My quest to beat Castlevania

[Austin]

Did you not read my post? Just stand and whip. If they jump, you need to move left or right accordingly to reposition yourself. You've watched various videos. Just replicate what you see there.

[mbd30]

Ok, probably a dumb question, but what is the best way to deal with flea men? Biggest issue with them is jumping over me upon approaching them and then having them turn instantly before I can turn around. Back in the third world I would just wait while ducking and smoked them. It's hard for me to anticipate their pattern.

 

Remember that you don't need to duck to whip the flea men. They're not too bad.

[toptenmaterial]

Sorry I get hung up on the minutia. I'm gonna take another run from the beginning after work and we'll see if I progress to the final stage.

[toptenmaterial]

UPDATE: Set a new best by beating the reaper. The first time I went in weak and was slow on the holy water and he got me. The second time, he evaded my attack once and his weapons me twice but I wiped him out in the left corner. I have begun to rely on save states so I can memorize each room. While the ethics of that are somewhat questionable I think I'll do this until I have the game really down.

 

Now about those giant bats....

Edited February 24, 2017 by toptenmaterial

[toptenmaterial]

I have discovered that I can evade the bats by not stopping. I picked up the watch. I have to stop for a bit but I think I'm in.

[toptenmaterial]

.

[toptenmaterial]

Taking a break for the night. I'm having a hard time getting hits on Drac- his damn head keeps disappearing!!

[StanJr]

You are CRUSHING it! Those bats and the flea men in the clock tower are absolutely brutal, but you just keep moving and you get though it. You'll have to take some hits but as long as you get to the staircase you can restart from there until you have to CONTINUE.

 

As soon as Drac beings to materialize, be ready to jump and whip. You can jump over the fireballs if you time it right as he opens his cape and you are a whip's length + 1 jump away from him (the length it takes to jump and whip) If you jump and whip you will evade the fireballs and strike his head. Rinse and repeat until his first form is defeated. The second form is tougher and you'll want to save all your hearts for the cross-a-rang to try and get hits in his face. The main threat is being trampled. Evading fireballs is also tough, but his aim is less good due to all the jumping.

 

You're almost there...!!!

 

[toptenmaterial]

You are CRUSHING it! Those bats and the flea men in the clock tower are absolutely brutal, but you just keep moving and you get though it. You'll have to take some hits but as long as you get to the staircase you can restart from there until you have to CONTINUE.

 

As soon as Drac beings to materialize, be ready to jump and whip. You can jump over the fireballs if you time it right as he opens his cape and you are a whip's length + 1 jump away from him (the length it takes to jump and whip) If you jump and whip you will evade the fireballs and strike his head. Rinse and repeat until his first form is defeated. The second form is tougher and you'll want to save all your hearts for the cross-a-rang to try and get hits in his face. The main threat is being trampled. Evading fireballs is also tough, but his aim is less good due to all the jumping.

 

You're almost there...!!!

 

It's the timing with the jumps and strikes that is taking me out. If I go too early I get hit, too late and his head fades away. I pretty much have the timing down everywhere else in this game and made it to Frank earlier tonight without loosing a life and with hardly any damage (ALMOST smoked him with the dagger too). So the timing is pretty much down across the board, I don't know why Drac feels so alien to me. Another problem is him teleporting on top of me. I escape that by walking the way he's facing but that doesn't always work. I find that when I sleep after a tough game, the next day yields a better performance.

 

Thanks for the encouragement!

[schuwalker]

You are CRUSHING it! Those bats and the flea men in the clock tower are absolutely brutal, but you just keep moving and you get though it. You'll have to take some hits but as long as you get to the staircase you can restart from there until you have to CONTINUE.

 

 

 

 

 

This level brings back "ill" memories for me.

 

I mentioned this somewhere on this site; I must have had a early version of this game. Occasionally, if too many enemies were on the screen at once - it would lock up.

[mbd30]

Ideally you want to get to the fleamen in the clocktower with the clock and enough hearts to freeze them long enough to haul ass out of there. Otherwise that part is a huge pain in the ass.

[PhilipTheWhovian]

For the past couple of days, I have been relentlessly trying to beat an old nemesis of mine, the original Castlevania (ported to GBA). I have made it all the way up to Frankenstein, but was killed at the same time that I killed him. I am determained to beat this game! The first and second worlds are easy enough, it's on the third world (Stage 7 I think) that things start to get really tough in earnest. Here are a few areas that I have great trouble with: First off, the doublebone pillars that shoot fireballs. These things are tough as hell, and I can't get past them without using the time clock. And if I fall off the platform accidentally then I lose the clock.... The second area that really does me in is the section in the fourth world (Stage 11?) where the birds drop those flea men. Those things pile up on me and get me almost every time! Sometimes I can get them with holy water, but often they just jump past it and all gang up on me. Finally, Franky and Igor, those SOBs. I got them once with the holy water (without it is impossible) only to be simultainiously killed. Any hints or tips that you guys have would be much appreciated, I'm a man on a mission!

 

I am also in a similar situation, after buying this off the virtual console in 2014 I am on stage 9 (I think).

Edited February 25, 2017 by PhilipTheWhovian

[toptenmaterial]

A lot of good advice here Phillip!

 

More of the same shit with Drac. As simple as it is there is some multitasking. Frankly I'm not good at video games, which makes Castlevania a special challenge. I'm wondering if some of the heavy hitters on this thread are mathematically inclined.

 

Gonna keep trying.

[toptenmaterial]

 

I am also in a similar situation, after buying this off the virtual console in 2014 I am on stage 9 (I think).

There are three walkthrough vids on this thread Phil, a two part by Stan which details two problem areas (Stage 9 which you are on, and forest of flea men which is 11 I think), also a complete walkthrough with commentary by Austin, and latest a walkthrough with commentary that I found online. I have learned a shit ton about this awesome game through this thread. But I have to finish it myself. I can now get through the whole game, and a significant portion of that without taking a hit, but Dracula I cannot beat yet. Thank God for unlimited continues and a powerful 2DS battery.

[toptenmaterial]

Ideally you want to get to the fleamen in the clocktower with the clock and enough hearts to freeze them long enough to haul ass out of there. Otherwise that part is a huge pain in the ass.

The Magic formula for me is trip the stopwatch when two birds appear and then drop down and bolt for the stairs. I might take one or two hits but I make it through.

[toptenmaterial]

It's a done deal!!! Somehow, after probably 100 tries, I go into a rhythm and was hitting Drac without taking damage. I did that a few times and got smoked by the bird man. But once I started to dodge bird man, one of his fireballs dropped a 2 and I let loose with the holy water.

 

I am a god among men!!

 

No, not at all. But I did finally beat Castlevania, which I thought would never happen ever. I'm gonna take another run with no restore states in the higher levels, but I really think I have the mechanics of it totally in the bag.

 

Thanks everyone for the kindness and generosity. This has been a longtime goal and feels great.

[toptenmaterial]

Now, in the second loop- got my ass handed to me by the time I reached the platform room where the medusas showed up in the first loop. Is it me or are their patterns different? I used to be able to get in a groove where I'd walk with them.

[PhilipTheWhovian]

There are three walkthrough vids on this thread Phil, a two part by Stan which details two problem areas (Stage 9 which you are on, and forest of flea men which is 11 I think), also a complete walkthrough with commentary by Austin, and latest a walkthrough with commentary that I found online. I have learned a ton about this awesome game through this thread. But I have to finish it myself. I can now get through the whole game, and a significant portion of that without taking a hit, but Dracula I cannot beat yet. Thank God for unlimited continues and a powerful 2DS battery.

The thing is, I know what I need to do but I just have trouble doing it.

[StanJr]

BOOM

 

It's a done deal!!! Somehow, after probably 100 tries, I go into a rhythm and was hitting Drac without taking damage. I did that a few times and got smoked by the bird man. But once I started to dodge bird man, one of his fireballs dropped a 2 and I let loose with the holy water.

I am a god among men!!

No, not at all. But I did finally beat Castlevania, which I thought would never happen ever. I'm gonna take another run with no restore states in the higher levels, but I really think I have the mechanics of it totally in the bag.

Thanks everyone for the kindness and generosity. This has been a longtime goal and feels great.

 

 

BOOM

 

I love it! Love it, love it! Congratulations and well done! I knew you could do it! Just takes practice. I can't tell you the hours I devoted to beating this way back when. It's not an easy game, but once you beat it, you get totally locked in to the game. I now play it for score and to see how many times I can beat it in a session. Still love the game so very much!

 

The mechanics are the same every play through as far as I am aware. It think there are a couple of different secret treasures, like the Moai head, but other than that it plays exactly the same. Medusa pattern is based on when you trigger their spawning (i.e. they make broader swipes if you spawn them on a lower area and then go up stairs or jump, they do this to adjust their movement pattern relative to your position).

 

Never stop playing Castlevania!!!

 

[Austin]

Now, in the second loop- got my ass handed to me by the time I reached the platform room where the medusas showed up in the first loop. Is it me or are their patterns different? I used to be able to get in a groove where I'd walk with them.

 

Dude, you just beat the game for the first time. Don't touch the second loop, you will get annihilated. Keep playing the first loop, then tackle the second when you are more natural with the mechanics and are really feeling up to it. Congrats on the victory by the way--it's been a long time coming!

[toptenmaterial]

Thanks guys!!!!

 

I have started doing runs of the first loop again. Sometimes I'm golden and other times I play like shit. I got into Castlevania real hard, oddly enough, with the GBA Double Pack, and from there the rest of MetroidVania. So the original raw style is new to me, and it's far less forgiving.

 

Still, my opinion of the first Castlevania is that it is a masterpiece, and guys like IGA must have fallen in love with it. It is very difficult, but not unfair. There are definite rules and they must be followed.

 

What a great game.

[StanJr]

It really is a great game. While the "knock back into death" mechanic is unforgiving and evil, once you accept it and learn how to avoid it, the rest is really tight and you can use the game mechanic to your advantage. It's been a minute, but now you've sparked my interest in breaking out the game and giving it a few runs myself!

Well done!

[toptenmaterial]

It really is a great game. While the "knock back into death" mechanic is unforgiving and evil, once you accept it and learn how to avoid it, the rest is really tight and you can use the game mechanic to your advantage. It's been a minute, but now you've sparked my interest in breaking out the game and giving it a few runs myself!

Well done!

It seems to me that I need a certain momentum to kick ass. For example: I just played and made it all the way to the giant bat level without issue. Then I stopped to answer a text and got my ass kicked all over the place!!!!

 

And thanks for the encouragement.

[toptenmaterial]

By the way, I downloaded CV 3 on the 2DS. Holy shit is it easy to fall of the stairs without an enemy in the room.

[StanJr]

There are lots of places to fall out on Castlevania 3. The ghost ship is horrible about this.

 

 

If it makes you feel any better, I gave Castlevania a run on my GBA tonight, and got my ass handed to me in the clock tower, never even made it to Drac. I'm going to try again at home on the NES tomorrow. I have a hard time playing on my tiny SP with it's tiny screen.