Haunted Castle Bosses
f you're more than marginally familiar with Haunted Castle, you will have heard of its well-deserved reputation as a ruthlessly difficult game. Haunted Castle's boss battles can be tough, but most aren't too bad at all. However, the Dracula fight here is rather strange; a game that is infamous for its brutal difficulty ironically has quite an easy final boss. As a whole, they're not really an interesting lot; the Stained Glass Knight is the only unique face here. Still, they have decent animations.
Like Castlevania and the Holy Water and Vampire Killer and the Hourglass, Haunted Castle has its own sub-weapon that enables the player to make quick work of the bosses, that being the Stopwatch. Bring it to each boss battle when possible, freeze the boss when they're level with Simon, and slash them to ribbons.
Medusa
Awaiting at the end of the graveyard is this stony sinister serpentine sorceress. After Simon is ambushed by waves of bats, Medusa comes to life with a vile cackle. She will sometimes move back and forth, but usually freezes in a single spot. Her main attack is to send a small snake to shoot across the floor. Be sure to have the bomb sub-weapon with you before this battle. As the waves of bats seep in prior to the battle, position yourself to the center-left of the screen, below the bats' arch. Stay there when Medusa comes to life. Now, every time she sends out a snake jump straight in the air; there's an extremely brief pause between each time Medusa sends out a snake. As you jump, lob a bomb at Medusa. She should be within the bomb's reach. This may take a few tries to time perfectly, but persevere! Keep lobbing the bombs until Medusa is reduced to dust with an ear-splitting shriek.
Bone Dragon King
This flying terror slowly soars in to attack our muscle-bound hero. The Bone Dragon slowly moves around the screen, occasionally sending out fireball attacks. It can also cause damage you by simply ramming with its head. The surest way to take out this skeletal specter is to bring the Stopwatch with you. Use it the moment its head is level with Simon and unleash the fury of a Belmont scorned. Rinse and repeat if you have to, and the monster should go down rather quickly.
Stained Glass Knight
Fragments of multi-colored glass come to life to do battle with Simon Belmont. The Stained Glass Knight hops frantically around in a steep arch to pounce on Simon. Sometimes the occasional Fleaman will skitter across the floor as well. The best way to deal with this unchivalrously deviant knight is to bring the Stopwatch with you again. Freeze time the moment he's on the ground and simply walk up and keep attacking him. If you find yourself without a watch, walk underneath him as he jumps, turn around, and strike when he's on the ground.
Golem
This rocky goliath is a formidable opponent, and if you're unprepared, perhaps the hardest foe to overcome in this game. The main weak point is its face, so make that the focus of your attacks. It attacks by sending out fist missiles of mixed rubble at Simon. It requires precise timing to jump over these without any damage, and you better believe that is easier said than done. The chains that bind the earthen giant are also its ally; it can hoist itself out of harm's reach when the player goes on the offensive. Usually, as it does so, it will send out yet another fist missile.
If you guessed that the best strategy is to bring a stopwatch, then you are correct. Freeze it the moment it shows its hideous mug and strike its head until it goes down. Otherwise, prepare for a war of attrition. Try to jump over the debris it flings at you and strike its head before it can withdraw it out of your reach. Be prepared to take a thrashing should you have to take the physical route. Hopefully, you will survive to land a killing blow, and the Golem will go down in a deafening roar.
Frankenstein's Monster
Chained to the wall is the towering monstrosity of mad science gone awry, Frankenstein's Monster. Depending on your distance in relation to the boss, The Creature will do either one of two things. If you're farther away from him, he will bash the side of the wall to send blocks raining from the ceiling above. If you are close to him, will hill attempt to thrash you with chains. If you have the stopwatch and sufficient hearts, freeze him before he can do anything and attack him until he goes away.
Alternatively, you can use the cross sub-weapon (found in the skeleton that appears right before the boss fight) to strike at him from a distance while dodging the blocks falling from the ceiling. If you have neither and/or don't have sufficient hearts, then strike The Creature once or twice and beat a hasty retreat before he can slash you with his chains. Dodge any blocks he sends from the ceiling and keep up the strategy of attacking and retreating.
Dracula
The wicked Count who holds your lovely bride captive. It's time for revenge! Attack aggressively the moment he appears. Each time he is attacked, Dracula will morph into a cloud of bats and fly to the opposite corner of the screen. He'll return to his vampire form and slowly drift down the screen, occasionally swinging open his cloak to fire two daggers. Don't even give him the opportunity to attack; whip him the moment he returns to his vampire form. If done correctly, he will be forced to bounce from one side to the other until he dissolves into flames.
His disembodied spirit will morph into his final form; a giant head. He attacks by occasionally spitting out a bat and generally looking ridiculous. Crouch by his mouth and keep hitting him for a few seconds before his head deflates with a groan.
So, with that bizarre death concludes this chapter of the Castlevania series. Congratulations! Now sit back and savor Simon's reunion with his beloved.
