Super Castlevania IV Bosses
he first Castlevania game on the SNES is known for many things, but boss battles are not one of its claims to fame, I'm sad to say. It's not that the designs aren't there, or the boss patterns not good enough. It's simply a matter of the player character -- in this case, Simon -- being vastly overpowered against most of his enemies.
Simon can whip in eight separate directions, and does so with an alarming pace. He can also brandish the whip to block small projectiles or to inflict rapid-fire damage upon close-by foes. Truthfully, the existence of sub-weapons can be easily overlooked because of the whip's overwhelming strength, range and versatility.
Many bosses remain mostly still under Simon's unrelenting punishment, which lessens some encounters to mere slugfests and energy meter comparing contests. A select number of the major foes do have tricks up their figurative sleeves, so let's inspect closer.
Rowdain
An undead jouster, still trying to recall his past glories, along his faithful steed. Rowdain has been placed to guard an abandoned barnyard in one of its stables.
Rowdain will be content to stay a good distance away from Simon, letting his companion do the work as the skeletal horse releases small fireballs periodically. Should you wander too close, however, the warrior will try to repel you with his lance.
As their combat prowess weakens, Rowdain's horse falls, leaving the undead fella' to fend for himself. It turns out Rowdain isn't much of a threat on foot, sometimes managing a weak-looking swipe with his weapon, and a lunging pole vault from above. As a last resort he'll explode in a shower of bones, reassembling himself at a different location while hoping to catch Simon by surprise.
Medusa
What the bugger happened here? This is by far the most pathetic Medusa battle in the entire series, if not out of all the bosses. Sheesh.
You'll come across the snake lady midway through the second stage, surprisingly. She'll enter the screen from the right and immediately launches her attack. Snakes from her hair travel at the ground level, while a petrifying beam from her eyes covers the standing height.
This proves to be her Achilles' heel, because if Simon is turned to stone while attacking, the whip will stay elongated and quickly sap away Medusa's whole health meter. On a rough average, this battle should take no more than five seconds. Simply duck and toss crosses her way, if you have them.
Orphic Vipers
Taking after a similar duo from Dracula's Curse, the sea serpents attack as a pair and pose some double trouble for the steadfast Simon.
Occupying the left side of the screen, the Vipers sway their long, bending necks. Both have a signature attack, which they'll unleash in turns. One will launch three light blue balls of fire that can be problematic to dodge, while the other trusts in a close-range purple flame breath.
It's advised to focus your offense on a single serpent with a long range sub-weapon, as they are defeated one after the other. Not too tough of a boss, if you can take care of not falling into the cascading waters below.
Puwexil
The game's only mid-boss, Puwexil presents a simple yet challenging battle.
A large orange skull with a monstrous, swirling tongue, Puwexil comes at you with two attacks. First, his obviously large licking tool is something to avoid at all times. Sometimes he'll also release three sizable, greenish gobbles of demonic mass that travel at a leisured pace, but still pose a threat.
The most striking of Puwexil's armament is his ability to pay back his dues at a moment's notice. Each time you inflict damage upon his frame, the repercussions are experienced as falling debris from above. Strike upward with the whip, or use the axe to protect Simon from the crumbling ceiling while fending off Puwexil.
Koranot
Koranot is a huge rock creature that resides in the upmost level of the trap-filled tower where Puwexil also lied in wait.
The main thing to watch out for is Koranot's sheer size; he can easily corner Simon if you let him march as he pleases. Fortunately, striking the colossus reduces his stature, leaving him a tiny cretin at worst. Although, what he loses in size, he gains in speed.
Koranot's offense includes hurling a piece of rock at Simon, and a more dangerous move wherein he'll leap high into the air and come crashing down to the floor, making several rocks fall from above. This leaves him open for some punishment, however. Use the platforms to stay out of his way while he is pacing about the battlefield.
The Dancing Specters
Also known as: Paula Abghoul and Fred Ascare. Those wacky localizers.
Be that as it may, this is one deadly couple. Both wield fencing swords, which they'll use to overwhelm and swiftly attack Simon. Making matters worse, they shift in and out of visibility due to their ghostly nature, leading to difficulties in locating them.
Aside from no-nonsense strikes, the pair will sometimes launch three floating swords that home in on Simon. If you're quick about it, they won't even get a chance to use this trump card. They will follow you around the room, trying to get the advantage. Stay on the move while attacking when safe. When they’re ready to thrust, symbolized by one sword raised up high, and another outward, use the small floating bricks to work your way above their attack. While on the upper blocks, jump to avoid the raised sword as it is headed for Simon.
Sir Grakul
I have an intense fascination with this guy. Who is he? Where did he come from? Why "Sir"? I guess we'll never know, and it might be best that we didn't.
At any rate, when Simon approaches, Sir Grakul is encased behind a display glass like any old suit of decorative armor. Crashing through with frightening ferocity, he takes up arms and shows why he is worthy of his title. Grakul's battle axe sends fiery shockwaves along the ground in two directions as he slams it down, and it can also be used as a throwing weapon, much like his lesser armor brethren often do.
After sustaining a good bit of damage, Grakul eschews his axe in favour of his waist-holstered blade, which proves a quicker menace to deal with. Simon's long reach should be enough to overcome it, though. Carefully timed jumps while staying at one extreme end of the room should be enough to dodge his attacks.
Frankenstein's Monster
The dungeon is a dark and lonely place, and what a better haunt for the reclusive beast of a man known only as the Creature.
Strangely enough, this time the monster will not rely on his physical strength, instead opting for a more tactical approach. He'll utilize many sorts of vials in this bout, throwing them on the ground. One releases flames that travel forwards in a wave, another shatters into multiple blasts of energy. Ol' Frankie's most devious attack is a vial that creates a duplicate of himself that corners Simon together with the original for a deadly pincer attack.
Despite all this, Frankenstein's Monster doesn't move around very much and can be taken down quickly with appropriate measures. If you have an axe, throw it while the Creature throws the vials. The axe will destroy the vial in mid-air and hit Frank. With this method, you can stop all of his attacks.
Zapf Bat
This is a variation on the classic Phantom Bat routine from the original Castlevania, like many others. Zapf Bat's unique feature is being encased completely in gold and jewels, maybe even comprised altogether of them.
The bat won't do much, instead letting the player discover what's in store for those who attack it. Gold sheds from its frame and damages Simon if it hits, so you'd do best to stay out of harm's way.
Soon enough Zapf Bat will divide into three smaller bats that fly around independently, causing as much havoc as possible. Avoid the shower of gold, and get the baby bats when they're clumped together, and the weakened winged menace will finally succumb.
Akmodan
Here's a boss you won't soon forget. The mummy Akmodan guards the face of Castlevania's clock tower.
The battle's fought on the oversized hands of the clock, alarmingly. For Simon, there are plenty of chances to get knocked down. Akmodan will stay put in one place and launch wrappings in wavy patterns, sometimes alternating to firing rapidly spewing fireballs. His attacks are clearly designed to knock Simon to an early demise, so finding a good spot to wail on him is essential. If you’re in a precarious position, don’t worry about offense at all until Akmodan repositions himself. Staying alive should be your first priority, and one false move is all it takes to fall off the face of the Tower.
Akmodan's special ability is to teleport from place to place with the aid of his body wrappings, which gives Simon a chance to recuperate and ready himself for another beating.
Slogra
The first of the infamous boss gauntlet before Dracula, Slogra is an iconic monstrosity and an awesome challenge to overcome.
The battle will begin with Slogra crashing down from the ceiling, a flashy entrance if there ever was one. Slogra has a big frame, and his reach with his trident is great. Any attack you unleash on him, Slogra will zoom straight up into the skies and fall directly where Simon was at the time he attacked Slogra. In essence, the battle cannot be won by staying still, so stay on the move.
Slogra will fire a flame projectile from the tip of his trident at times that can be evaded by crouching or jumping, but it will soon explode in mid-air and catch Simon in its range of effect, which makes it a tough one to dodge. After suffering enough damage, Slogra will abandon his weapon and opt for quick crouching dashes with his sharp beak instead. It will take everything you have to put this adversary to rest. Remember to keep moving and not to stay in one spot.
Gaibon
After some health replenishments and a quick breather, Simon comes face to face with Slogra's partner Gaibon in an open air balcony.
Gaibon, for all intents and purposes, isn't up to Slogra's caliber where fighting prowess is concerned. He'll be content to flying back and forth across the screen with his great wings, releasing the odd fireball and making assorted rubble fall from above by crash landing the ground.
Gaibon's nature is to grow angrier as the battle continues on, which makes him turn red with rage and enhancing his battle abilities. He becomes more aggressive in his movements and now spits several fireballs at once in a spreading angle. Once again, the axe is very handy in this battle.
Death
Any player ought to be worn out from fighting two bosses in a row, but this bony gentleman will have none of that. Death has come to claim yet another soul for his own.
The stage has been literally set, as the battle is fought in front of a large curtain reminiscent of a stage play. It's something worth witnessing, at any rate. Death takes a more direct approach this time, hovering about and launching fast-moving sickles towards Simon in quick succession. At times he'll come down for a more deadly strike with his large scythe.
The most interesting attack in his arsenal is planting himself at the right of the screen, hurling his scythe in a boomerang-like pattern, all the while drawing Simon towards himself with the aid of his dark magic. This is a good opportunity to get some free hits on him, but be sure to be ready for the returning scythe, as you must leap over it with perfect timing.
Dracula
The finale to Simon's grueling journey, Dracula poses that last monumental challenge that the hunter must overcome. Remember to replenish your health after the three previous bosses, with the aid of a secret.
Risen once again, Dracula wastes no time dueling words and gets right down to bashing in some Belmont skull. He'll stick to the teleporting routine, but the rest of his arsenal is a bit modified from the standard. Firstly, he uses single fireball projectiles, which multiply into three when Simon whips them or comes near them with his body. It's a good strategy to jump over it and whip downwards at the same time.
After losing a portion of his vampiric strength, Dracula fires a tiny projectile that zooms about the room in a random pattern. Whip it, and it becomes a room-encompassing sweep of fireballs, but as a side effect grants a beneficial chicken leg from its remains. Use your newfound strength to ward off Dracula's flame pillars that produce two flaming creatures which track Simon's movements. Whip them down and focus on Dracula and his vulnerable head.
The final phase of the battle is signaled by the screen transforming to blood red and the opening notes of Theme of Simon blasting in the air. Dracula, now as demonic in looks as in nature, uses his last strength for the deadliest offense imaginable. He teleports around, each time summoning four lightning bolts from above. Simon's only hope is to position himself carefully in a spot where the lightning won't reach him. Dracula will go down in moments if you have the proper skill here.
