Castlevania Chronicles Bosses
he bosses of Castlevania Chronicles are a challenging bunch. Many of them are classic monsters like the Werewolf, Giant Bat, and Medusa. Frankenstein's Monster makes an appearance, but as a regular enemy. More unusual opponents are the Doppelganger, Skeleton Dragon, and Necromancer. Hooded magicians are a regular occurrence in 16-bit Castlevania games.
There are several comparable elements to the first game. Medusa appears in a red cathedral, the Giant Bat occupies the end of the Entrance Hall, Death haunts the long gallery corridor in the Torture Chamber/Laboratory, and Dracula morphs into a large blue bat creature.
This guide assumes you're playing the Original Mode or Arrange Mode on Hard, so once you get to Medusa, the bosses will be able to kill Simon in a mere four hits.
Giant Bat
The classic Giant Bat is the first boss. As per routine, the preferred weapon for this situation is the axe. Before the bat swoops from its perch, break the third block on the lower platform for a double shot. The nightly creature will usually hover above you, so it will be easy to hit with an axe. There's something to worry about with that strategy, however. Whenever you strike the bat with an axe, it will counter attack by breaking into a flock of lesser bats and soar toward Simon, so be ready to move out of the way. The advantage to attacking it with the whip is that it will not always fly toward you afterward. Continue striking and be ready to move at the right time. The Giant bat will occasionally dive for a swooping attack. Hit it with an axe if this happens. It will also release slow moving fireballs, but these aren't hard to dodge.
Skeleton Dragon
This thing is not as threatening as it looks. The battle may seem intimidating because you're restricted to a little raft and without much room to maneuver, and the dragon is huge. It will try to tip the raft on one end, thus drawing Simon closer to it, and making it easier for the ossified beast to roast the Hunter with fire breath. When you hit the dragon in the skull, its head will recoil from the damage. Get its head to withdraw as it releases dragon breath so that it will be farther from Simon. Stand at the left edge of the raft and continue attacking the head, which is very easy to hit.
Necromancer
This amethyst clad villain makes his way into Castlevania games every now and then, usually displaying an interesting move set. One of his attacks this time around is summoning three scimitars and launching them at Simon. These can be destroyed with a careful jump and well timed attack with the Vampire Killer.
Another one of his attacks is when he conjures what looks like three alligator-like spirits that will sap away a small number of hearts if they connect with Simon. It is not too bad if you get hit by this, because the attack doesn't deplete that many hearts and you can defeat the Necromancer easily enough without the aid of sub-weapons.
When the Necromancer loses over half his health, he will invoke a giant pentagram that beckons a vicious looking demon to his service. It will release turquoise bubbles that follow Simon across the screen. Make sure you're not on the extreme left or right when the demon appears, because you will have nowhere to run. It's best to be somewhere in the middle and then run to the left or right, whichever is convenient.
I'm not sure why, but the Necromancer will create ice pillars that you can jump on. These don't harm you in any way, they actually work toward your benefit, because they make him easier to hit. The Necromancer often hovers near the top of the screen, and you can use a pillar to make it up there and hit him.
This boss can be beaten very quickly if fortune is on your side. Every time you attack Necromancer, he will stop what he's doing and zip to another part of the screen. If you can attack him again right after he materializes, he will not even get a chance to attack. If you can, keep up quick attacks and this foe will go down with little to no opposition.
Medusa
The first thing that should be mentioned is that right before you reach the room with Medusa, there is a pot roast inside the final block, so nab that. This is when the bosses start posing real threats. Medusa can kill Simon in four hits and she's pretty clever. Keep Medusa pinned into the left side of the screen as best you can without getting too close to her.
If she shoots her stoning beam from her hand (strange, I know), jump over it and get in a few hits with the Vampire Killer. If she leaps into the air and hurls a group of little vipers at you, duck and banish them with the whip. She'll try to gain some ground when she blinks a pink hue and lunges forward. Don't attack, because she can't be knocked back in this state. Try to keep her on the defense with ranged attacks, or with the extreme length of the Vampire Killer. If you hit her, she may draw back and give some ground.
Her tail has good length, so try to stay as far from her as you can while keeping within attacking range. The cross works very well. The absolute safest time to attack with the whip is when she shoots the beam. Jump toward her, over the beam and attack.
She-Wolf
It goes without saying, but it would be nice if you could make it to this battle with full health, which isn't easy to do. A cross and double or triple shot will help a lot, too. This is one of the more demanding battles in the game, because the Werewolf's attacks are so swift and erratic. It will leap across the battlefield tearing pieces of the Clock Tower off and heaving them at you.
If you're far from the Werewolf, you should be able to see this coming and dodge it, but sometimes the ferocious creature goes to a position near you and it is much harder to avoid since you haven't as much time to prepare. To make things worse, the werewolf is only vulnerable when it lands, so most of the time you won't even be able to hurt her.
The Werewolf's attacks appear random, and it can traverse the length of the screen very quickly. Keep a cool head, dodge when you can, and don't stop whipping and throwing crossing. All you have to do is get her health down below half and the rest is gravy. She will stop leaping around and will tear one of the clock's giant hands off to use as a bludgeon. She will warily swing it at Simon to keep you at bay, and sometime she will lunge forward and strike. Don't even bother going in to attack with the whip unless you have to. Sit back and bash her with crosses and it will be all over in no time.
Fake Simon
This is another tricky assailant. He has Simon's move set, but a distinct advantage because he hits much harder. Your only hope is to outsmart him. Stay to the left side of the screen, as he bursts through the mirror, whip him when he appears and then seize the high ground by going to the top left platform.
While he is on the floor, leap over his whip when he jumps and tries to hit you. When he walks under your platform, jump in the air and whip down for an attack. When he jumps on the middle platform and then tries to jump up to yours, knock him back with your whip. Sometimes he will get on your platform because he will leap there while he is using his regeneration time and you can't hit him, but he usually does not stay long. He will jump back down to the floor and you can repeat the process. Remember, use the upper platform. Don't get on the floor with him if it can be helped.
Death
Death will enter from above and rest idly for a while before he begins his attack. An axe with a double shot or triple shot is your best friend for this fight. Nail him furiously with axes. Once nearly half his health is down from your attacks, his regeneration time will kick in and he'll begin his assault by summoning sickles in traditional fashion. These aren't easy to dodge since they're so big and there are so many. You can try to whip them away, but watch out for when Death throws his sickle. He will follow that up with a quick slash.
Death will also create a vortex around Simon and summon skulls to it. These can be a problem depending on where you're placed in the arena when this happens. One skull will come from the left and another from the right. Whip them as they come in. Once Death releases the matter whirlpool he will come in for another quick slash, which is hard to evade, but do the best you can. It is ideal to destroy Death before he gets the chance to make the vortex. This is possible with some good sub-weapon shots. Be sure to come in this fight with an axe, or at least a cross and a decent health meter. If you accidentally pick up a stop watch or dagger in the hall way on your way to Death, or get hurt badly before the fight, there is a good chance you won't fair well.
Dracula
Count Dracula's first form is pretty commonplace stuff for those used to Castlevania. He will teleport around the room and summon three fireballs that shoot toward Simon. Right when he materializes from a teleport beam, jump up and strike him in the head, and if you time your attack just right, the Vampire Killer will destroy the three incoming fireballs. Do not do this too close to Dracula. Have as much distance between him and Simon as the whip can afford. After about half his health is depleted, he will begin launching five fireballs. Approach this the same way. Remember; try to strike at the whip's full length. If you're too close to Dracula, one of the lower fireballs stands the chance of hitting Simon. If for some reason you would like to defend and not attack Dracula, duck and hit the incoming fireballs with the whip and you should be fine.
When you destroy Dracula's first form, he will be decapitated and bubbles of his blood will unite and form into a giant blue humanoid bat creature. Once again, the head is the only spot that will suffer any damage. The Count will jump up and down and release fireballs from his maw. Get a fair amount of distance between Simon and the Count and jump over the fireballs as they're headed near the ground and strike Dracula in the head while you're in the air. The fireballs will recoil off the ground at a diagonal angle. Dracula will often shoot a bunch of fireballs in a series, so you should maneuver Simon away from him in mid-jump to get yourself in position to repeat the same process immediately.
Dracula will try to push you into a corner and it is difficult to pass underneath his jumps because he will eventually start firing blue beams directly underneath him when he leaps. You can throw a cross, and even if it doesn't hit him in the head, it will freeze him for a short while and give you a bit of time to pass underneath him.
Dracula also has an annoying claw attack in his bag of tricks. Only the hand can harm you. The arm will not, so don't be afraid to move closer to Dracula in order to avoid the claw.
Continue dodging Dracula's attacks to the best of your ability and attacking with crosses and the Vampire Killer to seal the Count's fate.
