Castlevania/Bosses

Castlevania is one of the tougher games that Konami released for the NES. Yes, really. The stages can be tough and they only get tougher as you progress though the game... and the bosses are nearly as tough as well. This is where this guide comes in. It will help you against the bosses and general help with the stages and the enemies within them.

General Help
Just getting to the bosses is half the battle, especially later on when the stages get tough. Here's some help that should get you to the bosses with most of your health and lives intact.

Most of the enemies in this game will appear and react depending on the direction you're facing and the height you're at, even if you're in the air. Bats and Medusa Heads will appear from the direction you're facing, and other enemies, like Skeletons and Axe/Spear Knights, will move in the direction you're facing. You can take advantage of these enemies in particular by turning away from them to draw them close and then whipping them.

If you're trying to get a candle while you're on a moving platform, NEVER jump from the back. It's not even worth trying to get most of them.

Avoid jumping and hitting candles to get the contents while it's still in the air, especially if you don't know what's in them. It would really suck to trade off a desirable weapon like the Boomerang for a less desirable one like the Dagger.

A few enemies are weak against specific weapons. For example, the Skele-Dragons can be killed easily with the Boomerang. Axe/Spear Knights can be killed quickly with the Axe (hah, who would have thought) or even with the Holy Water. I personally prefer the Holy Water since you don't have to have aim over the Axe Knight's shield. It takes a little longer to kill them though.

Legend
Important Items: The items on the screen that make it easier to kill the boss.

Recommended Weapons: The best weapons to use against the boss.

Attack Pattern: The way that the boss attacks.

Strategy: The best way(s) to defeat the boss.

=Bosses=

First Boss - Vampire Bat
IMPORTANT ITEMS: Double Shot

RECOMMENDED WEAPONS: Axe, Stop Watch

ATTACK PATTERN:

It flies around randomly and occasionally swoops down at you.

The easiest way to defeat the Vampire Bat is to use the Axe from the candle a few screens back and toss them at the boss. Hit the rightmost block in the platform under the stairs for a Double Shot to defeat the boss even quicker. It's best to stay on the left side of the stairs since there's more room to attack and dodge the Vampire Bat when it swoops at you - just duck or move out of the way when it does. If you want to use the Axe or you forgot it, the Stop Watch is a nice alternative. Wait for the Vampire Bat to swoop in to use the Stop Watch and then whip it until it unfreezes.

Second Boss - Queen Medusa
IMPORTANT ITEMS: None

RECOMMENDED WEAPONS: Holy Water, Stop Watch, Boomerang

ATTACK PATTERN:

It flies around randomly but it will try to run into you. It will also drop snakes which will move toward you.

The Holy Water is the weapon of choice against Queen Medusa. You can get one near the beginning of stage 4. And before you ask, yes, she will bust out of the statue in the center of the room, therefore, stand to the right of it and wait for her to appear. When she does appear, start tossing the Holy Water at her, which will freeze her in place. Keep tossing and whipping and she will be done in no time at all. The Stop Watch works in the same manner.

Use it to freeze her and then whip the crap out of her. If you don't have either of those weapons, the Boomerang will also suffice, although you will likely get hit by the Snakes Queen Medusa drops. Wait near the statue until Queen Medusa breaks out and then run to the right side of the screen. Crouch in the corner and start tossing Boomerangs and whipping her when she's close. You can't do much about her running into you but try to avoid her.

Third Boss - Mummies
IMPORTANT ITEMS: Meat

RECOMMENDED WEAPONS: Holy Water, Boomerang, Whip

ATTACK PATTERN:

Both of the Mummies randomly walk around, occasionally throwing bandages toward you. You can control the movement of the Mummies somewhat by standing in the direction you want them to go. It doesn't always work though.

The best way to defeat the Mummies is to avoid hitting the block where the meat would be - that is the lowest block on the left. Stand on the block instead and use the height to your advantage. With all of the weapons recommended here you should face left to draw them close to you and then whip them. Turn right if the Mummies are sticking close to you to make them walk away and then turn in the other direction again to continually keep them in range of your attacks.

The Holy Water is weapon of choice against the Mummies - just start dousing them in it when they are close enough. The Holy Water should freeze them in place long enough that they won't be able to escape. If you don't have that, the Boomerang is another good weapon. Crouch and start tossing them at the Mummies. It has longer range therefore you won't have to keep them as close as you normally would. The last choice is your trusty old whip.

Crouch and whip them when they are close enough. Retreat to the higher blocks when they get too close and/or force them away by using the above methods. One final method is to leave the low block intact and hit the Mummies from the ground. Keep the Mummies on one side, NOT between you, and run and jump back onto the low block if they walk to the left corner. Grab the meat if you need it and continue pummelling them until they are both destroyed.

Fourth Boss - Frankenstein's Monster
IMPORTANT ITEMS: None

RECOMMENDED WEAPONS: Holy Water, Boomerang

ATTACK PATTERN:

Igor: Hops to the left and then back to the right, shooting fireballs at you.

Frankenstein: Walks around randomly.

Frankenstein is the first boss that can give you a hard time if you don't know what you're doing - of course it's not really Frankenstein that you have to worry about, it's his miniature partner, Igor. If you know how to avoid Igor and it's fireballs you can defeat Frankenstein easily. It will generally hop while it's in the middle of the screen and then jump high when it reaches the platforms in the corners. Hide on the inside edge of the platforms to avoid it.

But you should keep your eyes open and stay ready to move around since it won't follow this pattern completely. Frankenstein can get in the way but he will usually stay on right side of the screen. Stay close to the platforms so you can jump over Frankenstein or Igor if you find you are getting trapped. When you first enter the room, run and jump onto the side of the lower right platform to get in some quick hits before Igor starts moving.

If you have the Holy Water, you can do some serious damage to him and maybe even defeat him without Igor ever moving if you have a Double or Triple Shot. Without the Double or Triple Shot Frankenstein and Igor will break out of the stun after a few seconds but you should be able to take anywhere between 1/4 to almost 1/3 of his health. After that keep hitting him with the whip and stun him with the Holy Water when you get the time.

If you have the Boomerang, stay on the ground and toss them at Frankenstein at the start. Hit Frankenstein from a distance with the Boomerang and use the whip if you are close to him. The other weapons are not as good as the first two I talked about but you might end up with one of them. With the Dagger you can use the same strategy as the Boomerang. The Axe isn't such a good choice here but at least you can hit both guys from a distance.

Fifth Boss - Death
IMPORTANT ITEMS: None

RECOMMENDED WEAPONS: Holy Water, Axe, Boomerang

ATTACK PATTERN:

Death: Randomly flies around, although he seems to like to be near the corners.

Scythes: Motionless for a second and then they slowly follow you around.

The fight has several similarities to the last one with Frankenstein. The first on being that Death is a lazy bastard and has someone or something else do most of the work for him, namely the dreaded scythes that he creates. Many a Castlevania player has yelled (or swore) into the night in frustration because of their inability to deal with the scythes. They move slowly but they are numerous and do quite a bit of damage - four bars of damage to be exact.

Destroy as many of them as you can when they are created and retreat a bit to avoid getting hit as they close in on you. Hide in the corners if things get too tough but don't stay too long since Death has a habit of floating there as well. The second similarity is Death is extremely venerable to the Holy Water. If you do have the Holy Water stand on the right edge of the center platform and wait for him to appear and start throwing the stuff at him.

It's not necessary to jump and throw the Holy Water if you're standing right at the edge but you have to be quick. Even without the Double or Triple Shot Death shouldn't be able to get away but having either of those items will cement your victory for sure. The jump and throw method is just as good if you're not comfortable with standing on the edge. The bad part is that if Death breaks out of the stun, the Holy Water is unwieldy to use against him from this point on.

A good alternative weapon to use here is the Axe, which will give you much- needed vertical protection against scythes that are above or on either side of you. You can also use it to hit Death from a distance rather than having to get close to him. Another good weapon is the Boomerang. It has more range than the Axe but you will have to jump around and toss them to hit the scythes and Death. Just keep your distance as best as you can and toss them around.

An added bonus for the Boomerang is that you can always find it in the candle on the left side of the first set of stairs in stage 14. The whip is tough choice since you will have to get close to Death and the scythes to hit them therefore don't bother using it unless it's in combination with one of the weapons above. The Stop Watch is unfortunately useless against Death since it won't effect him. It's good for the long corridor with the Axe Knights though.

Sixth Boss - Dracula
IMPORTANT ITEMS:

Holy Water

RECOMMENDED WEAPONS:

Boomerang, Holy Water, Whip

ATTACK PATTERN:

Dracula 1: Shoots three fireballs and then randomly teleports around the room.

Dracula 2: Jumps toward you and occasionally shoots out three fireballs.

The fight with Dracula is pretty disappointing after that dramatic climb to his chamber. The moon in the background is a nice touch though. Get the contents of the candles except for the last one on the far left side in Dracula's chamber. It contains the Holy Water which will help you finish off Dracula later on. Wait until he rises from his coffin (best said in garbled Altered Beast tone for maximum effect) and stops flashing before you attack him.

You can only damage his head therefore hitting the rest of his body is a moot point. So having said that, there are two ways to defeat Drac: with the Boomerang or with the whip. The Holy Water isn't effective against him in this form. Now wait for Dracula to appear. If he's fairly close to you, jump over his fireballs and whip him in the head. If he's on the other side of the screen, don't bother trying to damage him, just whip the fireballs instead.

You can follow the same strategy with the Boomerang but keep in mind that they move slower. Keep moving around to avoid getting teleported on and whipping him. After you take his last bar of health he'll lose his head. =) While he's in his death throes, you can either get the Holy Water from the candle or just use continue to use the Boomerang. You're better off using the Holy Water though because it will make the rest of the fight easier.

When Dracula becomes remerges again in his new and improved form (hah, you thought he was dead?) toss the Holy Water at him and then start whipping the crap out of him. He will try to jump toward you but you should keep him stunned long enough to take 2 or 3 bars off of him before he does manage to break out. When he does just back up and continue pummelling him with the Holy Water and your whip. Keep going until he's finally dead. Enjoy the ending.