************************************************* HAUNTED CASTLE version "K" 1988 C KONAMI Compiled by Larry "Fyreseel" Aldrich 4-6-2003 ************************************************* TABLE OF CONTENTS- Just read the damn thing; its not that long! ^_^ But... for those of you who want to get on with your lives, here's the content- 1) - A little history 2) - Some base Preparations 3) - Weapons and Subweapons 4) - Enemy Encyclopedia 5) - Bustificate the bosses! 6) - Gameplay Strategies 7) - Q&A 8) - Thankies Greetings! Welcome to the Haunted Castle FAQ. If you are reading this, you are either A) Bored B) Very pissed at this game C) A Castlevania freak who wants to know EVERYTHING about every Castlevania ever made, even the not-so-well-known Haunted Castle 1)************************************************** A Little History- Haunted Castle is an arcade adaptation of Konami's mega-successful Castlevania series. The game play is the exact same as the NES version, save for the fact that this game can make you rip your hair out in very large clumps. This has remastered versions of a few classic Castlevania songs (Bloody Tears being the highlight of this) and borrows gameplay elements from the NES versions. Be prepared for one helluva trip, as this one will chew you up and spit you out if you aren't a Castlevania master. 2)************************************************** Some base preparations- Ok. If you are losing around 4 health per hit and you haven't found any subweapons or hearts, you have version "M". Version M is the masochists playground. If you are playing in the arcade, ask you operator to be a kind, gentle soul and turn the damage to small and the difficulty to easy. Don't think any less of yourself for doing so - it's THAT hard. Even with the damage adjustments, you'll be hard pressed to beat this game. For the MAMEers out there, simply download version "K" from your favorite emulation site and make the said adjustments. This game becomes QUITE enjoyable when you make it actually playable. I would say the Castlevania it represents the closest would be Dracula X on SNES. You have been warned. ^_^ 3)************************************************** Weapons and Subweapons- I guess you could call this a first for the series (seeing as it's the first one to have the option to use another main weapon), but this game has 3 main weapons you can use when found. ____________________________ VAMPIRE KILLER- FIRST FOUND:(Start weapon) DAMAGE:1hp damage Excellent range, poor damage. Start with this, but you won't have it for too long, thankfully. RATING: 5/10 ____________________________ MORNING STAR- FIRST FOUND:First dropped by 3rd bat in Stage 2 DAMAGE: 2hp damage Less range than the Vampire Killer, but it does nice damage. Will be your workhorse until Stage 3, despite its goofy appearance. RATING: 7/10 ____________________________ HOLY SWORD- FIRST FOUND:First dropped by ghost at the top of stairs in Stage 3 DAMAGE:3hp damage This is your last upgrade... and the last one you'll need. Slight range improvement over Morning Star, and looks less goofy, too. That's a plus. RATING: 10/10 Here are the subweapons at your disposal. Subweapon usage is up+attack button. ____________________________ BOMB- COST: 1 heart FIRST FOUND: Lone skeleton on the bridge before Medusa in Stage 1 DAMAGE: 4hp damage Think of it as a toned down holy water. This is the first weapon you find, and it's really only useful against Medusa, the Stage 1 boss. Short range, not spectacular. RATING: 4/10 ____________________________ BLADERANG- COST: 1 heart FIRST FOUND: Second skeleton at the start of Stage 2 (He won't be infested with a spirit) DAMAGE: 3hp damage This is a rather straightforward weapon; and by that, I mean it goes straight, and only forward. You can usually score 2 hits before the weapon passes through an enemy, but why the hell doesn't it come back? >.o Nice weapon to have, but there's better. RATING: 6/10 ____________________________ POCKETWATCH- COST: 2 hearts FIRST FOUND: Bat at the top of staircase after platform jumps in Stage 2 DAMAGE: N/A This is the item you've always wanted but only got it's weaker brother in other CV games. Costs 2 freaking hearts! Only 2!!! Freezes enemies as well as bosses, and lasts a good 4 seconds. This gives you one hell of an edge in the later levels, and is great all around. RATING: 9/10 ____________________________ CROSS COST: 1 heart FIRST FOUND: Hunchback before 2nd Chandelier in Stage 3 DAMAGE: 4hp damage Works like the Bladerang, but shoots silhouetted crosses in packs of 2. That is to say, if you jump while firing this off, one group will fly high while the others stay low. Excellent weapon, but it has a massive downfall; you CANNOT swing your main weapon while there are still crosses on the screen. You will just hold the cross out in front of you while the surrounding enemies beat the living hell out of you. Other than that, it is the weapon you will use to kill every boss from Stage 3 onward if you're smart. Usually gives 2-3 hits. RATING: 8/10 ____________________________ TORCH: COST: 1 heart FIRST FOUND: One of the pieces of floating silverware in Stage 3 will drop this. DAMAGE: 4hp damage Works exactly like holy water, except it doesn't freeze bosses. Limited range, and hunchbacks always seem to jump over the fire. Not a great weapon to have. Stick with the cross or watch. RATING: 5/10 One MAJOR BLESSING in this game is that the SAME enemy will drop hearts no matter how many times you've played through; the same bat will always have a big heart, the same skeleton will always have the cross, etc. 4)*************************************************** Enemy Encyclopedia It would be a good idea to read up on this before tackling the game. The enemy patterns are predictable and easy to follow, but they can be tricky if you're not prepared. But then again, that's why you're reading this, right? ^_^ ____________________________ SKELETON HP:2 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: Every-freaking-where ATTACK: Throws bone, walks at you mindlessly The footsoldier in Drac's army. Beware the bones; underestimating a slow moving walking target is a bad idea. Yes, that was sarcasm. DIFFICULTY:2/10 ____________________________ BAT HP:1 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: Every Stage that ends in a number ATTACK: Flies at you The bane of all jumping Belmonts, the bats are usually placed (surprise) at places where a tricky jump is required. Also, they can appear at random. Use your whip/sword or cross to blast these little pests to hell again. DIFFICULTY: 3/10 ____________________________ RAVEN HP:1 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: Stage 1, 4 ,5 ATTACK: Flies in random patterns These are mean. They fly at you in odd patterns, just be aware of when they CAW! That's when they attack. DIFFICULTY: 4/10 ____________________________ TREE GOLEM HP:6 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: Stage 1 ATTACK: Pops out from tree to attack you These show up right after the flaming mess caused by the falling brazier in Stage 1. Whip them 6 times to shut em up. DIFFICULTY: 3/10 ____________________________ ZOMBIE HP:2 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: Stage 1 and 2 ATTACK: Walks at you slowly like skeletons These blood covered freaks walk toward you like skeletons, but they won't throw bones. When you see a headstone collapse, be prepared to smoke 4 zombies. DIFFICULTY: 1/10 ____________________________ INFESTED SKELETON HP:2/?? DAMAGE:1/1 ATTACK:Normal skeleton attack/Flying spirit strike!!! ACK! I hate these. It looks like a normal skeleton 'till ya smack 'em down. Listen for the telltale cackle, then be sure to distance yourself a bit away (About 3 character spaces) and duck. I don't try to kill these coz there's no point really. DIFFICULTY:1/10 - 5/10 ____________________________ SNAKE PILLAR HP:12 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: Stage 2 ATTACK: Weave around, spit fireballs These big pythons will fire shots at you randomly, but if you use a pocketwatch, they're tame as hell. If not, the fireballs can be destroyed or jumped over. DIFFICULTY: 5/10 ____________________________ MUD GOLEM HP:4 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: At the top of staircase in Stage 2 after killing the first Snake Pillar ATTACK: Walking at you, body double These enemies wouldn't be so bad if their top half wouldn't slough off and become an exact copy! The body double comes off at a diagonal downwards angle TOWARD you, so make sure you create some breathing room with either the pocketwatch or the bladerang. DIFFICULTY: 4/10 _____________________________ HUNCHBACK HP:4 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: From Stage 3 onward ATTACK: running at you, leaping into your face, just being general @$$holes GRR! These are the demons that will pester you throughout your quest from Stage 3 onward. The worst part is, even with the sword they take 2 hits! >.< The angle they jump at you, you sometimes can't hit them. Pain in the neck all the way, use a cross or pocketwatch to shut them down. DIFFICULTY: 7/10 ______________________________ HARPY HP:4 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: Spirit realm in the middle of floor one on Stage 3 ATTACK: Floating down on you slowly at ridiculous angles They float down on you and cause general havoc. I am very grateful that you only fight three of these in the whole freaking game. Jump and pop them one at a time, then jump and pop them again. If you have the cross, use that on them for a great equalizer. DIFFICULTY: 8/10 ______________________________ RANDOM FLOATING SILVERWARE HP:1 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: On the dinner table in Stage 3 ATTACK: Floating down at you at weird angles (AUTHOR'S NOTE: What the hell is up with Stage 3 and weird angles? In Stages 4 and 5 and even 6 for the love of god... everything is nice and even. Only Stage 3 requires a freaking Trigonometry major.) These little bastards float down to stab you. Only the fork gets me, though. I hate that @$%^ing fork. And it usually drops a freaking torch, on top of all that. Jump, whip/slice, rinse, repeat. Or use your trusy cross and bypass that whole charade entirely. DIFFICULTY: 6/10 _______________________________ AXE KNIGHT HP:5 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: Stage 3, 5 ATTACK: Throw axes, use chainaxe These big mofros will take a little patience. Be sure to strike from a ducking position, just like every other Castlevania ever made. His chainaxe will fly over you, as will any axes he tosses. DIFFICULTY: 6/10 _______________________________ FLYING GHOST HP:4 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: Stage 3, 5 ATTACK: Flies around and causes general havoc with your jumping God these suck! Throw out a cross or two to knock him outta the air. Be sure to kill the first one you see for the only weapon you'll ever need! DIFFICULTY: 6/10 _______________________________ EYEBALLS HP:1 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: Stage 3 at top of stairs, Stage 4, Stage 5 ATTACK: Uses more of that damned Trigonometry to attack from above. You'll see eyes on the wall.... then one will pop out and drop on you. It bounces, and the way it's usually set up, you have no choice but to get smacked once or twice. Stop UNDER it, wait for one to pop out, hit it, then run like hell. The problem is, you usually get smacked around by hunchbacks while you wait. -.- DIFFICULTY: 8/10 _______________________________ MUMMY HP:4 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: Stage 4 ATTACK: Walk at ya, throw bandages in a straight line (Low or high) They camp in a coffin 'till you get close, then they'll pop out of their coffin to attack. They'll throw a band-aid first, then walk at you mindlessly. Pretty standard Castlevania fare, except you dont have to hit these 16 times to kill them. >.o DIFFICULTY: 6/10 _______________________________ BLOODY SKULL HP:4 DAMAGE:1 FOUND: Stage 5 ATTACK: Fly at you in a line pattern, kinda like a non-annoying Medusa head. Just smack these things until they die. They fly in a pretty straight pattern, and aren't terribly hard to dodge. DIFFICULTY: 3/10 5)************************************************** Bustificate the bosses!!! These bosses range from extremely difficult to simple to downright dissappointing (Dracula). ________________________________ Stage 1- Medusa ATTACKS: Snake spit, rush This boss can ruin your attempt if you aren't careful. She shoots small runner snakes that can smack you if you don't jump; these snakes can't be whipped. The best strategy to use is to time Medusa's snake shooting so you can throw a Bomb just as she throws out a snake so you can both hit her and destroy the snake. A little tricky, but after a couple of tries (It will probably take a couple of tries) you will have this boss licked. ________________________________ Stage 2- Skeledragon ATTACKS: Fireballs, flying at you Two things- Stockpile some hearts, and make sure you have the pocketwatch. If you have this met, then just use the pocketwatch when the boss is at standing level, and then smack him in the head till he drops! He'll fall in no time flat. If you don't HAVE any hearts or missed the pocketwatch, then just be sure to jump over or whip the fireballs and stay away from his head; that's the only spot that can harm you. ________________________________ Stage 3- Stained Glass Knight ATTACKS: Sword swing, jump attack By the time you get here, you should have the cross and the sword. Easy. If you DONT have the cross, then be sure to pay attention to the Hunchbacks that will be harassing you from all sides as the boss jumps around. Walk under him when he jumps and be sure you have enough room to deal with the Hunchbacks. This boss goes down pretty quickly, but just beware the Hunchbacks! ________________________________ Stage 4- Stone Golem ATTACKS: Arm shot, punch attack Stage 4 boss = Definition of cheap. This boss can shoot arm shots made of stone at levels where you can't jump over them; you'll have to eat a hit on more than one occasion. Your best bet is the pocketwatch or the cross; the bladerang is a suitable substitute in a pinch. If you can help it, DONT try to swing your sword/whip at this boss; the boss will retreat up and away out of range, making it harder to dodge the arm shots. Hit his head repeatedly to overcome this monument to cheapness. ________________________________ Stage 5- Frankenstein ATTACKS: Block dropper He's chained to the wall so he himself poses no real danger. However, he drops blocks from the ceiling! You CAN destroy them, but it takes a lot of hits. Luckily, a skeleton right before Frankie drops a cross. Shoot him repeatedly in the kneecaps with the cross and he'll die in short shrift. Shameful. ________________________________ Stage 6- Dracula (Form 1/2) ATTACKS: Fireballs, bat transform/Mouth fireball For going through all you did to get here, it's incredibly dissappointing to fight Drac. If you have the cross, this fight lasts all of 30 seconds. And you won't even get hit. When Dracula takes a hit, the morphs into bat form (where one big bat is surrounded by 500 lil ones) and can still be damaged. Nail him with 4 or 5 crosses to get him to go to his second form. Shoot the big Dracula head twice with the cross to get your awful, 5 second ending sequence! 6)************************************************** Gameplay Strategies There is one massive roadblock in trying to beat this game. You can only use 4 credits TOTAL throughout the whole game. That's one to start and three continues. If you lose your fourth consecutive life, you will have to go allllll the way back to Stage 1. Not cool. In combatting this problem, I've come up with two ways to use your assets of a dollar to beat this game. There's the "Bread n Butter" method, and the "Walking Belmont Tank" method. BREAD N BUTTER- You just play through normally, using continues when you run out of health. PROS-Checkpoints, easier to refill health after you beat a level, pitfalls aren't as detrimental. CONS- Boss battles can be quite a bitch WALKING BELMONT TANK- You insert 4 credits and press start 4 times, resulting in a character that has over 60 hit points. PROS- You will have TONS of hearts that carry over from level to level, bosses not quite a pain in the ass CONS- Pitfall=1 dollar, Near impossible to fill life bar using hearts When you complete a Stage, your hit points are replenished using hearts. If you don't have enough to cover, you go into the next level with 0 hearts and whatever health you managed to refill. Needless to say, it's better to lose as little life as possible. When using the WBT (Walking Belmot Tank) method you will have a TON of hearts. I personally find that easier because the pitfalls are pretty easy to avoid until Stage 6. And try not to fight on the stairs; that is a big Castlevania no-no. The angle you are on puts you at a severe disadvantage and you don't get knocked back; your usual way of creating some space so you can counter attack. In Stage 1, when you come to a statue, BE CAUTIOUS! It might fall on you, causing damage. If a blue cross crumbles, be prepared to face 4 zombies. During the part where blocks fly at you, duck immediately after landing a jump. Stage 2. Jumps abound, and when the boulders start to fall when you get underground, KEEP MOVING! Jump as necessary. Use the pocketwatch frivolously, depending on your hearts. In Stage 3, just be prepared to deal with tons of Hunchbacks. You are almost guaranteed to blow a coin in this level. Keep moving, and beware the falling chandeliers. Stage 4 is pretty straightforward. Just kill the damned mummies and keep moving. Once you get to the boss, pull out your slang dictionary so you don't have to think of any long strings of profanity. Stage 5- In the beginning, the part where you have to dodge the platforms, it is pretty easy on emulator if you pause it as you're going up so you can position yourself easier. The rest of the level is shamefully easy. The final stage, 6, is embarassaingly easy if prepared. When you step on the bridge, it will start to collapse! Keep moving no matter what! Jump to hit the bats, and don't worry if you eat a hit or two, coz you'll be bounced forward instead of backward. JUST KEEP MOVING! 7)********************************************** Q&A Well, ain't sh@t here now. Ask your questions, no matter what they be! Hell, even for the more adventurous, I'll post flames, as long as they're in the form of a question. ^_^ 8)********************************************** Thankies Thx goes 2- Novastalker, Knives, Violent BOB, Lady Nightshade, Takhisis, Sargonnas, Fei Yen, and any/all members of TOA. WEE R0CK! ^.^ Konami. You never cease to piss me off. Sharon Apple, who is singing on my winamp right now. And Sammy. Guilty Gear is tha schitt; hands down. Email - seph2501@yahoo.com AIM - Nightshade2501 Phone - Um, no. Hope ya enjoyed it! PEACE! ~Fyreseel