Castlevania II: Simon's Quest/Bodley Mansion

After two relatively short chapters, the trip to Bodley Mansion may seem long. It's also made more difficult by the appearance of new enemies, and the increased strength of old ones. You will be getting a new whip soon, which will help you considerably.

Town of Aldra
''Note: If you arrive at nighttime, don't waste time standing around waiting for dawn to arrive. Proceed to the Storigoi Graveyard and return here when you are finished.''

The Town of Aldra is quite large. Taking time to explore all of it will cost you precious minutes that you might not be able to afford. Aside from the church, the top level contains little of interest, and the middle level is devoid of features. You should still have one Garlic and one Laurel left, so the only other noteworthy aspect of town is the Red Crystal trader near the bottom. If you're low on health (and you might be if you fought Death in the last mansion) head straight for the church, otherwise simply talk to the trader and continue on to Sadam Woods.

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Sadam Woods
The first thing you'll encounter are Slimes, which are difficult to fight outdoors since they don't have a ceiling to leap to. They can't whipped if they're on the ground, even if you crouch, so you have to hit them when they jump. You can also use the Sacred Flame fairly effectively, but watch your Hearts. The Bone Dragons aren't difficult, just remember that you aren't shielded as you walk towards them and the Slimes will probably return and attack from behind as you fight the Dragons.

In the next screen, you'll see Skeletons and the Kagidume. While the Kagidume attack in a similar manner to Skeletons, they are much more powerful so don't let them close in on you. The path splits here. Beyond Sadam Woods is the next Town of Ondol. However, the lower path leads to Storigoi Graveyard, which is worth investigating first. Descend the stairs, but toss out Holy Waters as you walk along the platforms to discover the false floors. If you fall through the lower platform, you will land in the poisonous marsh.

Storigoi Graveyard
The graveyard does not start out very challenging, with just Hands and Skeletons attacking you. Soon, a few Slimes will appear. Use Sacred Flames to defeat them quickly and do not backtrack, or they will reappear. When you reach the far left end of the graveyard, where you can proceed no further, drop a clove of Garlic and an old man will appear. Talk with him and he will present you with the. Once you have it, retrace your steps and return to Sadam Woods.

In order to return to the upper path, you'll have to use a Laurel to get through the marsh unscathed, and the two Skeletons at the top of the stairs can be difficult to dodge. If you are low on health, or have not received the Red Crystal from the trader in town, head east back to Aldra. Otherwise continue to the left. After a final section of woods occupied by nothing but Slimes, you'll reach the Town of Ondol.

Town of Ondol
Althoug Ondol is similar in size to Aldra, it contains even less useful features, not even a church. However, the few points of interest it does contain are more important. If you visited and returned from Storigoi Graveyard, you should be out of Laurels at this point. A quick stop in door B will allow you to buy two more for 50 hearts (you must throw Holy Water against the back wall two times to find the merchant). Don't buy anymore than this for now. Of even greater use is door A. Behind this door, a hole in the floor is already prepared for you so you don't have to make one yourself. Climb down the stairs and talk to the merchant, and he will offer to sell you a Morning Star for 200 Hearts. By all means, purchase this whip. When you have both items, you are ready to leave. Exit the town through the west side to visit Deborah Cliff.

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Deborah Cliff
Deborah Cliff is found far to the left of Ondol. With the power of the Morning Star, the Mummies and Ghosts should be easy enough to kill. Do not let them surround you. Shortly after, you'll encounter more hovering blocks over the water, but you need only cross three of them. Remember to time your jumps as the blocks are rising and you'll be able to leap farther than usual. Beyond the blocks, you will encounter the imposing surface of the cliff. There is a clue book hidden in the ground just before the cliff at location A. You have heard tales of people passing beyond its impossible heights. Read the spoiler below to learn how.

Once you figure out the method of passing the cliff, you will arrive right in front of the entrance to Bodley Mansion.

''Note: While it is not required, you are only a few steps away from upgrading your whip to the most powerful whip in the game. If you like, you may wish to visit the Uta Lower Road and upgrade to the Flame Whip, and then return to tackle Bodley Mansion. Note, however, that this will take some time to accomplish. Other players bypass Bodley Mansion, complete Laruba Mansion first, and tackle Bodley Mansion on their way back, which is acceptable to do.''

Bodley Mansion
When you arrive in the mansion, you'll be attacked by a Armor. Head left past the Skeleton, and stop in front of the wall (location G). From here, if you happen to have an bought from previous mansion, you can ignore the long journey to the merchant in this mansion, and simply take the detour of passing the fake wall and move right. Otherwise, you must move up several flights of stairs, while watching out for false floors. Use Holy Water to detect false floors, and be extra careful, as the Slimes can jump through false floors to get to you. When you reach the top, head right and stick to the upper platforms. You will appear to reach a dead-end. However, if you test the walls with Holy Water, you will find that the upper region of the higher wall (location A) is fake, so you are free to jump through it.

On the other side of the wall, make your way down by jumping out to the walls so that you don't land on Skeletons. You will reach what appears to be another dead-end, but you will know better. Break the wall to your right (location B) to continue on your way through the mansion. This happens to be a good region to walk back and forth through in order to advance Simon to level 4, although this requires 250 experience points, so it may take some patience. Once you reach the stairs, head up and walk left for a Clue Book (location C) or simply proceed to the very bottom.

When you reach the bottom, you may notice that you can see part of the screen to your left. Once again, what appears to be a dead-end is not. Test the left wall, and you will notice that you can jump through location D to walk along the ceiling of the lower portion of the mansion. If you continue left, you will encounter the mansion merchant at location E who will sell you a for 50 hearts. Pick one up, and then proceed to the left where you will drop through a false floor. From here, drop down to the floor and walk all the way to the right to location F, where you will find the Crystal Ball containing.

It is impossible to retrace your steps in order to exit the mansion, but your means of escape is actually quite short. Return to the left, and ascend the two sets of stairs that you find. You'll be able to get return to the first section of the mansion by passing through the opening on the left. You must pass over a set of ledges above the water. By activating Dracula's Nail, you can break the higher blocks with the whip and avoid jumping into the spiked ceiling. Alternatively, you can simply go up the stairs and across the highest platform. Once you are past the water, jump through the fake wall on the left (location G) and you'll be near the entrance. Walk left to escape.