Castlevania/Stages 13 - 15

The enemy threat is at its greatest; you will lose four bars of health for every collision, which mean you can only sustain four hits. Learning how to manipulate your foes in this section is essential. Fierce Axe Knights will await you at key intervals. Red Skeletons will refuse to stay dead after you knock them down and Fleamen roam freely through the halls, making a general nuisance of themselves. Using every trick in the book, you'll survive this area, only to reach the guardian: Death.

Stage 13

There are no difficult jumps to overcome in this hall, but you will be presented with the Red Skeletons. While you can knock them down with a crack from your whip, they won't stay down for long. After a second or two, they rise back up to their feet and resume their slow enchanted pursuit of you. Keep moving.

Notes

Don't miss the opportunity to collect the Pot Roast

1. Right off the bat, there will be two Fleamen just waiting to jump on you as soon as you arrive. If you still have the Boomerang or Holy Water, throw it immediately, and you won't have to worry about them at all. Otherwise, approach them slowly and look for an opportunity to strike. If they get close, let them jump over you, and hit them on the other side.
2. You'll have to contend with bone throwing Skeletons while you try to climb the steps. They will always try to position themselves at the best distance to hit you, and you can use that to your advantage. "Push" them out of the way by manipulating them to a place where they won't be able to harm you while you climb the stairs. The Axe will also make short work of them.
3. After climbing down the stairs, hit the block in the lower right corner of the upper platforms to reveal a Shot Multiplier. Than get ready for a long walk through a floor infested with Red Skeletons and Hunchbacks. Use your Holy Water against the Hunchbacks, if you have it.
4. After the arduous trip through this stage, whip the block at the start of the platform near the end to find much needed relief in the form of a Pot Roast. Collect it to restore your health before you go on.

Stage 14

Axe Knights begin appearing in large numbers once you reach this stage. In fact, there are two right at the start. Deal with them patiently, and learn the timing of their axe throws. Remember that they can throw high or low, so whip accordingly. No matter how strong they look, they will never attempt to get too close to you. Use this fact to your advantage and push them off screen when possible.

Notes

Land on this platform from up above to reveal a bonus

1. Two Axe Knights are present to greet you as you enter this stage. There are tricks that you can use on these two to minimize the amount of conflict between you. The lowest Axe Knight can be literally pushed off the screen. Just keep advancing on him until you are up against the right side of the screen. The low Axe Knight will not return. The high Axe Knight is another story, but if you still have Holy Water, you can throw it on the edge of the platform that he stands on, then walk to the right so that he walks right over the fire. He will die after two or three of these. Otherwise just push him off the screen and continuously whip until he dies. Be careful not to take the Axe in the candle unless you really want it.
2. After climbing back down to the floor, you will have to deal with another Axe Knight. Once he's taken care of, climb up to the top and whip the left side of the upper wall to reveal a Shot Multiplier that will come in handy.
3. One more Axe Knight stands on the high ledge between you and the exit. Before you tackle him, jump up to the high platform and walk to the right, and jump down to the otherwise unreachable small platform. Squat down to reveal a bonus money bag directly below.

Stage 15

In order to reach the guardian of this leg of the castle, you will have to deal with a series of Bone Towers as you climb the steps to the final hallway. To make matters worse, a series of Axe Knights patrol the floor while small Medusa Heads fly by constantly. It is truly a difficult challenge.

Notes

Grab this hidden food before you face the boss

1. Be prepared to deal with the Bone Towers as soon as you reach this stage. Remember the strategies that you used earlier, and whip them when they're not breathing fire. Whip the fireballs that they spit at you, or jump over them. Holy Water is still an effective weapon against these stationary menaces.
2. If you sustained a lot of damage in this section of the stage, never fear; there is a Pot Roast hidden in the wall behind the final stairway up to the next section. Collect it to restore your health before you move on.
3. In order to survive this final hallway, you must rely on slow and steady progress. Between the Axe Knights and the Medusa heads, you will have your hands full. If you want, you can attempt to "push" the Axe Knights all the way to Death's chamber, but that's really not recommended as you can become overwhelmed by the axes. Instead, use a secondary weapon like Holy Water or the Boomerang to defeat them. The Boomerang is also effective against the Medusa heads as well. Even if you didn't arrive with a Shot Multiplier, it's possible to pick some up before your fight with Death if you use your secondary weapon effectively.

A Grim Reaper

See the bosses section for more.

Death is known for his harvests of souls. If you don't want to be added to his collection, attack his wickedly sharp sickles first using your whip. Death himself is rather slow, but he is stronger than anything else you've faced. Using the Axe or Boomerang while jumping between the ledges is one strategy, but throwing Holy Water from the center platform is even better. In fact, if you begin throwing them before he even arrives, and maintain a continuous assault, he may never even have a chance to get into position and summon his sickles. You can destroy him before he ever attacks, but you must be quick!