____ | | | | | | | | __________| |__________ | | |__________ __________| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |____| ~=~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ _~= Castlevania: Bloodlines =~__ ~__~= FAQ/Walkthrough =~__~ ~__~= By Nick Hogan/Ethereal =~__~ ~= dreathe@yahoo.com =~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Version ~=~ 1.00000 Date ~=~ 4.06 Yr ~=~ 02 ~=~ + ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Table of Contents =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ={1}= Introduction ={2}= Character analysis ...... 2a: Morris overview ...... 2b: Morris pros & cons ...... 2c: LaCarde overview ...... 2d: LaCarde pros & cons ...... 2e: Move list w/ cute diagram ={3}= Special weapons and items ...... 3a: Special weapons list ...... 3b: Other items ...... 3c: General special weapon mechanics ...... 3d: Level 4 notes ={4}= Enemy list ...... 4a: Standard enemies ...... 4b: Minibosses ...... 4c: Bosses ={5}= Basics ={6}= Walkthrough ...... 6a: Level 1: Romania ...... 6b: Level 2: Greece ...... 6c: Level 3: Italy ...... 6d: Level 4: Germany ...... 6e: Level 5: France ...... 6f: Level 6: England ={7}= Truisms ={8)= Acknowledgements ={9)= Legal info/FAQ/Copyright notice ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Introduction ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= Selecting a Castlevania game as "best" is like selecting one Vivid girl as "best." Sure, you have to do it; you have to rally behind one. But realistically, you like so many of them, you'd never choose just one. Pick Cassidey? Sure, but do it at the expense of Janine? Choices such as this should never have to be made. But they do, in a way. And I chose Castlevania: Bloodlines. This is the freakin' Briana Banks of the Castlevania gaming. And Castlevania is the Vivid of the gaming world. Bloodlines is a relatively short game in a way; it boasts a mere six levels. Granted, the levels themselves are enormous and involving, and are packed with miniboss encounters and other ingenious traps, designs, and obstacles, but its brevity cannot be ignored. But disregard that as a serious matter for the duration that exists within Bloodlines. It is short, yes, but very involved and visceral. It is both pioneering and solidified in its roots. Bloodlines is an excellent, ultimate example of the Castlevania saga. ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= Character Analysis =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= Castlevania III first gave gamers a taste of multiple characters. Then came Dracula-X: Rondo of Blood (which nobody played until 7 years after it came out for well over 750% its original import cost), offering gamers the same opportunity. In 1994, though, Konami dropped the real bomb on the Castlevania universe: Bloodlines was the first Castlevania game to offer selectable characters from the outset. Digest that armageddon-inducing statement, fire up the game and press start a couple of times, and get to that hopefully not-too-confusing character selection screen. You'll then find the need for the following pointless breakdown: ============ John Morris: ============ Son of Quincey Morris, the man responsible for Dracula's death in 1897. Belmont blood now deceased, Morris blood is now tied to Dracula's just as the Belmont blood was before it. Morris sports a very toned, muscular physique. His life of work and hardship in turn-of-the-20th-century America is reflected in his intimidating, hulking stance. Whereas most vampire hunters before him had brandished some form of armor, John Morris sees fit to slay evil in a tight t-shirt which clasps to his enormous biceps and pectorals. No ghoul is a match for his Richter-esque headband-ed intensity. Morris might now be cursed with opposition to Dracula, but he is a truly worthy, juggernaut of a man hellbent on his duty as savior of the innocent. Weapon: Whip == Pros == | == Cons == -----------------------------------|---------------------------------- Can swing on most ceilings |Swinging less useful than vaulting | Whip is powerful |Whip direction mechanics odd | Whipping is SOOOO Castlevania | ============= Eric LaCarde: ============= John Morris' lifelong friend and descendent of Spanish vampire hunters. LaCarde witnessed the slaying of Dracula at the hands of Quincey Morris just as did young John; the memories of this haunt Eric and drive him to fight Dracula as well. This year's Eric LaCarde is very en vogue with a dashing blue cape and red jumpsuit. He dons some armor, unlike his more physically gifted counterpart, John Morris. LaCarde is a more agile, gymnastic type; the yin to Morris' brutish yang. Weapon: Alcarde Spear == Pros == | == Cons == -----------------------------------|---------------------------------- Spear-vaulting is very effective |Feels like cheating sometimes | Multi-directional-lancing is, too |Attacking in air can be awkward | Endless streams of puns about |"Twirling" is just as pointless LaCarde's "spear" | here as it was in SCIV ======================================================================= Moves List ======================================================================= This list assumes you use the default setup. Morris is represented on the left, while LaCarde is on the right. _____============_____ ======================================== / \ \ / / \ / \ | | / \ | | Use Item: C | | Use Item: C | | Whip Attack: B | | Spear Attack: B | | Item 2nd Attack: Up + C | | Item 2nd Attack: Up + C | | Stronger Whip Attack*: Hold B | | Stronger Spear Attack*: Hold B | | Crouching Whip Attack: Down + B | | Crouching Spear Attack: Down + B | | Multidirectional Whipping: Up or | | Multidirectional Spearing: Up or Down + B (only works in air) | | diagonal up + B (only works on | | ground), down +B (when in air) Swing on ceiling: Up + B, in air, | | close enough for whip to touch | | Spear twirling attacks: Hold B; a ceiling or similar object | | when lance is extended, press | | back, then forth, repeat --------------------------------- | | =============================== | | Spear Vaulting: Hold down, press | | B until you see Eric begin to | | pound on the ground. Release | | B to fly | | | | -------------------------------- | | ============================== | | | | / \ / \ ============= =============== As the scales of Castlevania Justice clearly indicate, LaCarde is the favored son of this outing. His multidirectional spearing from the ground is much more handy in a pinch than Morris' aerial-only multi- directional whipping. Also, although the versatile whip-swinging ability possessed by Morris is fun, it's seldom as practical as LaCarde's vaulting methods. LaCarde's spear-twirling antics, though, are pretty pointless due to the weaker nature of the attack. Twirling didn't work in Super Castlevania IV, and it doesn't work here either. *Can be performed only when weapon is at third level. ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Weapons List ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= Castlevania: Bloodlines has a smallish weapons count; three to be precise. Here's what Konami decided to put in: Crystal Blade Boomerang: Works much like the cross boomerang of past Castlevania games, only it flies forth and back with an arc, rather than the straight-line flight path of previous Castlevanias. Cost: 1 jewel ---------------- Secondary attack: A trio of boomerangs fly forward in a pulsating pattern. Cost: 4 jewels Holy Water: Listed in the manual as "sacred water." Throw this against the ground and watch it erupt in flames. Cost: 1 jewel ---------------- Secondary attack: Water both strikes the ground and spirals forward in a fairly sizeable loop. Cost: 4 jewels Battle axe: Classic axe stuff. Throw it, it flies in an arc above you and outward. Unlike previous games, though, this axe is no puny matter; in fact, it's ridiculously huge! Cost: 1 jewel ---------------- Secondary attack: Three smaller axes materialize in front of the hero, and then fly forward. Cost: 4 jewels =========== Other items =========== 1Up: ............ Adds 1 life to your player count. Blue Jewel: ..... Adds 5 to your jewel count. Coat of Arms: ... Upgrades main weapon. Meat: ........... Refills life bar. Mirror of Truth: Oddly-named nonsense that kills all on-screen enemies Money Bag: ...... Comes in various denominations. Raises score. Red Jewel: ...... Adds 1 to your jewel count. Also, it looks nothing ................ like a jewel. Spell Book: ..... Works like a weapon upgrade. ======================== General Weapon Mechanics ======================== The weapons are really only to be used in specific instances. Usually the game will give you the proper weapon for an upcoming situation; if you see an Axe fall from a candle, you'll probably need it for a situation with a few enemies above you. The Boomerang will appear for streams of enemies with dodge and weave attacks, and the Holy Water will appear before a situation with enemies below you. The items all have distinct patterns; none fly straight forward, period, like the dagger. They'll take a few dummy-throws to figure out completely, but they aren't rocket science, and their abundance is the highest of any Castlevania game. ========================= Level 4 main weapon notes ========================= When you reach the fourth level of upgrading your main weapon, the special weapon you're carrying receives an upgrade too. It will then cost a lot more jewels, as well as travel in much larger, more elaborate means. This resembles the "Item Crash" feature of the Dracula-X games, but it's nowhere near as accessible or useful. If you hold a level 4 weapon, and collect a different special weapon (for instance, you hold the axe while level 4, then collect the boomerang, while still level 4), you lose the "super special" effect of the weapon. This effect can be regained by collect the same weapon again (i.e., grabbing a second boomerang). 2 problems with this counteraction: 1. Holding a level 4 main weapon is oddly tough 2. The superpowered special weapon is ridiculous, soaks too many jewels, and doesn't yield the results needed to justify their wasteful consumption. ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= Enemy list =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ======================== The standard enemies ========================= Archers: ........ Directionally-challenged, bow-wielding warriors. ................ They fire arrows, but only in the most meandering ................ manner. Axe Knight: ..... Armor-clad warrior who throws both high and low axes ................ for those asses. A whopping 7 hits is needed to take ................ this goof down. Bat: ............ This screwball often dangles from a platform or ................ ceiling or other such clingable. When you get close ................ enough to it, it drops down and flys toward you. 1 ................ hit seals its fate. Bomb Bastard: ... Poppa's got a brand new bag... and in this bag are ................ some bombs. 6 hits and BOOM! Bone Skeleton: .. Jumpy skeleton that tosses bones in an arcing ................ pattern. 1 hit sends him back to the dugout. Dangling Skeleton Crafty skeleton what dangles from yonder tree. ................ Hitting this nutcase just sends him flying around and ................ right back at you. 3 hits and he's out of work. Energy Balls: ... Balls of invincible energy that revolve around a ................ platform. Hitting them stops them briefly in their ................ tracks; they cannot be killed. Flea Man: ....... Jumpy little nuisance. Hops over your head and nips ................ at your heels. 1 hit kills him, but easier said than ................ done sometimes. Floating Eye: ... Crafty floating eye with an odd tail attached to it. ................ Maneuvers around the player in sometimes-tricy flight ................ patterns. 4 hits and it drops. Gargoyle Skeleton Awesome looking, but truly impotent, skeleton with ................ expansive wings. Flys around in obvious patterns, ................ but looks righteous doing so. 1 hit and kerplunk. Gatling Knight: . Powerful, rapid-shooting dude, but pretty set in his ................ ways... if you duck, you're immune to his attack. ................ 7 hits and it's back to boot camp. Ghost: .......... Slow moving, broad-sweeping and blue enemy. Small ................ guy, looking to attack but in a rather leisurely ................ manner. 2 hits and the ghost evaporates. Laser Eye: ...... Odd creatures; just an eye stuck to a wall or such ................ object. Fires laser, gets fired in 1 hit. Mace Dwarf: ..... Diminutive loser who cowers when you attack him. 1 ................ hit when he's not blocking and he's a goner. Mace Skeleton: .. Wields a large, expanding mace-and-chain. He'll tip ................ you off by stopping his motion to twirl the thing ................ around. 3 hits and his twirling days are over. Mallet Knight: .. Armor-clad "warrior" wielding a goofy mallet. Takes ................ a beating, though, as 7 hits are necessary for his ................ demise. Mechanical Bugs: These suckers are quick, seemingly in the same vein ................ as the problematic owls from Castlevania III. They ................ are much easier though; not quite as fast, and 1 hit ................ splits their gears. Medusa Heads: ... Huge pains in everyone's asses. They fly in ................ undulating patterns and have a keen knack for finding ................ exactly where you'll land if you're in the air. 1 ................ hit and these nuisances are dead. Merman: ......... Big, slow, stupid, ugly men of the sea. They jump ................ out of the water, move around for a second or two, ................ then spit some goofy something at your head. 1 ................ hit sends them to sleep with the fishes. Minotaur ........ Buffed-up thugster with muscles to rival the mighty ................ Morris. Charges at the hero, so look out. 3 hits ................ and it's back to the gym for these musclebound ................ miscreants. Mummy: .......... Lethargic dude with taped up bodice. 3 hits and it's ................ more movies with Brandon Frasier. Poison Rose: .... Blossom residing in trees; drops deadly pollen to the ................ unsuspecting shnozz of a Vampire Hunter. A rugged 6 ................ hits are necessary to bury this stationary foe. Raven: .......... Quacking bird, swoops at the player's head. 1 hit ................ signals the last quacks for this feathered foe. Red Skeleton: ... Resiliant doofus. Takes a licking, never stops ................ ticking; 1 hit knocks it down, but it rises again ................ shortly after. Skeledragon: .... Elongated dragon skeleton. Slithers around, attached ................ to a piece of flooring. 4 hits sends this dragon ................ back to the realm of fantasy. Skull Statue: ... Multi-headed statue made of bovine skulls. Spits ................ slowish fireballs. 4 hits per head. Sword Skeleton: . Carries a sword and shield, jumps around a lot and ................ makes stabbing motions. 3 hits takes him down. Sword Lord: ..... Big dude, not too tough. Makes goofy thrusts with is ................ clumsy pirate sword. Hmm... several hits? Vine: ........... Pulsing, flailing vine. Grabs about in sweeping ................ motions; dies in 1 hit. Vulture: ........ Swooping bird of prey. Carries a spear or Flea Man. ................ 2 hits and he tweets to his gruesome death. Wheel Weirdo: ... Amazingly balanced, bi-wheeled dingus. Races at you ................ very rapidly. 7 hits and BLAOW! Zombie: ......... Stupid kamakaze-type killers. They walk in straight ................ paths, and although fast, are a cinch to kill. 1 hit ................ and they're done for. ============================ The Minibosses =========================== Faces of Death: . I made up the name, but this Miniboss does it ................ justice. 2 faces staring each other down, bound ................ to a strange pillar. Frankenstein: ... Enormous, intimidating wuss monster. Apparently, ................ without an Igor to help him, he's a pushover. Giant Ghost Knight: . I made up this name, so it describes this loser quite ................ readily. Giant Knights: .. Doofy duo, one wielding a mace, the other an axe. Giant Skeledragon Larger version of Skeledragon, with firebreathing ................ ability thrown in. Hellhound: ...... Beast of Dracula. His bark is worse than his bite. Magician: ....... Intense student of magic. So focused is he on his ................ magic, he never actually attacks you. This is a ................ magician truly "in the zone." ============================== The Bosses ============================= Death: .......... The classic Castlevania foe harbors his most unusual ................ appearance in this game: the dealer of a deadly game ................ of Castlevania 6-Card Draw! Dracula: ........ The man himself, the Lord of the monsters and the guy ................ who runs his game pimps up, hoes down. Drolta's Mecha Knight: Clumsy, mechanical creation sporting an easily-lost ................ spear and shield. Gear Monster: ... Very robotic, very quirky. Probably the most odd, ................ unique boss ever in a Castlevania game. Weird boss ................ made of gears. Giant Rock Monster Large mass of rock with an obvious weakness in the ................ form of his supremely obtuse, glowing red eye. Giant Gargoyle: . Much more sinister version of the classic Vampire ................ Bat. He has grown a large tail and now lays claim to ................ a much less cartoony, much more demonic appearance. Wasp Wench: ..... Transforming from butterfly to butterbitch, this ................ hovering harlot is sure to annoy for a little while. ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= The basics of Castlevania: Bloodlines ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= The basic premise behind this, or any, Castlevania is to trudge across the sets of levels, hacking enemies and candles alike, until you reach Dracula to send him away for (hopefully) another 100 years. == Candles == Why candles? They contain items; slash them, and you can earn jewels to power your special weapons, money for score purposes, or the special weapons themselves. == Candles and main weapons == Also hidden in the candles are whip/spear upgrades. You start with a basic, level 1 whip or spear. Collect the eagle-shaped family crest emblem dropped by the candles, and you power up your main weapon. The first powerup doesn't really increase reach, but rather power. The second upgrade increases distance; this would be the level 3 weapon. == The fourth level == Bloodlines takes this a step further for a "fourth" level; collect another emblem while you're wielding a level 3, and you'll have a temporarily burning, slightly more powerful weapon. Get hit, though, and you're back to the handy level 3 weapon. == Candles, pt 2 == Candles in Bloodlines hint at what they'll drop; if you see a double candle, it will drop a jewel, bag of money, weapon upgrade, or (rarely) a 1Up. If you spy a single candle, it will drop one of the three special weapons. == Stairs and jumping == Bloodlines allows you to jump on and off stairs; a feature tinkered with throughout the later Castlevanias. Use this to your advantage; it's the ultimate freedom not quite done perfectly in sister games Dracula-X and Super Castlevania IV. == Oh yeah, jumping == Speaking of jumping, you're set in your motions once you leave the ground; jump straight up, and that's all you have. Jump out in a direction, there's no turning back. Learn to predict where your feet will land before you make the jump, or you're looking at a few pitfalls to lost lives. ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Walkthrough =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ======================================================================= Level 1: The Ruins of Castle Dracula - Romania ======================================================================= ---------------------- | Sub stages: 10 | Obviously, this is going to be the easiest | Miniboss: Hellhound | level for you to get through. The enemies | Boss: Drolta's Mecha | will familiarize you with the tricky patterns | Knight | they can sometimes utilize, though, so this ---------------------- serves its purpose as a warm-up level. The Miniboss and Boss encounters are likewise easy, merely an introduction to the game's more difficult body lying ahead. This is basically a recreation of the original game's first level, although it expands far beyond that and ends up demonstrating the long, involved nature of Bloodlines' levels in general. 1-1: If you somehow can't finish this segment, you need to pack your things and skip town. This brief segment of the game has no enemies with which to battle; use this freedom to familiarize yourself with the controls and mechanics of the game. 1-2: A straightforward affair. Taking the high road at the first set of stairs will yield a Mirror of Truth at the apex. 1-3: This segment is very brief, but pay attention here- don't jump down until the Floating Eye is slain. Just be patient with him; if he flies low, jump over him, and if he flies high, duck. Strike when the opportunities present themselves. Once he's toast, walk over to that big... whatever it is... that blocks your path and hack at the wall. When you break away three pieces of it, it will drop a Spell Book. 1-4: Classic underground section of previous Dracula Castle levels. Mermen jump out of the water; when they do, duck to avoid their attacks and strike when they're close enough. If they jump up, and you're far enough away, you can walk away and they'll be lost from the game with no resistance necessary. Keep fighting your way to the right. Just before you can ascend the stairs to the right, a Ghost appears- you can simply dodge him and climb the stairs, or spend silly amounts of time trying to kill him. 1-3: Now on the right side of that unexplainable obstacle, a Bone Skeleton awaits. If you have the axe, it's handy here to throw at this one. If not, you're going to have to run 'n stop your way up the steps (with Morris) or spear-vault your way up (with LaCarde). Once on his level, he goes down easy. 1-5: This part is all about Bats. They swoop straight at you; learning their paths is a matter of practice, but you can head- fake them if you see them coming by jumping up; this throws off their aim. Otherwise, one swipe of the weapon will ground them. ==================== Miniboss encounter: Hellhound =================== This slowdown-ridden sequence might seem a little more intimidating than it really is. The beast has two methods of attack- he can breathe a very obvious and easy-to-dodge spew of flame, and he can howl to the air, breaking the shards of glass in the room. When he howls, watch the glass to see where it's being broken, and stand wherever the glass won't fall at the moment. When he starts to breathe the fire, just back off a little. Otherwise, get in there and slash, preferably at the most extended distance possible. This guy's cake though, so you'll be on soon enough. Remember to slash its corpse after it has fallen! =========================== End encounter ============================= 1-6: Right away you can see the painfully obvious cracks in the right pillar. Once you slash it, it will drop some meat to nourish you back to health- all that's standing in your way is a gang of Bone Skeletons and a Bat. The bottom pair are simple to destroy, just be prepared for movement from that easy-to-forget Bat. Grab the axe at the end of the lower floor, then walk up the steps. When the skeletons rise from the ground, climb back down, then proceed to hack them away with the axe from below. There should be one Bone Skeleton remaining; simply climb the steps, kill him, and collect the booty waiting in the pillar. Once you've climbed from this room completely, make your way to the right, past even more bone skeletons and a skull statue. Basic, normal strategies against these enemies will suffice here. 1-7: If you like the axe, ignore that weapon candle, which yields a holy water. If not, grab the water and move on. The rotating spike-platform is little worry here, just easily time the jump onto it and move along. Up above, you'll notice a Sword Skeleton; use either the holy water or axe to make quick work of him. When you climb the stairs, jump up to see the next Sword Skeleton. Stand beneath the low platform to get him to jump there, then stab up if you're LaCarde or dodge, jump, and slash if you're Morris. Climb the stairs, head right. The path will split, one way up, the other down. Head down first for a Mirror of Truth and the Boomerang, then head up. The spike-platforms will only turn if you jump onto them; if you simply walk across them, you're fine. 1-8: Immediately, you're greeted by Bone Skeletons. If you grabbed the Boomerang, play the hookshot to get at them. If you're Morris, jump up and take them out with an aerial whipping in the up direction. If you're LaCarde with no weapon, slash upward at them, or spear-vault into them to take them out. Head right, and you'll see the pendulum. Simply identify its rhythm, and as it heads right, follow hot on its heels. As it's coming back left, jump over it. Watch as the Bone Skeleton above you jumps into it in a suicidal attempt to do absolutely nothing to you. There's another Bone Skeleton right behind it, as well as a Mace Skeleton. Take out the Bone Skeleton first with the same tactics as earlier in this stage, then concentrate on the Mace Skeleton. Get in and hit him while he's moving, but back off when he stops to flail about his weapon. Climb up when he's just a memory and lay some smack on that cracked pillar above you; it will drop some meat. 1-9: The giant spinal column you see in front of you will crumble. There is one candle floating above it, and it yields a 1Up. I recommend jumping up this thing rather than walking, but make sure to properly estimate the jump when you see the candle appear on screen. 1-10:A Skeledragon will pop out of the first platform you see in front of you. Get at him early, as he's growing out, and you'll push him back enough with your hits to make him pretty ineffectual. Hit him fast four times, and he'll be yesterday's news. ================ Boss encounter: Drolta's Mecha Knight ================ This guy is slow and clumsy, and his attacks are easily predictable. When he has his shield and weapon, he'll jump around with an easily avoided aerial attack. When he has his weapon, he'll perform one of two attacks: a twirling of his spear, or a high thrust with the spear. Duck under the high thrusts and back off from the goofy twirling. Keep as much distance as possible from this clown, hacking away at him with every opportunity. When he loses both of his arms, he'll start "attacking" you with pathetic kicks... try not to laugh, and finish the job. =========================== End encounter ============================= That wasn't so bad, was it? On to Atlantis. ======================================================================= Level 2: Atlantis Shrine - Greece ======================================================================= --------------------------- | Sub stages: 7 | The game picks up the pace with this | Miniboss: Magician, Giant | definitely more challenging level. | Knights | Atlantis is a nonstop rush of excellent | Boss: Giant Rock Monster | platforming gimmicks, packaged up with --------------------------- a gorgeous opening in the form of its reflective waters. Atlantis seems to be a level that will have to be played and memorized a little before true success in it can be found. 2-1: It must be noted right away that neither Morris, nor LaCarde, can swim. A sad state of affairs, no, when one can slay Dracula but can't tread the softest of currents? Press forward until you encounter the first enemy of the level, the Minotaur. Hack at him from the platform to the left of the one on which he's standing. Continue forward, until you see a platform that descends into the water... don't jump onto it. Walk to the tip of the platform next to it. This draws out the second Minotaur who was waiting to pounce on the impatient player. Slap his ass and keep walking, passing and ass-whipping the next Minotaur. Throw down with the fourth foolish Minotaur, and mosey your way into Merman turf. Make your stay here as brief as possible; kill them and press on. 2-2: The water here rises! The screen rises, too! To be consumed either by the rising water or the moving screen is to die instantly, so keep on your toes. You'll encounter plenty of Energy Balls, so spend as little time around these as you can; there's no way to kill them. Head up the first set of stairs, and watch for the feet of the Minotaur waiting above. Kill him quickly with hit 'n run tactics, then move along and up the stairs. Dodge the next Energy Ball and head towards the stairs on the left, which you should no doubt climb quickly. Another Minotaur awaits at the top; dispatch justice upon him as swiftly as possible, then climb up the left staircase. Climb higher still until you have the option of two staircases, and take the right choice. Climb up the last staircase and you're out of the drink. 2-3: ===================== Miniboss encounter: Magician ==================== Head right quickly to discover a magician. He doesn't ever attack you, but instead commands the water to rise again. Defeating him quickly and safely is a matter of rhythm; when you hit him, he teleports to the other side of the screen, waiting to be hit again. Bounce between the sides of the screen, getting into a rhythm of destruction with this pushover. =========================== End encounter ============================= Continue right to find a couple of quacking Ravens waiting for the opportune swoop. Stand still when they begin their flight, and swing away when they're near. ================= Miniboss encounters: Giant Knights ================== Big mofos, but predictable. The first knight wields a mace; stay close to him and his spiked weapon will fly over your head. He'll jump up, which can be slightly tricky to dodge, but do your best to stay away from his landing. Stay close to this one and finish him off. The second knight wields a large axe, and the tactic with him is the opposite of the first knight. Run in, hit him (twice if you're fast enough), then back off. He'll swing, and you need to be out of his way. After a few of these sucker punches, he'll jump high in the air; run far away. He'll land with his weapon stuck in the ground, leaving him vulnerable for multiple cheap shots. Soon enough, he's done for. =========================== End encounter ============================= 2-4: The first genuine rough spot in the game. The water here descends rather than rising, and it's tough to keep a cool head here. Cool heads prevail, though, so take measured, thought out jumps and movements. Any path you take down this segment is fine, just don't waste your time or health on reaching inconvenient items or jewels. There are plenty scattered ahead to gather later. In here, Medusa Heads are the concern. The Medusa Heads fly in their intimidating patterns and have a knack for striking you in the most impossibly aggravating moments. The best advice with these bitches is to strike them as early as possible; don't waste your time on some "better shot" that might not present itself. 2-5: You'll immediately notice a Mace Dwarf (yes I made that name up) lingering about the right of the screen. He can't be hurt when his guard is up, so you can only effectively attack him right before he attacks you. Kill him and his kin by striking as they raise their maces. Press forward until you reach the statue of the woman; lay some smack on her head and she'll no longer block your path. Continue towards the right to the edge of the platform her head rests on, and wait for the Mace Dwarf to pounce. As he lands, slash at him to end his career. Take out the Skull Statue by ducking and slashing at the largest distance you can amass, and then take out the Skeledragon using the same tactics from Level 1-10. Take a swipe at the high pillar to bring things down to a walkable level and press forward. Continue right using logic and patience as your guide, until you come to the tall platform supported by two pillars. Knock this down and jump on it as quickly as possible; it falls into oblivion below. Should it disappear completely, you can stand on the remains of the supports, but you'll have to deal with narrow confines and an eager Mace Dwarf a few inches away. 2-6: Grab the Axe in the weapon candle to the far left. Notice below you a few hotheaded Minotaurs constantly charging at the walls. Wait until they become locked against the walls at which they so impatiently attack, and toss some well-aimed axes down their way. Soon enough, the room is cleared and you can move on. 2-7: ================== Boss encounter: Giant Rock Monster ================= Wait for the water to clear out, then size up this screen-filling beast. He's not too tough, though, as I'm sure you knew I'd say. He walks forward and back in slow, deliberate motions, stopping to hit the ceiling every now and again to unleash an avalanche of debris. Dodge this debris with Morris, or utilize the spear-vault as LaCarde. Keep attacking at his body until his head is reachable; he's only vulnerable in his head, and he'll guard that sometimes, too. When he's short and stumpy enough, he'll jump high in the air, the impact of his landing sending you flying upwards and rocks flying downwards... predict this and you'll have more time to maneuver (if you're in the air when he lands, you won't be sent flying up). Attack at that glowing red head and he'll soon be blown to dust. =========================== End encounter ============================= A little tougher, yes, but definitely manageable. Don't let a few sticky spots spoil the rag for you, though, press onward with fearless aggression! ======================================================================= Level 3: The Leaning Tower of Pisa - Italy ======================================================================= -------------------- | Sub stages: 9 | Of all the Castlevania games, this level is | Miniboss: Giant | probably my favorite. The Leaning Tower | Skeledragon | sequence is almost hypnotic, and the climb | Boss: Vampire Bat | outside the tower is almost equally as sublime -------------------- with its rhythmic qualities. While I've heard my share of "this level is the Genesis trying to emulate the SNES" remarks, the idiocy of such a statement is as obvious as its ignorance. The challenge here is arguably less and greater than the last level; no one segment is as tough as 2-4, but you certainly have to be on your toes a little more at first. 3-1: Vultures first rear their ugly heads here. They're a little more complicated than the Ravens they resemble in offense. They carry a spear and attack at your head; hitting them once knocks off their spears and hitting them twice ends their lives. The best advice with these sometimes-dangerous creatures is to wait until they're swooping for your head, then jump up and slash at them. Head right, killing the Vultures and such until you spy the Minotaur- he'll take a piece of pillar out and use it for a weapon. Keep your distance from him and his ilk, as they're pretty rowdy and unpredictable. Special weapons are the best way to move past these clowns, especially the Boomerang available in the item candle near the mid-end of the section. 3-2: Stand still. Above you is a Floating Eye; if you move forward, you'll alert the Skull Statue to your right. Kill the Floating Eye, then move quickly upward, ignoring the Skull Statue. Continue at this rapid pace up the stairs, simply avoiding the Skull Statues. When you reach the top, corner the last Floating Eye and punish it with rapid slashes. 3-3: Here the path splits. If you're LaCarde, start heading upwards with some spear-vaults, dodging the Vultures and collecting any items you feel confident you can nab. If you're Morris, take the at the right end to the room with the large gaps. Swing across the gaps with the whip and destroy the mummies along the way. 3-4: ================ Miniboss encounter: Giant Skeledragon ================ Don't let this big knucklehead intimidate you. Stand almost to the edge of the screen, and whack his head when it's safe. At this distance, his chance of hitting you with his flame is minimal, if any at all. LaCarde can easily use diagonal standing attacks to slash the Giant to pieces, and Morris can use well-timed jump attacks to do the damage. =========================== End encounter ============================= 3-5: This excellent level segment is in the heart of the Leaning Tower. its nature as an "ascent" gives LaCarde a huge edge here, but Morris can certainly hold his own. The tower drives you upward, and soon Medusa heads start to fly about, ready to cause trouble. Get hit by these in the right spot, and you'll plummet to a frustrating and unfair death. If you feel you want certain powerups, here's a diagram of what's where... otherwise, any path you take up the tower is fine, so long as you see the door at the top left and take it in time. Jewel ######################## ###### ######################## ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Jewel ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Mirror of Truth ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Weapon Upgrade/Jewel ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Money ###### ############ ############ ############ ############ ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Axe ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ############ ############ ###### ###### ############ ############ ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Jewel ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ################## ################## ################## ################## ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Money ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Jewel ###### ###### ################## ###### ###### ################## ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Weapon Upgrade/Jewel ###### ###### ################## ###### ###### ################## ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ############ ###### ###### ############ ############ ###### ###### ############ ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Weapon Upgrade/Jewel ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ############ ############ ###### ###### ############ ############ ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Axe Holy Water ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Money ###### ###### ################## ###### ###### ################## ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Jewel ###### ###### ###### ###### ################## ###### ###### ###### ################## ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Jewel ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ################## ###### ###### ################## ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Boomerang ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### Big Jewel ###### ######################## ###### ###### ######################## ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ######Weapon Upgrade/Jewel ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ############################## ###### ###### ############################## ###### 3-6: For the trip left, stand on the platforms and kneel down to strike the mummies in the head; stay on the right edge while doing this, and you'll be able to stop that ever-dangerous wrapping they throw as well. Watch out for bats here, then head up. Before you climb the stairs, though, kill the mummy on the left from below by slashing upwards. Climb up and kill the second mummy... go to the left afterwards if you want the Boomerang. Continue right, then, slowly at first, since there's a bat waiting to pounce. A little further and one will come in from behind you. A little further, and another from the right. The last item candle here drops an Axe. 3-7: This second gorgeous, excellent sequence is (like the Magician battle) all about rhythm. The platforms scroll towards you in a very discernable pace, and your task is to take them with smooth, well-timed jumping motions... it will become a rhythm. The Gargoyle Skeletons that attack you aren't hard; wait until they fly a lap around you, and when they pause, jump in with a killing stab or lash. 3-8: A brief period of powerup gathering. BLAOW! 3-9: ==================== Boss encounter: Giant Gargoyle =================== The key to this guy is that three strikes USUALLY send him flying about, resetting his patterns, so the earlier into his patterns you can do this, the better. The Gargoyle first flys about the screen, then just over your head. Slash upward with LaCarde, or use the Axe with Morris, to get in a hit or two. He'll drop by with a lashing of his tail; if you're super close to him, it will miss, and it will also if you're far enough away and jump over it. He'll then hover over your head and off to the side, unleashing his tail, which will then fire a spread of three rock-like objects. These are easily dodged, but if you can break off the three-hit rule soon enough, they won't even be a factor. Once he's been damaged enough, he'll fly about the screen to reset his pattern, but will come back bouncing around the tip of the tower. This is easily avoided, and this makes him easier to strike than when he was floating in the air, shooting at you. =========================== End encounter ============================= The strategy for the Gargoyle is pretty longwinded, but in reality, you'll figure the guy out pretty soon. Now, it's time for the cleverly- disguised Clock Tower level... ======================================================================= Level 4: Munitions Factory - Germany ======================================================================= ------------------------ | Sub stages: 11 | Clock Tower levels are a staple of | Miniboss: Frankenstein | Castlevania, and this is where Bloodlines | Boss: Gear Monster | sees its excellent version of the formula. ------------------------ Since this isn't a trip through merely one man's property, the Clock Tower is guised as a "Munitions Factory," a building one would find in, of course, Germany. Odd misnomer or no, it's a great level and a worthy tribute to the Clock Tower theme so important to the series. 4-1: Bone Skeletons seem to have gotten an upgrade; they now sport helmets and can do such tricks as walk behind that fence with impunity, as well as popping in and out of barrels. The big deal with them is still their bone-throwing, though, so you'll have to watch where you're stepping. Once the background Bone Skeletons begin to jump into the foreground, you'll have to dodge both their bodies and their thrown bones. Try to keep moving, never stopping to do battle with some straggling fool nipping at your heels. 4-2: In here you'll find Bone Skeletons with the ability to regenerate. When you kill some of them, their heads will fall to the ground, sprouting up a new body as a result. One hit per body kills them. Your first duty here is to go all the way to the right, and up. The conveyor belts' directions can be spotted, so pay attention, and remember to walk against their current when you land. Once at the top right, smack the wall for a little food action. Now, if you're Morris, you'll want to start swinging on that ceiling, as far over as the end, the ultimate goal being to land on that out-of- reach platform off to the left. If you're LaCarde, walk over to the left tip of the large conveyor belt, then quickly spear-vault to the platform above. This next jump is tricky; you gotta walk to the edge and jump at the last possible moment. Once you succeed, continue left, jumping upwards, and eventually over the platform at the top of the screen. Alas, a room full of bounty for the thirsty, weary Vampire Killer. Go to the right-bottom portion of this screen, taking down the last set of steps to keep a safe distance from the Mace Skeleton. Kill it, proceed. 4-3: The Sword Skeletons, too, have been outfitted with those stylish new helmets. A Bone Skeleton will be around to make your life hell on one of the conveyor belts; toss an item or two his way to end the threat. Ride the rest of the conveyors swiftly, jumping off to the narrow platform at the end. A Mace Skeleton occupies a lot of the space here; DUCK DOWN AND HAMMER HIS ASS AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN. He could easily knock you off, so you have to be quick with this one. 4-4: The pistons. Let's do this one-by-one: Piston 1: Piece of cake. Wait til' it retracts, then head up. Piston 2: Stand on the platform right beneath where the piston hits, and duck. When it retracts, stand up, wait for it to head back your way, then jump on top of it. Jump to the safe area to the right. Piston 3: Relates to 4; 3 moves in and out really fast, while 4 uses more slow revolutions. These have to be passed without a pause between, so stand on top of piston 3 until you can see 4 retract enough for you to squeeze through. When you see this opening, head up quickly. Piston 4: You should be booking your ass through this one, never stopping even to read this pointless sentence. Piston 5: Nothing to worry about. Just jump up, it'll push you over, no harm. 4-5: A tough spot, no doubt. LaCarde can utilize that spear-vault to race through this one quickly, but no such luck for Morris. Sword Skeletons here go down in one hit, so that's a small relief. Just make your way up its obvious path... no strategy here. 4-6: With the first pulley, step on the left side and watch the Ghost appear. Kill him before you press onward. The trick with the pulleys is to stand on them until they're almost all the way down, then jump to the other side, then immediately to the next pulley. Repeat until on the door-pulley. Before you're on that safe ground, though, you'll see a second Ghost appear behind you; wait until you've passed the pulleys to deal with him. Step on the last pulley at the far right to open the door, then prepare for a scary joke. 4-7: =================== Miniboss encounter: Frankenstein ================== Frank is a very large, but laughably easy guy. He has three attacks: 1) He twirls around a chain of some sort. Step back from this one. 2) He lunges the chain straight forward, making a kneeling movement. Duck under this one. 3) He punches the ground, shooting electricity over it. Jump on the platform to the left for this one. Otherwise, get in close and wail away, dodging with the above tactics as he cycles through these supremely avoidable attacks. =========================== End encounter ============================= 4-8: Immediately you'll notice that large spinning blade, and its generously-placed notches. These are what you can slip through. Mechanical Bugs (yup, made that one up, too) show up here; wait for them to land on the ground, and as soon as they move toward you, strike. If you're Morris, you can take them out in the air. Blade 1: Walk through the notch at pace with the blade. Blade 2: Walk through the notch at pace with the blade. Faster. Blade 3: Wait for the notches; you can walk forward when the notch is facing down, but you must duck when the blade is toward you. Repeat this duck/walk/duck/walk pattern until the blade has been cleared. 4-9: For the first two Mace Skeletons, duck on the opposite edge of the platform on which they stand, and hack away. For the third, hack at it from the revolving platform to the very left of his. For the rest, hack from their platforms, while ducking, at the opposing edge. 4-10:Walk to the right as quickly as possible. Nothing in this room is worth wasting your life over. 4-11: ===================== Boss Encounter: Gear Monster ==================== This guy's a pain in the ass at first, until you spot his patterns. Now, let's break this goofus down: 1) Flies from one end of the screen to the other, flailing about- Just walk underneath him. Stop right next to where he'll land. Jump and slash, jump and slash. 2) Starts chucking gears up in an arc- Either climb up some platforms or try to dodge beneath. 3) Starts underhanding some gears- Jump up on one of the low platforms. 4) Turns into a car and rushes across the screen- Jump up the platforms to the top, dropping down the lee side when he comes back down. 5) Turns into some weird gyrocopter thing, flys in a line across the middle of the screen- Duck! 6) Expands and runs across screen- Doesn't hurt you when he does this 7) Does an odd cannonball jump, then lands gear-hands first: Go all the way to the opposite side. Jump over him with the platforms. 8) Starts doing the backstroke- Take a path of platforms to safety When he's standing up, pondering his next move, you can jump and slash him a good three times. When he's curled into a ball, pondering what he's just done, you can nail him a good four. Be patient with this guy; he's easy to figure out, but you can't just wail on him without fear. =========================== End encounter ============================= A troublesome boss, and, at first, a troublesome level. Just a warmup, though; things pick up speed in the next level. ======================================================================= Level 5: Versailles Palace - France ======================================================================= ------------------------- | Sub stages: 8 | A very palatial level indeed. 5 seems to | Miniboss: Giant Ghost | exude a royal atmosphere, helped no doubt | Knight, Faces of Death | by its aristocratic music. Difficulty | Boss: Wasp Wench | rises in this level, where knowledge of ------------------------- the obstacles and where the enemies are is essential to not dying due to "surprise" hits. Two Miniboss encounters and a few tough sequences launch this level into higher difficulties. 5-1: Travel right just a bit and you'll encounter the level's first pains in your ass, the Poison Rose and the Vine. The white pixels dropped by the Rose will cause your controls to screw up, so don't go wandering into that mess. The vines go down in one stab, so jump onto the platform, take out the upper Vine, followed by the Rose, then jump down and do a downward stab/whip to take out the lower Vine. Continue forward to discover two more Poison Roses and an Energy Ball. If you're LaCarde, stand on the platform and slash at the first Rose, while timing your jumps correctly to avoid the Ball. If you're Morris, you must pave your way through the pollen with whip strokes, until you get to the safe area between the roses- a slightly elevated root. From there, you can jump up and attack both Roses with upward lashings. When you walk on the final root before seeing the concrete ahead, a series of Vine pieces will start to encircle you. Simply attack any of its sides as it closes in, and it will be done for. Move along. For this Fountain sequence, the idea is to keep moving. The masses of Red Skeletons can't really be stopped, so just press forward. You'll encounter some Energy Balls, so you'll need to duck, and this will cut things close. Grab the weapon candle, as it will yield a Boomerang, and jump over the wall. Immediately duck and toss out a Boomerang. Repeat until you've hit that Dangling Skeleton three times. These guys can be real torture, but the Boomerang is a great weapon against them. If you are low on candles, though, look for some life-loss. The key to the next 3 is distance, combined with proper timing, or ample Boomerangs. Any combination of those, plus some prayers, will see you through unscathed. 5-2: Look up before you start moving around; you'll see two chandeliers. These will drop as you walk underneath them, so don't get caught like an idiot walking obliviously. Head right and you'll soon encounter an Axe Knight. With these guys, just get in soon and start hacking away, or lure them beneath the chandeliers for fun. The final obstacle of this segment is a Sword Lord (yup, made that up); duck down, slash, and toss a boomerang, and he'll be finished. You'll switch rooms then, and you'll encounter a wall of Skull Statues. Keep your head- duck down as far from them as possible, but still within hitting range, and slash at them as rapidly as possible. 5-3: This here is a fork in the road: LaCarde: You'll need to utilize that spear-vaulting technique. The Laser Eye remains mostly idle unless you walk in its range; it will then awaken and start zapping you. Take out the Laser Eye on the lowest left platform, then spear- vault to take out the Eye on the left wall, then do the same for the one on the right. Vault onto the left platform then. Take out the Eye in front of you if you wish, then vault up and duck immediately. Run over to the right, ducking when it shoots. Vault up to the platform, ducking immediately. Vault up when safe. Continue on this path until you see the door at the top; vault to that platform and get your ass scootin' out of it quickly. Morris: Go past this room and into the room with the large gap. 5-4: Morris: Break out a little swing action to get across, and make sure you go to that little wall-thing right at the other side of the gap. Whip it to discover some meat. On the ground will be a Bomb Bastard (totally made that one up)... his stuff is easily avoided, or you can choose to swing over his head. That'd be the safest route, see, since the Bomb Bastard has friends waiting behind him (the last of which actually throws down some meat before bombs). LaCarde: Here you proceed through a gauntlet of Vultures and Flea Men. The idea is to keep moving right, killing only the Flea Men that drop in front of you or the Vultures that block your necessary jumps. You need to jump over the small altars, so watch for a low-flying Vulture in these instances. Otherwise, move right, do so quickly, don't stop. 5-5: Revolving staircase segment. LaCarde: Follow the stairs to the right side of the stairway, then press left in intervals to stay on this side. Soon enough, and without harm, you'll see a door on the right, you'll take to the miniboss encounter. Morris: You start at the bottom of this sequence and must fight upward, a much harder thing to do. Stand on a stair, wait for it to travel to the left side, then jump over right, and repeat until you are up to the door on the right. Some Gargoyle Skeletons might give you some static, but don't stop for these unless necessary. 5-6: ================ Miniboss encounter: Giant Ghost Knight =============== This guy is the easiest of the minibosses, hands down. I mean, even that wussy Bloodhound can send some stray glass into your ass. Even the Magician could feasibly... Nevermind. This nerd has two stupid attacks: A short jab with his gauntlet, and a long, stretching jab with his gauntlet. He doesn't even attack when he jumps over you. For the short jabs (more often used) back off... in fact, it's a good idea to back off after two or three hits because he'll probably try something. For his long jab, you don't have to do anything, since it will probably just fly over your head, but sure, duck when you see it. Other than that, wail away on this inept buffoon until you're bored or he dies. =========================== End encounter ============================= 5-7: Archers make a smashing debut here. They fire arrows up in the air, aimed to eventually land on you. As long as you keep moving in one direction, the won't hit you. Utilize this marathon-motion to navigate the first two Archers' arrows, and destroy them. You'll next encounter a Mallet Knight. Stay on the ground next to the platform on which he is pacing, and slash at him from there. Seek out the next Mallet Knight, and repeat this amazingly simple strategy. Wander forward, and at the next platform you see, jump on it, duck, and make sure you're facing right. A Wheel Weirdo (yeah, totally made that one up) will come flying at you. Hit it in its head, and it will bounce back enough for you to hit it again. Repeat this process for the remainder of its lifespan. You'll next encounter a Gatling Knight. When you see this clown, duck, wait for his fire to cease, then move forward again. Then duck after just a bit; repeat until you're close enough, then easily bring some justice to his bitchass. ================== Miniboss encounter: Faces of Death ================= This one can be either super tough, or bafflingly easy. Two faces materialize around the hourglass in the middle of the room. They then concentrate really hard on each other, and the result of that brain trust is a smattering of energy orbs sent around the screen. If you're LaCarde, stand somewhere near the middle and slash upward at the balls as they appear/begin to fly. If you're Morris, you have to hit them closer to the ground... sorry. When the faces disappear, slash at the hourglass. They'll reappear, though, and you'll have to endure more floating energy balls. Dodge or slash those suckers and wait for the hourglass to be vulnerable again. Sooner or later, one of you will give. =========================== End encounter ============================= 5-8: Stairway to hell. Collect the Axe in the last item candle on your way down, and prepare for: ====================== Boss encounter: Wasp Wench ===================== She starts out an innocent looking virgin... slash away at her in this free-for-all period, and she'll soon expose herself for the venomous vixen she truly is. Once in scary-ass-bug form, she'll fly around and drop some painful pollen. Slash at it, dodge, do whatever, it's not too big a deal. She'll then start dropping eggs, which will hatch flying bugs... the idea is to throw all of you axes at her before she does this... corner her on one side of the screen with your axe inventory after she's done with the pollen thing. At any rate, you'll have to attack while she's dropping the eggs. It's often easier with morris, who can swing upward in the air, but LaCarde will have to wait til' she's lower to do so, or do a less-harmful series of spear-vaults. She'll also swoop down at your head... this can be predicted by noticing the obvious motion she makes, rearing to one side of the upper screen, intent to swoop. It'll probably be a close match, but you should be able to win without too many lost lives. =========================== End encounter ============================= Wasp Wench defeated, it's on to a trip through eeriness, in the form of the physics-defying final level. ======================================================================= Level 6: The Castle Proserpina - England ======================================================================= ----------------------- | Sub stages: 11 | This level amounts to the half the length | Miniboss: None | of the other levels, followed by a gauntlet | Boss: Death, Countess | of Boss encounters. What's here is fun, | Bartley, Dracula | though, and original. Seemingly impossible ----------------------- at first, the 6-2 and 6-3 sequences are fully defeatable with a little patience, foresight, and the powerhouse FAQ abilities of yours truly. The first two Boss encounters are (in hindsight) disappointing, but I'm sure nobody will moan too much about that. Dracula himself doesn't pose much threat until his third, token "huge ugly" form, but, again, I'm sure complaints about this will be quietly spoken. 6-1: You'll first encounter some Ravens; you can nail these with well- timed jump attacks before they go far. Soon, though, Medusa heads show up, and they come packing heat. When you hear the noise they make, duck, since they've just shot a weird ball of energy. Right before the end of this brief segment, a piece of the bridge you're traveling across will blow up... jump off of it, and move along. 6-2: This is the "Shattered Mirror" segment. The key to passing this is to remember a few key points: 1: Think before you move- watch your feet, nothing else. 2: When you see a Medusa head, stand still, duck, and swing when it is near you. 3: Watch for giveaways when you're standing still... you can tell where you are on each slit (often) by finding your head when you jump straight up. 4: Stairs are safer than clumsy jumps. That stuff in mind, move along. When you get to the first gap, stand at the very edge of the first platform above it, jump up and slash... you'll receive an extra life for this. If you slash it too early, as you'll be tempted to do because of the skewed viewing, it'll fall into nothingness. Watching your feet, jump from the right edge of that platform to the next platform. From that, jump off onto safe ground. Climb the steps... you'll see yourself in the middle slit. Jump to the immediate platform, walk to the edge, then jump to the next platform. All this is viewable in the same slit, so watch your feet. Now, trust me on this... walk off the edge. You're now on the bottom platform. Walk over to its rightmost edge, then jump right. Walk to the rightmost edge again, then jump right again. From safe ground, walk to the right and jump over to the platform at the bottom of the stairs, holding the up button in case you don't quite make it. Jump then to the platform to the right, walk to its edge, then (watching yourself through the middle slit) jump right. Follow yourself on screen, and take the easy jump to the two high platforms above. From the second, jump right and you'll land on safe ground. 6-3: This is the gravity-defying upside-down room. Patience wins this round, no simpler way to put it. Follow the Energy Balls, when you reach them, with your eyes. On the smaller platforms, make your jump when they're where your feet will land, so when you actually land, they'll be on the other side. Predict your jumps, period. If you die here, you must pass 6-2 again. 6-4: This segment is strangely easy. The "Drolta's Mecha Knight" Boss from the first level? He reappears here, several times. Each explodes in one hit, though, so just make your way right, non- chalantly slicing these goofuses to oblivion. 6-5: Uh-oh... an ominous stairway... grab the Axe at the top and prepare to meet your fate with Death! 6-6: ======================== Boss Encounter: Death ======================== Death plays a weird card game with you; slash at one of the cards, and something will happen. Gear card: You face Gear Monster again (lv 4 boss) Bat card: You face Gargoyle Monster again (lv 3 boss) Blue Card w/ Red Eye: You face Giant Rock Monster again (lv 2 boss) 2 Death Cards: Death launches an attack at you: Red Death Card: Death generously drops way too much meat for you You must hit each card; I recommend going as long as you can without snagging that tempting meat card. The same old strategies for the old bosses apply. When either of Death's cards are swatted at, he unleashes a simple, easy-to-dodge attack in the form of a single projectile. Stand in the corner of the screen, wait til' it launches, then jump. When Death finally stops all this card nonsense, it's down to business. He'll form some miniaute sickles in the air; these are easily dodged as they fly towards you. He'll also fly low to the ground, in a sweeping motion; jump over this. He'll begin to attract you as he launches out a wind-blade thing; duck under its first pass-by, then jump over the second. Throughout, do your best to hit the guy, made easier with that axe you grabbed. He shouldn't put up too much resistance. =========================== End encounter ============================= 6-7: Another staircase? Gah! 6-8: ================== Boss encounter: Elizabeth Bartley ================== She'll intimidate you at first, but she's a pushover due to her supremely discernable and avoidable attacks. She first appears as... Medusa: Medusa has four attacks, all easily dodged- 1: Sends a criss-crossing spout of flames flying across the screen. Stay close to her, duck, and hack away; the'll fly over your head. 2: Spews a long burst of flame. Back off just a tad, but still close (out of the reach of her claw), duck, and keep hacking. 3: Whips with tail. Back off and jump. 4: Starts clawing at you and moving forward. Slash, slash, move back, slash, slash, move back, etc. Medusa cycles through these easy patterns until she's dead. Wrap it up and wait for the true power of Bartley... Bartley: Bartley wields various magic forms, but they all must start after she sets up those orbs in the middle of the room. While they're revolving there, they can be touched without harm. Bartley then goes from side to side; the key here is to wait for her to appear on a side in the middle... you can then jump over to the side on which she appears and slash. If you're especially crafty, you can stand just off to one side of the middle, making her appear on the opposite side, and get a head start jumping towards her... you can then avoid the projectile she fires when she appears on a side (since you'd have probably gotten there soon enough). Now, the number of times you must hit Bartley to do damage depends on the number of orbs in the middle of the room. If there are 4, hit her four times to damage her, etc. It's all about rhythm with her. The sounds she makes as she teleports will signal exactly when you need to move. Learn to bounce or run quickly to one side of the screen, predicting her appearance, and you'll defeat her without ever getting touched by her magic projectiles. And then, her easy ass is gone. =========================== End encounter ============================= 6-9: Collect whatever you want, just keep the axe. 6-10: Up the stairs you go. 6-11: Collect the blue jewel in the first candle. Go back down the steps, then climb back up to collect it again. Do so until you have a satisfactory amount of jewels. ======================= Boss Encounter: Dracula ======================= His first two forms aren't tough at all, but his third is a free-for- all. 1st Form: Regular old Dracula. Shoots several types of projectiles, but the idea here is to stop them before they're a factor. Jock the column of light he forms when teleporting.. stand right next to it. As soon as it turns into Dracula, jump up and slash, and duck when you land. Repeat until he changes form. 2nd Form: Resembles Death here. He never goes for a direct attack, so you're saved from that. He'll launch two side-crawling projectiles... jump over these in the middle of the screen. He'll also form several clones, releasing columns of fire- follow the real one, and stand beneath him for what will be the only safe area. Meanwhile, hack at him with axe or whip (or, whenever low enough, the spear) 3rd Form: Now the goofball's done playing around with that sissy shit. Drac has become a large monster with a mouth in his stomach, and he's not bound to the same easy patterns as the other bosses of the game. He'll toss some sickles your way; these can be dodged by ducking in place, but not always. Jump attack and axe him when he's in this phase. When the sky turns red, his stomach starts breathing fire. LaCarde can keep Dracula bouncing very easily with his spear- vault; stay in the middle of the screen, and vault over the fire, and vault into him when he flies over you. This will keep him locked on one side of the screen. Morris can use upward jumping slashes in lieu of the attacking spear-vault, but he must time the jumps over the flames more precisely. When the sky turns black, he starts throwing bones. It's time to exhaust the axe supply. Run from the bones and use an airborne special axe attack, or appropriate regular axe attack. =========================== End encounter ============================= ========================== End walkthrough ============================ ============================= End game =============================== ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Truisms =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= I've compiled here a list of key reminders and concepts to think about and nod your head at in agreeance. Study these simple principles; commit them to residual, visible visuals in your cerebral! == "A fool and his jewels are soon parted" == Wasteful use of the items yields no true advantage. With the length of the powered up whip and spear, most enemies can be easily and more efficiently disposed of with regular attacks. == "Act in haste, repent in seizure" == A surprising number of the trickier enemies in Bloodlines (or most any Castlevania) can be most easily slain by simply standing in place when you see them arrive on screen, then unleashing the properly-timed whip or spear. Jumping around the screen like a panicked doofus is a certain way to die in Castlevania games. == "Keep your friends close, but your enemies just close enough" == You won't much be dealing with friendlies in this game, so here's a word on placing yourself in relation to enemies. When you encounter opposition that requires more than one whip strike, it's generally best to stand as far away from them as possible while striking. You want to keep these enemies close enough to beat their asses red, but as far as possible to allow leeway for last-minute jumps and possible projectile protection. == "The squeaky wheel gets greased" == You can't just rush into every screen, slapping these ghouls with whips. You show up in a room making a lot of noise and jumping around immediately, you're sure to get hit. Whenever a new screen presents itself, take a second to soak in the environment; look for cleverly disguised bats or enemies that might not be paying attention to you. == "There's no fool like a young fool" == You only get two continues for this game; passwords, yes, but no memory card shenanigans will allow you to stop-start yourself to the perfect game. Take advantage of the passwords and continues as best you can, though; if you have to continue on the first level, don't copy down the password you're given at the end. With that sort of defecit from the beginning, you'll need more practice, so play through the level until you don't have to continue. Do so for the subsequent levels, and even the modern youth-gamer could make it to Level 4. == "I like 'em round and big, and when I'm throwin' a gig, I just can't help myself, I'm actin' like an animal... now here's my scandal" == Sir Mix-A-Lot ****in' rules. ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Acknowledgements ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= BillyKane: Yet again I thank this clown for a FAQ he took no part in The Four Horsemen: Masters, RuninRuder (Dark Fact), Zigfried (yes, I'm the fourth) These screwballs helped with nothing, but they get mention anyway. The Chat Bastards: Emptyeye, RetroFreak20, Leroux, Fix, even Jerec Peripheral goofballs: totalstuff (JRepute), Shinnokxz In fact, this FAQ is dedicated to Shin. Without his youthful inability to succeed at the classics, I might never have drafted this. The best Castlevania site on the net: /dungeon.htm (I am in no way affiliated with the above; they're just dynamite at what they do) ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Legal info, etc =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= This document is the exclusive intellectual and physical property of Nick Hogan (Ethereal). This document exclusively used under permission by GameFAQs for nonprofit means. No permission is given to repost, copy, reuse, resubmit or reprint for any means. Acceptable useage is limited to personal, private, nonprofit viewing and saving. Deviation from the confines of these terms is in express violation of copyright law, and will absolutely not be tolerated by myself or the law. ================== This document/FAQ copyright 2002 Nick Hogan. This FAQ is for exclusive posting at GameFAQs. This document held secure by Four Horsemen Print, a division of Bastards, Inc.