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Tips: 18
Codes: 1
Passwords: N/A
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Quick Tips

Dracula X: Rondo of Blood has a built-in save feature, so no passwords or codes are required. However, in any given mission, you can attain 100% completion by finding all of the alternate stages and by rescuing all of the kidnapped women. Below are the respective methods used to find the women. To find out how to access the alternate stages, check its stage section.

Kidnapped Women

Rescuing Maria

Maria can be found on the second stage of the regular route towards Castlevania. In order to rescue her, you'll first have to find a key. When you reach the second part of the hall, the Raging Bull will break through the wall and give chase, urging you to hurry. If you move fast enough, you'll find the key in the third candle you pass. Don't whip any other candles during this time, lest you'll risk uncovering a sub-weapon that'll cause you lose the key, and you won't have time to stop to retrieve it. When you enter the next room, you'll be forced downward to where the fishmen always lurk. At the end of the corridor, you'll find a locked door, which this key will definitely open. Inside, Shaft will be found holding Maria within a spell, ready to banish her. When you get close enough, he'll sense your proximity and disappear. You'll thus save Maria and open up the ability to play as the fiery youth from the title screen.

Rescuing Tera

Tera is being held on Stage 3', on the alternate route. After defeating the Three-Eyed Skull, you'll enter into the area you see to the left. Below the door is a wall made up of four bricks. If you walk up to the wall and whip it regularly, nothing will happen. But if you whip the top brick first, you can crack the rest, progressively downward, which will allow you to enter the next part of the stage from a different entry point. When you enter into the next room, there'll be a stairway leading downward to where you'll find Tera praying. After rescuing her, just proceed back up the stairway, whip the bricks away, and climb up on the skeletal limb of the long-dead dinosaur.

Rescuing Iris

Iris can be found on the alternate Stage 4. After you traverse an initial portion of the stage, wherein you will have dealt with frogs and ravens, you'll enter the bridge-filled woodland where you'll immediately see a little stone frog statue (as seen next to Richter in the picture on the left). Whip the frog statue and it'll descend into the ground. Continue along until the end of this particular area and whip the other stone statue (again, seen left). Now, trek back to where all of the bridges used to connect; one will have collapsed, opening up the way to a stairway that leads to a fishmen-inhabited cave. At the end of the cave is a gate blocking a chamber, from where Iris is being held in a small cabin.

Rescuing Annet

Since Annette was the most important person to Richter, Dracula has imprisoned her within the clock tower, Stage 7, which is located near the castle keep. After traveling over a long bat-infested bridge, you'll enter the first leg of the clock tower. Atop the first leg is a door that can be opened by striking the gear above it with your whip about seven times (as seen in Symphony of the Night). The door leads outside to an eagle's perch, where its tenant guards the key chained around its neck. After defeating the bird, it'll drop the key. Simply take the key to the next leg of the clock tower and use it to open the locked door at its bottom. You'll find the relieved Annette waiting inside.

Other Tips

Flame Whip Attack: Richter seems to be the only Belmont thusfar that fights with one type of whip--that is, a chain whip version of the Vampire Killer. However, you can bust out a flame whip almost any time you want. It's easy: Just hit the item crash button only when you aren't holding a sub-weapon or a key. Richter will unleash a flame whip attack in its place. Be warned, however, that it does take hearts to power the flame whip attack.

Scenery Manipulation: On Stage 3, the Chapel, you'll come to a safe area after enduring a series of rotating platforms surrounded by Medusa Heads. Right before facing the lone Paranthropus that follows, you'll see three warrior-inspired statues that stand atop stone skulls. If you can somehow strike each one so that all three are left facing the same direction, a secret money bag will be yours. The best way to do this is to make it here with an axe; though, Maria can reach the distance using her double jump and any weapon. This is just one secret, yes, but there are others like it: On any given stage, you may be able to manipulate backgrounds or anything visible (like killing the innocent rat that feeds in the room prior to the Dogether boss battle and for it earning yourself a money bag, a cross or a heart), so try studying the surrounding decor and strike anything you can.

Money Solution: You'll notice on the mission-select screen that there's a technique option similar to the one in Symphony of the Night. To purchase a video of how to fight and defeat a boss easily, you have to pay the right amount--but how you make the money that pays for this is a mystery. To do this, you'll have to find purple money bags, which are hidden on each each of the twelve stages. There are twenty-four in all, and you'll have to explore each stage with both Richter and Maria to find them. To afford the most expensive technique, you'll need every one.

The Control Room: On Stage 5, after you enter the ship itself, you'll drop down one screen and see a steel barricade below the wood floor. Break the wood covering the barricade and push it to the right. Go to the other side, break some more wood, and drop down to the ship's engine room. Using this path, you'll skip over the spectral sword battle and, additionally, find a 1-Up symbol. With Maria, you can squeeze between the opening to the left of the engine itself to find a mysterious room.
Push the barricade to the right
Squeeze past the engine to get here

Reward in Death: Stage 3', the graveyard, is home to many tombstones--some that stand still and others that attack. When you begin the stage, you'll see a tombstone resting atop the hill placed over the mud pit. Push against the tombstone from the right to move it; when it's out of the way, you'll sink down into a secret area with sub-weapons and a 1-Up symbol.

Pop-Up Treasures: Konami always likes to nod toward the earlier games in its fine series, and, thus, Rondo of Blood has a throwback to the NES' own Castlevania. There are a couple instances of this:

I. At the rainy entrance point to Stage 2, the Main Hall, you'll be accosted by many angry crows. There are some, however, that are non-combative and simply remain in place. Locate the first non-attacking single crow and crouch directly below it. After a few seconds, a pop-up treasure will emerge directly to Richter's left. (Contributed by Belmontvlad.)
II. On the second level of Stage 3, the Chapel, you'll find many a swinging skeleton blocking your path along the stain-glass-window-adorned hall. Find the gap as depicted in the image seen left and crouch within in it for a few seconds. Emerging from the ground will be a big heart, which will hopefully help in battling the endless barrage of skeletons. (Contributed by Belmontvlad.)
III. To unveil this treasure on Stage 4, the Dungeon, take the split path guarded by the Flea Man that rests on the switch that activates the stairway leading to it. Fight past all of the spike traps and axe-wielding knights to the very last room before you descend into what would be the connecting room of the split paths (seen right)--don't go up the stairway, since you won't be able to retreat back down to this room. Whence in that final room, jump up to the platform where Richter is in the screenshot and duck for a few seconds. If you do this correctly, a bunch of money bags and a stopwatch will ascend from the ground below and be yours.

Holograhic Attack: During one of those technique sequences, you may see Maria use a move where she projects herself forward and damages the boss heavily. To pull off this move when you're using Maria, press down, up, down-right/left in one motion plus attack.

Extendo Whip: Except for the usual flame blast, Richter's whip is always in a basic chain-whip form. There is a way, however, for Richter to get a little length and more bite on each whip snap: After unleashing a whip stroke, quickly tap forward twice. If done correctly, Richter's whip will glow white and extend a couple of more inches. Since this works in the air, as well, it's a good way to compensate for mistimed jumps. (Contributed by Simon Belmont from the Castlevania Corner.)

Basic Whip Stroke
With Extension

Flawless Victory: In some fighting games, you can earn rewards for winning rounds without receiving any damage. In that vein, you can receive a 1-Up as a "No Damage" bonus in this game by defeating a boss without losing any energy. Note: This won't work if you lost energy during the battle but replenished it using a pot roast or any other food item. (Contributed by Belmontvlad.)

Camouflaged Essence: Since 16-bit games were made during the era of background and foreground layering, Konami sometimes used the latter to hide the most lucrative item-holding candles. By unleashing whip snaps in some areas, like the giant-candle-filled halls of the Chapel, you may whip a candelabra that will release a big heart, a high-priced money bag, a pot roast, or an important 1-Up symbol. (Contributed by Belmontvlad.)

Always check behind the foreground layers

Crash and Dash: After executing an item-crash using any sub-weapon (including the key) other than a dagger, quickly press the jump button to thereafter backflip out of harm's way--this to avoid immediate any enemy contact after the item-crash's effect has taken hold. (Contributed by Belmontvlad.)

          

The Moonwalk: In Super Castlevania 4, Simon could walk backwards on stairways to fend off foes without having to turn while climbing. While Richter hasn't improved upon Simon's whip control, he does expand on the moonwalk: This time, it can be used on any surface. Simply swing the whip and hold the button down after doing so; Richter will now be able to walk backwards to keep things in balance.

The Codes

Stage-Select Code: If you don't feel like playing the game all the way through, you can input the following as your mission name: X-X!V''Q. By using this code, all stages will be accesible from the start.

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