Maxim may be a hidden character in nature, but not mentioning him would be ignoring one of the more complete heroes within the series. Maxim was Juste's good friend, but he became jealous of Juste's place in the lineage and even more envious when Juste was proclaimed the one worthy of receiving the Vampire Killer whip and the mystic sub-weapons. Keeping these feelings hidden, he left for a "training expedition," which took a turn for the worst. In reality, Maxim, feeling slighted, had been searching Castlevania for Dracula's remains in the hope that he could find them and use them to resurrect a weakened Count, at which point he could destroy the specter and thus earn the respect of Juste as well as the onlooking public. Instead, he became a victim of Dracula's possession and a pawn in an even more deadly game. It was Juste that had to come forward to clean up Maxim's mess in addition to fulfilling his obligation.

After Juste saves his soul from total possession and completes the adventure, you can use Maxim to run through the castles for an exclusive mission, which is totally irrelevant to the game's story and to that of the series as a whole. Nevertheless: As a playable character, Maxim uses his sword, for direct combat, and a shuriken, his personal sub-weapon, for a long-range assault. His abilities are altogether familiar, and they include a slide, a triple jump, a jump kick, and a midair somersault that allows him to roll along the ground and over enemies. At Maxim's command is ninja magic, which he can use to chant two spells: A healing spell that restores depleted energy, and an illusion spell that overwhelms enemies.

To see Maxim in action, click here.