Castlevania/Bosses

Vampire Bat
The simplest way to defeat the Vampire Bat is to use the Axe that you receive from the candle a few screens back, and toss them at the bat. 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 to 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 can't use the Axe, the Stop Watch is a nice alternative. Wait for the Vampire Bat to swoop in, use the Stop Watch, and whip it until it unfreezes.

Second Boss - Queen Medusa
The Holy Water is the weapon of choice against Queen Medusa. You can get one near the beginning of stage 4. She will burst out of the statue in the center of the room. Stand to the right of it and wait for her to appear. When she arrives, start tossing the Holy Water at her, which will freeze her in place. Keep tossing and whipping and she will be defeated quickly. The Stop Watch works in a similar manner. Use it to freeze her and then whip her repeatedly. If you don't have either of those weapons, the Boomerang will also suffice, provided you have double or triple shot. If not, you will likely get hit by the Snakes Queen Medusa drops. Wait in the corner and toss Boomerangs at her, whipping her when she gets too close.

Third Boss - Mummies
As tempting as it might be to hit the lowest block of the left staircase to reveal the pot roast and regain your strength, it might be better to leave that block alone. You can stand on the block instead and use the height to your advantage. With all of the weapons recommended here you should draw them close to you and then whip them. The Holy Water is weapon of choice against the Mummies; douse them with 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. It has longer range therefore you won't have to remain as close as you normally would.

The last choice is your whip. Crouch and whip them when they are close enough. Retreat to the higher blocks when they get too close. One final method is to leave the low block intact and hit the Mummies from the ground. Keep the Mummies on one side, not surrounding 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 to strike them until they are both destroyed.

Fourth Boss - Frankenstein's Monster
Frankenstein is the first relatively difficult boss. Frankenstein is not the one that you have to worry about, it's his partner, Igor. If you know how to avoid Igor and it's fireballs you can defeat Frankenstein easily. Igot will generally hop forward while it's in the middle of the screen and jump high when it reaches the platforms in the corners. Hide on the inside edge of the platforms to avoid it.

Be prepared to move around since it won't follow this pattern completely. Frankenstein might get in the way but he usually remains 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 possibly 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 ¼ to almost ⅓ 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. Other weapons are not as effective as the Boomerang or Holy Water. 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
Like Frankenstein before, Death does not attack Simon directly, but rather relies on the scythes that he creates. Up to three of them can appear, moving slowly, but they do quite a bit of damage—four bars of health per hit. 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 may float to your position. Death is vulnerable to the Holy Water. If you have Holy Water, stand on the right edge of the center platform and wait for him to appear and start throwing vials 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 near-guarantee your victory. The jump and throw method is just as effective if you're uncomfortable with standing on the edge. Unfortunately, if Death breaks out of the stun and floats above the platform, Holy Water becomes useless.

A good alternate weapon 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, which you will always find in the stage 14. It has more range than the Axe but you will have to jump around and toss them to hit the scythes and Death. Keep your distance as best as you can and throw them. The whip is difficult to use since you will have to get close to Death and the scythes in order to hit them. Don't bother using it unless it's in combination with one of the secondary weapons. 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
When you arrive in Dracula's chamber, collect the contents of the candles except for the last one on the far left side, which contains the Holy Water. You may wish to save that weapon in order to help you finish off Dracula later on. Wait until he rises from his coffin and stops flashing before you attack him. The only vulnerable location on Dracula's body is his head. Hitting any other part of his body will have no effect. As a result, only two weapons are effective against him: the Boomerang or the whip. Holy Water isn't effective against him in this form.

Wait for Dracula to reappear in the room. If he appears 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 and simply whip the fireballs instead. You can follow the same strategy with the Boomerang but bear in mind that they move slower. Stay in motion so as to avoid getting hit when Dracula teleports back into the room. After you remove his last bar of health, his head will fly off. At that moment, you can either claim the Holy Water from the candle or continue to use the Boomerang. Holy Water will simplify the remainder of the fight.

When Dracula reemerges in his new demonic form, toss the Holy Water at him and then start whipping him continuously. He will attempt to jump toward you but you should keep him stunned long enough to take 2 or 3 bars off of him before he manages to break out. When this occurs, back up and continue pummeling him with Holy Water and your whip until he is finally defeated.