Stage 1: Main Hall

        

You'll start the adventure in those wide-open woods, which you'll use to power up the whip and gain some early power-ups. You'll enter over a drawbridge into those all-too-familiar halls. Zombies and bats will attack, and you'll notice a floating eye hovering around outside the windows. It won't do anything yet. When you enter the next room, the pot roast is not in the wall where you'll expect it to be; rather, it's a clever trap by Konami to sucker in those familiar with the original game--this one filled with hunchbacks. Also, that aforementioned floating eye will have caught up to you. After dealing with these dangers, you'll go downward to work your away around the brick obstacle, and you'll battle many fishmen. When you ascend upward, a second hall with more zombies and bats awaits, followed by the boss.

        

Music Track(s)

Stage Track: Vampire Killer
Boss Track: Creatures of the Depth

Boss(es)

End Boss: Phantom Bat

Lesser Enemies

Zombie | Bat | Leopard | Floating Eye | Hunchback | Fishman

Stage 2: Underground Mine

        

This first half of this stage will see you go mostly downward. After the green slime barriers, there's a split path: The low road has green slime barriers and bats; the top road will have you travel across shallow water while dealing with bats and floating eyes. You'll see green monsters (gargoyles) floating around in the background, which signifies that you'll be dealing with them soon. Either way, you'll make your way onto a raft; the water level will rise frantically after striking the spouting lion's head, swooshing you upward. On the way up, stone platforms will damage the raft, making it smaller each time; you'll have to balance yourself as to not slip into the water. Fishmen will attacking you on either side of the raft, too. Working your way around some platforms onto a second raft will be the last challenge. The ride will soon end, and the boss will emerge from the depths.

        

Music Track(s)

Stage Track: Thrashard in the Cave
Boss Track: Creatures of the Depth

Boss(es)

End Boss: Skeleton Dragon

Lesser Enemies

Bat | Gargoyle | Wyrm | Floating Eye | Skeledragon | Fishman

Stage 3: Woods / Ice Cave

        

The first part of the stage is just woods. Early on, you'll be attacked by centipods and tree-lingering wall widows. Then eagles carrying hunchbacks will crowd you. When you get to a giant fountain, blue blobs will emerge from the water and give chase. Finally, statues firing arrows will try to finish you off. This leads to a marshy area populated by toads and slow-moving mud women, with ravens flying about. Beyond that, you'll descend into an ice cave. You'll have to break a block in the floor to get down, and then you'll have to survive cunning spike traps. You'll see all kinds of creatures, especially hunchbacks, trapped in ice blocks; striking the blocks releases the hunchbacks-- try to avoid doing that. Also, anacondas will inhabit the gaps you must jump across. This won't keep up for long, and you'll be confronted with the stage's boss.

        

Music Track(s)

Stage Track: Wicked Child
Boss Track: Creatures of the Depth

Boss(es)

End Boss: Ice Lord

Lesser Enemies

Centipod | Wall Widow | Eagle | Bat | Hunchback | Stone Archer | Water Blob | Mad Frog | Raven | Mud Woman | Ice Skeleton | Anaconda

Stage 4: Torture Lab / Chapel

        

This resembles the second stage from Castlevania. To begin, you'll climb upward while having to deal with a lone skeledragon, knights and Medusa Heads. In the next room, it's a journey to the room's top; blood dripping from the eye of a giant statue in the background will become a never-ending supply of blood skeletons, making it hard to climb fast. The next room is your average torture chamber, with three crushing beds of spikes and other spinning spike traps above. The following vertical area contains some bone-throwing skeletons blocking the way; at the top, you'll have to get by an annoying stain-glass ghost. After that, Medusa Heads will be the stage's last attempt to slow you down. If not, the boss that follows will try to finish the job.

        

Music Track(s)

Stage Track: Bloody Tears
Boss Track: Creatures of the Depth

Boss(es)

End Boss: Medusa

Lesser Enemies

Skeledragon | Knight | Medusa Head | Skeleton | Bat | Blood Skeleton | Bone Pillar | Ghost | Stain-Glass Ghost

Stage 5: Clock Tower

        

You'll have to make it all the way to the top of the first section, but sword skeletons and Medusa Heads will try to stop you. You can either climb the stairs or risk riding the gear-propelled moving platforms. Either way, you'll deal with gear-jumping and more enemies. When you start the next section, three bone pillars will fall from the ceiling in an ambush, and more gear-jumping follows. In the next room, you must jump over pendulum and scale-like platforms. Featured here is a speeding conveyor belt that you must use to work around a swinging spiked ball. Now it's another long trek upward, where sword skeletons, bone pillars, floating eyes and loose gears will crowd the area. Scale platforms (last seen on the pirate ship in Dracula's Curse) will be among your final obstacles. The last set of stairs leads to the top of the tower and the boss.

        

Music Track(s)

Stage Track: Tower of Gears
Boss Track: Creatures of the Depth

Boss(es)

End Boss: She-Wolf

Lesser Enemies

Bone Scimitar | Medusa Head | Floating Eye | Bone Pillar | Hunchback

Stage 6: Toy Room / Hall of Mirrors

        

First, you'll have to go down a couple of sets of stairs, all guarded by sword skeletons and winged guards. Then you'll have to work your way over a very long collapsing bridge--of course, Medusa Heads will be coming at you. You'll then reenter the castle into the toy room. Most of the bricks you're walking on are little toy chests, some of which open up to reveal killer balloons and toy bats; you'll also have to fight annoying floating dolls and little clowns. Finally, you'll enter a hall filled with mirrors. All of the little mirrors will fall when you walk under them; the round ones rev up and charge at you. Axe knights also await. When you get by the knights, more falling mirrors will be the stage's last obstacle. Three large mirrors occupy the last room, and your reflection in one of them becomes the boss.

        

Music Track(s)

Stage Track: Moon Fight
Toy / Mirror Room: Tower of Dolls
Boss Track: Creatures of the Depth

Boss(es)

End Boss: Doppelganger

Lesser Enemies

Bone Scimitar | Medusa Head | Winged Guard | Deadly Toys | Axe Knight

Stage 7: The Dungeon

        

The first part of the stage is a remake of Castlevania's fifth stage. You'll start in a chamber with hunchbacks, bone-throwing skeletons and a spider skeleton. You'll see imprisoned monsters in the background cages, and one of them, a two-headed beast, breaks free. The next part of the stage has more skeletons, hunchbacks and blood skeletons, combined with crushing spikes, swinging blades and scythes. The mini-maze leads to a squabble with two axe knights before you move upward. When you come across Frankenstein, a non-boss who blocks your path, you're almost there. At the end of this corridor, more deadly toys will get under your skin. The final test will be bone pillars and blood skeletons before a long hall filled with Medusa Heads and axe knights.

        

Music Track(s)

Stage Track: Etude for the Killer
Boss Track: Creatures of the Depth

Boss(es)

End Boss: The Grim Reaper

Lesser Enemies

Skeleton | Two-Headed Beast | Spider Skeleton | Blood Skeleton | Hunchback | Axe Knights | Frankenstein | Deadly Toys | Bone Pillar | Medusa Head

Stage 8: Castle Keep

        

The first area has three levels, each guarded by the same enemies--sword knights, crossbow knights and a mace knight. You'll ascend into a room with a couple of chandeliers lining the ceiling; one will fall and set everything on fire--including the knights guarding the area, each becoming flame knights. If you survive, you'll head outside, where you'll have to cross the bridge to the castle keep while trying to get around four phantom bats. Once inside, you'll run into ghoulish maids that backflip and throw daggers in three directions; leopards will also make your life hell. Up the stairs, it's a final assault of maids and leopards. You'll then go outside to that familiar staircase. Dracula is not far beyond.

        

Music Track(s)

Stage Track: Theme of Simon
Dracula Phase 1: Creatures of the Depth
Dracula Phase 2: You Goddamnded Bathead

Boss(es)

End Boss: (1) Dracula, (2) Dracula's Ghost

Lesser Enemies

Crossbow Knight | Long Axe Knight | Sword Knight | Mace Knight | Flame Knight | Phantom Bat | Leopard | Zombie Maid


For the Chronicles version of these stages, click here.

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