Exvania/Gameplay

Controls

 * Joystick: Use the 4-way joystick to direct your character around each of the rooms; you cannot force them into pools of lava or water.
 * Whip Button: Use this button to make your character swing his weapon; it can be used to break Treasure Boxes, and stun other players.
 * Bomb Button: Use this button to make your character drop a green bomb; if you hit it once after dropping it, it will turn yellow and increase range, and if you hit it again, it will turn red and further increase range. Their explosive power can be used to kill the other players or some enemies - but it could also kill you.
 * 1, 2, 3 or 4 Player Buttons: Push these buttons to begin the game as player 1, 2, 3 or 4; if less than four people are playing, the remaining lords are controlled by the CPU. If all the player-controlled lords should get killed before that timer runs out, the text of "COMP WIN" will appear on the screen.

Ward, Emilio, Charles and Karl (ウォード, エミリオ, チャールズ & カール)
The protagonists of the game; Ward (1P) starts out in the top-left corner of each room, Emilio (2P) starts in the bottom-left corner, Charles (3P) starts in the bottom-right corner, and Karl (4P) starts in the top-right corner. They can use their whips to break open all Treasure Boxes that populate the rooms and collect the powerups they leave behind to upgrade their abilities, along with the explosive power of their bombs to kill each other - and once one of the lords has killed the other three, the text of "1/2/3/4P WIN" will appear on the screen, and he will receive a gold medal. Once one of the lords has received three gold medals, he will gain control of the current castle (as the text "YOU GET A CASTLE" appears over it), and the game will proceed to the next castle; however, if two or more of the lords are under players' control, and still alive when the timer runs out, the text "DRAW GAME" will appear on the screen. Once the eighth castle has been conquered, the lord who has won the most rooms, conquered the most castles, and used the least number of continues must face off against the witch Erinyes - and once he has killed her, the mirror at the back of the room will shatter to reveal the Princess Electra and end the game.

Treasure Boxes (宝箱)
These chests populate the rooms of the castles, and can be broken open with three strikes from the lords' weapon; once they have done so, they will sometimes leave a powerup behind. The two Kanji characters in their Japanese naming also read as takarabako - and here is a complete list of the powerups:

Bomb Power Up (ボムパワーアップ): This orb, which has the text +1 on it, will increase the number of bombs your lord can have on screen by one.

Magic Book (魔法書): This tome will increase the blast radius of your lord's bomb by one; the three Kanji characters in its name read as mahō-sho.

Jet Boots (ジェットブーツ): These boots will increase your lord's walking speed, for the remainder of his time in the current room, unless he is killed.

Potion of Barrier (ポーション・オブ・バリア): This beaker will make your lord invulnerable to any lethal attack for a short period of time.

Potion of Death (ポーション・オブ・デス): Conversely, this beaker will change your lord's walking speed (either slower or faster), or reverse the control, for a while.

Earthquake (アースクエイク): This orb will cause every remaining Treasure Box in your current room to crack (or break if they have been hit twice) and will also turn every bomb red.

Morning Star (モーニングスター): This is your default weapon. If you are using a boomerang but think it bad, use this to switch back.

Boomerang (ブーメラング): This throwing stick will, when you press your Whip Button, fly all over the room until it hits something or one of the outer walls.

Rally-X Special Flag (ラリーXスペシャルフラッグ): This Namco icon, (which makes its fourth appearance in 16-bit form), will give your lord an extra life. It does not come from chests, but instead come from outside, roams around a column, and then stops above a tile and lands. CPU players cannot pick it up.

Slimes (スライムズ)
Based on an enemy from The Tower of Druaga, these blobs come in five different colours (blue, yellow, green, purple and red), and they cannot kill the lords; however, they can push them back (and can cause problems as a result). The later variations move faster.

Dragons (ドラゴンズ)
Every three rooms, the text of "DRAGON ROOM" will appear, at the bottom of the screen; once the screen has faded in, one of these mythical fire-breathing beasts will be walking around it. They come in three different colours (red, green and black). They are big and tough, and can start breathing fire two tiles wide from Castle 3 or later. This fire can destroy treasure chests and kill any player caught within it, unless he has a barrier potion and manages to escape quickly. When they are killed, they will leave several powerups behind.

Magicians (マジシャンズ)
Based on another enemy from "The Tower of Druaga", these wizards come in four different colours (blue, green, red, and yellow), and can cast various spells on the lords to stun them; again, they cannot kill the lords. When they are attacked by weapons, they teleport elsewhere; but a bomb blast can kill them for good.

Skeletons (スケレトンズ)
These members of the undead come in three different colours (white, red, and green), and will collapse to the ground once they have been whipped enough times or hit by a bomb; however, much like the Dry Bones from Super Mario Bros. 3, they will resurrect themselves and resume their pursuit of the lords. They tend to attack bombs in their way and set them off immediately.

Death (死神)
When the timer is down to 40 seconds, the text "DANGER!" will appear on the screen as the Grim Reaper himself (who had previously appeared in Sega's Quartet in 1986) materializes in the centre of the room, and starts chasing one of the remaining lords. Once he catches a lord, he will make that lord move slowly for a while, after which he will find a new target. If he is chasing the player, run away; if he is chasing a COM lord, take the advantage and kill that lord. Those two Kanji characters in his Japanese name also read as shinigami.

Erinyes (エリニュス)
Once the eighth castle has been conquered, the lord who has won the most rooms (and conquered the most castles) must "face off" against this witch; she attacks by rising into the air while firing laser beams down at the single lord to stun him, and you will have to whip her when she lands in order to injure her. Once you have whipped her enough times to defeat her, she will disintegrate - and the mirror at the back of the room will shatter to reveal the Princess Electra and end the game. You can now sit back and enjoy the ending sequence (some scenes in which will be specific to your lord).