Glitches and Fun Facts
Platform Prowess: Castlevania has an interesting palette limitation: Because Simon already has his own assigned colors combined with the already loaded background decor, moving platforms will be forced to glow in sequence with Simon when he collects an invisibility potion. (Contributed by Danny.)
Silent Knight: After hitting the power button on your NES, let the game's demo sequence play twice before hitting the start button to begin. Strangely, the game's stage-music tracks won't play at all until your character dies or until you reset the game. Though, the regular sound effects, like the snapping of the whip, will play all the same. (Contributed by Danny.)
Amiga
Symmetry: If you ever get the chance to play
this version of the game (and I hope for your sanity that you don't),
you'll notice that many of its pop-up treasures' locations mimic those as
found in the NES version's second quest. On such example is the Moaui
Head symbol that can be located
on the game's second stage just after ascending up the first stairway. If
you're playing this version, use the second-quest secret screenshots
on the "code" page to help locate the treasures in Amiga conversion.
(The information and accompanying screenshots were supplied by Morgoth.)
Better Late Than Never: What's twenty or so years between your existence and people actually knowing about it? That's the case for one of our beleaguered ghost friend as "found" on Level 3, Stage 7. If after climbing the stairs at the area's entrance you simply drop down or jump short, you'll move happily on your way and deal with some pesky ravens. However, if you perform a maximum-length jump from blocks' ledge, our tardy ghost friend will spawn from the top-left where he wouldn't have otherwise; the sometimes-non-arrival of the ghost obviously wasn't the programmer's intention. (Contributed by Danny.)
Top Hunter: There's one thing for which future castle-crawling heroes should be grateful: It was Simon (or "Old Man Belmont," as they call him) who practically invented the "out-of-castle" glitch years before it would gain recognition. Put Simon's unintended skill to the test on the last leg of Stage 4; approach the cavern's first skeledragon and influence its attack trajectory so that one of its fireballs hits Simon at the peak of his jump. Success will have been earned if Simon is sent hurtling upward and through the ceiling, on which he can walk. There should be no fear of getting stuck, as there exists one gap through which he can drop. (Contributed by Amar Youkai.)
Crtitical Hits: Even people who have been playing Castlevania for decades may not realize that there's a way to inflict critical damage upon bosses or even one-shot them. These critical hits occur not as consequence of an intended mechanic but instead a programming oversight that allows for scenarios wherein bosses take excessive damage when struck by the whip or a sub-weapon under very specific conditions and with particular timing. So keep in mind that they're excessively difficult to pull off once no less with any regularity. For the Phantom Bat, it's a matter of striking it the exact moment (or "within a two-frame window," to use the speedrunner lingo) that it collides with you while you're facing away from it. The most reliable method involves some manipulation on the player's part: You have to (a) position Simon so that he's standing on the second and third steps, (b) wait for the bat to detach itself from the ceiling, (c) react by swiftly moving up to the third and fourth steps, and (d) then swing the whip in the moment after the bat swoops toward you--about a split second before it makes contact. Pull it off successfully and the bat will die instantly.
To inflict critical damage on Medusa, Frankenstein & Igor, and Dracula's two forms, one of your strikes has to land at the same moment--in that same two-frame window--that either (a) they make physical contact or (b) their projectiles smack into you. If your timing is correct, the boss will lose a large chunk of health, several of its energy slivers draining rapidly.
Inflicting critical damage--and virtually a one-shot kill--on the Mummies requires a different tactic and one that's much easier to execute. All you have to do is wait until they overlap and at that moment strike them with a cross. To ensure success, throw two or three crosses in quick succession (if you're currently in possession of the respective multiplier).
Come to Glitchville, Leave Early: Your trek through the first leg of Level 4 (Stage 10) ends when you come in contact with a top platform and its stairway whose very proximity prompts you to the next part of the level (it always seemed odd that you weren't able to actually climb this staircase). Maybe in doing this the developers were hiding something about faulty coding, at which Belmontvlad's submitted glitch hints. To mess around with this odd mechanic, have Simon reach the top platform as knocked up to it through contact with one of the frequently appearing vampire bats. If done correctly, the scene will shift to the correct area, the courtyard, then immediately flash back to the screen previous, which is now glitched to all hell and without sanctuary for our poor hero, who will immediately fall to his death. The good news is that you'll continue right from courtyard area rather than back at level's start.
Let Your Soul Glow: In addition to the "Silent Knight" glitch, you can have even more fun with Castlevania's demo sequences. During any such sequence, wait until Simon collects a morning-star symbol, and hit the "Start" button as he's powering up. Now begin a normal game. Before the action can start, the game's very first statue will glow strangely, temporarily glitched out, before Simon materializes out of thin air and falls to the ground. (Contributed by Amar Youkai.)
Can't Renounce the Throne: In Soviet Russia, treasure find you. Or that's at least the case in Dracula's haunt, which isn't exactly Mother Russia but is aggressive all the same. With such knowledge, why even bother going on a treasure hunt when its riches are willing to throw itself at you? Find out for yourself at the very start of Level 2. Climb the stairs, eliminate the two enemies, and break through the right wall, then walk within the empty space to make crown pop up below. Don't climb down the stairs to retrieve it; instead, leave this room by climbing up. At the very moment you exit the room, you'll hear a little jingle signifying that you've "collected" the crown though you were nowhere near it. You've just discovered the "wraparound glitch." (Contributed by Amar Youkai.)
Stopped Dead: For those who aren't computer literate, let's just say that games are sometimes made available in slightly different revisions; this is usually done when a development house wants to print an updated version of its game as bereft of the bugs and glitches that haunted the previous release. While customers are likely to never realize that this has happened, an unfortunate owner of an early version may stumble upon a game-killing glitch or two, as they may in version PRG0 of Castlevania. The battle with Death is remembered mostly for its chaotic, projectiles-abound tension, which is not always good for the heart of an old NES game; in fact, the presence of more than three sickles and three Belmont sub-weapons at one time can easily result in the game's freezing. (This information is credited to http://tcrf.net and was sent in by Christopher M.)
