The performance in Dracula's Curse shows
that our pal Dracula was a bit more morph-happy in his early years. The
Dark Lord will await your entry into his throne area, and then he'll quickly
take a vertical base from which he'll raise his staff into the air and cause
two large flame pillars to rise up in random locations; their proximity
will surely be meant to sandwich the hero between them. Somewhere in between
(read: right where you stand), a third flame will quickly sprout
up and potentially knock you back. In the meantime, Dracula will teleport
to your position--in a more predictable illusion-based shift--to interfere
in your flame-avoidance decision-making. After a few quick hits have been
scored, Drac will stop playing around.
When I first witnessed the
look and movement of this form, I
originally dubbed it "Queen Medusa" (since it sort of resembles
Medusa from as she appeared in Castlevania); this multi-faced horror
is actually a collection of tortured souls, a membrane of evil within which
Dracula is the middle face. It'll hover around the room in a set pattern,
dripping deadly blood droplets while trying to force you to either side
of the room, where it can induce multiple hits. It must be attacked from
both sides, high and low, to destroy all of the faces (unless you're using
Sypha's magic, which can rip through the creature). After knocking
off all of its flesh, Dracula will give it one last-ditch effort in the
form of the nightmare below.
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Here we have one of Dracula's
largest-ever transformations. The monstrosity's only weak spot is its head,
but getting up to that point is easier typed than done. In order to reach
the required height to score a direct hit, you'll have to ride on the platforms
that conveniently break apart from the throne-room floor and begin circling
the immediate area. Dracula, though, is not going to kneel back and take
it: At any time, be it when you're riding on the platforms, Dracula will
accurately blast from its forehead or hands long electric beams whose damage
afflicted is devesating. All of your problems will be alleviated if you
happen to have handy an axe, which you can from the lowest level jump and
toss and certainly score a hit.