|
|
Axe Lord
|
Axe Knights first made their appearance in the original Castlevania. Wielding
a throwing axe and a shield, he can block all projectiles. The axes are thrown
in a straight line and returns like a boomerang. He later appears in Dracula X with
a new attack...every few attacks he will run forward and slash downward with
the axe. After a few attacks, his shield can be knocked away too.
|
|
Balloon Pod
|
Balloon Pods first appeard in the forest in Castlevania 3. Bearing a resemblance
to jellyfish, hit them and a collection of smaller Balloon Pods will pop
out. They also make an appearance in Symphony of the Night, wherein they will
also poison you if you get hit by them.
|
|
Bat
|
A game featuring vampires would be incomplete without bats. Thoroughly annoying,
bats will appear from the edge of the screen and usually in a straight line
(althought making corrections in their altitude from time to time, usually
just enough to send your character flying into that pit.) Waves of bats will
come at any given area, so killing one is only a momentary solution.
|
|
Blobs
|
Blobs first populated the countryside and mansions of Castlevania 2. No doubt
resembling the Bits and Bots from Zelda 2, these little blobs will hop around,
sticking to ceilings, generally being hard to hit (they are rather small,
after all.) The Magic Flame is the best tool to get rid of them in Castlevania 2,
but using the Holy Water will get rid of them when you meet them in Alucard's
cavern in Castlevania 3. A different type of blob can be found inhabiting
the Catacombs in Symphony. These are large blobs that simply slog along
the floor and occasionally shoot things.
|
|
Blood Skeleton
|
Blood Skeletons are actually normal skeletons whose bones have been soaked
into unholy blood. Unlike normal skeletons, which shatters after being destroyed,
these creatures are immortal. If one gets hit, they crumble to the ground momentarily,
until the raise again a few seconds later. Just hit and run to get past them.
|
|
Bone Dragon
|
Dracula doesn't only have the skeletons of humans working on his side...
the remains of ancient dragons also do his building. Most of the time, these
nasty creatures remain chained to a wall or brick, spitting out fire. Stay out of its
range and attack from a distance to kill it, although in Dracula X it can strike
out. These things also appear bouncing around in Symphony of the Night, proving
that they can be freed from being attached to something (if you kill the
"jockey", the bone dragon will follow you around, killing enemies!)
|
|
Dhuron
|
Probably a smaller version of the Dullaron boss from Dracula X, the Dhuron is also
the dead spirit and decomposing body of a warrior who had been decapitated.
Their weapon is a very long rapier, which they can use to strike at a far
distance. In Symphony of the Night, Dhurons can also call upon lightning
to make their sword very strong.
|
|
Evil Eye
|
Only making appearances in Dracula X and Bloodlines, the Evil Eyes starts off
closed. When it senses human blood, its eye will open and the attack will
begin. It will float around and attempt you whip you with its long tail.
After about three hits, it will relinquish itself back to the underworld, but
since it moves quite fast, getting these hits in can be a chore.
|
|
Flea Man
|
Commonly known as either Hunchbacks or Igor, these can single
handedly qualify as one of the most annoying creatures in the Castlevania
series. Being small, it is hard to hit, but it will also jump around wildy
and randomly. Attack as soon as possible, before it starts leaping everywhere.
Fleaman can usually be found being dropped by Hawks, and the true Igor guards
Frankenstein in level 4 of the original Castlevania.
|
|
Fuzz
|
Fuzzes are invincible creatures that stick to platforms. They float around
the perimeter of the floor and make jumps a bit difficult. The only way known
to kill them is to freeze them with Sypha's Ice Spell and bash them in Castlevania 3.
In Super Castlevania 4, you can temporarily stop them in their tracks with
Holy Water, but only good timing can save you in Bloodlines.
|
|
Ghost
|
Ghosts often appear out of nowhere and begin to home in on your on-screen
persona. However, if you detect the presence of these spirits, you can usually
whip them into oblivion before they can do any damage. The problem occurs
when two or three surround you at one time, where quick work is necessary
to survive.
|
|
Grabbing Hands
|
It's a known fact that the undead often hate the living, for one reason: the living are the alive,
and they're not. Thus, some creatures will stick their hands from the ground
and attempt to hinder whomever passed over them. In Castlevania 2, they will
simply hurt Simon, but will grab onto Simon's ankle in Super Castlevania 4.
Also, if you get too close to them in the cemetary of Dracula X, they will grab
Richter and take him down to the depths of the underworld, resulting in
instant death.
|
|
Guardian
|
Although only appearing Dracula X for the Duo and Symphony of the Night, the Guardian
has gained quite a reputation. Wielding an enormous sword, he can wield it with
the greatest of ease and even send shockwaves across the ground. In Dracula X,
they is one nasty part in a hidden level where two of them come from each direction
and it is extremely difficult to deal with them. They also appear in the clock
rooms in the Inverted Marble Gallery in Symphony of the Night, giving massive
amounts of experience (but also taking many hits.)
|
|
Hawks
|
Hawks first appear in the entrance to the second castle in the original Castlevania.
They do not attack you directly, but rather drop little Flea Men to bother you.
They can also be found in a different form dropping Flea Man in the courtyard
of Castlevania 3, and Flea Men can be found riding them on the ship in Dracula X
Duo.
|
|
Medusa Head
|
Again qualifying as being very annoying, Medusa heads are spawned from the snakes
of their master Medusa's hair. They appear from the side of the screen and
head stright forward, swooping up and down slightly in a pattern. If you can
whip them quick enough or get out of the way, then they shouldn't be a problem,
unless there are vast numbers of them. Stop watches are usually pretty useful
when dealing with these, as you can freeze them and hop on by as they float
frozen fro a few seconds.
|
|
Merman
|
The old saying in Castlevania goes "If there be water, there be Merman." (OK, I made
that up.) Basically a walking fish resembling the Creature from the Black Lagoon, they will hop out of the murky depths
to walk around a bit, spit flames (or acid, as in Bloodlines) before retreating
back into the water. If dealt with quickly, they pose no harm. But in certain
places were jumps across water is necessary, Mermen can knock you off a
platform if you're not careful.
|
|
Mudman
|
When the Holy Bible stated that Adam was created out of mud, this probably isn't
what God had in mind. Forming almost instantly from the vile muck, Mudmen
will simply slog along forward and disappear back in after a short time. Since
movement is often hindered by mud, it is difficult to escape from them, so
kill them quick.
|
|
Pungachi
|
Pungachis only appear in the Gameboy Castlevanias. Remaining completely stationary,
the Pungachi will spit out energy balls that bounce slowly around the room.
Although it is easy to avoid one of these balls, dealing with more than that
can get a bit hairy. In Belmont's Revenge, these globules will also downgrade
Christopher's whip.
|
|
Raven
|
Of all of the airborne enemies in Castlevania, I personally dislike the Raven
the most. Having signified evil-type things way back to MacBeth and Edgar Allen
Poe's famous poem, it makes sense for these evil birds to be hanging around.
Usually found perched on a object, when approached they will spread their
wings. But usually they will fly unpredictably...they
may swoop down and attack, or simply change positions and hover. This constant
moving make them the equivalent of "Flea Men in the air."
|
|
Skeleton
|
Skeletons can be found almost everywhere, in almost every Castlevania game
to date, wielding many different weapons. Some simply walk back forth, others
throw their bones and jump around. Skeletons can attack with swords, whips,
and even bones that set themselves on fire. A few flicks of your weapon will
usually destroy them, making these the general foot soldiers of Dracula's
evil army.
|
|
Skull Pillar
|
 
Again, Skull Pillars (also known as Dragon Statues) have been with the
Castlevania series in the beginning. In their original incarnations, they
consist of two dragon skulls on top of each other, one in each horizontal
direction. Every few seconds, they will spit two to three fireballs.
The skulls are strong and take quite a bit of hits. In later games, the
skulls can change the direction they're facing, and even shoot three types
of fire (arcing fireball, straight forward, and quick burst like a flamethrower.)
|
|
Spearman
|
The Spearman have caused many nightmares for those playing Dracula X SNES,
but they started off in a very simple form in the original Castlevania.
In there, they don't even use their spears, they just walk back and forth.
Castlevania 2 actually let them use their spears to attack. Howeverm with
the Dracula X game, Spearmen can stab up or down as well as sideways, twirl
their spear to block projectiles, and even use a super attack that sends
you characters halfway across the room. In this case, it's best to get a few
hits in, then backflip before they can do major damage.
|
|
Spider
|
Giant spiders can be found in Castlevania 2, 3, and 4. Dangling from strands
of web (usually from trees) these big spiders will either shoot out little
baby spiders to do damage or acidic web that can also do damage. In
Belmont's Revenge for the Gameboy, there are a couple spots that you must
climb onto the web strand while the spider is at the bottom, and you must hurry
before it climbs to the top again.
|
|
Sword Lord
|
Sword Lords really only appear in Dracula X and the third Gameboy game (Legends)
but worthy of mention. Wearing huge, bulking suits of armor and wielding an
equally large sword, they can take out and deal lots of punishment. Like
the Spear Guards, they can send you hurtling across the room with a strong
hit. In Symphony of the Night, once you kill one of these guy, their spirits
come back to life and the only thing visible is their sword (they are known
as "Vandal Swords.")
|
|
Toad
|
I know what you're thinking....toads??!? Yes, well, the toads in Castlevania
are often very large that have tongues that can strangle any vampire hunter.
Found in swamps or underground caverns, toads usually don't pose too much of
a problem unless you aren't paying attention.
|
|
Thornweed
|
Thornweeds are poisonous plants found throughout the Castlevania games.
Usually hard to see, these plants will spring out of the ground right before
you step on them, and if you're not careful, you could be hurt by them.
In Symphony of the Night, if you let it wait for more than a few seconds, a
bigger plant will spring out (these are known as "Corpseweeds".)
|
|
Winged Guard
|
Dracula's horde of baddies consist of various types of skeletons. These apparitions
resemble that of a gargoyle skeleton. Usually Winged Guards show up when scaling vertical
heights. They come from either side of the screen and move up and down, sometimes
only a little bit, others very violently. The randomness of these flight patterns
make it hard to dodge these creatures, especially on steps.
|
|
Zeldo
|
Zeldos are another type of creature found only in the first two Gameboy titles.
Resembling a smaller version of the Grim Reaper, these hooded beings throw
scythes that return like boomerangs. Depending on the height in which the
scythes are thrown, they can be jumped over or ducked under. Get close and whip
away, as Zeldos take plenty of hits.
|
|
Zombie
|
The dead often envy the living, and that is the driving force behind zombies,
which are basically reanimated corpses. In their search for brains and turning
other people in zombies, these undead will simply go straight toward your
character without stopping. A quick flick of a whip will send any zombie
back whence they came.
|
|
