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Castlevania:
Dracula X Chronicles
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Since this is a remake of Dracula
X: Chi no Rondo, it should be no shock to you that Dracula is made to
mimic the very same attack pattern: Dracula will teleport all about the castle
keep throne room and in between release his three-directional fireballs. Added
to the mix is his tried-and-true alternate projectile attack: After every
fourth teleport, he'll unleash two large pulsating orbs--the first high, the
second low--that rev up and blast in your direction. Since Dracula X Chronicles'
physics are a bit different, in being 3D-based in design, Rondo veterans
may have to change up their strategy a bit.
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There are no surprises here, as the
Dark Lord will be granted the power to change his shape into the familiar
green monstrosity (as colored in the Symphony version of this final
battle, for continuity purposes). The attack pattern hasn't changed: Dracula
now aimlessly high-jumps about, using his girth to both intimidate and trap
heroes in corners should they be foolish enough not to pass beneath him when
he's too close to one side of the screen. After
every third jump, he'll spit in out three huge balls of flame in three directions
albeit not in your general direction; after a number of jumps thereafter,
it'll gather itself into a corner and unleash across the way a wide scrolling
blast that can only be crouched beneath. His main weakness is that he's a
large target, so multi-strike weapons like birds and crosses will take him
down quick.
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Expecting this, were you? The original
game's creators were well aware that Rondo's final battle was classified
as "too easy," so they add in yet another hurdle--Dracula in his
"true form" fighting out the last of his moments in a fierce way.
Now in humanoid-demon form, the six-winged Dracula will blur reality and collapse
the backdrop to reveal the veil of chaos. He'll always start this battle by
rushing to one side of the screen and summoning a long-lasting storm of poisonous
blood that can only be avoided by standing beneath him. The still-teleporting
Court has other tricks, like the release of an arching swarm of bats, commanding
flame pillars (three in succession) to blast up from the hero's current position,
and transforming into a wolf and charging in the hero's direction. When half
his energy is gone, he'll fly overhead and release in a concentrated area
a collection of large, deadly fireballs plus add in a space-ripping five-part
slash, the last shot of which is lethal (also, he'll pick of the rate of his
normal attacks and sometimes combine them, adding in a quick uppercut strike
to protect against air attacks and a wave of flame that travels along the
ground). When desperate, he'll release onto the field a red globule that distracts
you while he begins striking in bat-swarm form--in between which relying on
his normal attacks. Note that this battle will not occur if you don't
defeat Shaft's Ghost by properly saving Annet.