This page contains a full text and video walkthrough of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, part of the classic Castlevania series, developed and published by Konami. Harmony of Despair was released on August 4, 2010, exclusively on Xbox Live Arcade.

Light on plot and heavy on classic Castlevania action, Harmony of Despair allows up to six players to team up and take on the creatures of the night. Featuring five characters from various Castlevania titles from the past, each with his or her own unique weapons and abilities, Harmony also allows for a high degree of customization. By buying or finding new gear scattered throughout the game, players can upgrade their loadouts to maximize their effectiveness. And you'll need every advantage you can get as you move through the game's six levels, each with a huge boss waiting at the end. Harmony can be played alone, but progress will be difficult without help. To get the most pout of the game, you'll want to team up with a few friends (especially since this will allow the use of powerful team attacks). Harmony of Despair also features competitive multiplayer, further adding to the dark fun.

Harmony of Despair features very little in the way of actual story. In fact, the various Castlevania games from which the playable characters are drawn tale place in widely separated time periods. Each level of the game is self-contained, generally featuring its own particular set of enemies and other obstacles. There are no cutscenes or other explanatory elements to inform players of how the levels or their bosses fit together. Instead, the focus is on the action, and on gathering as many items as you can in order to upgrade your character as much as possible.

Harmony of Despair follows the basic gameplay philosophy of past titles in the classic series. Players side-scroll through large, complex levels, using various weapons and magical abilities to battle a whole host of unearthly creatures, and gathering items from the treasure chests scattered around. At the end of all six levels is a boss, each with its own set of attacks and weaknesses. Each boss will force you to alter your strategy, testing your ability to adapt, possibly forcing you to switch your loadout or character. Different characters certainly fare better than others against particular enemies. Though the text below contains tips for each level, you'll probably want to experiment on your own, and find the combination of character, loadout and tactics that works best for you.

Harmony of Despair is part of the classic action/horror franchise, which began in 1986 with the original Castlevania. One of the longest running video game series of all time, Castlevania, unlike other franchises, has remained remarkably close to its roots. The same side-scrolling, open-ended exploration seen in past games, combined with a very familiar fighting system, will allow longtime players to step smoothly back into the series. Harmony of Despair is also something of a tribute to the franchise itself, drawing its six playable characters, and many of its enemies, from previous titles, to say nothing of its overall aesthetic. There's little or nothing in Harmony of Despair that couldn't have been rendered on the 16-bit systems of years gone by. Everything about the presentation, from the graphics to the guitar-wailing soundtrack, reaches back to the past, making for a potentially nostalgic experience for players who've been with the series for years.

Start: Pause

Back: Open Dialogue Wheel

Left Button: Dodge

Right Button: Personal Skill

Left Stick: Move

Right Stick: Look

(Press): Zoom In/Out

Left Trigger: Ready Equipped Item

Right Trigger: Use Item/Open Chest/Open Book

(Multiplayer Only): Revive Teammate/Dual Crush (While Near Teammate)

A: Jump

While in Air: Double Jump

While in Air + Down: Jump Kick

While on Ground + Down: Slide

While on Platform + Down: Drop Through Platform

X: Weapon Attack

B: Magic Attack

Lifeguard (10G): Bring a comrade back from the dead

Slick Kick (10G): Defeat a boss using sliding

Bone Cold Justice (10G): Defeat an enemy by hitting back a Skeleton's bone

Grim Synergy (10G): Defeat a boss using a Dual Crush

Poetic Justice (15G): Defeat an ally who has been seduced by the enemy

Vampire Hunter (15G): Destroy the lord of Castlevania

Grasshopper (20G): Jump kick 30 times in a row without touching the ground

Boned (20G): Defeat a boss with 5 players in skeleton form

Pack Rat (20G): Collect 300 different types of items

Wicked Deep Pockets (20G): Amass 1,000,000 gold

Slaughtervania (20G): Rack up 10,000 enemy kills

Hunter Legend (30G): Complete Hard Mode

The game's upgrade system works mostly through finding or purchasing ever more powerful items. Whether you complete a stage by killing its boss or not, you'll keep all the items and money you find. Between levels, therefore, a trip to the shop is always a good idea. Look carefully at the items in your inventory, and those on display for sale in the shop. Keep in mind all the effects of a particular item, not just its most obvious. For example, donning the Skull Ring is a good way to increase almost all your stats; unfortunately, it's also a good way to completely lose your ability to use magic.

Items can also be stacked, meaning that wearing three or four pieces of clothing that each add to your defense will make you tougher than wearing any one of them alone. Mixing and matching, and constant study of new items, is the way to go. When you find an item you know you won't be needing, make sure to sell it at the shop, so that you can use the money to buy more useful items. You can change clothes and switch equipped items by reading the books scattered around the levels. You'll always start near a book, and sometimes you may find it necessary to cross the entire level to consult another.

There are several categories of items, each with its own uses and limitations. The main types of items you'll encounter during the game are:

• Weapons: No vampire hunter goes into battle without the best weapon he can afford. Some characters can't equip certain weapons; while playing as them, you won't be able to buy that type of weapon, avoiding accidental purchases. As you progress through the game, new and better weapons will become available. Playing on Hard Mode opens up a whole new arsenal--and we're not just talking swords and axes. Find the weapon that suits you best, and always be ready to upgrade if the opportunity presents itself.
• Clothing: You have a few slots open for clothing, each representing a different part of the body. Mix and match your outfit to get the most out of your character. Don't forget the two accessory slots, for things like pendants and earrings. These can carry some useful effects.
• Food: Food items usually heal some damage, and may carry other effects as well. The amount of health you'll recover varies fairly widely with the food consumed. Most food items will work automatically, without you having to equip them. However, if you have full health when you find the item, it won't go to waste. You'll find it in your inventory, for use later in the level, or for selling at the shop.
• Potions: Usually purchased at the shop, potions can be very useful, though their use is restricted somewhat by the limit of one item slot imposed by the game, which means that you can only have one type of potion equipped and ready for use at a time. Some potions restore health (how much exactly depends on the potion, and effects its price). Others restore some or all of your MP. Some potions help with other, more specific situations, removing curses or curing poisoning. You may want to adjust which potion you carry, depending on the level you're tackling, but having a few healing potions on hand is rarely a bad idea.
• Water of Life (Multiplayer Only): Look for the blue treasure chests to find the all-important Water of Life. Possessing a Water of Life can easily make the difference in a boss battle, so the party should try to find as many as it can carry (each player can carry one Water of Life at a time). Use the Water of Life to restore a dead teammate from his skeletal form, returning him to life with a full health bar.

Each playable character in the game has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. While playing multiplayer, you'll want to balance your team, combining characters with strong ranged attacks with those who excel at short range. While in single-player mode, you'll want to look for a well-rounded character, one who can do it all without sacrificing any major consideration.

Soma Cruz

First Appearance: Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (2003, Game Boy Advance)

Soma Cruz can gain certain abilities and immunities by capturing the souls of the enemies he defeats. You'll need to kill a lot of monsters to unlock his full potential, and each ability must be equipped separately--you can only use one at a time. Therefore Cruz works well as a specialized fighter, at least once he has a variety of abilities to choose from. You can mix and match his loadout depending on the level, and on the boss battle in store at the end. Cruz can also equip most types of weapons, allowing for further customization.

Alucard

First Appearance: Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1990, NES)

Alucard is probably the most well-rounded of the six playable characters. He's handy with most weapons, and can learn and use magical spells as well. Both of these types of attacks can be upgraded considerably: Alucard can find or purchase a wide variety of weapons, and his spells become stronger the more enemies they destroy (this happens automatically, once a particular spell is equipped). Alucard also has the best dodge in the game, an important consideration when attempting to tackle certain levels and bosses alone (for example, the Puppet Master of level two, whose devastating Iron Maiden attack can be avoided with a well-timed dodge by Alucard). There's not much holding Alucard back; he's not as powerful in particular areas as some other, more specialized characters, but what he lacks in pure power he more than makes up for in overall balance.

Jonathan Morris

First Appearance: Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (2006, DS)

Morris, like Soma Cruz, can learn and strengthen new powers by defeating enemies, except that in Morris' case, these powers are offensive. By defeating certain enemies, you'll learn their attacks. Generally, the stronger the enemy, the better the attack. Each attack will gain strength the more you use it. Morris can also use his whip as a shield (by holding down the attack button), defending him from ranged attacks by enemies.

Shanoa

First Appearance: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (2008, DS)

Shanoa is one of the more specialized characters in the game. She sacrifices flexibility in weapon selection for strength in magic, making her a valuable support character for multiplayer, and not the ideal choice for solo campaigns. Shanao can't buy or equip new weapons; she's stuck with her middle-of-the-road starting weapon for the whole game. Her strength comes from stealing new magical attacks from enemies, then making those attacks more potent with repeated use. Shanoa can steal certain magic-using enemies' attacks by holding up on either the Left Stick or Directional Pad when the attack is imminent. Instead of damaging her, the attack will be sucked into her tattoo, freeing it up for use. As she kills enemies with it, the attack will grow in strength. Shanoa can only steal certain attacks, so some experimentation is necessary. Once she has a good attack leveled up, she can do serious damage to even tough opponents. Each attack is costly in MP, though, limiting the speed with which she can use them and further cementing Shanoa as a multiplayer teammate rather than a single-player star. Shanoa's personal skill also allows her to reach the small magnets located throughout the game.

Charlotte Aulin

First Appearance: Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (2006, DS)

Similarly to Shanoa, Charlotte can steal the magical abilities of enemies and channel them for her own use. However, there are two crucial differences: Charlotte can steal a much wider variety of enemy attacks, making her potentially more versatile; and her attacks level up differently. Instead of simply using her spells to increase their strength, Charlotte needs to keep collecting them from enemies. She's also limited in the variety and strength of her melee weapons, at least to begin with. Her melee attack will level up as her magical abilities do. Charlotte can be a very effective character, but raising her up to her potential will involve a lot of time and repetition, as you return again and again to specific levels, to steal the abilities of the enemies there.

The game's opening level is a fairly straightforward march to the first boss. Exploring won't take you far off your course, so check out side rooms for chests, especially blue ones with Water of Life if you're playing on a team. Throw any switch you come across, especially the one that drains the large chamber with the Mermen. By crossing the chamber below, you can reach the boss room quickly. Destroy the enemies in the large center rooms of the level; otherwise, you'll have to contend with them during the boss battle. It's worth a detour to deal with them on your terms, and save yourself the trouble later.

Watch out for the white laser beam that appears periodically throughout the level; it's a harbinger of the coming boss battle, and will recur with more frequency as you near him. When the thin white beam appears, get away from it before it widens. The thin beam won't hurt you, but the thicker one will. Be ready for the beam at any time; it's most dangerous when it catches you in an awkward position, so try to avoid leaving yourself vulnerable by having a place to escape to quickly if you have to.

Most of the enemies here are pretty basic, but some will recur throughout the game, so get used to their tendencies while making your way toward the end. Weaker enemies like Zombies, Bats, and Mermen are just putting in a cameo here, and shouldn't be much trouble, even when you're first starting out. More durable enemies like Axemen and Minotaurs will reappear later, so get comfortable fighting them now.

The foul beast known as Gergoth has several attacks, but all of them are fairly easy to avoid once you've gotten used to his telltale preparations. You can attack any part of Gergoth, though two spots are particularly vulnerable: the head, and the feet. Attacking the head does more damage, at least as long as the feet are protected by Gergoth's armored shoes. The feet are easier to reach, so it's worthwhile to strip away the armor. Since most of Gergoth's attacks simply require you to duck, you'll be able to keep doing damage to the feet even while you stay out of the way. Keep in mind, though, that on Hard Mode, the shoes won't come off, so the head's your best bet.

Gergoth's laser beam, which he shoots at you throughout the level, is easy to avoid, since you'll have ample warning when it's about to strike. When the white energy begins collecting around Gergoth's mouth, get away. Look for the initial thin beam, which proceeds the real thing; stay out of the way by ducking or jumping, depending on your starting position.

Gergoth will also run at you for several attacks. When he throws himself to the ground and slides at you, jump out of the way. When he bites at you, get to the corner, beyond his reach. Watch out for the red tentacles he projects from his belly. They're potentially dangerous, but they have a confined range. They're also proceeded by ample warning; when he rears up and quivers, that's your cue to get out of their way by either sliding under him or running away. When he opens his mouth and tries to draw you in, either run in the opposite direction, or get close to him and duck. Either way, avoid the bite that follows.

Once you've put a good amount of damage on Gergoth, he'll crash through the floor, taking you with him. At the bottom, resume the fight. If you didn't clear out the middle sections of the level on your way through, you'll have to deal with a horde of additional creatures while you fight Gergoth, including some Axemen and Minotaurs. They can complicate things, so take them out as quickly as you can, while avoiding Gergoth's attacks. Then return your full attention to him. Deal enough damage and Gergoth will go down.

As a side note, this is a good place to pick up the Grasshopper achievement. Get above Gergoth, either when you first arrive in his chamber or later in the fight, and do 30 jump kicks onto his back without hitting the ground or taking damage. It's fairly easy once you get the timing down, and as long as you start the sequence early in the fight, Gergoth should have plenty of life to stick around while you jump on him.

A bit more roundabout--and a bit more dangerous--than the first level, the second stage will take you through a small village and its underworld, and eventually into the lair of a strange monster (and his even stranger stuffed animal collection). Again, there are a few switches to hit along the way, most not too far out of your path. Hit any switches you come across, as the starting position is generally the opposite of the position you want them in. Just keep track of your progress, so you're not opening and closing doors unnecessarily, then having to go back and hit the same switch again.

The enemies here are tougher overall than in the first stage too. Many of them use magic and/or projectiles, so watch out. Be ready to absorb if you're using Shanoa or Charlotte. Avoid the Iron Maiden scattered around the level at all costs; they do massive damage. When you find one in the same room with a box, push the box in front of it to block the Iron Maiden; this will come in handy later, during the boss battle.

This twisted monster can be pretty tough when you're on your own, especially with a low level character. If possible, try to tackle this one with a teammate or two. If you get too close when he opens his mouth you'll take damage. Also, the swarms of flying dolls he releases will deal damage if they hit you, in addition to laying a curse on you, denying you the ability to use magic. But the real danger with the Puppet Master is his Iron Maiden attack. He'll pick up a voodoo doll and attempt to place it in the nearest Iron Maiden; if he does so, you'll take massive damage. On multiplayer, each doll represents just one player; on solo, it's always you. You can destroy the doll before he places it in the Iron Maiden, but you don't have much time for this, and the doll takes a significant amount of damage to destroy. Listen for when the Puppet Master starts to boast about his powers: "I have only to..." That means he's about to put a doll in the Maiden, so get over to it as fast as you can. Note that Alucard can dodge the Iron Maiden with a perfectly timed Mist dodge. The Puppet Master will get up and leave the room during the fight, and move to another room with an Iron Maiden. To have any hope of stopping his dark designs, you need to follow him, or head him off; it's usually possible to guess which room he's headed for. This is a strong incentive to get to know the level well. He'll avoid the rooms with blocked Iron Maidens, cutting off his range. The Puppet Master is vulnerable all over his gigantic head; get in close with strong melee attacks, or use distance magic attacks, to wear away his health. If you're in close, watch out for the periodic waves of dolls, which are released from the aforementioned gigantic head.

Since this boss moves around so much, you'll likely have to backtrack to his starting chamber to open the chest that officially ends the level. Watch for Iron Maidens along the way--you don't want to die after defeating this difficult boss, but before you can reap the rewards.

This is another fairly straightforward level, where it's difficult to get very far off the path to the boss. There are a few things to keep in mind, though. The gigantic hammer visible in the background of the upper parts of the stage is a potentially useful weapon against the boss, as long as you don't trigger it prematurely. Don't throw the switch located to the left of the head of the hammer. If you accidentally hit the switch, you can still go back and reset the hammer by repeatedly hitting the golden gear in the nearby room; but it takes a tremendous amount of time to get the hammer back into position, and you'll be plagued by Imps the entire time. It's best to leave the hammer where it is until later.

There's another switch a bit further down, still on the left side of the level. This one you'll want to hit. It will clear a path toward the boss, and also create a convenient position from which to fight him. The golden bridge that shifts to the right when the switch is puller will soon be the only stable footing in the area, so make sure you remember the quickest route back to it, through the rooms to the left. Once past the bridge, you'll have to destroy the gelatinous cubes between you and the boss. Some of the smaller cubes contain enemies in a state of suspended animation. Destroying the cubes will release the enemies, and you'll have a swarm of Fleamen to contend with. Still, it's better to deal with them now; the boss will release them if you don't. You can destroy each block separately, limiting the danger of being overwhelmed by the annoying pests. Proceed through the gelatinous cubes, both large and small, until you reach the boss.

The ghastly, inert mass at the bottom of the level will, when provoked, unfold itself into the game's biggest boss. The towering Menace will then make his cumbersome, implacable way across the level to the left, destroying everything in his path, creating a huge chamber at the bottom of the level. Needless to say, you don't want to be in the line of fire. Rush to the left, and don't stop moving until you're to the left of the golden bridge that you created by pulling the switch on your way to the boss. Menace will go no further than the bridge, and since it's at his eye level, the bridge itself is the preferred place from which to fight this boss. Any character can easily strike Menace's face from here. His other two weak spots--his heart and his kneecap--are somewhat less readily targeted, but there are ways to attack both, once you've done all the damage you can to the face. Shanoa's lightning attack will arc down and hit both automatically, making her the best character for this battle.

You can also use the enormous hammer at the top of the level to knock Menace on his back, opening him up for your attacks. Use the switch located to the left of the head of the hammer to activate it. Make sure Menace is near the center of his chamber when you throw the switch; it's possible to miss with the hammer if he's too far forward. This may require a player to get down in the chamber with him, to lure him back away from the bridge. For that reason, this strategy is best used during multiplayer sessions. It's possible to reset the hammer by winding the big golden gear at the top of the stage, but this is time-consuming and potentially dangerous, as there are infinite Imps in the same room. A good strategy is to do as much damage as you can to Menace's head, until his skull helmet comes down, then hit him with the hammer; if you're quick with your followup attacks, you should be able to take him out before he gets up again.

Menace uses several attacks, all of which are fairly easy to avoid from the bridge once you've got a grasp of his timing. When he raises his leg, be ready to jump over the powerful kick he aims at you. When he rears back with his arm, he's going to punch; get to the left, and duck. When Menace crouches down and prepares to jump, you just need to get all the way over to the left. If you're stuck down in the chamber with Menace, be ready to get under him quickly when he jumps. head to the left, and up through the rooms on that side, toward the bridge.

Because of Menace's huge size, this battle is a good opportunity to take advantage of the zoom-out function of the camera. The second-widest perspective, or even the widest, can give you a much better view of him than the tightest zoom.

This level is filled with teleporting paintings; entering one will send you flying off to another section of the level. Further complicating matters, many of the paintings are in pairs, and the activated one--the one with the spotlight on it--can be switched with the nearby levers. It's possible to reach the boss without teleporting, by making your way to the platform below his room. You'll have to throw a lever in order to activate the platform, though. The switch is in another room, up and to the left.

To take full advantage of the potential plunder in the level, you'll want to do some exploring, and that means taking the paintings. This is where indiscriminately throwing switches will get you into trouble; losing your way in this stage is easiest thing in the world. If you want to fully chart the level, you'll need to check each painting separately, then throw the relevant lever and try the neighboring painting. Needless to say, this can get complicated in a hurry. Try to keep your bearings as best you can, looking for landmarks on your way. If you want to avoid all the complications and reach the boss as quickly and easily as possible, remember to stay to the left as you move upward, only turning right when you have no alternative.

This twisted painter is more dangerous than he looks, though that's not saying a whole lot. You need to pay close attention to what he paints on his easel; it'll predict the pattern of the large slashes of bloody paint that appear in the air shortly afterward. They may come in parallel lines, an X, or a V pattern. Avoid the paint; it's easy to get hit multiple times if you get hit once, and the damage can stack up. You can destroy the paint once it's in the air, and this is recommended, since the paint can really cut off the space available for you to move through, leaving you open to his other attacks. The paint will fade when Brauner prepares to paint again, but by then you may have taken big damage.

Brauner will spout blood from his mouth from time to time. This is easy enough to avoid, by simply getting away from him (again, lingering paint in the area may complicate your escape). He'll also turn into a painting and fly around the room from time to time; easy enough to avoid, as long as you have space in which to move. Remember, you can still do damage while Brauner's in his painting form; in fact, it's a relatively safe break in his more dangerous attacks.

Brauner will throw some large, dangerous magical attacks your way, each with a different effect (besides simply dealing damage). One will curse you, one poison you, and one petrify you. All are avoidable, but only with careful timing and close attention. Jump the low-running attacks, and duck the ones at a higher level. The best strategy for avoiding these three formidable attacks is to limit the number of them Brauner can do, and the only way to do that is to drop him as fast as you can. This is a battle where discretion should be balanced with a healthy amount of aggression, and where you'll usually have to have your attention on at least two or three different aspects of the fight at once. Get to Brauner and give him everything you've got, and don't stop pounding him until you're forced to avoid an attack; then go right back to him and keep pounding until he's dead.

This is a fairly short level (in fact you can get to the boss in about a minute if you're using Shanoa, by taking advantage of her Personal Skill to swing along the path of magnets). But your progress will be hindered by several factors, including an early manifestation of the boss himself. The titular blade, of course, belongs to Death himself. As you make your way through the level, he'll leave his sanctuary high up in the level and attack you. He'll throw packs of sickles at you, but the boss himself isn't tangible yet, so touching him won't do damage. Avoid the sickles by simply destroying them. The only tricky part here is if your character can only attack side-to-side; in this case, ducking and attacking may leave you open to sickles coming in at an inconvenient angle. It's totally possible to get out of the way of the sickles too, as long as you have plenty of space. You'll want to attack Death when you see him; he's surprisingly vulnerable, and once you've done enough damage to him he'll flee back to his chamber and await your arrival. The two spotlights on the lower level of the stage can be moved, creating an intersection of their beams; Death will fly freely through the beams themselves, but if he hits the spot where they touch (shown by a glowing blob of light), he'll take damage and immediately return to his room. Since Death appears and attacks periodically, you can lure him toward the intersection of the beams simply by being in the area.

Besides the premature attacks of the boss, this level has some other fairly formidable enemies. The huge headless knights can only be hit on their disembodied heads, which tend to hide behind their massive armored bodies. Ranged attacks, especially Shanoa's lightning, are effective against the knights, but those who rely solely on melee attacks will have a slow and frustrating time with them. There are also the ever-irritating Medusa Heads to contend with. The blue versions of the infinitely swarming heads only deal damage, but the orange ones petrify you as well. Avoid or destroy them however you can, and get out of the area they inhabit quickly. Make your way to the top of the level, and cross the bridge to Death's door.

Once you reach Death's chamber, you'll have to battle him again, this time in his tangible form. Touching him now deals a big chunk of damage, so be careful; his sickle in particular is very dangerous. While hitting him with melee attacks in close, be ready for him to shift position.

Death's attacks are limited, but potentially dangerous. Each can be avoided, but only with careful timing. When he releases his swarms of small sickles, get yourself into position to deal with as few as possible, letting the rest pass over you. Ducking is your best bet here. Then swat the sickles out of the air before they reach you. He also releases three red bolts of energy, which spin around him in a widening circle. Jump over one of them to get inside their path, and you'll be safe. When Death slashes down with his hand-held sickle, you don't want to be on the receiving end. Just get out of the way; there's relatively little warning when this attack is coming, but it has a very limited effective range. When Death releases his six large floating sickles, three on each side, be ready for them to fly inward, the sickles on each side crossing the paths of those on the other. Get to one side, and duck the first two sickles. You'll have to jump the last one, as it'll come in too low to duck. Keep hammering Death and avoiding his attacks until you've done enough damage to defeat him.

The final stage, Dracula's castle, is both straightforward and roundabout. While there's only one route to the king vampire's tower, it'll take you through just about every room in the castle as it winds up, down and around. There are two tall, narrow rooms filled with Medusa Heads, both of which you'll have to pass through at least once. There's only one book in the entire stage, and it's at the very beginning, so if you want to restock your loadout, you'll have to go all the way back. You should have enough time, though, provided you move quickly. If you're going to do this, you might as well go all the way through the first time, cleaning out all the enemies so you won't have to fight them when you come for Dracula. You'll still have to contend with the Medusa Heads, since they right on spawning. There's food scattered around the level, and it's a good idea to leave it where it is, so that on the way back, you can recover whatever health you lose to the Medusa Heads without using your valuable potions.

As you'd expect, Dracula's house guests are the cream of the monster crop. The towering guardians near the end of the stage have no weaknesses; pretty much everything you do to them will do one point of damage. Make sure to avoid their swords, which will unleash a wave of flames when slammed into the ground. Also, avoid their shields, which they'll spring out at you, either from a standing position or a crouch. You can duck it when they're standing, but you'll have to get out of range when they drop down to a knee. Make sure you get the Water of Life from the room above the last guardian before proceeding to Dracula's lair. Also, look for hidden items behind breakable sections of wall. There's one to the right of the slice of pizza above the second Medusa Room, and another on the base of the roof, above the final set of stairs leading toward Dracula's chamber. You can also stand as high up on the roof as you can get, and wait for the mysterious item known as Konami Man to fly by.

The evil vampire scourge returns for yet another Castlevania installment, and this time he's as mean as ever. Dracula will assume three forms during the battle, each with its own attacks and vulnerabilities.

First Form: Dracula in human guise will unleash a few different attacks from his raised cape. He'll teleport around the room frequently; make sure you're not standing where he shows up. If you're near him, and if he's not right up against the wall, you can quickly jump to the side he's facing away from, which will keep you safe from everything he does, and allow you to peg away at him. Dracula's pillars of fire will shoot up from the floor, above the spots indicated by the bubbling puddles of fire; stay outside them, or in between, and be ready for more pillars, more tightly spaced, later in this phase of the fight. He'll also summon fiery wheels, four at a time. They alternate on low and high trajectories, allowing you to duck and jump alternately, but you'll have to be quick. Later in the first section of the battle Dracula will sometimes combine the wheels with the pillars, making for a tough attack to dodge.

Second Form: When Dracula materializes as a huge, hideous demon, the battle really begins. The beast is stationary for long periods of time, so it's possible to get a good amount of damage on him before he moves, but when he does, you'd better be well out of range. Watch for him to leap across the level, releasing poison beneath him. This is a difficult attack to dodge if you're in the wrong place when he does it; at the first sign, get out of the way in a hurry. The poison will drain your health quickly. Dracula's beast form also has a laser beam, which he fires from his mouth. You'll have some warning, when the energy begins to collect in front of his face, but it's still easy enough to get boxed in by this attack. Try not to get cornered at any point. Dracula in his second form will also release waves of ghosts, which are capable of cursing you. Avoid or destroy them as fast as you can.

Final Form: The demonic creature with huge grasping claws is Dracula's third and final form. His attacks are easily the most devastating, and he's also the most well-protected of the three Draculas. Hitting his enormous hands will do nothing; they're permanent guards. Magic users can still hit his exposed inner section with long-range spells, but melee-centered characters will need to get within the protective layer of the hands in order to do damage. This presents some problems, since most of his devastating attacks start right between his hands. You'll need to keep an eye out for signs of impending attacks, and be ready to move at a moment's notice.

Dracula's most dangerous attack is the huge bubble of dark magic he sends out from his hands. It'll do massive damage, usually enough to kill you if you've taken a few hits already. You're safe from this attack as long as you're right up against either wall. If you're anywhere else, you're toast. When Dracula forms his ring of hearts, get ready; he'll shoot them out at you, and if you're hit, you'll be charmed, meaning you'll lose control of yourself for a while. During that time you'll still take damage, and Dracula will try to use you to attack any teammates nearby. This is a tough attack to dodge. Getting over to the wall will give you the most time, but you'll still need split-second timing (and probably a little luck) to keep from getting charmed. Another attack that radiates out in a circle from Dracula's hands is a little easier to doge, but still no picnic. You'll get a warning of where the thin lines of energy will strike, and you'll need to get somewhere safe and duck to avoid to avoid the beams themselves. Note that you need to avoid every part of the beams, including the thin fringe of energy surrounding each. Dracula's translucent pyramids will flow out toward the corners of the room. You can avoid some by jumping, some by ducking; adjust your strategy according to the trajectory of each pyramid. Dracula's third form can also summon a few attacks from his earlier forms, including the wave of fire and the laser beam, but these will seem like blessed respites compared to the unique attacks used by this form.

In addition to attacking, Dracula's third form will also shield occasionally. There are two types of shield: the light blue shield protects Dracula from magic, while leaving him open to melee attacks; the dark blue shield protects him from melee while opening him up to magic. Adjust your attacks accordingly.

This isn't a battle where charging headlong into the fray is going to accomplish anything. It's important to avoid every attack you can. Even the two earlier forms shouldn't be underestimated; it's worth taking your time with them, if only to save as much health as you can for the final form. Patience and opportunism are doubly important in the final phase of the fight. Dracula is totally capable of putting you down with just a few shots. Don't give him the opportunity; play it smart, and avoid everything you possibly can. Keep doing damage when you can, and eventually Dracula will die yet again, not to be revived until the next Castlevania game.

Controls

Achievements

Items

Characters

Chapter 1

Boss Battle 1

Chapter 2

Boss Battle 2

Chapter 3

Boss Battle 3

Chapter 4

Boss Battle 4

Chapter 5

Boss Battle 5

Chapter 6

Boss Battle 6