Castlevania II: Simon's Quest/Braham Mansion

Having traveled as far to the east as he is able, Simon must now turn around and head west. Before heading back, make sure you have purchased some Laurels, then make your way to the Town of Jova. From there, the way to Braham Mansion is relatively short, but you must rely on a particular artifact to find your way there.

''Note: For those who are trying to complete the game as early as possible, some players kill off their remaining lives, get a password, reset the game and input the password. This starts you off in the Town of Jova immediately, although at the expense of any hearts and experience points you had earned.''

Belasco Marsh
Belasco Marsh is the region immediately to the left of Jova. It becomes immediately apparent why it is not recommended to visit this marsh early in the game. As soon as you arrive, two double-headed lizards will advance towards you, spewing fireballs as they approach. After you take care of them, wolves will lunge at you from the platforms. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to squat down to attack these low lying enemies. Across the platform, you'll see a long marsh. In order to safely cross it, you must first utilize one of your Laurels. Not only will you be invulnerable to the poison and enemies, but you can move through the marsh at normal speed. The Laurel wears off very quickly, so don't waste time fighting the Mudmen or the leech at the end. Cross the marsh and you'll make it to the other side just before the effects of the Laurel wears off.

Dead River
After dispatching some more double heads, you will reach the east shore of the Dead River. There, a ferryman greets you with cold silence. If you speak with him, he will ominously agree to take you across the river to the opposite shore. As he ferries you across, Mermen will not hesitate to jump out of the water in an effort to attack you. Half way across the lake, the scene will change, and you will arrive on the other bank. After one more short fight, you will arrive at the Town of Aldra, which contains a church and makes a good destination if you are in need of healing.

However, the Town of Aldra is not quite Simon's next goal. First he needs to find a way to convince the ferryman to take him to an alternate location. It will take a special object to persuade him to deviate from his regular route. Read the spoiler below to learn his secret.

Dead River alternate
After successfully convincing the ferryman to take you somewhere special, he will row his ferry upstream a short distance to take you to a long abandoned location. You will still have to watch out for Merman popping out of the water, and two double heads waiting for you upon your arrival. The location that you arrive at is the docks below Braham Mansion itself. Walk one screen to the left, and you arrive at the front doors. Before investigating the mansion, it's worth exploring the short distance to the left first.

Dead River crossing
On the other side of Braham Mansion is a continuation of the Dead River. However, this location has a peculiar aspect to it. Simon must cross this portion of the river without the aid of the ferryman. In order to do so, he must pay attention to the rhythm and momentum of the blocks. Just as you discovered in Berkeley Mansion, Simon is heavily influenced by the motion of hovering platforms. If he jumps while they are rising, he jumps higher than usual. Conversely, if he jumps while they are sinking, he jumps lower. In general, Simon must jump while each block is rising in order to make the leap across the gaps over the water. There is one exception: when Simon reaches two blocks that are very close together, Simon must jump from the first to the second while the first block is descending. If you successfully make it to the opposite bank, continue west.

Jam Wasteland
The Jam Wasteland may be your introduction to several strong enemies that you have never seen before, including relentless hawks, hovering ghosts, powerful mummies, fire breathing plants, and disembodied medusa heads. The sight of all these new enemies may seem alarming, but with the chain whip, they are generally no more difficult to face than any of the monsters you've faced previously. That being said, you may not wish to visit the wasteland at night if you are low on health.

Proceed left through the area, until you reach the cliff (an extension of Deborah Cliff), and you find a cloaked man at location A. Talk with him, and he will bestow upon you the weapon. The odd weapon can come in handy in contained locations. Having collected the diamond, it's time to return to Braham Mansion and collect the part of Dracula contained within. If you are low on life, cross the Dead River and talk to the ferryman without Dracula's Heart equipped and he'll take you to a town where you can rest.

Braham Mansion
Unlike the previous mansion, this mansion will require you to walk through a majority of it in order to complete it. What's more, there is no shortcut to take in order to return. If that weren't enough, you will be facing your first boss battle in this mansion. It is best to come prepared. Even with the Chain Whip, it will take two strikes to defeat most of the enemies that you face here. Do not expect to plow your way through the mansion without any resistance.

From the entrance, avoid the spikes and approach the stairs to the right. Note the spear wielding Armor above you. He paces back and forth over a narrow portion of the platform. That's because the floor directly above the middle set of spikes is false. Continue climbing stairs until you must proceed to the left, climb two more flights, and return to the right. As you climb the stairs, carefully monitor the movements of the enemies on the floors above you. Climb up the next two flights, attacking the skeletons as you arrive. At the top, you will encounter a devil. Since devils drop large hearts, you can pace back and forth here to increase your heart count and experience points. It's not a bad idea to attempt to reach level three in this mansion.

To the left of the high platform, you can find a hint book at location B, but you'll have to drop down and cycle around to collect it. To collect the book, you must stand on the ledge above facing left, jump in the air, and toss Holy Water so that it falls through the gap and down to the blocks below.

From the top level, proceed to the right when you are ready. In the next room, two devils occupy the platform below you. It's a good idea to utilize some alternate weapon such as the Sacred Flame or the Diamond to remove them before heading down the stairs. Toss another Flame from the stairs to kill the Armor waiting below. Jump over the spikes throw Holy Water against the right wall of the pit to get the second Clue Book in the mansion at location C. Then return left, back into the main area of the mansion.

In the next room, it's a wise idea to use flame against the Armor that stands between you and the merchant across the room. Once the Armor is defeated, approach the merchant at location D and invest in an, then continue down. Avoid dropping straight down, or you'll hit an Armor waiting below. Instead kill the one on the ledge with Flames or Holy Water and then jump over and down on the right side. Watch out for Slimes as you head down the stairs and then go through the door to the right. You'll pass through a low hallway with three bats that are easy to ignore, but are a good source for hearts.

Death

 * For more, see the Bosses page.

Death can be somewhat challenging when you face him for the first time. Your reward for defeating him is a mystical. However, it's not mandatory to defeat him and collect the knife; if you don't want it, just walk under him and go through the door on the right. You can try using the Diamond against him, but since it's a weak weapon and somewhat unpredictable, it's often best to cross below him and lure him close to floor where he will be more susceptible to the Sacred Flame. Once he is low enough to the ground, the pillars of flame will rise up and burn him, as well as hold him in position while you whip him. Once you are able to prevent his movement with flames, it won't be long until he is defeated. Grab your prize and head to the right to find the Crystal Ball.

Afterwards
Break the Crystal Ball to get. It's use is apparent if you have not collected any of the Clue Books. Generally speaking, the rib is still more practical as a shield. Begin your return to the mansion entrance, and ignore the reappearance of Death as you get nothing more for defeating him repeatedly. Head back up the stairs, and into the side room. You can choose to buy another in order to save time in later mansions. Once again, be very careful when approaching the pair of devils in the small contained area. Return to the top of the main area. You may wish to utilize the left side of the mansion to return to the bottom, so walk all the way to the left and drop down. The wall to the right is fake, and you can pass through it. Continue your way down the stairs to the bottom and then head out.