Castlevania/Enemies

In addition to the six bosses, there are fifteen common enemies that will do their best to kill you. Some enemies can be defeated in a single hit with any weapon, but many will require multiple hits, and exactly how many depends on the strength of the weapon used. The Leather Whip, Holy Water, and Dagger are weak weapons, while the Chain Whip (short and long), Boomerang, and Axe are strong weapons.

Axe Knights
The axe throwing knights are one of the toughest enemies in the game, and harder than several of the early bosses. They attack with axes that they will toss either high or low. The axes will also come back after flying a distance away, exactly like Simon's Boomerangs. The best way to destroy them is to use Holy Water or Axes (from below). Whip the Axes that they throw as well so that they don't become a bother when they come back towards the Axe Knight. The Axe Knights will often back up as you approach them, making it difficult to get hits in, however if you push them off the edge of the screen, they won't come back.

Bats
Bats come in two varieties; a black bat, and a red bat. Black bats cling to the ceiling and, when you draw near, come swooping down on you. Before they reach you, prepare yourself or throw an Axe at them before they can move. Red bats fly at you moving up and down in a wave-like pattern. Because they don't fly fast, you can adjust to their wave-like motion and knock them down with your whip or simply dodge them.

Bone Snakes
These skeletal serpentine rarely appear and, despite being attached to a wall, are one of the toughest enemies in the game. They attack by shooting fireballs out of their mouth at angles, and move their bodies around erratically. Since it's anchored to the wall, you should stand as far away as you can and attack it from a distance, preferably with Boomerangs. If you have a shot multiplier, simply unleash as many Boomerangs as possible as soon as you see them, and they might die before they get a chance to attack. Bone Dragons will often leave 5 - 8 moneybags or small hearts when defeated.

Bone Towers
These towers of skulls are immobile but, at certain intervals, spit two fireballs at you. It takes several blows from your whip to destroy them and you have to time your attacks so you whip the fireballs as well. They flash before firing, so prepare for the attack. You can jump over them, however doing so will mean getting shot at from behind. Boomerangs and Holy Water are effective weapons against them, as are Axes if they are on a ledge above you.

Eagles
The eagle will only appear in a few places, always carrying Fleamen. The Fleaman will fall to the ground near you, attacking normally, until you kill it. If you kill the Eagle while it's carrying the Hunchback, both of them will be killed at the same time. It is usually easiest to ignore the bird and focus solely on the Fleamen.

Igors
Igors appear in numerous locations, either waiting for you or carried aloft by a giant Eagle. They appear to move about quite randomly like Mexican jumping beans. Their typical attack pattern is two short hops followed by a large leap. Run under their high leap and hit them as soon as they land. Don't let them get close, surround you, or gather in groups. You don't need to duck in order to hit one.

Ghosts
The souls of lost men appear in set places in a few stages. They don't move very quickly, but they try to home in on your position and often approach from odd angles. It takes at least two hits to defeat one so whip them quickly or move out of their way before they hit you.

Fish men
These weird lizard men jump out of the water, and if they touch down on ground, they will come after you and shoot fireballs. They are simple to kill, but watch out when they jump out of the water, especially when you're on the moving platforms on stage 4. Be very careful on these as you can be easily knocked off by a Fish man as it appears.

Ghouls
These are lost souls that walk trance-like straight ahead. They walk across the screen and then leave. They often appear in groups of two or three and from both sides of the screen. Because they move so slowly, you can destroy many of them with a single crack of your whip. Practically a non-issue by themselves, but they can disrupt you as you fight other enemies.

Medusas
These gorgons appear from the direction you're facing and then fly across the screen in an arc. When you encounter them, try not to turn around, or they will start coming from both directions. Jump over or walk under them to avoid them. If you intend to hit them, make sure that you time your strike so that they are on the same level as your weapon. They aren't that mush of a threat when first encountered, but later, they'll be such a pain in the butt when there are other enemies on the screen.

Panthers
Panthers patiently lie in wait until Simon gets within striking range, and then leap forward. They will drop down to lower levels if they have to and will always reorient themselves towards Simon when they do. If you have the Dagger, hit them from a distance before they start to move.

Ravens
Ravens are relatively weak, but deceptively dangerous due to their speed. When you approach them, they take off and stall for a brief moment before diving in your direction. Unlike many other enemies that dive at you, if they miss they'll quickly turn around and attempt to hit you from behind. Beware of these creatures as they may not fully leave the screen when you expect them to, and they may prepare for another strike. Try to kill them from a distance with an Axe or Dagger before they leave their perch.

Red Skeletons
Red Skeletons are enchanted skeletons that can't be killed. When you hit one it will collapse into a pile of bones, but it will rise again shortly after, mush like Dry Bones from Super Mario Brothers 3. Whip them and move on before they have a chance to get up and continue walking. Keep an eye on them as you can find yourself surrounded by enemies after you pass by them.

Skeletons
Skeletons are quick, jump around a lot, and attack by tossing bones at you in an arc, but they are still pretty simple to kill, unless they are on an inaccessible ledge above you. They will often throw two or three bones at onces, all in a different pattern.

Spear Knights
Spear Knights wander around back and forth, but do not attack by striking. The Spear Knights will be the first non-boss enemy that you cannot destroy with one strike. Since it might turn back towards you at any time, avoid approaching one from close range while it's walking away, especially after you drop down or jump from a platform. Due to their slowness, Holy Water is very effective against them, as are Boomerangs.

Comparison Table
Default sorting of the table below is by gained points, that is related to the strength of the enemy.