Castlevania: The Adventure Bosses
he Gameboy debut of the Castlevania series is quite different from the console-based iterations in overall design and some visual quirks. This being the boss section, we should look at the game's mechanics, first and foremost.
So, what do we have to work with? Most players will notice the tremendous decrease in speed from the NES heroes in Christopher's movement, and Simon and company weren't exactly the slickest of the bunch, either. Oh, the fates of a GB launch title. The processor simply couldn't handle the rather detailed graphics with an efficient gameplay speed, so get used to Chris slogging his way through the environments.
The controls are delayed, which poses a problem when timing is the essence, and it often is in games such as this. You must learn to anticipate where foes will attack from, how you can reach that airborne enemy without getting hit yourself, you know, the works. Be ahead of the opposition by one second at all times. The hit detection is also off, so watch out for those bats and balls of energy from the Punaguchis.
There are no sub-weapons. Chris goes at it with his whip only, which is a formidable tool when at maximum power. It spews fireballs, so keep that in mind when dealing with enemies and boss monsters. Also, it regresses back one level each time Christopher takes damage, so the most efficient strategy for bosses is... not to get hit. That's what we're aiming for here!
Let's take a look at the four Primary Evils now, shall we?
Gobanz
We're off to a good start, here. Gobanz offers solid challenge for first-timers, yet is very much conquerable if you know how to approach the armored menace. Great design, too, always liked those chain anchor hands.
For your own good, you'd better come into the battle with either of the two more powerful whips. The basic leather whip just doesn't have enough reach to tackle Gobanz safely, though it can be done. Fortunately, it isn't all that difficult to arrive with a powered-up whip; the enemies are sparse before the battle site.
Gobanz approaches you from the left, initially. You want to have him throw a few punches of his own to get a feel for how long his reach is before you launch your own attack. Once you think you've got it down, head for him and position just correctly to strike him with the tip of your whip. I recommend two swings at most, and then make a momentary retreat to avoid his counter punches. You don't want to lose that whip, do you? If all goes well, he should go down in under ten seconds, on an average.
If you face problems, however, you should leap onto the platforms behind you and wait for an opportunity to slip past Gobanz's attacks (he can swipe upwards too, so beware) and resume the attack from another side.
As a side note, Gobanz is resistant to the Vampire Killer's fireballs; they just bounce off his armory hide.
The Undermoles
These guys are like wall-mounted fleamen. Not as annoying, though, as you will no doubt find.
There are four spawn points from where the Undermoles emerge: far left, in the center, low on the far right, and high up above the center. They appear one at a time, and scout their surroundings for a second or two before diving out from their dwellings to maul Christopher. As it happens, you can prevent this. The three lower holes are within reach, and thus you can kill the little buggers before they even have a chance to move. The uppermost hole is a different story, the denizens that emerge from there can only be defeated once they're fully out of their home. Anticipate where the Undermole will fall, and strike appropriately. After a while the streams will finally end.
Death Bat
Riddle me this, riddle me that, who's afraid of the big, black bat? I hope you are, for your own sake. I mean, come on, his name is Death Bat. That should tell you something, right?
Ah, who am I kidding? He's rather tame of a boss, though I suppose they had to compensate for the absolutely unforgiving stage you went through just to get to him.
There isn't much strategy involved in this battle, admittedly. Death Bat will mostly hover above Christopher and at times lunge down, accompanied with a silly little battle scream, to inflict damage. That's the time to strike. You'll notice when he's about to swoop down from coming to a halt in a fixed position in the air. Use that time to prepare for a counter blow. Sometimes, he lands on the grounds and shuffles around on foot for a bit, inexplicably. That's another time to bring down the punishment on him.
Dracula
That last stage is a doozy, isn't it? Hopefully, you've arrived at the Count's chamber relatively unharmed, since you're in for one tough battle.
Dracula appears, garbed in a black robe from head to toe, and immediately starts his offensive. He'll fire off four fireballs, alternating between a 45 degree release (basically an "X" shape) and a 90 degree one ("+"). He'll attack exactly six times before teleporting to another of the four platforms that he makes use of, and then he repeats the cycle. Your job here is to A) find a safe spot to avoid the far-reaching assault B) from there, launch your counter-offensive, and C) not get knocked into either of the two spike beds at the base of the room. If you can figure that out, all that's left is just going through the motions and slowly wearing him down.
As the demon sorcerer falls, he will take the form of a large, hellish bat to finish things once and for all. He isn't nearly as tough in this form, as it happens. Dracula floats in the upper section of the room, swaying from left to right and vice versa. Every few lengths of the room, he'll stop and send three smaller bats after Christopher's neck. What you want to do is stand on platform that is just below his flight route. Each time he approaches or is flying away from you but still within reach, strike at him. Staying stationary helps you focus your attacks and avoid the bat projectiles, which can be whipped away as well. Not for long, and the Prince of Darkness has been thwarted again.
