Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest
Nonlinear multi-part FAQ/walkthrough
by Darrell Wong (hawaiidkw)
Stuff for CJayC
Date completed: 11/24/08
Version: Final
E-mail: dkw001@hawaiiantel.net
Contents
--------
i. Prologue
ii. Why I'm doing this
1. The basics
2. Walkthrough
3. Reference
4. Going for the second ending
5. Walkthrough (best ending)
6. Final thoughts
i. Prologue
-----------
You know how it is sometimes?
This one game you remember from your childhood. An "action RPG", they called
it,
ubiquitous now, but a fairly revolutionary idea back then. You played the hell
out of it, you demolished monsters, solved puzzles, ran into seemingly
insurmountable dead ends and blind alleys. Maybe you even got the ending...or
*an* ending, at any rate. It was great fun, and yet, somehow there's always the
nagging feeling that maybe, possibly, there's something you missed. Probably a
lot of things.
Your friends helped however they could, of course, and a few went so far as to
claim that they discovered everything, but you could never tell for sure.
You read the magazines. You winced when read some of the stupid questions.
("Erm, this lady says I gotta bang my head against the cliff to make a
hole...how'd I do that?") You got a few pointers that helped considerably,
perhaps even enough to get past a really tough obstacle. But you know how
notoriously unreliable those publications are...they got deadlines, you
know...you still couldn't be sure you had everything, or even the best method of
accomplishing what you know you had to.
Somewhere down the line, you decided to give it a go again. Maybe you kept that
old NES around all these years. More likely, you discovered the wonder of
emulators. Whichever it is, you now have a chance to revisit this fine classic
and go after everything you haven't gotten already.
Yeah, a lot's happened since then. That hero, long gone. In his place, a
breathtaking dramatis personae of heroes, villains, allies, obstacles, and plain
old mysteries. Video games have become far more sophisticated, too...amazingly
lifelike 3D figures, a million colors, and truly terror-inducing levels. You
don't care. You want one more quest. Just one more, just the one where
everything goes right and you get the best possible result.
And it just so happens that there is someone else, who himself has enjoyed this
game immensely but never discovered everything, someone who himself recently got
an emulator, who can now play NES games with neat things like save states and
rewind *and* enter those way-cool Game Genie codes (and not just three at a
time!), who has, in fact, discovered everything. Who, dissatisfied with at the
lack of a complete, thorough writeup on this game (at least one which he could
get a quarter of the way through without getting dizzy), knew exactly what he
had to do, completely regardless of how old this game was or...
Oh, come on, you've read my Mike Tyson's Punch-Out FAQ, you know what I am,
right? :-D
ii. Why I'm doing this
----------------------
Pretty much the same reason I do any FAQ; I know the game, and either no one
else has covered it or not everything has been covered. The exact requirements
for the 2nd and 3rd endings, for example...number of continues plays a part in
it, not just time. Also the issue of frozen experience, which I don't remember
anyone else on this site cracking (I don't blame you guys, it's confusing as
hell). Simply put, nobody's done the FAQ *I* want to see yet. So I am.
There is another reason. I've always wanted to do something like this. You
know how most of my FAQs are laid out in nice, neat order...first the
introduction, then an overview of the game's mechanics, then specific
strategies,
items, opponents, then finally the actual walkthrough, etc.? Well, Castlevania
2 is different. Much different. And so this FAQ is much different, by far the
most unusual I've ever done...but for reasons that will make perfect sense when
it's all over. I relished the opportunity to stretch my boundaries and do a FAQ
that has a beginning, middle, and end...just not in that exact, boring order.
As always, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. And who
knows, maybe you can learn to stretch your boundaries and cut loose every so
often as well.
=============
1. The basics
=============
(You only need to read this if you're new to this game or haven't played for a
long time. If you're already familiar with the objective and the lay of the
land etc., you can skip this. I'm just including it as a courtesy. Sheesh, you
know how easily NES instruction books get lost, and I've never even *seen* one
for this game...best to err on the side of caution, right?)
Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest takes place some time after the events of the first
Castlevania, anywhere from six months to two years, depending on who you
believe.
In it, Simon Belmont risked life and limb to slay a vile vampire lord known only
as "The Count", later revealed to be Dracula, who had placed a curse on his
entire family. After overcoming a plethora of foes and winning the craziest
Konami game final boss fight ever, he prevailed.
He later discovered, to his horror, that the curse was not broken, and it was
threatening to not only kill him, but blight the whole land of Transylvania.
The undead horrors which had previously been confined to foul Castlevania were
spreading over the once-peaceful forests and lakes like a cancer. Simon learned
that what was sustaining the curse was evil power contained in four of Dracula's
intact body parts. The only way to break the curse is to find the body parts
and a special ring serving as an unholy focus for Dracula's power, return them
to Castlevania, and burn them.
There are three types of environments in Simon's Quest, towns, outside areas,
and mansions. Towns contain merchants who sell vital equipment for your quest,
hermits with strange advice, kindly religious folk who always give a helping
hand to those in need, and of course ordinary citizens. The merchants and
church members reside in buildings, which you may freely enter and exit during
daytime. Many townspeople will offer advice, but beware, as this advice is
notoriously unreliable, and a few malicious souls will even deliberately mislead
you. In the daytime, there are no monsters roaming about, so there are no
dangers besides falling into water...a minor hazard, but most definitely a
lethal one, so watch your step. At night, zombies roam the streets, usually
accompanied by ravens, and the townsfolk go into hiding. You cannot enter
buildings, as they are all securely locked up. Outside areas comprise the
majority; nearly all of them contain enemies spawned by the curse. A few of
them have important allies, and you may even find some well-hidden special
weapons. Mansions are Dracula's strongholds of evil, each of them containing
one of the five objects of your quest. Monsters prowl every corridor, and there
are also a multitude of deadly traps to snare the unwary.
An enemy can take damage from only ONE weapon at any time. If you hit an enemy
with, say, a Sacred Flame, you must wait until the effect expires before hitting
it with something else (assuming that it's still alive, of course). An enemy
that's being damaged flashes and produces a high pitched "damage sound". An
enemy can't move while it's being damaged, so continuous-damage weapons can kill
tough foes before they have any chance to retaliate.
The game keeps track of your elapsed time with a clock that counts days, hours,
and minutes. Your time is next to the "T-" in the pause window. 2:09:36, for
example, means two days, nine hours, and thirty-six minutes elapsed. For some
reason, the clock is not the usual two 12-hour cycles but a single 24-hour cycle
("military time"). For numbers above 12, subtract 12 to get the PM time. 13:00
is 1:00 PM, 18:00 is 6:00 PM, etc. Each second of real time is equal to 4
minutes of game time, meaning that each day in the game lasts for 360 seconds,
or 6 minutes. Daytime lasts for 6:00 to 18:00, night the opposite. During
night, not only do you not have access to town residents, all enemies in normal
areas can take twice as much damage as usual. On the plus side, they also
surrender more hearts when slain (I'll get to this in a bit). You receive *no
warning* whatsoever when nightfall or daybreak is about to happen, so be sure to
check the pause window whenever you're about to enter a hazardous area (or an
area that could become hazardous). The clock stops whenever you're in a town
building or mansion, mainly to remove the hassle of night falling while you're
in a place you're not supposed to be in at night. The game starts at noon of
the first day.
Many enemies leave behind heart tokens when slain. The small token is worth 2
hearts, the half token is worth 4, and the big token is worth 6. Your current
total is next to the heart symbol in the pause window. Hearts are used to buy
items from the merchants, and they're also required to operate most of your
special weapons. At night, normal area monsters give the next more valuable
token than they do in daytime. You can carry a maximum of 256 hearts.
Your experience and level are next to the "E-" and "L-" in the pause window,
respectively. You start at level 0 (not 1). You get experience from heart
tokens, 1 for small, 3 for half, and 5 for big. You need 100 experience points
to advance to level 1. Each successive level requires 50 more experience
points;
150 for level 2, 200 for level 3, etc. Advancing a level increases the amount
of damage you can take and fully restores your health (there is no other
benefit).
Your selectable items fall into two categories, big important items (upper
level)
and special weapons/items (lower level). You can have one of each selected at
any time. Important items do what they're supposed to automatically; you fire a
special weapon with up + B. You can use a special weapon while on a staircase,
but you need to time it just right.
You start each session with 3 lives and lose one, naturally, when your health
runs out. Falling into water is ALWAYS instantly fatal, so watch your step
around those lakes. Unlike the first Castlevania, there's no means of gaining
extra lives. Once you lose all 3 lives, you can either continue immediately
with 3 more lives or end the game and get a password. If you continue, you
start at the same point you would normally. The password allow you to end your
game and continue at a later point. You'll always start in Jova with the time
moved ahead to the next noon (to keep the password at a reasonable length).
Unfortunately, whenever you continue by either means, your experience and hearts
are both reset to 0 (you retain any levels earned).
There is no time limit for completing the game and no limit to the number of
times you can continue. It's never over until either Dracula or your will to
continue perishes.
That's about it. Oh, and don't worry about that "Dracula's Riddle" business
you'll hear about a lot. It probably doesn't mean anything. ;-)
==============
2. Walkthrough
==============
What's this? It's happening already? Shouldn't I start with a general
description of the Castlevania 2 world, a rundown of the enemies, and
descriptions of the special weapons, hazards, etc.? Short answer...no. No
tedious lectures, no big gameplans, no charts and graphs and bits and bytes.
We're diving in feetfirst, through the fire and flames, damn the torpedoes, and
que sera flippin' sera. You have the game? You have a controller (or in the
case of an emulator, something that can act as one)? Fine. Game on. Now.
Unless you have a lot of stamina and free time to spare on this game (or are
using an emulator), you're going to have to quit and take a password at some
point. Write it down carefully (be sure not to mix up O/0 or S/5), and also
write down the path you took from Jova to get there if need be.
Incidentally, none of the towns or mansions are actually named in-game, BTW, so
I'm not sure where these names come from, but there is general agreement on what
the proper names are. From what, I don't know, but there's no point in arguing,
so just bear with it. It'll make things simpler.
You begin in Jova, the first of several towns you'll visit on your noble
mission.
All you have besides the (admittedly nice) clothes on your back are an ordinary,
nonmagical, nonholy, and all around unimpressive Leather Whip and 50 hearts.
The area to the immediate left contains fast, tough enemies and a hazardous
environment that will kill you in about 5 seconds. The area to the immediate
right contains slow, weak enemies. Pretty obvious which exit you're taking, no?
That's the nice thing about this game; if you proceed conservatively, you'll
*never* be in over your head. The enemies will be killable, the obstacles will
be surmountable, and you can get through alive.
Take a stroll around Jova, talk to the friendly citizens walking around (this'll
give you an initiation into the general level of reliability of these guys), and
read the road sign by pressing B while standing over its left side. Also make a
note of the buildings you can enter and where they're located. Be sure to
memorize the location of the church, the building with a cross above the
entrance. These holy sanctuaries contains healing energies that restore your
life to full; simply talk to the nun to use this extremely valuable (and free)
service. Most buildings contain merchants, all of whom wear hooded robes (they
fear retribution from Dracula's minions for aiding you and hide their faces).
Watch out for the open patches of water on the ground level, especially if
you're jumping off a higher level where you can't see them. Always take the
little extra time to use the stairs if there's any doubt.
In addition to the church, Jova has 3 merchants, one selling Holy Water for 50
hearts, one selling a White Crystal for 50 hearts, and one selling a Thorn Whip,
the next most powerful whip, for 100 hearts. They're all important, but get the
Holy Water first. This is a special weapon, so immediately go to the pause
window and select it (press up or down once and hit right or left and the arrow
should appear over it; it'll be easier to select items once your inventory is
better-stocked). Holy Water will be highly useful throughout the entire game;
for now, suffice it to know that there are no restrictions whatsoever on its
use,
so you can toss to your heart's content.
Now it's time for your first taste of combat. Head to "street level" and go
right one screen to the Jova Woods. This section has bone walkers, skeletons
that just wander back and forth, and werewolves, which move slowly but pursue
you when attacked and jump continuously when close. (Note: The instructions
have correct names for the enemies, but since NES instruction booklets are such
a rare commodity, I'll use my own terms, like most FAQ writers have done
anyway.)
The bone walkers require 1 hit from your Leather Whip or Holy Water, while the
werewolves require 2, and both give up small hearts. Since Holy Water falls in
an arc, it's perfect for hitting enemies below you; a jumping toss can also tag
a werewolf too far for your whip. Never try to hit a werewolf that's jumping;
back off and finish it from a safe distance. Do *not* leave this screen. If
you run out of enemies, proceed right or left until more show up.
When night falls, Jova will be beset by easy-to-kill zombies; they merely
shamble straight ahead, take only 2 hits apiece to kill (later zombies can take
more punishment), and give up half hearts. Since the werewolves now take 4 hits
for the same reward, the risk is greater outside. On the other hand, enemies
appear more frequently in the Woods. It's your call. The best place to fight
the zombies, BTW, is the upper level where the church is, as they appear the
most frequently here (and you'll more than likely need the church after you're
done).
After day breaks, go directly to the Thorn Whip merchant and rid yourself of
that feeble Leather Whip for good. As your new whip packs twice the punch of
the old one, you should have no trouble mopping up now. Return to the Woods and
continue collecting hearts until you have 50, then go back to town and buy the
White Crystal (you'll probably need to endure one more night).
At around this point, you'll hit 100 experience points and gain your first
level.
This merely restores your health, but later levels will dramatically improve
both your total life and the amount you lose with each hit. Unfortunately,
getting to level 1 also creates a big "dead zone" of screens where you cannot
earn any experience (including Jova and the bone walker/werewolf forest), and
this area increases at each successive level. I'll have full details later; for
now, just remember that once a screen stops giving you experience points, it'll
remain fruitless for the remainder of the game.
Select the White Crystal from the pause window. This is a magic item, so you
have to switch from the special weapons level to get to it.
Doing pretty good so far! Time to hit the road. It gets a tad tricky for a
bit,
so just bear with me...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jo-–1---2---3---4---5---M1--X1--X2--!
| !-+
| |
+---Ve--6---7---8---9--10--Aj--11
|
+--12--13--M2
1 – W Jova Woods 9 – C Aljiba Woods
2 – E Jova Woods 10 – E Aljiba Woods
3 – border forest 11 - Camilla Cemetery
4 – W Veros Woods 12 - unnamed cave
5 – E Veros Woods 13 - unnamed lake
6 – W Dabi’s Path X1 - unnamed forest
7 – E Dabi’s Path X2 - unnamed forest
8 – W Aljiba Woods ! - connection
Jo - Jova Ve - Veros
Aj - Aljiba
M1 - Berkeley Mansion M2 - Rover Mansion
The numbered sections (and a bit of other stuff I'll get to later) are the
normal areas you will be travelling thorough (in that order, natch). Jo, Ve,
and Aj are towns, and M1 and M2 are the first two mansions you'll be tackling,
in that order. For the most part, dispatching the ordinary enemies is pretty
straightforward; I'll bring up specific tactics only when they're needed. The
enemies present are indicated in each normal section.
1: West Jova Woods - bone walker, werewolf
You've been here before, so just get through.
2: East Jova Woods - bone walker, fish man
While jumping across bridge sections, you'll be attacked by fish men. These
amphibians leap out of the water, pursue, and after a few seconds breathe a
fireball directly at you. This variety only takes one hit, so they're easy
pickings. Make sure you're never on a platform that a fish man is about to land
on, or you're almost certainly taking the plunge.
3: forest bordering Jova Woods and Veros Woods - bone walker
Might actually be a part of Jova Woods. Or Veros Woods. I don't know. At any
rate, just take the high road and continue right.
4: West Veros Woods - bone walker
Your path branches here. Take the staircase down and pay a quick visit to
Veros.
Veros: Welcome to town #2! Not much to it, actually. Enter the first building.
Empty? Not quite; throw Holy Water at the two blocks on the far right. They'll
vanish with a crumbling sound. These are "evil blocks", obstructions created by
dark sorcery to bar your way, and Holy Water has the power to destroy them (they
regenerate after you leave the screen, however). Incidentally, you can take the
lower path in the border forest by breaking evil blocks, but there isn't much
point in doing so. Except to say that you've done it. Whatever that's worth.
Go right, talk to the merchant here, and buy his Dagger for 50 hearts. Like
Holy Water, this weapon has unlimited free uses. It flies horizontally a
considerable distance when thrown and passes through both enemies and walls.
It's especially handy for attacking over hazards. It does the same damage as
the Thorn Whip.
Avail yourself of the church's services if need be; chat up some townies if you
like. The only other order of business in Veros is buying the Chain Whip, but
that's beyond your means at this point. Leave the way you came.
4: As you're climbing the stairs, time your final steps so you don't run into
the bone walker, then immediately jump left and take it out with Holy Water.
Equip your new special weapon and proceed right, taking care not to fall into
the poisonous marsh (if you do, get the heck out *quickly*).
5: East Veros Woods - bone walker, fish man
Switch back to Holy Water and tag the bone walker and the fish man that leaps
out, then continue right.
And just like that, you've arrived at your first mansion. Now your hunt for
Dracula's body parts begins in earnest. Note that unlike the town buildings,
you can enter at any time. Additionally, mansion enemies always take the same
amount of damage and yield the same heart tokens. Strangely enough, time
doesn't pass in these places, but you'll get used to that.
Note: The mansions are fairly linear, so I'm not going to bother with maps or
screen indications. When there's a choice of direction, I'll let you know which
is the right one.
Gird your loins (whatever that means) and step into...
------------------------------------------------------------
BERKELEY MANSION
Enemies: bone soldier, armor guard, bone bomber, slime, gargoyle
If for some reason you haven't equipped the White Crystal, do it now; otherwise,
the elevator platform you need will be invisible. Your first foe is an armor
guard. Armor guards shuffle back and forth at varying speeds and will rush you
if you try to run away. This one is easily dispatched with a jumping Dagger
toss. Time the jump over water carefully, dispatching the sword- and shield-
bearing bone soldiers along the way. For all the equipment, they just walk
around like their outdoor cousins, so they're no threat. Both of these common
foes leave half tokens.
You'll come across an up and a down staircase. Go up; down leads to a blind
alley with all kinds of threats you're not equipped to deal with yet. And just
in case it isn't obvious, don't ever touch those nasty spikes sticking out of
the wall. They can literally kill you before you have time to scream.
Equip Holy Water and proceed left cautiously; you're about to encounter a slime,
possibly two. Slimes are annoying little globs that love to bounce all over
you;
worse, your whip can't hit them while they're on the ground. They frequently
jump between the floor and ceiling, during which time they're vulnerable to your
whip or Dagger. They give up only small tokens, so don't bother hunting them.
The one here is easy; a single Holy Water toss will take it out. Next up is a
gargoyle, which hops at you and breathes two fireballs in a horizontal "V" every
few seconds. Quickly dispatch it before it can get a shot off. A second will
attack from the left; evade its fire and smash it. Gargoyles give up valuable
big tokens.
Go up, switch back to the Dagger, and eliminate the armor guard with a jumping
toss. Immediately take the stairs up; right only puts you through a slime-
filled corridor with nothing but a worthless clue at the end. (Okay, I suppose
there's some curiosity value to this whole Dracula's Riddle thing, but it's
definitely not worth the damage you're going to take.)
Proceed until you see the higher-level floor. Just jump to it, right? *Wrong*.
Go as far right as you can before making the jump. Aha, another evil trick,
blocks that look there but aren't! The surest way to find these fake blocks
(without becoming a victim) is to throw a weapon that would normally strike a
normal block; it'll pass right through fakes. Not surprisingly, Holy Water is
the best choice.
A bone bomber awaits. This looks exactly like a bone soldier, but moves a lot
faster, can jump, and tosses bones which fly in a high arc before landing and
bursting into flames; both the bone and the flames can hurt you. On level
ground, it's not much of a threat. You get a half token for destroying it.
Continue right, descend two levels, head left to the staircases, and go up.
Cross the spikes to the mansion merchant, who offers an unusual item, an Oak
Stake, for 50 hearts. (He also asks if you wish to "invest" in it, a hint that
there's a very specific, important purpose for it.) Buy it.
Descend, then descend again (right only leads to another stupid clue). After
the short drop, advance SLOWLY...another pair of those aggravating fake blocks
lie in wait, and you'll *really* be thrown for a loop if you fall down them.
(The bone soldier who turns around for no apparent reason should be a hint.)
Throw Holy Water to pinpoint them.
Continue the rest of the way to the chamber, where there's a conspicuous glowing
orb on a pedestal. Jump up to the platform, select the Oak Stake, and throw it
to the right (it flies horizontally an unlimited distance, so as long as you're
on the platform, it'll hit the orb). Jump atop the bag that emerges, which
contains the first Dracula body part, his Rib. This gives you complete
protection against fireballs in the direction you're facing when you're not
walking. You *are* protected when you're jumping, attacking, or both. Remember
all this, it's very important! Incidentally, an Oak Stake is the *only* way to
reveal an orb's prize, so make sure you're properly equipped when you get to it.
Okay, you've gotten in and gotten yours...don't forget that critical final step.
Return to the fake blocks and drop down them, proceeding left. Stay on the
lower level at the staircase (thus avoiding way too many fake blocks). When you
run into more gargoyles, stand still and whip them, letting the Rib do its job.
Climb the staircase at the dead end and crush the remaining defenses. Back at
the entrance, jump across the blocks (you don't need the elevator this time),
drop through the gap, and exit.
------------------------------------------------------------
Congratulations on conquering your first mansion! Oh, and from here on out,
*always* have that Rib equipped unless you have a specific reason to equip
something else, and even then return to the Rib once you're done with that other
thing. This is your shield (literally); never set it aside without a good
reason.
Your next order of business is to buy the Chain Whip, which costs 150 hearts.
If you don't have enough yet, you have two options: collect hearts in Veros
Woods, or head into Veros at night. This place is absolutely crawling with
zombies after dark, and you should have your coffers filled in no time. In
addition to undead, you'll be attacked by ravens, which slowly descend before
striking; be sure to get them before they get you. Both enemies take twice as
much damage as the Jova zombies, but that shouldn't be a problem at this point.
As an added bonus, Veros lies just outside the experience "dead zone" created by
level 1, so you can take a huge step toward level 2 here.
The Chain Whip merchant is in the building at the right of the town; break the
evil blocks in the floor with Holy Water to get to him. This whip has the same
range as the Thorn Whip but does twice as much damage. It's also the last whip
you will get for a long, LONG time, so you'd better not pass it up.
Moving on!
6: West Dabi's Path - bone walker, big eye
The first of the three "floaters", the big eye, assails you here. This airborne
aberration moves horizontally toward you at a constant speed, and also
vertically at a constant speed until it reaches your level. This is only a
threat if it's directly above or below you; when this happens, move right or
left until you have enough space to attack it. When you first enter the screen,
stand still and take out the big eye with a jumping whip; if you miss, exit the
screen and try again. Go right and climb. Two big eyes will bear down on you
from above; run left and whip them when they reach your level. Go up a level,
jump-whip another big eye, then climb to the top and go right.
7: East Dabi's path - big eye, cave bat
Upon entry, you're immediately confronted by cave bats, brown fliers which
continuously zigzag up and down. Time your whipping carefully. Go right, drop
to the ground, and douse the two evil blocks comprising the lower platform. Go
left, crush the remaining cave bats and big eyes, then continue to the two
seemingly out of place blocks at the end. More evil blocks, of course. Shatter
them to reveal what looks like a bone bomber's attack. Go ahead, touch it, it
won't hurt you...in fact, it'll do just the opposite.
This is the Sacred Flame, your third special weapon. When thrown, it arcs a
short distance like Holy Water, generating a small pillar of fire when it hits
the ground. Both the initial toss and the pillar can hit, and the pillar does
continuous damage, each hit doing the same damage as a Thorn Whip or Dagger.
Even better, you can throw three at a time. Since enemies can't move while
being hit, this is a perfect weapon for taking out a particularly tenacious or
hardy foe without any risk of taking damage. Such potency is not without a
price; each toss costs you one heart. If you run out of hearts, you can't use
this at all.
8: West Aljiba Woods - bone walker, spider
Now the going gets tough. Or maybe just incredibly annoying...which is tough
enough in its own right. Anyway, spiders lurk here; they hang high and move
horizontally toward you, dropping down every so often. And tossing webs
directly at you at frequent intervals. Even if you have the timing to squash
them, chances are good you'll take a hit back. My advice, *get the hell
through* as quickly as possible, even if it means taking a hit or two.
Thankfully, you won't encounter these annoyances very often, and they'll be
easier once you have the proper weaponry.
9: Central Aljiba Woods - bone walker
Just another branch. Stay on the upper level. The bone walkers can take more
damage than their earlier cousins but are otherwise the same ol' pushovers.
10: East Aljiba Woods - bone walker, spider
Another round of those vermin, thankfully fewer this time. Hurry through.
Aljiba: Phew, safe at last! Well, unless it's night, but it's still a lot safer
than with webs flying all over the place. Not a particularly inviting 'burg
(especially since it doesn't have a church), but nonetheless a can't-miss stop
if you are to complete your quest. Start by entering the first building and
breaking the evil block floor to reach the merchant. He has a new good for
sale,
Garlic, at the cost of 50 hearts for 2 cloves. You only need one purchase for
your entire mission, so do just that. As for its purpose, you'll find out very
soon. The second building only has a hermit. Go to the end and climb the
staircase to the other merchant, who sells Laurels, which cost the same as
Garlic. Once activated, a Laurel grants you roughly 8 seconds of invincibility.
You can carry a maximum of 4 at a time, so it's up to you whether to make one or
two purchases (one is mandatory, two is an excellent idea if you can afford it).
Just one more stop: Head all the way to the top and go left until you see a
gentleman in plain gray clothes that look similar to your own. Talk to him, and
he'll upgrade your White Crystal to a Blue Crystal, which will become handy
shortly. (Actually, the exact wording is "I'd like to exchange a White Crystal
for a blue one.", which makes it sound like Simon is the one initiating the
transaction. Or else the trader is dyslexic. Whatever, the fact remains that
you now have a Blue Crystal, which is all that truly matters.)
11: Camilla Cemetery - grasping claw
Nothing here but those two sitting ducks completely powerless to avoid your
crouched whip strikes. Oh, and as soon as you enter, select the Garlic and drop
a piece. Legend has it that this humble plant possesses the ability to drive
away evil, which is why it's an effective defense against vampires. In this
case, however, what it drives away is the shroud of invisibility surrounding the
orange robe-clad mystic in the cemetery. Talk to him to get your fourth special
weapon, the Silver Knife. Like the Dagger, this flies horizontally when thrown
and passes through everything, and it has unlimited range. It's not especially
potent, however. Like the Flame, it consumes one heart per use.
Incidentally, you can reveal the mystic at any time, day or night. So if night
falls after you buy Garlic, you can come here to get the Silver Knife before
finishing up business in Aljiba, in case you want to save a little time. Don't
bother mining the grasping claws for hearts; zombies are better for that.
Oh yeah...if you go right, you'll see a platform too high to reach, effectively
setting the boundary of this initial section. Just FYI, there *is* a way to get
on that platform...but you wouldn't want to. You'll see.
10: If you have 4 Laurels, fire one up and make your way through the spider
gauntlet posthaste. If you have only 2, save them, no matter how great the
temptation gets; you'll need them.
9: Take the stairs down.
12: unnamed cave - bone walker, big eye
Stay on the bottom to take out the big eyes. At the juncture with the
staircase,
jump to the top level and proceed right (no sense putting you at risk of
drowning needlessly). Oh, and the moment you exit this screen, STOP MOVING.
13: unnamed lake - no enemies
Yikes! That was a close one, huh? :-) Okay, now that you've narrowly avoided
drowning (again), it's time to traverse the lake. No way across, you say?
True...but there *is* a way *down*. Select your recently-acquired Blue Crystal
and crouch for a few seconds. The lake will drain away...well, that's kinda
what it looks like...anyway, the point is that you can now cross the blocks and
exit to the right.
Eureka! Huzzah! Woot! That is what the entrance to a mansion looks like,
correct? Enter, brave quester...there is no justice for the timid. Oh, you
*did* remember to switch back to the Rib, right? :-D (While you're at it, also
equip the Dagger.)
I should mention this at some point...by now you've gone a long way without
healing and probably taken a fair amount of damage along the way, especially
from those razzafrakkin spiders. This is actually at least the second hardest
part of the entire game in terms of staying alive, especially since at this
point your level is 2 at best. Try not to get discouraged. Remember,
continuing is always an option, and there's never any point in the game where
you can't get more hearts. Intermission over; let's get that body part!
------------------------------------------------------------
ROVER MANSION
Enemies: bone soldier, armor guard, bone bomber, vampire bat
If anything, this mansion is even more straightforward than the first. Start by
making your way across the bottom floor. Ignore the stairs up; all they lead to
is a world of hurt (trust me on this). Jump across the water to the platform.
See that 4-block wall ahead, right in front of the water. Jump toward it. You
read right, jump toward it! HA! SUCKER! You've landed right in the...fake
blocks. (Hey, when have I ever steered you wrong?)
Continue right. The Dagger shows its strength here, as it can easily obliterate
the bone bombers amidst the spikes without worry or heart use. You're going to
have to make another "investment" soon; make sure you have at least 50 hearts
before continuing. Go right, past the moving wall, back to ground level, and
obtain an Oak Stake from the merchant.
Backtrack and go up the stairs. No difficulties until you reach the zigzag
climb. The most important to thing is to not wait too long to hit A, or else
you're taking a plunge. If you're early, you just go down a level. The timing
isn't too hard once you get used to it. If you do fall, immediately whip to the
right to take out the armor guard before he sticks you. Continue until you
reach a big gap in the floor. Drop down it, then head right into...the orb
chamber! You remember what to do here, right? Good. There's a very specific
and vital purpose for Dracula's Heart which you'll discover when the time is
right.
There is a new enemy, the vampire bat, in this mansion, but you won't run into
it. Well, unless you go into that extremely hazardous and pointless area I told
you not to. You'll have the chance to battle them later.
To get out, simply retrace the steps you took to get here. At the first zigzag,
you can either descend with early jumps or drop straight down the middle (being
sure to immediately whip the armor guard to the right, of course). You may take
a hit from the armor guard at the top of the first staircase (these are always a
pain), but otherwise there isn't anything that can threaten you.
------------------------------------------------------------
Super job! Entire right-of-Jova area COMPLETED! Pause, give yourself a pat on
the back, take a breather, maybe even suicide your remaining life/lives and call
it a day (nothing wrong with that). The left areas will be much more of a
challenge, but if you made it this far, it's nothing you can't handle,
especially with your Chain Whip and Rib.
Oh, I'd better mention this now...see those two "X" areas and the "!" indicators
on that little schematic way at the top of this section? Yes, there are two
unnecessary screens. X1 has bone walkers and cave bats, while X2 has bone
walkers and spiders. The connection goes from the right of the second section
to a small entrance at the upper left of East Dabi's Path. Honestly, I'd just
avoid these areas, as there's no need to go to them, they take more time than
the normal route, and most likely you'll only take unnecessary damage. (Both
are also squarely within the level 2 dead zone.) As this is your first run, and
you're not under any particular pressure, you might want to go there this one
time, just to satisfy your curiosity. Up to you.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
20--Ol--19--18--17--Ad--16--15--14--Jo
|
21---+
14 - Belasco Marsh 18 - C Sadam Woods
15 - mouth of Dead River 19 - W Sadam Woods
16 - ferry destination 20 - Jam Wasteland
17 - E Sadam Woods 21 - unnamed cemetery
Jo - Jova Ad - Aldra
Ol - Oldon
If you struggle horribly in this section and can't complete it at all, take the
time to build up to level 4. Jam Wasteland and the unnamed cemetery both remain
productive after level 3, and if you really want to play it safe, the mouth of
the Dead River works just as well.
Jova: Return here at your convenience, restore your health (waiting until
daybreak's probably a good idea anyway), and get ready...
14: Belasco Marsh - salamander, dark hound, marsh creature, rocket worm
Have your Laurels at the ready; you'll need them very soon. You're promptly
greeted by salamanders, tall reptilians that run at you and breathe fireballs.
Hold your ground and whip them; the Rib will do the rest. Soon a dark hound
will sprint at you and jump over your head. This one's not a threat, but the
one that'll rush you on the high ground is; get ready to whip it (either a
standing or crouching whip will connect), or just jump over it. You'll hit the
marsh proper very soon. Fire up a Laurel and jump in. Run right by the marsh
creatures (tall fire-breathing mutants) and rocket worms (bizarre things that
vault high into the air and plummet back down...NO tokens for killing these, so
don't bother) and get out ASAP. Whenever you're in a marsh unprotected, not
only do you continuously lose health, your walking speed is reduced and your
forward jump is severely hampered, taking you just a few inches ahead, so
there's no way to avoid massive damage (and it's even worse if marsh creatures
get in your way). You *never* want to slog through a marsh without an ample
stock of Laurels. Thankfully, in this case one is sufficient.
15: mouth of Dead River - salamander, fish man
Extinguish two more salamanders and talk to that hooded figure on the little
boat. This is the Ferryman, who certainly sounds like a treacherous fiend. I
say "sounds like" because he doesn't do a single detrimental thing to you in the
entire game. Anyway, you don't have much choice as to where he'll take you, so
just enjoy the ride. The fish men shouldn't be a threat; if one of them gets
too close for comfort, rapid crouch whipping should take him out.
16: ferry destination - salamander, fish man
Jump off the boat as soon as it hits the shore, otherwise you'll get
unceremoniously hauled back to the river mouth and have to start over. Crush
two more salamanders.
Aldra: A lovely little hamlet with lots of lovely ladies strolling around (too
bad this isn't *that* kind of game, if you know what I...oh, never mind). Chat
up the crystal trader (looks just like the one in Aljiba), who will upgrade your
Blue gem to the third and final color, Red. The building slightly above and to
the right has a Laurel merchant; replenish your stock if necessary (you will
need at least one for this part of the game). The top level has a church, which
you will soon be very grateful to have. There's also a Garlic seller somewhere,
but you already have all you need. Except for the crystal trader, this is
essentially a convenient rest stop. Return as needed.
17: East Sadam Woods - bone walker, slime, dragon skull
No jeering, please...he was out *ally* at the time of this game, or don't you
remember? Ahem. You're faced with more of those annoying bounding slimes.
Equip the flame and do your best to get the first hit. If two of them manage to
close in on you, you're most likely toast. Next up are a pair of dragon skulls
mounted on chains; these breathe fireballs straight at you. Complicating
matters a bit is the slime that'll bushwhack you from the right. If you can
somehow coax it to jump over you, great; otherwise, you're going to have a real
struggle trying to block the fireballs and evade the slime while trying to kill
something, *anything*. Use a Laurel here if you must. Once the skulls are
smashed, hurry to the end of the screen before you're slimed again.
18: Central Sadam Woods - bone walker, nightshade
Here be the nightshades, shadowy undead who move like bone walkers, only much
faster. Flame the lower ground clear and continue left.
19: West Sadam Woods - slime
Slimes...why did it have to be slimes? (C'mon, you knew this was coming...) Use
a Laurel, set the whole place a-Flame, do whatever it takes to get through.
Oldon: A sparsely-populated backwater, but it doesn't matter, because there's
only one person here that really matters...the one selling the Morning Star, the
longest-ranged and most powerful whip you can buy. At 200 hearts, it's the
biggest-ticket item in the game, so chances are you'll be spending some time
collecting the necessary funds. Fortunately, the area just to the left is
perfect for that. The Morning Star is a *must-have*; don't even think of
returning to Sadam Woods without it. The only other thing of note here is the
Laurel seller behind the evil block wall, just another source if the need ever
arises.
20: Jam Wasteland - wraith, mummy
If the little section before the pond serves any purpose besides heart mining,
I'm unaware of it. The wraiths slowly bob up and down, while the mummies creep
back and forth before dashing at you. Both take 2 Chain Whip hits to kill in
the day, 4 at night. The wraiths give up half tokens in the day, the mummies
big tokens. They're both big targets and not at all hard to demolish. The only
drawback is that they do a lot of damage with every hit; don't let that happen.
Flame anyone who gets too close for comfort.
Don't bother crossing those moving steps...they just lead to a sheer cliff face
that you are never, ever getting over. Get 200 hearts and vamoose back to Oldon
for the ultimate purchase.
19: Laurels definitely aren't a problem now, so employ one here to minimize the
suffering.
18: Time to visit the area the staircase leads to that you were no doubt just
bursting to explore. Equip Holy Water...yep, you guessed it, more block fakery.
There are two pairs of these nuisances, one a short distance past the staircase,
a second right above the middle of the marsh.
21: unnamed cemetery - bone walker, grasping claw, dragon skull, slime
All foes you've faced before...it's just that there are lots and lots of them.
Only the slimes should give you trouble. Proceed to...a dead end with nothing?
Well, you know what that means. Namely, drop your remaining Garlic clove to
reveal the green robe-clad mystic, who gives you a Silk Bag. On the pause
window, you'll see a little bag icon to the right of "M.STAR"; this means that
its effects are permanent and you don't have to select it. Oh, what it does is
expand your Laurels capacity to 8. Handy, huh?
Head on back. Aldra's church isn't far off, so it's up to you whether to use a
Laurel to get through the marsh and/or slimes. Retrace your steps back to where
the Ferryman dropped you off and talk to him to head back to the mouth of the
Dead River. Jump to shore, whip the Salamanders, leave the Dead River behind
and...
...immediately head back, where the Ferryman is docked and ready for another go.
Wait a second, you're undoubtedly saying. We're headed back to the same
destination? No, of course not. Remember, I said that you don't have MUCH
choice as to where he'll take you, not that you don't have ANY choice. And now
you're going to take it.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
24--23--M3--22--15
15 - mouth of Dead River 23 - unnamed lake
22 - ferry destination 24 - unnamed mountain
M3 - Brahm Mansion
15: Select Dracula's Heart before talking to the Ferryman. This time he'll say
"Let me show you the way" and, with a confirming sound effect, take you to a
hidden island. Quite the sneaky game, this, isn't it? :-D
22: ferry destination - salamander, fish man
Just the same 'ol Dead River no-accounts. Bypass the mansion entrance for now.
23: unnamed lake - no enemies
No threat of attack here, meaning that you can fully concentrate on the tricky
task of jumping across the moving blocks. The cardinal rule is to jump while
the block is moving up, which increases the jump height and gives you enough
oomph to reach the next block. The exception, of course, is the two blocks that
are close together. Also, check your time to see if the daybreak/nightfall
change is about to happen...the last thing you need is to mistime a jump due to
an inconvenient boilerplate message.
24: unnamed mountain - wraith, mummy, eagle, fire plant, medusa head
Whew, crowded over here. Thankfully, only the eagles are potentially dangerous.
They hang high in the sky before diving down to within a jumping whip's reach,
then dive again and attempt to cut your legs off. Stay on the move and jump-
whip them as soon as they dive. The fire plant stands still and tosses fire
like dragon skulls, and medusa heads are the second of the three "floaters" and
behave just like big eyes. Advance all the way to the dead end. No, it's not a
valuable item-bearing mystic shrouded by darkness which only the purifying power
of Garlic can exorcise...it's a valuable item-bearing mystic in plain sight.
You now have the Diamond, a big, heavy projectile. The initial trajectory is
toward the ground at a shallow angle, but it bounces off of floors, walls and
ceilings, smashing foes all the way. Like the Flame and Silver Knife, each use
expends 1 heart, and there can be three onscreen at a time. You do have to be a
little judicious with your throws, however, since this thing can rebound an
incredible number of times before disappearing. You're going to have a blast
with this. This is THE weapon for squashing those repulsive slimes, and due to
their rebound ability they can do a number on spiders as well.
Equip your newfound jewel and return to the mansion entrance. You're packing
some serious hardware now, and you'll soon be glad to have it.
------------------------------------------------------------
BRAHM MANSION
Enemies: bone soldier, armor guard, gargoyle, slime, vampire bat, Death
Jump across the spikes and go up. Ignore the path to your left (this leads only
to a fake block floor and a world of pain) and go up again. Head left and up
another level. Keep going until you reach the top level with a gargoyle, then
head right.
Flame the two gargoyles beneath you. Descend carefully, as the armor guard
below is just waiting to knock you into a spike trap. The best way to kill him
is to tap down, then, as you're descending, *immediately* hit up and B. If you
time this just right, you'll toss a Flame to the left and roast the sucker. The
next screen has the mansion's Stake dealer; buy one and head all the way down,
whipping both slimes in mid-jump.
The corridor to your right has three vampire bats, which fly around haphazardly
in search of your blood. Whip them or just run continuously to the right to
avoid them. They're only good for small tokens, so the latter is fine.
It's Death itself! Or is that Death himself? Whatever the correct terminology
is, you've just run into the first big, bad boss of the game. Don't fight this
horror (yet); just run like hell to the right. If you dawdle, he'll descend and
cut you off; in this case, return to the previous corridor and reenter before
making the run.
Orb room! Three down, two to go! Sadly, the Eyeball is nothing special; it
merely allows you to see the hidden clues for Dracula's Riddle, which you're no
doubt sick of even *thinking* about anymore.
Equip the Flame and get ready to face Grimmy for real. Who will, depending on
were you're coming from, be an enormous relief, disappointment, or mystery. At
any rate, he's a pushover. Run beneath him before he closes the gap, make some
distance, then turn and lay into him with the Morning Star. He'll get off at
least one scythe toss, but it'll just get eaten up by your whip. If he somehow
manages to close the gap, toss a couple of Flames and make some space before
resuming flogging. That's all there is to it, whip away until the big, slow,
immobile boss who's about a twentieth as deadly as he was in the first
Castlevania perishes.
Your prize for besting him is the Gold Knife, or Golden Knife, as the game says.
(Why "golden", BTW? I mean, we don't say "ironen", "paperen", "clayen",
"bonen",
"mudden", or "alabasteren", right? Just wondering.) This has the same
properties as the Silver Knife, except that when it hits, it creates a flaming
aura which hits two more times. Each hit does the same damage as your current
whip. An awesome weapon, to be sure, but not without its price; it uses 2
hearts per throw. Never to be used indiscriminately, but nonetheless an
invaluable addition to your arsenal.
Oh, incidentally, the reason I told you to run past him the first time was
that...well...if you return to the room...he respawns. Believe it or not, this
and the next boss RETURN TO LIFE if you reenter the room. Must be the curse.
That, of course, is far more than any player should be expected to take, so best
save his destruction until you're good to go.
Egress time. Head back up past the Stake seller. Hmm, that's rather
convenient...you don't supposed you should buy a second Stake from him, should
you? Well, you can, but don't. Not yet, anyway. Don't bother looking for
shortcuts or easier paths (there aren't any), just retrace your steps all the
way to the ground level of this mansion and split.
------------------------------------------------------------
Nicely done. That's it for Brahm Mansion and this island of mystery. Return to
the Ferryman and get back where you belong. And by "where you belong", I mean
"the normal destination". Just remain on the boat until he makes the round
trip;
you don't have to get off and restart the voyage. I know, pretty roundabout way
to get to where you need to be, but there are reasons for that, no?
Fight your way to Jam Wasteland. With the Diamond, this should be much easier
now. Cross the blocks and head to the end. Right in front of you is Deborah
Cliff, which, as I mentioned earlier, there is absolutely, positively NO way of
getting over, nohow, fugeddaboudit, don't even think of it. So you'll have to
go through instead. Select the Red Crystal (About freaking TIME you got to use
that! :-D) and crouch on the two middle blocks of the floor in front of the
cliff. Before too long, a small but ferocious whirlwind will arrive to carry
you to your final destination.
Note: I hope I haven't understated the importance of having a sufficient supply
of Laurels at all times. They're literally lifesavers, and there is *no* other
way to get through a marsh in good shape. You should have an absolute minimum
of 2 before riding the wind, and realistically, you'll want more. Buy as many
as you need from Oldon. Once you've made the flight, there's no turning back!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
11--X3--M5--29--28--27--26--25--M4
25 - empty area 29 - unnamed marsh
26 - unnamed lake X3 - unnamed marsh
27 - giant wall 11 - Camilla Cemetery
28 - wasteland
M4 - Bodley Mansion M5 - Laruba Mansion
The whirlwind drops you off right in front of Bodley Mansion. Hmm...go right
in?
Well, that would be the obvious thing to do. And doing the obvious thing
is...well, the obvious thing. However, sometimes you're not supposed to do the
obvious thing (and some games can get *really* insufferable about this, but
that's another issue). That in turn makes the non-obvious thing the obvious
thing, and the right course of action, as opposed to the obvious thing, which is
not the *obvious* obvious thing, and therefore the wrong course of action.
Sometimes, however, the obvious thing *is* the correct thing, so it's the
obvious obvious *correct* thing, as opposed to the obvious non-obvious
*incorrect* thing. The upshot, naturally, is that the correct course of action
is to do the obvious thing as determined by the obvious obviousness of the
obvious choice, and *not* the obvious non-obviousness of the obvious choice as
caused by it's obvious non-obvious obviousness, or worse, the non-obvious choice
as *non*-obviously determined, which is just plain messed up.
So yeah, go right in.
(Oh, hell, where is the damn *fun* in a FAQ where you're not allowed to ramble
aimlessly? ;-) )
------------------------------------------------------------
BODLEY MANSION
Enemies: bone soldier, slime, armor guard
There is a super shortcut to this mansion, but even the "normal" path is easy
(and time doesn't pass in mansions anyway), so that's what you'll be doing.
Proceed normally through the stairs. On the level before the top, whip out the
Holy Water and pinpoint yet another two-fake block trap. Go up and proceed
right (the left has nothing but concussion-dealing boulders). Ignore the
staircase and continue right. Stay on the upper level and jump right at the
wall, through the fake blocks.
At the blind drop, jump to the left, immediately face right, and whip the bone
soldiers. Dissolve four evil blocks and head all the way down. Uh oh, it's a
dead end with nothing but blackness all around. Which is where you're going
next. Jump left; you'll bypass two more fake blocks and enter a place where you
swear you shouldn't be able to go.
Oh, you have at least 50 hearts, right? Well, if you don't, you certainly will
the next time you come across here. At any rate, the Stake man is here. Stake
in hand, continue left through the fake block, then take the first stairs down.
Head right and put that Stake to good use. Dracula's Nail allows you to destroy
evil blocks with your whip instead of Holy Water. One of those things that's
more fun than useful, although there are at least a couple places where you'll
be happy to have it.
Head to the left staircase and go up and left. You're in an area with lots of
jumps over water and evil blocks just under deadly spikes. Equip the Nail (wow,
that was fast!) and smash the evil blocks one by one as you proceed. Jump left
through four fake blocks, and from there just keep going left until you're out.
Hey, when hawaiidkw says something is easy, brother, *it's easy*!
------------------------------------------------------------
You should be in good shape at this point. Even if you are a bit banged up,
don't worry too much as long as you're at least level 3. And of course, you can
always gain a level here. At any rate, proceed left.
25: tiny mountain area - no enemies
Not only no enemies, no lake, no marsh, no traps, *nuthin'*! Weird. Maybe this
was supposed to be the whirlwind's destination and it messed up somehow.
Whatever, just keep marching.
26: unnamed lake - no enemies
You know the drill. Oh wait, you only did this once before; I can hardly call
it a "drill", can I? Select the crystal and crouch until the way opens.
27: giant wall area - bone walker, death's head
I'm still not sure exactly what this place is. A ruined castle? A sewer? A
dungeon? An unused Arkanoid design? The death's heads are the last of the
three "floaters"; handle them exactly the same way. Keep the Nail equipped and
go straight left. Jump across the moving blocks, whip the evil blocks
imprisoning the mystic, and talk to him. He turns your Morning Star into the
ultimate weapon, the Fire Whip. Not much to say, except that the damage of this
flaming destroyer is off the charts. And of course, this enhances your Gold
Knife's power as well. Once you get the Fire Whip, that's all she wrote for
*any* foe giving you problems. Oh, and the Morning Star is the only weapon that
can receive this treatment...told you it was a must-have.
Go back, jump to the next higher level, and exit at ground level on the left.
The upper floors are nothing but aggravation and pain and fake blocks.
28: unnamed wasteland - death's head, flamer
Flamers are humanoid figures made entirely of fire that chuck fireballs that
float just above the ground. These can't be blocked by the Rib, so you have to
jump them. On the plus side, they can travel down but not up; they fizzle out
after running into a block. Have your Gold Knife handy to deal with multiple-
foe assaults.
29: unnamed marsh - marsh creature, rocket worm
This place is just plain evil, a big marsh followed by an *enormous* marsh.
Don't even think of tackling the denizens, just fire up your Laurels and get a
move on! 2 Laurels to get through without massive damage; 3 will get you
through unharmed. If you have no Laurels, this place is simply impassable.
Your only chance is to go to Fetra (a town I'll cover a bit later) and buy
enough Laurels to survive the marsh, which, needless to say, is a lot of hassle
and aggravation just to proceed.
Whew! There it is, the final mansion! Nothing to do but do it...
------------------------------------------------------------
LARUBA MANSION
Enemies: bone soldier, armor guard, bone bomber, spider, boss #2
The trickiest mansion, but at this point it's nothing you can't handle, and
there are none of those irritating fake blocks to deal with. Even better,
there's a tremendous reward for making it this far.
Go right and take the first staircase up (the right has nothing). Go up another
flight, then proceed straight right (upstairs has nothing). Go right and jump
up the blocks (downstairs has nothing). When you see a huge wall of spikes on
the right, climb the stairs and jump the spike trap to the Stake merchant.
Stake in hand, return to the spike wall room and go down, jumping to the left as
soon as you see spiders. You'll land on a remote floor with a mystic here with
a very special gift...your Laurels increased to the maximum. Woo hoo! It might
be a good idea to employ one right away to deal with the spike floor, flying
spikes, and spider webs inconveniently raining down on you from above (and you
can immediately talk to the mystic again for a quick refill if you like). Once
you're past all this, keep going right.
You'll see an ominous face slowly rise. Second boss, natch. Run by it and
Stake the orb for Dracula's Ring. This is just a focus; it has no special
powers. It's simply one of the things you need to put to the fire.
Back to floaty-face. (I have no idea what this thing's proper name is; I've
heard everything from "Vampira" to "Weeping Mask".) It rises a fair distance
before ejecting blood drops which fall to the ground and burst into fireballs.
Once it's done with this, it spins in a slow circle several times. That's it,
that's all it does. Stand still and keep your Rib up when it's fireballing;
jump and whip it when it's spinning. Repeat until this unbelievably lame boss
is fragments. You get the Magic Cross as your reward, a special item which,
like the Silk Bag, will help you when you need it.
On the way out, you'll have to bypass by far the most irritating spiders in the
game. It's hard as hell to hit them, while they can tag you with sickening
frequency. Stick to your whip and get through the corridor ASAP. On the way
back out (go back up the steps you came down), two more spiders will attack.
Don't even bother fighting them, just get the hell up and out, using a Laurel if
it comes to that.
From there, just retrace your steps like you've done before, and you're out.
------------------------------------------------------------
That's it, everything you need, every weapon, every item, all done, complete,
finito. Now, off to Castlevania!
You'll have to cross the Insane Death Marsh again, of course. Since there's a
church coming up, however, the danger is far less. Use 1 Laurel, 2 if
necessary.
The remaining screens are enemies you've seen before, so no worries.
So what's to the left, you ask? Well, as you may have surmised by "X3", you
really shouldn't go in that direction. That's a big marsh full of haglike marsh
creatures and rocket worms. And past that is...Camilla Cemetery. Remember that
inaccessible platform you saw earlier? Guess where you are now. If, lord
forbid, you jump down to the lower level...yep, you're in the first part of the
game with no way back! Your only option is to go all the way back to Deborah
Cliff and summon the whirlwind again. Then again, you only come around once, so
if you want to do this just to say you did it...well, who am I to stop you?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
M4--30--Fe--31--32--33--X4--X5--X6
|
+--Gh--34--35--M6
30 - Wicked Ditch 35 - bridge to evil
31 - "North" X4 - E Dora Woods
32 - W Dora Woods X5 - big bridge
33 - C Dora Woods X6 - suicide marsh
34 - Vlad Graveyard
Fe - Fetra Gh - Ghulash
M4 - Bodley Mansion M6 - Castlevania
Once you're back at the entrance of Bodley Mansion (one way or another), the
final stage of your grand quest begins.
30: Wicked Ditch - mummy, harpy, medusa head, fire plant
The harpies are very similar to ravens, except that they land briefly before
charging. Easy pickings, and none of the other creatures here are much of a
threat.
Fetra: You get a strangely hostile reception from three of the residents here;
this place must've been hit pretty hard by the curse. The church, thankfully,
is unscathed by Dracula's evil, and there's even a friendly Laurel seller in the
building on the right. This is your last chance to spend your hearts on
anything (besides your special weapon uses), so use 'em or lose 'em! Get what
you need and get a move on.
31: "North" - bone walker, fish man
You've seen this before, except with much slower fireballs from the fish men's
mouths. Have your Flame ready.
32: West Dora Woods - bone walker, salamander
No matter how fast the fireballs fly, against the Rib they may as well be paper.
Advance with jumps and take out the salamanders one at a time.
33: Central Dora Woods - bone walker
Your destiny lies downward. Don't give straight right a second...
Y'know what, since we're nearly at the end, let's take a quick look at the last
three "optional sections".
X4 - East Dora Woods - no enemies
Nothing. Nothing at all. Well, there are a bunch of trees, but other than
that,
nothing. (A hint that this isn't the right way, perhaps?)
X5 - big bridge - fish man
A completely straight and even bridge, nary a gap to be found, and with lots of
easy-to-kill fish men. Yep, something definitely not right here.
X6 - suicide marsh - bone walker, marsh creature
Oh boy. Avoid the marsh, of course, and carefully cross the blocks to the
right.
At the end, jump down. Your reward for this is...nothing. All that travel for
a pointless dead end, no item, weapon, not even a lousy clue. Well, nothing to
do but go back. No, not through the marsh (you'll never make it), you have to
get back up. How? Easy...climb the invisible stairs! BWAAH HA HA HA HA HA! I
kill myself...heh..."climb the invisible stairs"...
What? Hey, I just told you what to do. Yeah, they're right there, see? Why
can't you trust me at this point, hmm? :-)
So there you have it, just a pointless diversion. A pretty nifty pointless
diversion, but pointless nonetheless. Okay, enough sightseeing...there's a
vampire who needs annihilation.
Ghulash: The town closest to Castlevania, hence the one hit first and hardest by
the curse. There's nothing to be had here, and the sole survivor is a hermit
who enigmatically asks you to live with her. Politely decline the offer and
press on.
34 - Vlad Graveyard - wraith, mummy, eagle
Dracula's last line of defense makes its final, desperate stand against you.
You know how to deal with them all, and none can withstand the cleansing power
of the Gold Knife. Let none stand in your way!
35 - bridge to evil - no enemies
The two topmost blocks closest to you are evil blocks. However, if you don't
have the Magic Cross *and* all five items to be burned, your holy water or Nail-
aided whip will pass harmlessly through them. Since there's no reason to come
here unready, consider this just a bit of fun trivia. (I put a *lot* of time
into this, can you tell?)
------------------------------------------------------------
CASTLEVANIA
Enemies: Just the ultimate one...
It started here, and by all that is good and holy, you're going to end it here.
Here is where the curse comes to an end. Probably. Well, possibly. It depends
on a few things. But don't concern yourself with that when there's a final
battle to be won. Just make your way through the castle, busting up a few evil
blocks and making a simple jump. This place hasn't stirred since your first
victory over Dracula; you don't have to worry about an attack. Just make your
way through to the room with the enormous pyre, onto which you automatically
toss the body parts and unholy Ring, setting it all ablaze.
Uh oh, trouble...in destroying Dracula's remains, you've also released the evil
energy within them...which even now is...RETURNING DRACULA TO LIFE!
Frightened? Horrified? Well...you shouldn't be, as he's a pale, pale shadow of
his former self. He takes a long time to return (during which you can hit him
with complete impunity). Once fully materialized, he alternates between tossing
pinwheel fireballs and spinning at incredible speed around the room. Seems
pretty mean, but as well-equipped as you are, all it amounts to is spitting in
the wind.
Here, I'll even give you the three killer methods of utterly destroying him:
1. The standard method - Jump and whip him while he's materializing. You
might want to drop off the platform before doing so (your whip is just long
enough to reach him from there) so you have a little more time to anticipate his
attack. As soon as you see a pinwheel fireball, fire up a Laurel immediately
and whip away (without jumping). With the amount of screen he covers while
spinning, there's no avoiding your weapon.
2. The aggressive method - Immediately use a Laurel, jump right onto the pyre,
and whip like crazy. Use a second Laurel when the first is nearly expired and
continue whipping.
3. The no-mercy-for-villains method - Throw a Gold Knife at him. Then throw
another, timing it so it connects immediately after the first expires (Dracula's
such a huge target that this is easy). And repeat. Because this weapon does
continuous damage, he's powerless to do anything but take his medicine. (You
can whip him before he starts moving, up to you.)
16 Fire Whip hits or the equivalent, and the king of vampires is ash.
------------------------------------------------------------
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Congratulations! Great job getting all the items, finding every secret, and
completing this grand quest! It wasn't an easy road...plenty of bumps along the
way, and more than a few continues, but in the end, you won. Good has
triumphed,
and Dracula's curse is...
Wait a minute. Just a moment here. Isn't this ending just a
bit...well...suspicious?
For starter's, why's it in black and white? That's a bit dismal for what's
supposed to be your moment of triumph. And the idea that the world is free from
Dracula forever, doesn't that seem a bit *too* optimistic to you (especially
knowing where Konami has gone with the series since this game)? And what of the
hero? "Forever remembered"...what *happened* to him? Death? Exile?
Retirement and settling down to the good life?
Guess what...this is just the "normal" ending. The cruddy, boring, and I might
add, *grossly inaccurate* normal ending. You're done, but you're nowhere near
finished. Your next task is to get the next best ending...the "special"
ending...for which you will *not* have the luxury of unlimited continues or
time.
You're going to have to be more on the ball, faster, stronger, tougher...better.
Rest for now, and when you're ready, take up your Leather Whip again and let's
make it better.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
============
3. Reference
============
Before we get to the quest for a truer conclusion, let's review all the items
and enemies.
+ Whips +
Your essential killing tools. Each does twice as much damage as the preceding
one.
Leather Whip - you start with this
Limited range and does the most minimal damage of all the weapons in the game
(tied with Holy Water and Garlic). Okay in the early going, but you should
upgrade to the Chain Whip as soon as possible.
Thorn Whip - buy for 100 in Jova
Somewhat better range than the Leather Whip. Not really worth 100 hearts,
though, especially since you can get the Dagger (and Chain Whip) not long
afterward. Get it only if you're a beginner and need every bit of extra help in
the early going.
Chain Whip - buy for 150 in Veros
Your workhorse. Powerful enough to dispatch all enemies up to Jam Wasteland,
and you have a long way to go until you get the next more powerful whip. You'll
be doing the bulk of your heart mining with this.
Morning Star - buy for 200 in Oldon
Despite being the most expensive item in the game, this is a must-have. The
longest-ranged whip *and* the only one which can be upgraded to the Fire Whip.
Fire Whip - upgrade Morning Star at giant wall
15 feet of righteous searing doom...nothing more need be said.
+ Special weapons +
The Sacred Flame, Silver Knife, and Diamond require 1 heart per use; the Gold
Knife requires 2.
Holy Water - buy for 50 in Jova
Your first special weapon, and one which will serve you well throughout the
entire game. It's great for hitting enemies on lower levels, it's required to
destroy evil blocks, and it's handy for helping you pinpoint fake blocks.
Dagger - buy for 50 in Veros
Flies straight horizontally, goes through enemies, and does as much damage as a
Thorn Whip but with slightly better range. Good if you want to do a little
cost-free damage without putting yourself at risk, but not that great a weapon
overall. Becomes completely obsolete once you get the Morning Star.
Sacred Flame - hidden in East Dabi's Path
The equivalent of the fire bomb in the first Castlevania, this drops to the
ground in an arc, creating a fiery column lasting a shade under two seconds when
it lands. Enemies are damaged continuously for the duration. Great for lower
enemies too tough for Holy Water, and you can also use it to simply immobilize
them long enough for you to get away. You can toss three at a time, immolating
your foe before it even has a chance to scratch you.
Silver Knife - get from hidden mystic in Camilla Cemetery
This flies straight and goes through enemies like the Dagger, but travels the
entire length of the screen. You can throw three at a time. I really don't
like this one at all. You'll almost never need its range, which makes its low
damage and inability to hit more than once all the more glaring. Might be
useful if you're skipping the Chain Whip for whatever bizarre reason or want to
get every weapon and item; otherwise, I'd give it a pass.
Diamond - get from mystic at unnamed mountain
When you first throw this glittering crystal, it descends at a shallow angle.
It bounces off of floors, walls, and ceilings, always going in a straight line
(and maintaining the same horizontal and vertical velocity) and smashing every
foe in its path. It disappears only after going off the screen or making a ton
of bounces. There can be up to three onscreen at any time. This is a
*fantastic* weapon for clobbering those really annoying, hard-to-hit enemies,
especially slimes, and because of its rebound ability, one toss can do an
unbelievable amount of damage, making it economical to use. And of course, it's
just plain fun!
Gold Knife - get after beating Death
An awesome weapon. Like the Silver Knife, it has unlimited range, it flies
perfectly straight, and you can toss three at a time. However, it's slightly
slower, making it easier to connect with, and when it does hit, it bursts into a
flaming aura which hits two more times. Even better, each hit does the same
damage as your current whip. Once you get this destroyer, you're pretty much
unstoppable. (And once you get the Fire Whip as well, you're *completely*
unstoppable. :-D)
Oak Stake - buy for 50 from any mansion merchant
The sole purpose of this is to extract the missing body parts and Ring from the
orbs. It will go AROUND enemies (and walls). You can only have one at a time.
+ Limited-use items +
Garlic - buy 2 for 50 hearts from merchants in Aljiba and Aldra
This is used to make the mystics that give you the Silver Knife and Silk Bag
visible. This, although I didn't mention it earlier, can ALSO be used do damage
enemies. It only does as much damage as a Leather Whip or Holy Water, but the
great thing is that it doesn't go away at all until you leave the area. That
means that no matter how tough the enemy is, one clove of Garlic will destroy
it!
This is too expensive a use to be practical for most enemies, but there *is* one
enemy where Garlic can give you an...interesting victory.
Laurels - buy 2 for 50 hearts from merchants in Aljiba, Aldra, Oldon, and Fetra;
get for free from mystic in Laruba Mansion
Activate one for a short period of total invincibility. Most useful for marshes
and any area where you risk taking lots of hits from enemies.
+ Magical items/body parts +
White Crystal - buy for 50 hearts in Jova
This will make the invisible platform in Berkeley Mansion visible.
Blue Crystal - trade White Crystal to crystal trader in Aljiba
Same power as the White Crystal and will reveal hidden paths below lakes.
Red Crystal - trade Blue Crystal to crystal trader in Aldra
Same power as the Blue Crystal and summons the whirlwind at Deborah Cliff.
Dracula's Rib - in Berkeley Mansion
Gives you a shield which completely deflects all fireballs fired at your front.
You can still be hit from behind, and you can also be hit by fireballs when
walking (but not attacking or jumping).
Dracula's Heart - in Rover Mansion
Show to the Ferryman to access the secret island.
Dracula's Eyeball - in Brahm Mansion
Allows you to see the hidden "Dracula's Riddle" hints without having to expose
them first.
Dracula's Nail - in Bodley Mansion
Gives your whip the power to destroy evil blocks.
Dracula's Ring - in Laruba Mansion
No abilities, it's just one of the items of your quest.
+ Extra items +
Silk Bag - get from mystic in unnamed cemetery
This doubles your Laurel capacity, from 4 to 8.
Magic Cross - get after beating the floating face boss
This, along with the five items to be destroyed, is required to enter
Castlevania.
+ Normal area enemies, small tokens in day, half tokens in night +
bone walker: Ubiquitous flunkies that just meander aimlessly.
werewolf: Slow movers that leap continuously when they're close enough.
fish man: Leap out of bodies of water and breathe fireballs before submerging.
cave bat: Brown flyers approaching in a zigzag pattern.
spider: Giant vermin which pursue you relentlessly, tossing a web every few
seconds.
grasping claw: Helpless hands in the ground.
salamander: Quick-moving reptilian firebreathers.
slime: Annoying little blobs that leap all over the place.
dark hound: Sickly-colored fast-running beasties.
dragon skull: Fire-breathing automatons chained to the ground.
eagle: Aggressive birds capable of rapid dives and swoops.
big eye/medusa head/death's head: Small floating monstrosities that go at a
constant speed both horizontally and vertically.
+ Normal area enemies, half tokens in day, big tokens in night +
wraith: Large undead slowly floating up and down.
marsh creature: Big beasts which emerge from marshes and hurl fire.
fire plant: Sit still and launch high-speed fireballs.
+ Normal area enemies, always big tokens +
mummy: Move slowly until they senses you, then charge.
harpy: Descend, pause briefly, then breathe fire and lunge at you.
+ Town at night enemies (always half tokens) +
zombie: Ordinary shamblers with no special abilities.
raven: Small birds that slowly descend to the ground before rushing you.
+ Mansion enemies (tokens indicated)
bone soldier (half): Essentially the same as bone walkers.
armor guard (half): Shuffle back and forth at various speeds and will rush you
when you get close.
bone bomber (half): Move quickly, hop frequently, and toss bones that burst
into flames when they land.
gargoyle (big): Approach with hops and breathe pairs of "V" pattern fireballs.
slime (small): Exactly the same as the normal area variety.
vampire bat (small): Erratic flyers, little threat and easy to avoid.
+ Levels and dead zones +
Ah, finally, here we are. (It took me a *lot* of time to figure all this out,
believe me.)
For every level you gain, certain screens will stop giving experience points.
This is to encourage you to move on to new areas and not stay in one place for
too long. Note, however, that where you gain each level has NO effect on the
order the screens become dead. So if, for example, you're at level 1 and in a
screen that becomes dead at level 3, you can get to level 2, remain in the same
area, and continue to gain experience until level 3.
Gaining a level requires 50 experience points times the level number plus an
additional 50 points.
Dead zones by level
1: 1-5, Jova, Berkeley Mansion
2: all other right-of-Jova locations except 11
3: 17-19, Aldra, Oldon, entire special island
4: all other left-of-Jova locations, 30, Fetra, Bodley Mansion, X5, X6
5: 31-34, Ghulash
6: Anything left
Level 1 merely restores your health. 2 makes you somewhat tougher, but you have
a long way to go with churches few and far between, so survival still isn't
easy.
You're in pretty good shape at 3, potentially enough to finish the game. At 4
(which I definitely recommend getting), you're very tough, definitely enough to
finish the game, and you're just about indestructible at 5. I wouldn't go for
6,
as it's really overkill, plus boring mining the same screens over and over for
350 points.
==============================
4. Going for the second ending
==============================
Okay. Going to go for a higher ending now? Cool. Here's what you need to
know:
You need be done before 16 days have elapsed. Remember that you start at noon
on the first day, so you actually have 15 1/2 days. You can continue and take
passwords, just so long as it's not an insane number of times...fewer than 20
should be good enough. Once you know the lay of the land, these conditions
aren't too tough. Just make sure you know where you have to be away from to get
the next level, where the churches are, where you can get Laurels, etc. There
are some things you can do differently from the basic walkthrough to save time,
but these really aren't necessary. If anything, I'd eschew the Thorn Whip and
Silver Knife.
It's important to do things in the proper order and avoid the useless areas.
There's nothing to be had in the spider- and bat-infested X1 and X2, and the
rest just take you from where you should be.
Since I didn't mention it before, go ahead and try out the Bodley Mansion super
shortcut now. You'll need a spare Stake for this. What you do is stay on the
ground level and take the exact same path that you use to get out at the end.
Break the evil blocks carefully (straight jumping toss to get the first of each
pair), remain on ground level, and go right to the orb. Then left back out.
Piece of cake. The actual main advantage of this is that you don't risking
taking damage going up and down, always a pain with stairs and long drops.
Oh yeah...the townspeople. Almost forgot. You definitely don't want to waste
time talking to them, especially the ones that are well out of the way. By now
you no doubt realize that some of them are not completely honest, making it
tough to separate the useful information from the faulty information and
outright lies.
Here's the dirty secret...absolutely NOTHING ANYONE says is of ANY use to you AT
ALL. Nothing. Not a damn thing. Zero, zip, zilch.
It was incredibly ballsy for Konami to do something like this, especially since
nothing like this had ever been done in any kind of RPG before. For the most
part, almost all advice given is reliable (and plain-Jane citizens with nothing
to gain are the *most* reliable of all), and when someone lies, it's either
usually pretty obvious or somehow leads you to the truth. No half-truths, blind
alleys, or shaky advice. Almost nobody had any idea of just how utterly useless
the townsfolk's guidance was when Castlevania 2 first came out, and confusion,
frustration, and incredibly heated arguments ran rampant. There were players
pleading to magazines asking to verify the truthiness of this or that nugget of
information, and it wasn't until every response returned in the negative that it
dawned on a them that something wasn't right here. Remember, this was long
before the Internet, and the only means of online communication were primitive
bulletin board systems, powered by modems less than a tenth as fast as what
you're using right now. There was no easy way to refute the townies' claims,
let alone pass the word on to those in need.
This seemed like a neat, if sneaky, idea at the time, but it ended up causing
major headaches for Konami. There were players outraged...*outraged*, I tell
you...at this dishonesty, and many ended up giving scathing pans of this game
for that reason alone. The ill will was incredible, something nobody could've
predicted at the time, so much so that Konami never used this idea again.
Shame. Some players could use a lesson about misplaced trust...
I've divided the comments into the following categories:
False - Pretty basic; the person states something that is not true.
Misleading - No way to determine whether it's true or false, but it doesn't
matter since it's a distraction from what you *should* know about the
object/person/location in question.
Useless - *Possibly* true, but either far too vague or ambiguous to be of any
help whatsoever or ridiculously easy to confirm on your own without any
passerby's random ramblings.
Blather - Plain 'ol mindless yammering that serves no purpose.
Riddle - Remember how I said that Dracula's Riddle probably didn't mean
anything?
I was lying, of course. It ABSOLUTELY has no meaning whatsoever. I don't know
if this was for a contest that was eventually cancelled, a cross-promotion that
didn't get off the ground, etc., but the bottom line is that answering Dracula’s
Riddle (or even finding out what the heck it is) isn't the slightest bit
relevant to anything, least of all your quest to end the curse. Anyway, it gets
referred to often enough that it deserves its own category.
Jova
13 CLUES WILL SOLVE DRACULA'S RIDDLE. - Riddle
A CROOKED TRADER IS OFFERING BUM DEALS IN THIS TOWN. - False
A FLAME IS ON TOP OF THE 6TH TREE IN DENIS WOODS. - False
A MAGIC POTION WILL DESTROY THE WALL OF EVIL. - Useless
CLUES TO DRACULA'S RIDDLE ARE IN THE TOWN OF VEROS. - Riddle
FIRST THING TO DO IN THIS TOWN IS BUY A WHITE CRYSTAL. - False
RUMOR HAS IT, THE FERRYMAN AT DEAD RIVER LOVES GARLIC. - Misleading
YOU HAVE A FRIEND IN THE TOWN OF ALDRA. GO AND SEE HIM. - Useless
Veros
A RIB CAN SHIELD YOU FROM EVIL. - Useless
CLUES TO DRACULA'S RIDDLE ARE IN BERKELEY MANSION. - Riddle
CLUES TO DRACULA'S RIDDLE ARE IN THE TOWN OF ALBA. - Riddle
LAURELS IN YOUR SOUP ENHANCE ITS AROMA. - Misleading
YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND WAITING FOR YOU IN THE TOWN OF ALJIBA. - Useless
YOU LOOK PALE, MY SON. YOU MUST REST IN THE CHURCH. - Useless
Aljiba
A LAUREL WILL PROTECT YOU FROM THE POISON MARSH. - Useless
BUY SOME GARLIC. IT HAS SPECIAL POWERS. - Useless
CLUES TO DRACULA'S RIDDLE ARE IN ROVER MANSION. - Riddle
CLUES TO DRACULA'S RIDDLE ARE IN VEROS WOODS. - Riddle
DRACULA'S EYEBALL REFLECTS THE CURSE. - Misleading
TO RESTORE YOUR LIFE, SHOUT IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH. - False
THE DEAD RIVER WAITS TO BE FREED FROM THE CURSE. - Blather
Aldra
CLUES TO DRACULA'S RIDDLE ARE IN BODLEY MANSION. - Riddle
GET A SILK BAG FROM THE GRAVEYARD DUCK TO LIVE LONGER. - Useless
HIT DEBORAH CLIFF WITH YOUR HEAD TO MAKE A HOLE. - False
I WANT TO GET TO KNOW YOU BETTER. - Blather
I'LL SEE YOU AT MIDNIGHT OF THE RIVER BANK. - Blather
I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR A GOOD LOOKING GUY LIKE YOU. - Blather
SORRY PAL, NO TIME NOW. MAYBE LATER. - Blather
Oldon
DON'T LOOK INTO THE DEATH STAR OR YOU WILL DIE. - Blather
TAKE MY DAUGHTER, PLEASE!! - Blather
WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE, WOMEN LOVED ME. - Blather
A MAN LIVING IN DARKNESS CAN GIVE YOUR WHIP POWER. - Useless
DON'T MAKE ME STAY. I'LL DIE. - Blather
BELIEVE IN MAGIC AND YOU'LL BE SAVED. - Blather
DIG UP THE 4TH GRAVE IN THE CEMETARY FOR A DIAMOND. - False
Fetra
AFTER CASTLEVANIA, I WARNED YOU NOT TO RETURN. - Blather
GET BACK!! - Blather
THE CROSS IN LARUBA'S MANSION MUST BE FOUND. - Useless
YOU'VE UPSET THE PEOPLE. NOW GET OUT OF TOWN!! - Blather
Ghulash
LET'S LIVE HERE TOGETHER. - Blather
===========================
5. Walkthrough (best ending)
===========================
Got the second ending? Not too hard, right? Once you know where everything is
and where to go, 15 1/2 days is an easy benchmark. This one's a little better
than the first, both in presentation (woo hoo, color!) and honesty.
Notwithstanding Castlevania 4, Simon does have to make way for a new crop of
heroes shortly after this game, and there are a number of them who could be the
"young man" in question.
Still, it's a bit of a tragedy, and tragedy, no matter how accurate, isn't the
proper result of a triumph. (Okay, there are a few companies that *dabble* with
this on occasion, but Konami isn't one of them.) Simon's work isn't done until
he destroys the curse *and* gets to live to tell about it. Yes, friends,
there's one more ending...the best ending. Or should I say, the REAL ending.
And that *is* something Konami does. Even more now than in the NES era. Check
out Neo Contra sometime.
Needless to say, this ending has the stiffest requirements of all. You need to
be done before *8* days have elapsed, AND you cannot continue or take a password
even once. That means that you can't afford to waste time anywhere and will
have to pass on a least a couple of unhelpful items. Avoiding damage, needless
to say, is also highly important. And of course, you should make the most out
of the mansions, since you can get as many hearts as you want from them without
wasting a second.
Nevertheless, this is definitely doable. And if you were able to overcome the
insanity that was the final battle in the first Castlevania, this shouldn't be a
problem. (DAMN, was that boss battle *insane* or what??)
If you have an emulator and aren't averse to, er, making full use of it, save
states and rewind will help a *lot* here. This is one of those games where tiny
missteps, especially with jump timing, can absolutely kill you (literally!), and
having do-overs on demand will make things *much* less frustrating.
Going through it step-by-step. You know what these places are, so I won't
bother rehashing them.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jo-–1---2---3---4---5---M1
|
|
+---Ve--6---7---8---9--10--Aj--11
|
+--12--13--M2
Buy the Holy Water and sally out to your first battleground, as usual. Your
objective is simply to earn enough hearts for the White Crystal, with maybe a
little to spare so you can afford an Oak Stake when the time comes. You're
going to be passing up the Thorn Whip completely. (No surprise there, right?
That has to be the most mocked weapon in the history of Castlevania. You
certainly won't miss it.)
Get back to Jova before daybreak. When the sun rises, enter the building with
the Holy Water merchant and exit; the Crystal seller should be right there.
Hustle all the way to Berkeley Mansion and enter. Without the Dagger, you're
going to have to take a little more time to dispatch some foes, but that's no
big deal. The most dangerous area is the floor with the gargoyles. Smash them
pronto before they get a shot off.
Once you have the Rib, you can rest easy. Now you should take the time to build
your wealth. Stay on the lower level and head back and forth between screens,
demolishing Gargoyles and racking up big tokens. 190 should be enough, but you
can keep collecting until you have 256; up to you.
Exit and head on down to Veros. If you made it to Berkeley Mansion fast enough
(which isn't too difficult), you should be able to buy the Dagger and Chain Whip
before nightfall. The Dagger is actually one of those 50/50 deals, but since
you have so many hearts, there's no reason to pass it up. And of course, heal
up in the Church if you have to.
Fight your way through the 8-legged vermin to Aljiba. Be sure to obtain the
Flame on the way; it's absolutely vital. If it's still night (it probably will
be), head to the top level and get *close to* where the crystal trader is going
to be. At dawn, go left and get the Blue Crystal (scroll the trader's location
off the screen and return if you still can't see him). You should have enough
hearts for four Laurels, so get them. Don't bother with Garlic; the Silver
Knife is nearly useless, and in all honesty you can make do without the Silk
Bag.
Get on over to Rover Mansion. By now you should be at level 1 with a modest
amount of experience points. Use the Dagger where you need it en route to the
heart. Before leaving, collect hearts until you're at level 2. Since there's
no Church anywhere around here and pretty much everywhere is a damn dead zone at
level 2, it's important to get this level where it'll do the most good. Hearts
won't be an issue again for a while, so don't worry about your cash situation.
Slog through more arachnid aggravation all the way back to Veros, then back to
Jova for the next stage. If you can do this without taking damage (therefore
not needing a rest in a church), that's even better. In any event, it should be
the third day by the time you're ready to head left.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
M3--22--15--14--Jo
Because time is of the essence, you're going to save a lot of it by going to the
hidden island first. Go there and head straight for Brahm Mansion. (It's a
judgment call as to whether to go for the Diamond. If you're confident in your
abilities and are *really* nervous about Slimes ruining your efforts, it might
be worth it.)
Brahm Mansion doesn't have any nasty surprises, but there are a number of really
annoying locations where you have to climb a staircase and there's *absolutely
no avoiding* getting hit by the enemy on top. As you're still at level 2, you
can't afford to take a lot of hits, but wasting Laurels isn't advisable either.
My advice is to use one Laurel for the staircase with the jumping gargoyles at
the top, because they can really carve you up otherwise.
Once you have the Eyeball, *do not* buy an extra Stake on the way out, as you're
going to need a full purse again soon. (Besides, what's the point of saving
time in a place where time doesn't even pass?) Before you leave, in fact, check
both your time and your cash situation. If it's before about 10:00, spend some
time getting at least 230 hearts, and again, if you want to go to 256, go right
ahead. Otherwise, 150 or so should be enough. You'll find out why later.
If you're on your 4th day at this point, you're in great shape; if it's before
daybreak, that's even better. Direct the Ferryman to his regular destination.
20--Ol--19--18--17--Ad--16--15
Equip the Diamond or Flame, depending, and take out the slimes posthaste en
route to Aldra. Heal in the Church, buy another pair of Laurels, and trade for
the Red Crystal, in that order.
Eradicate more slimes and assorted nasties until you're at Oldon. If it wasn't
too late in the day when you exited Brahm Mansion, you'll have enough time to
get to the Morning Star merchant. Otherwise, you'll have no choice but to
collect hearts until daybreak (that's why you don't need a lot of hearts in the
latter case). At any rate, make the purchase and get to Deborah Cliff.
M5--29--28--27--26--25--M4
In front of Bodley Mansion. You do remember what to do here, right? Get to
level 3 before leaving.
You should definitely have at least two Laurels before taking on the marsh, or
else it's going to be *really* tight taking on Laruba Mansion without dying. On
the way back, you only need to use one because of the church at Fetra. Or
better yet, reenter Bodley Mansion and complete level 4! (See, there *is* an
advantage to this accelerated course! :-D)
M4--30--Fe--31--32--33
|
+--Gh--34--35
5 days should have gone by at this point, 4 if you've been really hustling. As
long as it's less than 7, you should have enough time to make it the rest of the
way. Use the Rib, Flame, and Gold Knife to get through the homestretch with a
minimum of hassle.
And that is it. You'll have a ton of hearts by the time you hit Castlevania, so
go ahead and use the Gold Knife on the fiend.
If you see the same background as for the second ending but with an orange sky,
congratulations, you got it. Enjoy your well-earned, highly satisfying
conclusion to the Castlevania 2 saga. Just a precaution, however. Make sure
the room is well lit, make sure the volume isn't turned up too high, and don't
look *too* closely. Just trust me on this.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
=================
6. Final thoughts
=================
So there you have it, the complete Castlevania 2. Quite the journey, wasn't it?
This truly is a one-of-a-kind game. Consider:
* Easy enemies, easy getting around. No Ridiculous Uberboss #3, no jumps that
would give an International Track and Field long jumper fits. The game is the
challenge.
* Unlimited margin for error. There is *no* point where you're completely
hopeless or "stuck". If a place is just too brutal, you always have the option
of collecting enough experience points for a new level. And again, there's no
such thing as "game over"; it ends when you decide it does.
* Dishonest NPCs. This bears repeating, since it's by far the simplest way to
inject a little devious treachery and ensure that players never get complacent,
yet it's only rarely used.
* POWERFUL weapons. From crushing Diamonds to searing hot Flames to the shining
obliterator of evil that is the Gold Knife, and of course the Flame Whip, there
are no shortage of ways to kick massive monster butt.
Not only that, but this is a fairly unique game even within the world of
Castlevania. The whip isn't even the most powerful weapon, let alone the begin-
and end-all that it is in later games (including Castlevania 4). The hero
himself is a real rarity...he has *muscles*, for one, he's dressed plainly, and
he's skilled in a multitude of big smashing, shredding weapons. (You see the
*size* of those boomerangs and axes?) Oh yeah...no girls. Not only that, but
*old women* quietly sitting in buildings.
But then, that's probably only to be expected in a franchise that went into the
past in its third game and has been jumping all over history since. The last
two games take place in the *future*, amazingly enough. And systems. This has
been on: arcade, NES, Super NES, Genesis, Playstation, Playstation 2, and just
about every handheld system in existence. Mega Man hasn't been around as much
as Dracula!
And of course, this is all par for the course for a mythos that originated in
eastern Europe, a long, long way from any of the video game powerhouses. With
Dynasty Warriors, you can expect some level of consistency and historical
accuracy. A hideous fiend in a creepy castle somewhere in Romania? Just about
anything goes.
Anyway, I guess my point is that if you're wondering why I took the time to
cover an unusual, boundary-breaking Castlevania game, I have to ask: Which one
wasn't?
============================================================
+ Acknowledgements +
Konami, one of the true revolutionaries in videogaming, and producers of some of
the most consistently excellent series of all time (one word: Bemani). Whether
side-scrolling bashfests, pulse-pounding shooters, slam bang racers, or...well,
Bemani, the hits just keep on coming.
Emulation, which has done more than anything to elevate the NES past "old kids'
pasttime" status.
The NES, with a truly astounding longevity and fun-to-dollars ratio. (It was
completely unchallenged until the Dreamcast, and even then only after its games
were available for $5.)
Simon Belmont, paradoxically both the greatest Castlevania hero and the most
forgotten one. If anything, he simply became too powerful. His inclusion in
New International Track and Field was a fitting tribute to the champion who
started it all.
And finally, this website, which, despite all the problems over the years, is
still the best by miles. I wouldn't dream of posting my works anywhere else.
FAQ/nonlinear triple-double walkthrough copyright 2008 by Darrell Wong
(hawaiidkw). This is all mine, which should be plainly obvious to anyone who's
read any of my other stuff. Not to be reprinted, rebroadcasted, resubmitted,
revamped, reneged, repatriated, or rekakoed, unless you're weird.
============================================================
============================================================
FAQ/Walkthrough copyright 2008 by Darrell Wong (hawaiidkw)
All rights reserved
