Super Castlevania IV/Gameplay

Choose to start a new game or enter a password. The controls are customizable from the Options screen.

When a new game is started, you'll be prompted to enter a name. Remember the name you choose, because it will be required each time you enter a password to continue your game.

Each time you run out of lives in the game, you'll be prompted to continue or receive the password. You can continue an unlimited number of times, but you'll have to restart at the first block of your current stage. Each password consists of a sixteen-digit grid containing a combination of symbols, like in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.

Items and power-ups

 * Heart: As with the previous games, hearts serve as ammunition for your secondary weapon. A small heart gives one, while a big heart gives five.
 * Whip Upgrade: Makes Simon's whip more powerful; the first one increases the damage, and the second one makes it longer.
 * Meat: Restores Simon's health. A small one gives five bars of health, while a big one gives ten.
 * Double/Triple Shot: Increases the amount of secondary weapons that can be on the screen, allowing Simon to use his secondary weapon more liberally.
 * Cross: Kills all enemies on-screen. (Extremely rare)
 * Subweapons: Secondary weapons that are all unique and useful in their own ways.
 * Dagger: The most basic subweapon. It fires straight forward and can hit one target before disappearing.
 * Cross (Subweapon): When thrown, it travels a small distance forward, and then comes back to Simon. The boomerang is slow, but can be extremely powerful if it is spammed effectively.
 * Holy Water: Creates a flame on the ground, burning anything that touches it. While it no longer freezes enemies, it now does a lot more damage. It can kill ground-based bosses in mere seconds if used well.
 * Stopwatch: The stopwatch is just as impractical as always, being the only subweapon that takes five hearts instead of one. It freezes all enemies very briefly, but does not protect Simon from collision damage or other hazards. It also does not work on bosses. Still, there are a few situations where it is useful.
 * Orb: Appears after the stage's main boss is defeated. Collect it to complete the stage.

Hard Mode
After completing the game once, wait for the credits to finish rolling, then press. Simon will be thrown back into Stage I to redo the entire adventure, but this time with more enemies.