing bones at you. Kill it immidiatly, climb up to the stairway, and go up it. After going up the adjacent stairway, jump down to your right. Kill the Falcon and get the candles. Go right some more and repeat this process. After defeating the third Falcon, go all the way to the end of the platform under where the Falcon was, and kneel there to get a 1,000 point money bag. Then go back to the main platform, get the candles, and head right. From atop a platform you'll see a Skeleton. Hit from afar with Holy Water, then jump down to your right, and head through the door. This stretch has many candles to get as you head right, while avoiding or killing the Medusa Heads. If you have an axe as your special weapon, hit the hard to reach candle near the stairs to get a boomerang. Use the boomerang on the Skeleton and go up the stairs. From here, kill the numerous Falcons as you defeat the three Double Dragons, and head right to the door. This final stretch is simple. Go right, kill the Falcons and Medusa Heads, and defeat the last horrah of Double Dragons. Acquire the dagger, get the Roast Beef from the block above the mummy on the left, and get ready for your third boss fight. BOSS THREE ... Mummies **** ***** ******* The Mummies (there are two) are very simple and you don't need a special weapon to damage them. Your whip is ten times more effective and quicker at this strategy then any special weapon. As you'll notice in the beginning of this fight, there is one Mummy on either side of you. Run towards the Mummy on your right, hit it a few times with your whip, and jump over it. Get the two Mummies to be near each other, being cautious to not get hit with their flying bandages. With them close together, whip them both at the same time, and keep whipping until they fall. It's simple, really. Just keep whipping, my friend! STAGE FOUR - Castle Catacombs and Outside the Catacombs ***** **** ****** ********* *** ******* *** ********* This stage is a difficult one and can cause a lot of stress and anxiety, so pay close attention to this short but concise area of this walkthrough I offer you. The beginning part showcases some common enemies; Bats and Fishmen. While not to bad on their own, this tandemn is a deadly one when together. Get the four candles and definetly get the Stop Watch, which is located in one of those candles. To your right, use the moving platform to get across the water gap. Use the Stop Watch to freeze time if the enemy count is giving you a hard time. Then, head right, killing Bats and Fishmen and getting more candles. Use the Stop Watch, jump down to the next moving platform, ducking under the rock obtrusion in your way. From here, catch your breath on the stationary platform and then proceed onto the next moving platform, jumping to another moving platform, and finally onto solid ground, all while avoiding and/or killing the Bats and Fishmen. Go right and up the stairs for a change in scenery and music. This next part is pretty easy and straight forward. However, this only remains true if you concentrate. Many Eagles will come flying by dropping down the pesky Igors on you. Simply ignore the Eagles and kill the Igors as they fall. Go all the way right as you do this. As you approach the door, a Snake Skeleton will appear. Kill it (by hitting it's head six times with your whip), retrieve what it drops (either hearts or money bags), and enter the door. This last stretch is easy as well. Get the candles as you head right. Kill the first Skeleton Snake you come across and get what he drops. Then whip the block that the Skeleton Snake was attached to for a Roast Beef and continue to your right. Get some more candles, kill another Skelton Snake, and enter Frankenstein's Lair. BOSS FOUR ... Frankenstein and Igor **** **** ************ *** **** Frankenstein is simply a pain because of his little counterpart in evil, Igor. Igor constantly jumps around the room spitting fireballs at Simon while Frankenstein simply roams around the room slowly, getting in your way often. What you want to do is hit Igor to freeze him for a short period of time, and then whip Frankenstein a few times and repeat when Igor comes out of the trance. This boss tandemn is hard at first, but be persistant, and keep your eye on both bosses. While Igor is your main threat, and his fireballs are shot in your direction, Frankenstein is just as effective in getting in your way from hitting Igor, almost like throwing a pick in basketball. Weird analogy, I know, but it works. STAGE FIVE - The Torture Chambers and Trail to the Second in Command ***** **** *** ******* ******** *** ***** ** *** ****** ** ******* This is easily the hardest of the six stages. Every hit you take on this stage is worth four energy bars, which means you can only get hit fives times before you bite the dust, so be careful! As you begin, walk right and you'll run into two Igors. Kill both of them and head right to run into another Igor and a Skeleton. Kill them both and head up the stairs to the top platform. Kill the skeletons here and head left. Go up the stairs. In this next area, kill the Skeleton directly to your right and then climb up the stairs, killing the Skeleton that is there as well. Head down the small flight of stairs and smack a brick on the low hanging ceiling for a II. Then head right for your first encounter with the Red Skeleton, a monster which can't be killed. When you whip it once, it falls apart, but comes back to life in a few seconds, so take heed of that. As you head right across this corridor, kill the Igors and Red Skeletons and get what candles you can. Where the platform is that the third Igor was resting is a faulty block with a Roast Beef inside. Get it to rejuvinate Simon and head through the door. Phew! 1/3 of the way done! In this next area, you'll have your first encounter with another new monster; the Axe Knight, a very, very powerful version of the regular Knight, except this guy tosses axes at Simon! The best weapon on these guys is holy water. Throw it at them and in front of them and the flames will do the work. Otherwise, kill them with your whip, and remember that you can destroy the axes they throw at you with your whip as well. So kill the one right in front of you, climb the stairs, and then kill the one to your left and again climb the stairs. In this part, get the two candles and climb the stairs, and head left. Kill the Red Skeletons and keep going left, killing another Red Skeleton. Go down the stairs. Chuck some holy water at the Axe Knight and contend the best you can with the Red Skeletons. Go up the long stairway and hit the wall at your right for some hearts or a II, then jump down, head right, and go up the stairs, killing the Axe Knight that's up there. Then go down the stairs, kill the Red Skeleton and go through the door. Yes! 2/3 of the way done! Head left and kill the Double Dragon here. Head left and kill the Red Skeleton, get the Boomerang from the candle, and head up the stairs. Kill the Double Dragon and the Red Skeleton here, get the candles, and head left. Kill two more Red Skeletons, break the wall for a Roast Beef to the extreme left, and go up the stairs. Almost there! Now this is a pain in the ass! The pain in the ass of all pains in the ass! As you head left, just ignore the candles and concentrate on the Axe Knights and the Medusa Heads, Once you get through the two Axe Knights and the barrage of Medusa Heads, it's time to look Death in the face! BOSS FIVE ... Death [Grim Reaper] **** **** ***** **** ****** Death, also called the Grim Reaper, is definetly the hardest boss in the game, harder then even Dracula himself. What you want to do with Death is simply go all out on him, it's really the only chance you stand, especially if you took any damage at all from the extremly hellified corridor leading up to his lair. He chucks scythes at Simon from all directions. They remain stationary for a second or two and then heat sink on Simon's current position, so keep your feet moving if at all possible. Toss your boomerang at Death two and three at a time if you have a II and III and whip him if you can. Do as much damage as you can. You won't last long no matter how good you are, so it's really a race of who's gonna kick the crap out of who to the point of death, because you'll both do massive damage to each other to where you have one energy bar left and so does he, and you die. It sucks, it happens, so make haste on your attacks! When he falls, it's time to fight the man himself. Dracula. Count Dracula. STAGE SIX - The Path to the Man Himself ***** *** *** **** ** *** *** ******* The final stage is very simple indeed. It doesn't really require a walkthrough, however. You start out going on a yellow bridge, and you enter a clocktower, which you basially are climbing up to get to Dracula's throne room. Be careful of the Igors and other airborne enemies, as they can always be a nuisance, and give me and you both a hard time. Once atop the clock tower, a long staircase will be before you, going up and left. Go up the staircase, and enter Dracula's throne room. The final battle ensues! BOSS SIX ... Count Dracula **** *** ***** ******* The count has two forms to himself, which means you're going to have to fight him twice. The first form is generally easy. Dracula is a tall man, and you have to jump, preferably using the Boomerang item, and hit him in the head. When you jump and chuck a boomerang at his head, make sure to whip him once or twice on the way up and the way down to do added damage. This form is pretty easy, really. He only has an attack that when he lifts his cape, fireballs shoot at you. Simply avoid them and repeat this process. The second for of Dracula appears, naturally, after you've beaten the first form. Dracula has now turned into an ugly, huge, white monster. Use the Holy Water (you can find it at the leftmost candle in the throneroom) and immidiatly use it on the white monster to freeze him in place and continue whipping the living daylights out of him as he's frozen. He's pretty simple as well, as long as you know what you're doing when you battle him! After you defeat Dracula, the ending of the game ensues. You are found on a cliff looking towards Castlevania as it crumbles into the ground. The game actually calls you "Simon Belmondo" which is kind of cool, even though your name is Simon Belmont. =) Then the credits roll, and the game is over. It's unspectacular, yes... but it's an NES game for god's sake. =P ----------------------------------------------------------------------- IX.) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) ********** ***** ********* *** 1.) Q - Your numbers on the monster charts are off. How come? A - Quite simply, as you get higher in the levels, the same enemies from earlier levels start doing more damage accordingly. Classic examples of these monsters are Bats, Skeletons, and Fishmen. And it says right in the monster chart that this remains true. Also, so no one asks this, the amount of hits you have to give to kill a monster may change depending on the level you're on as well. That's just the way it is. 2.) Q - I have [so-and-so] strategy for [so-and-so] area. Use it! A - Nah. Chances are that I've beaten this game many more times than you, or you wouldn't be reading a walkthrough on how to beat the game, now would you. These strategies in this walkthrough work great, they've worked for me for 13 years now, so use these. Trust me on that. 3.) Q - What do you find to be the best weapon to use in the game? A - While the strongest weapon to use in the game is easily the Boomerang, to most versatile weapon in the game is most definetly the Holy Water, which can basically be used very effectivly on each boss after the first boss (the Bat, which you should use the Ax on). The Holy Water freezes enemies in place if you hit them right on, AND does pretty decent damage as well, so it has more than one plus. Additionally, it's two qualities (being able to freeze someone in place AND doing damage) is like a mixture of two items in one item's "body" =) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ---Special Thanks goes out to:--- *My family (Mom, Dad, Dagan, Dana, and Ali) *My peeps (Mike, Cody, Corey, Jason, Graham, and the rest) *My Favorite Band (311) for keeping me company with background music while playing through this and basically all videogames. *Konami (for making such a great game and such a great series) *Nintendo (for making the NES way back in '85, my favorite system to this day, even if I DO have like ten other systems, nextgen and all. You don't get better than the NES!) ---About the Author--- [as of October 17, 2001] Well... as of the time I'm writing this, I'm just starting up my senior year in high school. I live on Long Island, in New York, about half an hour from New York City. I play ice hockey, I work at a deli, 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 Archaeology. ---Closing Notes--- Thanks for reading the guide, and again, any questions, comments, suggestions, or ideas can and should be sent to me, Colin Moriarty, at cmoriarty311@cs.com. Please, constructive criticism only, whether it be positive or negative. I don't care which it is, but please, be polite and above all, constructive. Thanks for reading. This walkthrough is copyright (c) Colin Moriarty 2000- 2001 and should only be found on GameFAQs at www.gamefaqs.com. CJayC, the owner of GameFAQs, is the ONLY person permitted to have this on his webpage. Please don't e-mail me, asking to have this on your webpage, I'm just going to say "no" and I hope you understand that the reasons for this are too many to be named here. If you found and are reading this guide on any other site but GameFAQs, please contact me at cmoriarty311@cs.com immediately. Thank you.