Alucard's starting point is the Mirror of Fate, in which his mission begins following the intro cut-scene (which itself plays only seconds after the cut-scene that abruptly ends Chapter II). It's here, at the heights of the castle's left tower, where Alucard's tomb is enshrined. He'll head toward his destination by first escaping from this castle keep and heading down a long stone stairway and into a lower level of the tower. There are no threats encountered along the way.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

There are no minor enemies in this area.

The Belfry, better identified as the castle's bell tower, contains mostly-under-construction inner workings that Alucard must maneuver around. His only challenge here will be to pass over a large obstruction by climbing, rappelling and swinging around the room's outer extremities, the trek interrupted by gargoyles and skeleton warriors. After reaching the top of the obstruction, he can drop down and exit left, the next area waiting silently.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Gargoyle | Skeleton Warrior

The Tower's Link is essentially a large center platform held in place by the two chained structures connected to the two castle towers. Alucard will balance his way over to the platform via a cut-scene, which reintroduces us to the Daemon Lord, who's itching for a boss fight. Though, this is a scripted battle that Alucard can't win; the price of defeat is being dropped to his death to a bridge placed far down below. Fortunately for Alucard, this lower section has since been flooded by Simon Belmont during his concurrent mission, thus granting him a soft landing and a large pool using which he can swim to the right and enter a portal, working his way to the following area.

Stage Track: N/A
Boss Track: N/A

Area Boss: Daemon Lord

There are no minor enemies in the Tower's Link.

The precipitous drop landed Alucard in the tower's lowest level and more specifically the Abandoned Mine. After swimming his way up and out of the large pool, he'll climb up into the stalactite-filled catacombs. He'll be greeted momentarily by a cut-scene whose fallout earns him the Bat Projectile. From this early potion, he'll find an optional elevator, which will take him down into a loot-filled alcove, but the correct path is to the right and upward. Further along, moving lifts under deluge of deadly steam will carry him down to a switch whose jerking activation will open a sliding gate; electric mermen will continue to drop in and attempt to thwart his effort. A glimpse of silhouette seen crawling in the foreground will foreshadow a future encounter, but Alucard for now can only swim about, dodging mermen tadpoles, and continue right. Three challenges follow: Ledge-climbing/hopping while avoiding the flames spewed by bony dragon heads; a mine cart ride in which a limited Alucard must fend off harpies while steering his vehicle; and a skirmish with harpy leaders in a battlefield whose sides are blocked off by rising flames.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Harpy Leader | Electric Merman | Merman Tadpole | Harpy

Alucard's foray into the devilish kitchen, which is right tower's lowest point, starts within a series of narrow hallways that resemble a maze of pipeworks (the structures so concentrated that the castle's outskirts are visible in the remaining space). A few electric mermen plug up the cramped pathways, their threat amplified by the tight squeeze. His immediate goal is to continue moving left; though, he can stop to grab an ammunition upgrade by flipping a switch that raises the water-level. Moving ahead, he'll enter into a familiar-looking storage area where activated is a cut-scene: Those pesky hunchbacks return and attempt to greet him with a boiling shower of cauldron contents; his unintended reaction to this event results in his learning Mist Form. He'll test out his new power in a melee involving both hunchbacks and an ever-annoying hunchback troop. The area secure, Alucard will use his mist ability to pass through a locked gate, the branching paths that follow featuring more hunchbacked foes terrorizing their twisting stairways and their furnace room. A final quick climb past more steam vents will yield Alucard entrance into the next area. He'll return here later to retrieve a Blood Orb (its purpose explained later) from a deceased hunchback.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Electric Merman | Hunchback | Hunchback Troop

Chapter III's Theater area is not so much a link in a flowing series of areas as much as it is an interesting plot device. Mainly, it's about puzzle-solving via block-pushing. To start, Alucard will use wind-blowing block to scoot up to a higher platform. He'll then use a magnetic block to influence a nondescript block placed above, forcing it to the left and onto a pressured switch. Then a fire-spewing block can be pushed beneath a soon-burned wooden marionette hand whose broken grip on a rope will lower a normal block, which can then be used as a platform. Finally, he'll use a wind-blowing block to direct a current through an elbow pipe to push a normal block into a pressured switch that operates a nearby doorway. This is all training for the following scene in which Alucard solves a complicated block-maneuvering puzzle aimed at cutting off the endless flow of puppets troubling Simon Belmont, whom Alucard spotted struggling below. Following another cut-scene, where the two come face to face, Alucard finishes his business in the Theater, the remainder of which we saw in Chapter II. He'll want to escape from here by heading right.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Macabre Puppet Unleashed

The Terrace is at first the static, largely uninteresting area you remember traversing with Simon, but the calm atmosphere is there only to lull you into a false sense of security. When Alucard activates the elevator, that is, his trip upward will be suddenly, violently interrupted by the animalistic Reaver, which will destroy the device and force another insane boss battle. The violent clash will level what's left of the Terrace but earn Alucard the Shadow Claws, which he can then use to instead climb his way up to the exit on the left.

Stage Track: N/A
Boss Track: N/A

Area Boss: Reaver

Scaven

The right tower's midsection houses the Clock Room, which as advertised features a giant clock. More importantly, it houses a special crest in which Alucard can insert his Dark Pain and magically temper it into the Improved Dark Pain. Before he can place the weapon, the seal retracts, initiating a series of events: Alucard, in another protective prose, unlocks his Wolf Form; he must use his new ability to break a wolf-framed barrier; and then he'll be forced to leave this area in search of a Stopwatch. Once the new sub-weapon is in his possession, he can use it to negotiate the room's main obstacle: Two sets of timed electrified platforms leading upward; their sequence is at first too fast-paced, requiring the stopwatch to slow their activity while allowing him the time to climb them. When he reaches the top, he can finally insert his weapon into the seal and earn the Improved Dark Pain; this upgraded weapon allows him to ride along magnetic rails, affording him more castle accessibility.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

There are no minor enemies in the Clock Room.

Another of the Toy Maker's domains, the Assembly Line is packed with the twisted craftsman's demonic, odious machines. Alucard upon entry will be besieged by the Toy Maker's favorite creation--the macabre puppets, their ambush inescapable. Even worse is what lay beyond: A three-tiered pathway whose mechanisms include gear-powered lifts, timed electrical currents, and collapsing floors; instant death is always a possible fate. If Alucard can survive the gauntlet--jumping, climbing and wall-jumping up and around these devices--he can scale a wall and break through its adorning stain-glass window, which is hiding our exit.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Macabre Puppet Unleashed | Magic Book

Out of the fireplace and into the furnace, Alucard arrives at the Maker's Workshop, his research facilities and unfinished works on display. Alucard's grappling abilities will be put to the test as he climbs ever-upward and under duress, this time from horizontal electrical currents. For now, the danger is confined, as this is only a quick jaunt to the top of the workshop, where he'll collect the Stopwatch before hurrying back to the previous Clock Room. He won't escape so easily, as a dragnet of hunchback troops and magic books has been set up near his escape point. The necessary defeat of these foes will serve as his probation.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Hunchback Troop | Magic Book | Macabre Puppet Unleashed

After a tangle with a hunchback troop and quick grind on a magnetic rail, Alucard will deal with this second plot-oriented puzzle in an area designed specifically for this purpose. Whereas before he saved Simon's bacon by halting the release of deranged puppets, he'll now have to use his reflective-orb-pushing ability to redirect a laser and knock the carousel above out of commission (this is the carousel on which Simon is concurrently trapped, as seen in Chapter II). That is, Alucard will have slide into position several reflective orbs, their angled mirrors in conjunction pointing the laser up toward carousel's underpinnings; those orbs hovering can be shifted into alternate positions using the large room's two switches. When the laser, whose origin is the room's bottom-right, has been properly redirected upward, a cut-scene will be activated--Simon's test of endurance will be cut short and the two heroes will again come face to face. When the scene has concluded, Alucard will be immediately carried up via elevator to the next area.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Hunchback Troop

His fervent descent to the right tower's heights entails a visit to the Resurrection Room, which features busy gearworks and more of the Toy Maker's twisted machinery. Though, the visuals are merely window dressing--a minor distraction before the real torture begins, for a particularly difficult boss battle awaits only a few steps beyond. Now stronger than he was just a short time ago, Alucard will get a second poke at the Daemon Lord, whose domain features a magnetic rail that will surely play into the battle. The boss fight that follows plus the ensuing cut-scene will unlock another of Alucard's powers: The Demonic Wings, which provide him the double jump and at last full castle accessibility. Though he can now choose to explore the castle and ensnare its many treasures, the path of interest is again upward via elevator.

Stage Track: N/A
Boss Track: N/A

Area Boss: Daemon Lord Resurrected

Macabre Puppet Unleashed

The Vampire's Tower resembles a dilapidated art gallery (rather, a monument to Dracula's friends and ancestors). Alucard will double-jump and climb around the crumbling foundation while observing the hideous statues and sculptures. Too, he'll meet a new type of enemy: The knight vampires, which are the most skilled minor enemies he'll face; the first encounter, which features two such specimens, is mandatory, but he can otherwise bypass the rest as he continues his climb. The remainder of the area consists of ledge-hopping, rope-climbing and grappling while under duress from the fire-spewing and steam-blowing turrets. Without much in the way of exploration, he'll escape into the Throne Entrance, returning here only by way of its alternate exit; this will not only provide him access to the map points he couldn't fill before--the switch-activating and rail-riding that results will net him his first Blood Orb.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Knight Vampire | Gargoyle

A dining area punctuates the Throne Entrance's starting point, obvious the decayed human corpses that previously served as a feast. Knight vampires, who no doubt populated the gathering, guard this area. Alucard will soon locate the entrance to his destiny--a large emblazoned doorway that can't be opened under current conditions; instead, Alucard, to his dismay, will have to scour the castle in search of two Blood Orbs, which he'll have to place in the two gargoyle-statue structures seen on either side. Continuing left will earn him an alternate entry into the Vampire's Tower, where his search begins. When he nets the desired orbs, he can return here and successfully place them; by the very power of their blood, the door will open, and Alucard, like Simon before him, can now meet his destiny.

Stage Track: N/A
Boss Track: N/A

Area Boss: Dracula

Knight Vampire | Gargoyle

All things are quiet as Trevor crosses the bridge that leads into the castle's cemetery; this changes rather quickly when skeleton warriors and the advanced armored skeletons make their presence known. When Trevor nears the actual entrance, the even-more-dangerous executioner will burst onto the scene, locking Trevor in battle; the defeat of this dual-wielding horror will grant him the castle access he so desires.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Skeleton Warrior | Possessed Armor

The entrance gives way to the Unholy Church, whose pews, pillars and sacristy once served as garniture for the dark forces and their sacrilegious rituals. Trevor at first will meet no resistance as he approaches the altar, where he'll locate his new Boomerang sub-weapon; the cut-scene by which this possession is documented also introduces a new enemy in the form of the giant bat. His defeat of the swarm results in another cut-scene in which the final victim is tossed into an adjacent balcony, which collapses upon impact and gives Trevor access to the Church's upper level. From here, he'll have to grapple his way across some chandeliers and climb to the ceiling; to the right is a crank wheel that controls the middle chandelier, which by a series of quick wheel-turns can be dropped to the ground below. The force by which it falls will crack the foundation and open the way to the Crypt.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Giant Bat

The interconnected chambers of the Crypt are filled with coffins, prison cells, rotted shrubbery, and general decay. Appropriate enemies, like the skeleton warriors and armored skeletons, rise from the putrefaction. Trevor's main obstacle, though, is a locked gate whose opening mechanism lay in an abyss down below; he'll have to descend through some narrow caves and swing his way over to the switch and then hurry back, since the switch is timed. Once he makes a safe entry, he'll come upon a large statue that is perpetually siphoning energy from a smaller statue below; for now, he can only climb over this curious architecture. He'll return here after procuring the Light Magic Medallion and use its magic to break the large statue's energy flow, which was acting as a barrier to the area below--the Crypt's Labyrinth.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Skeleton Warrior | Armored Skeleton

The outer Cemetery is accessed from the Crypt's top-left exit, though at the moment it doesn't hold much in terms of storyline advancement. Instead, Trevor can detour into this rather tiny area (measuring only nine screens) and collect some loot. Though, there's no lack of activity, as skeleton warriors and an armored skeleton will haunt him even here. To the far right of the Cemetery is a large sealed door, which Trevor can't breach. He never will, which a trip to the Entrance Bridge will prove (since it rests on the other side of this same door).

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Skeleton Warrior | Armored Skeleton

From the tail end of the Crypt, Trevor will climb up to the Entrance Bridge through a crack on its left side; here he witnesses a hunchback looting the corpse of one of his fallen comrades; the hunchback grabs hold of the fallen knight's medallion and taunts Trevor by tossing it into a stream. This object is no doubt of interest to our hero. As he climbs the proceeding long stairway, that same hunchback and two of his troublemaking friends will return with in tow the Executioner, who quickly grows tired of his demanding controllers and tosses them away; now enraged, he stands in Trevor's way as the area's boss. Once matters have been settled, Trevor will run up yet another stairway and arrive at the main entrance, where he's greeted by the Lost Soul, which informs him that he's not yet worthy of entry. Instead, he'll have to turn back. His new destination becomes obvious when an armored skeleton breaks through a poorly patched bridge structure, revealing its underpass. Trevor's grappling, ledge-hopping, and flame-dodging abilities will be put to the test as he works his way down to a lower stream, where the aforementioned medallion was carried. It turns out to be the Light Magic Medallion, which will serve for increased accessibility. He'll put it to use immediately, magically unsealing a door that leads back to the area's start and to the Crypt. Later, he'll forcibly earn passage through the main entrance after the defeat of the Crypt's Labyrinth boss.

Stage Track: N/A
Boss Track: N/A

Area Boss: Executioner

Armored Skeleton

The Crypt's Labyrinth, we learn, is where the Bernhard family used to lock up those considered traitors. The complex tunnels, carved from the hands of "some large creature," are yet more catacombs whose walls are besieged by rotten foliage. Trevor's trek is mostly downward, and his wall-sliding ability will be on display as he carefully descends while avoiding spiky outgrowths and one-hit-kill spike pits. Following is more ledge-hopping and grappling down around more spiky obstacles, an occasional zombie attack your momentary escape. When Trevor reaches the Labyrinth's very bottom portion, he'll drop into a pit and face a boss in the specifically named "Lady of the Crypt's Chamber," which is an extension of this area. Once an epic quicktime battle has concluded, he'll find himself back at the Entrance Bridge.

Stage Track: N/A
Boss Track: N/A

Area Boss: Lady of the Crypt

Zombie | Rotten Zombie

The Castle Hall is filled with intimidating suit-of-armor displays and other disturbing architecture. Trevor's trek through the cold castle halls is further soured by the appearance of a possessed armor and then a meeting with the Lost Soul, who has a dire warning for him. Heeding none of it, Trevor continues to the right, where some giant bats swarm about; beyond their patrol is another sealed door, which can only be opened by turning a switch located on an upper level (as noted by a hand-holding cinematic). After yet another display of grappling, ledge-climbing, and box-pushing, he'll find the switch within a room filled with debris and crumbled woodwork. As he run back, the floor will collapse, dropping him back down to the first level and into the waiting arms of some knight vampires. After a quick tangle with these fanged fiends, he can finally pass through the door and enter into the next area.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Possessed Armor | Giant Bat | Knight Vampire

The Games Room is an extension of the Castle Hall. The major difference: The room is giant chess board, its pieces molded to resemble the monsters we've encountered game-wide. Like the previous hallways, the Games Room has on its far-right side a obstruction--in this case a firmly locked gate. Figuring it's best to find another route, Trevor turns back but finds himself locked in battle with the pairings of werewolves and giant bats; after he defeats this assortment of foes, one of the chess tiles slides down and retracts, giving him access to the gearworks below (the mechanism by which the chess pieces move about). The gears are deadly to the touch, so he'll have to utilize the moving platforms and grapple points that hover above them. He'll rappel down the chamber's left side to find a locked gate; he'll have to double jump over a series of platforms to reach and activate a timed switch, which not only opens the gate but sets the previous platforms in motion. Some tricky jumps will have to be executed if he hopes to make it back in time; the reward for his skilled leaping ability is entrance into the Guards Room. He can return here later via a teleporter that will grant him access to the area's otherwise-unreachable upper level.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Werewolf | Giant Bat

The Guards Room is where Dracula's armored underlings like to hang out, but it's otherwise nondescript. From Trevor's perspective, it's a few stairways leading down to another locked gate and two larger chambers in which the switch lay. The problem: His activation of the switch will beckon the appearance of an annoying hunchback troop; complicating matters is that a possessed armor will saunter into the background and occasionally swing forward its mace, disrupting Trevor's movements. He'll have to eventually deal with and destroy that very same armor if he hopes to advance forward. When things have calmed down, he can grab some easy-to-spot loot and then exit right.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Hunchback Troop | Hunchback | Possessed Armor | Armored Skeleton

Trevor's excursion into the Cells begins with a deadly minecart ride; he'll hop from one self-propelled minecart to the next, over a gap, while under pressure from fire-spewing bone-head turrets. In the chamber that follows, he'll meet the elite merman hunters, who add acid-spewing to the mix. He'll in following arc up and around to find the Electric Bomb--another sub-weapon snatched during a cut-scene; his collecting of the weapon will open a gate on the floor above and at the same time lure in more pesky mermen hunters. What lay beyond are a series of elevators that carry Trevor ever-downward. The structure is mazelike only if your goal is to grab all of the area's loot; otherwise, it's just a straightforward descent with only minor skirmishes. It's not long after that before Trevor will exit right.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Merman Hunter | Giant Bat | Merman Tadpole

This previously unnavigated portion of the cave-like Vertical Prison is flooded, its underwater interior a maze of corridors. A quick ride over a magnetic rail will net the usual find: A locked gate. Rather, Trevor will have dive down into the pool, swim through the corridors, and find the correct path to a switch that opens a drain, through which he can reach solid ground. Since he can't hold his breath indefinitely, he'll have to stop to grab some air via the pressurized, bubble-spewing vents; merman tadpoles will attempt to stall his progress in addition to damaging him. If successful, he'll reach the Vertical Prison proper, which we saw in Chapter I. Trevor's trek through the Prison entails a puzzle: He'll have to use two types of magic to correctly illuminate symbols that act as a locksafe for the area's exit point. To do this requires that he grapple, ledge-hop, and ride across rails--to climb the walls and hanging cells that lead up to the remains of his fallen comrades, whose four scrolls reveal the symbols' color pattern; steam- and fire-spewing obstacles will of course impede him. Too, he'll happen upon a fifth comrade who was carrying a Dark Magic Medallion; he was, that is, until Trevor took it as his own. When all such knowledge has been accrued, he'll drop down, endure a forced battle with mermen hunters and giant bats, input the correct code, and leave this wretched place.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Merman Tadpole | Merman Hunter | Giant Bat

The Abandoned Mine starts just like the Vertical Prison: Trevor must swim through a twisting maze of underwater corridors while cognizant of the bubble-spewing air vents that'll save his skin. The main obstacle, this time, are the steam-blowing vents that seem to populate every cave extremity. When Trevor reaches land, he'll fend off more merman hunters before reaching an impasse--a lengthy lava pit he simply can't leap over. He'll instead have to find an alternate exit; that is, he'll climb up one level and ride a minecart (again under duress from flame-spewing turrets) over to some wooden structures above; he'll then loop around and repeatedly jerk a switch that opens a sliding gate, revealing not only a path forward but the former boss the Executioner, who you'll this time face while under assault from a pack of hunchbacks riding back and forth in a minecart seen in the background. Beyond the gate lay a special crest, in which Trevor can insert his main weapon and upgrade it to the Improved Combat Cross, which he'll need to break the stone wall that blocks this alternate exit. Later, fallout from events in the Belfry land him in the area's previously uncharted top portion; he'll drop down into the Mine proper, avoiding steam- and flame-spewing devices. Too, he'll discover his chapter's first teleporter. He'll by now have the Speed Boots, using which he can leap over the previously mentioned lava pit. Beyond it lay a door whose opening triggers a cut-scene and a quicktime-event battle, the result of which lands him up at the Belfry.

Stage Track: N/A
Boss Track: N/A

Area Boss: Executioner

Merman Hunter | Gargoyle

The Clock Tower is mainly an obstacle course. Trevor will first grapple and swing his way over instant-death gears while timing his leaps to avoid the steam-spewing vents. When he reaches solid ground, he'll have to pass beneath perpetually-steam-spewing vents, his only shield a moving platform under which he must take cover while following its movements. An elevator carries him up to his next trial, where he must turn a switch to activate multi-platform rotary contraption seen above; he'll then have to use a wind-blowing block to elevate his way up to the platforms, craftily using his ledge-hanging ability to ride them to the right while avoiding the electrical currents running directly above them. Similar platforming challenges await, including quick-jumping up to platforms that slide in and out; more multi-platform rotary contraptions--these under assault from electrical currents moving in multiple directions plus steam vents and lasers; and the usual grinding and ledge-hopping. To escape from the tower requires your solving of a puzzle--the repeated illumination of two symbols (using Light and Dark Magic) for the purpose of causing background-positioned platforms to jut forward, allowing you reach the Speed Boots upgrade and the exit your new attire allows you to access.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

There are no minor enemies in the Clock Tower.

Seconds after entering this bell tower, Trevor will find himself locked in battle with a possessed armor, who will soon be joined by some agitating gargoyles. In following, he'll have a choice of continuing left, which for now is a dead end, or taking an elevator upward, where he'll face a cinematic challenge: Some pesky hunchbacks saw off the tower's large bell, which crashes down and proceeds to roll toward Trevor, who must hastily drop down in lieu of being crushed. The furious chase entails sliding down walls, skillfully double jumping between others, and some timely grappling and rail-grinding; some hunchbacks are positioned on the stairways below, but it's best to just avoid them. Successfully outmaneuvering the wayward bell will trigger a cut-scene whose sequence of events lands him back in the Abandoned Mine. When he returns here later as a result of a quicktime-event battle with the Daemon Lord, he'll have to use his Speed Boots to leap over a long gap their destructive battle created; beyond the gap he'll locate a second teleporter (which connects to the Cells) and the stairway that leads up to his destiny.

Stage Track: N/A

Area Boss: None

Possessed Armor | Gargoyle | Hunchback

The Mirror of Fate is housed here, the area's name a symbolic term and not a description of its structure; it suggests that all activity entailed within is finale to a grand play whose results were already foreseen. In terms of architecture, this is the right tower's keep, where the big boss is waiting. It's here where Dracula will do battle with his first Belmont opponent years before he'd tangle with Simon and Alucard. There is no loot and no exploration to be done--only the final encounter remains.

Stage Track: N/A
Boss Track: N/A

Area Boss: Dracula

There are no minor enemies in this area.