Castlevania Bosses
astlevania is a tough game. No, see, it's tough. True, it can be mastered, but it requires patience, dedication, and skill. The challenge is embodied in the boss encounters, which will be covered here.
Castlevania works in such a way that, generally, all damage suffered is directly relevant to how far in you are in the game. To clarify: at the start of the adventure, you'll lose two health bars from any kind of enemy contact, subtracted from the sixteen-bar health meter. In the middle portion, you'll suffer three bars per hit, and during the last stages, a grand total of four bars are lost from enemy assault each time, never mind how minor the attacker (such as a stray bat). The bosses follow suit accordingly: the deeper you get, the more difficult the boss.
The bosses' respective, evolving fight patterns contribute to the difficulty as well. And, on another note, each boss is equal in terms of stamina, taking approximately two bars of damage per hit from a fully-powered Vampire Killer. Dracula is an exception to this, as his energy meter utilizes each of the sixteen bars of energy, always losing one per hit.
Before getting into the actual boss descriptions, I'd like to make mention of a rather infamous gameplay feature that fans of the original Castlevania are widely aware of. The Holy Water trick. It's a technique of trapping the boss (or enemy) into the destructive flames of the Holy Water sub-weapon, thus suffering repeated damage, usually until the foe's demise. What allows this is the way the game is designed (it's not a glitch, though it may seem like one initially).
Holy Water immobilizes the enemy upon contact, and what do you get with combining it with the Double or Triple Shot power-ups? An absolute boss destroyer. Every boss in the game can be defeated with it (sans Dracula's first form), and it's extremely easy to accomplish. As such, it's treated here in the boss strategies as an unmentioned "easy way out" in all cases. It's useful, yes, but why would I even write additional strategies if it's so god-awesome? Well, I don't know really, but! Let's get into it.
Phantom Bat
This is a battle to be remembered, if any. The Phantom Bat takes residence at the end of the main halls of Castlevania, slumbering high above in the ceiling, only awakening as potential intruders approach its nest.
First things first: the choice of sub-weapon to bring into the battle. I'd recommend the Axe. It's highly useful against airborne foes such as the bat, when your whip-hand just can't reach the enemy. It flies in a wide arc, too, so it covers a lot of ground. Alternatively, you can try using the Stopwatch, because the first two bosses are susceptible to its time-freezing powers. The battle will be a no-brainer if you decide to go with this approach. Actually, this is a really easy one never mind how you'll battle the flying menace.
Whatever you do, remember to break one of the blocks to the right of the battle area, as it contains a Double Shot, enhancing the effectiveness of whatever sub-weapon you may carry by a wide margin. The Stopwatch cannot be modified by its powers, however.
Medusa
Straight out of ancient Greek mythology, Medusa joins the fray of Dracula's fearsome boss quintet. The Snake Queen is portrayed as a head of a stone bust located at a chapel, breaking free from its disguise to confront any aspiring Vampire Hunters.
I hope the Medusa Heads didn't take away too much of your health before this boss, since this is not a battle of skill, it's a pure slugfest, survival dependant on Simon's health total. Medusa hovers low on the ground, occasionally releasing a snake or two from her slimy hair, but the main threat is the creature's large frame, as it slowly shifts towards your position. What you want to do is unleash absolutely everything you've got on her right from the very start; do not let her even move, since she can overwhelm you surprisingly quickly. That's pretty much it. If Medusa catches Simon, take the pain, change positions to the opposite side and resume the slaughter. It's simply a matter of who's got more juice in his or her tank, and Simon will persevere if you went into the battle well-prepared.
The Mummies
After a grueling trek through the Castle Ruins, Simon enters a dusty, long-abandoned chamber adorned by cobwebs. Here he will battle the bandaged duo of slow-moving Mummies.
Before the battle actually starts, whip away that block to the left once you've come to floor-level from the descending staircase-like structure. It carries a delicious energy-restoring Pot Roast, y'see. Just be careful not to fall into the abyss a bit further on. Make your way towards the right, and the battle shall commence.
You will be surrounded from both sides, there's no way around it. The Mummies will wander, somewhat aimlessly, around the arena, firing wavy-patterned body wrapping at Simon. These can be destroyed just like any other projectile, so keep your cool and calmly dispatch them. Once the Mummies get reasonably close to you, wait for an opportunity to get through their barricade, after you've suffered damage when you're momentarily invincible (you will get hurt eventually, unless you're really good). After the undead foes are located in the same direction, it will be an easy task to triumph over them. Just let it all out and wail on them, mercilessly.
Frankenstein and Igor
Another boss tag team. These two are the real deal, however, the first showstoppers of Castlevania. Their might is such that some players have never gotten past this point they guard.
Tip: focus on Frankenstein's Monster himself, solely. While the madly-hopping Igor will deliver most of the resistance here, he is invulnerable to any kind of damage (he can be stunned, though). Frankenstein will slowly lumber around, without any kind of battle plan, really. He is still a threat as a mobile obstacle, due to his height. Igor's constant fireball assault combined with Frankie's massive frame make this battle exceedingly tough. Many times, you're forced to take a Dagger into this battle. It's actually fairly useful here, as you can keep your distance and wear down the man-made monstrosity bit-by-bit. Keep moving at all times. Igor will chase after you tirelessly, and only hard-earned skill will save you here.
The Grim Reaper
By far the most difficult boss of the game, in my opinion. Yes, all three latter bosses are tough in their own various ways, but Death will kick your ass like no other, whether you like it or not.
At this point, you can only take three hits and survive, the fourth one will kill Simon. Lovely, eh? When you take your steps inside Death's arena, he'll appear on the top-right, and stay there for a good while. Protip: the Holy Water trick will not allow him to even move an inch. But enough about that.
Death has, at his command, multiple spinning sickles that materialize out of thin air and seek out your location. What's more, there will be four of them making your life miserable at most times. If you destroy one, another will soon take its place, so don't bother if it's not necessary. Concentrate on Death himself, as he floats around, letting his demonic powers do the work for him. There is not much room to maneuver, because Grimmy takes a lot of space and the sickles are everywhere. This is the test you must pass, however. If you manage to defeat the robed phantom, pay extra attention to your surroundings, as his remaining sickles will still attempt to kill Simon, as a last-ditch effort. Grab the crystal swiftly to avoid the Reaper's vengeance.
Count Dracula
Time to pat yourself on the back if you've made it this far. It's not the time for idle celebration just yet, though. Simon must face the most terrible threat humankind has ever known... Count Dracula, high atop his Castle Keep, the vampire lord's sanctuary.
You've got two choices of sub-weapons: Holy Water, or the Cross Boomerang. I suggest Holy Water. Both are good choices, but Holy Water makes the latter portion of the battle a bit easier. More on that in a moment.
Entering the Demon Castle's pinnacle, Simon will find the coffin empty as the Count has already prepared himself for the duel. Dracula will rise from the right of the screen, instantly beginning the trademark routine of his. He will teleport, open his cape, unleash three fireballs, teleport to another location and continue this until either one of the two combatants succumbs to the other. Only his head is vulnerable, so you must jump at him at all times. Ideally, time your jump when he fires his hellfire, gliding over the attack and damaging him at the same time. Rinse and repeat.
One thing to remember: more than half the time, Dracula will predict where Simon stands and teleport right on him, dealing damage. The best tactic to avoid this is to stay still as he's out of vision (about 1,5 seconds according to the in-game clock) and as he reappears quickly sprint to either direction. If you keep moving from side-to-side constantly, Drac will most likely teleport just ahead of you, causing Simon to crash into him. Fool the vampire yourself, instead.
Eventually, Dracula will be decapitated by the force of Simon's whip. Though what follows is even more terrible than his initial form. Dracula is reborn as a grotesque bat-like monster, bent on destroying the insolent Hunter once and for all.
This Dracula is vulnerable everywhere on his massive body, though the head still takes the most damage. Here, the sub-weapons come into play. Throw out your Holy Water, immobilize the beast and strike at the head as the liquid burns Dracula's legs. Alternatively, score hits on his head with the Cross Boomerang. Either way, the goal is to not have him move around much. If you get cornered, the only way out is from under the vampire's high leap. Every two or three jumps will be higher than the rest, allowing you to pass under. Dracula also retains the fireballs he had. These come from a different angle, and are harder to evade, though you may want to destroy them with sub-weapons to gain a Double or Triple Shot. Whatever you do, keep Dracula at bay and persevere.
