Vampire Killer/Walkthrough

Overview & Terminology (Introduction)
This walkthrough will cover Stages 1 through 18 of MSX2 Vampire Killer, describing how to beat the first loop of the game via text descriptions, detailed Stage maps, and screenshots of various key details.

Like in NES Castlevania, the 18 Stages of Vampire Killer are grouped into six sets of three, and you’ll fight one of the game’s six Bosses at the end of every third Stage. Although the Stages themselves are exploration-based, none are skippable, which keeps the game pretty linear.

Right away as you enter Dracula’s Castle, the differences between Vampire Killer and other "Classicvania" games will quickly become apparent. Each Stage is a relatively open area, in which you need to locate a Silver Key to progress through the locked door to the next Stage. The locations of all 18 Silver Keys have been noted with separate screenshots, location coordinates, and descriptions on how to obtain them.

Stage maps are laid out in spreadsheet-like grids, with letters across the top and numbers down the side to make it easier to describe routes through Stages and item locations. Elements on the maps have been labeled to provide more information to those using this guide. Most labels, like item icons on candles, Chests, and Merchants, are self-explanatory – a few other, less inherently clear icons are shown below:

As a side note, unlabeled candles on the provided Stage maps contain either a single Small Heart or nothing at all.

Without further ado, let’s get started!