Item Crashes

The Belmonts have always been a pretty powerful bunch, and over the centuries, each generation has become even more powerful than the last. Along with that necessary increase in power comes the ability to give mystic and special weapons an added boost. If the hero finds himself with a large amount of hearts, he can activate a super-powered barrage of a given weapon. While Richter was the first known Belmont to use this technique, Juste Belmont played a big hand in shaping the evolutionary power. Although he won't be covered here, you can find the item-crash genesis on the Harmony weapons page--the "Spell Fusion." This power was actually spawned way back in the 11th century, when Leon could use orbs to power his sub-weapons; however, the family's increasing power much later allowed them to instead use their natural magic ability. Below are all regular powers.

 

Dagger

As mentioned: The dagger has always been a rather useless item. Richter expanded on the dagger's power by being able to throw three at a time, marginally increasing its worth. As an item crash, Richter will go crazy, throwing daggers, one after another, high and low for a long period of time. Of course, this method of attack is nullified if Richter is fighting an airborne enemy. In Symphony of the Night--after unlocking him by defeating the game with Alucard--Richter can use this item crash to quickly dispose of bosses.

Nathan Graves adopted this power as part of the Pluto plus Salamander DSS card combination; Nathan added the ability to turn while executing the long-lasting barrage.

Holy Water

For years, holy water has been used to combat against all that represents evil, especially vampires. The earlier Belmonts were able to throw holy water downward in an arc, which would engulf enemies that would walk over it. Or, in some cases, it could be used to break some bricks. Later Belmonts, especially Richter and John Morris, could use it to throw a destructive water wave forward. As an item crash for Richter, he can command a long, deadly acid rain storm, it hurting everything contained within the screen. Nathan Graves adopted this power, too, as part of the aforementioned card system. John Morris didn't really expand on that power, but he was able to utilize an item crash that made water both circle high and wave forward along the ground.

Boomerang - Cross

           

The boomerang is nothing more than your average cross. It became the "boomerang" in America because of Nintendo's strict guidelines pertaining to religion. Under either name, this has always been the best of the mystic weapons. Richter has three versions of the item crash for this weapon: (1) In Castlevania: Dracula X, multiple boomerangs will fly in all directions; (2) In Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, huge crosses blast upward from the ground; (3) In Symphony of the Night, huge crosses, one after another, circle and protect Richter instead; this ends with a flash spreading out left and right to further damage enemies. Nathan Graves used the Symphony version of that attack as part of the DSS system. John Morris had a simplified item crash--he'd just loop three boomerangs forward, them quickly darting straight ahead.

                

Finally, Julius Belmont mastered a boomerang and a cross; he used the 'rang in regular style, but his cross weapon offered him an instant crash ability--an ability to create a giant flaming cross that repeatedly burns enemies.

Axe

Historically, the axe has been the most powerful of the mystic weapons, surpassing even the Morning Star, the strongest of the regular Belmont whips. Thrown in an arc, the axe can strike enemies both above and below the hero character, with a somewhat erratic pattern. Richter's item crash ability makes one axe split into eleven, them circling and flying into eleven different directions. While each axe is only regular power, they can strike all enemies on the screen. However, using this on a boss will result in minimal damage compared to the other item crashes. Nathan Graves again borrowed a direct version of Richter's axe crash, condensed to a more simple eight axes. John Morris' axe crash was similar to his boomerang crash, as three axes loop in front before darting forward.

Stopwatch

The stopwatch was never really recognized as a mystic weapon until later in the series, wherein Sonia confirmed its inclusion by collecting it as such in Castlevania Legends. While it could be used to stop enemies dead in their tracks, as time stood still around them, it only served to slow down their movement starting in Castlevania: Dracula X. To make up for it, Richter utilizes two separate versions of an item crash for this weapon. In the Dracula X titles, Richter becomes surrounded by a newly formed giant clock; the enemies will be kept immobile until the clock cycles back to twelve o'clock. In Symphony of the Night, four clocks appear overhead, each one counting down from five to zero; in effect, it quadruples the time of a regular stopwatch, and, as an added bonus, an electrical shock will blast all enemies on-screen after time elapses.

Nathan Graves' final item crash, another of his DSS powers, mimics that Symphony version--Nathan is granted four-times the amount of stopping power.

No Item

The Belmonts certainly aren't confined to executing crash attacks with the usual mystic weapons--at least two of them can pull off a crash ability with no sub-weapon in their possession. Juste Belmont started the trend with his Spell Fusion ability; by selecting the summoning book and executing the normal attack, he could chant a healing spell. Richter Belmont preferred to institute an offensive move in Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, whereby pushing the crash button would result in the hero gaining a temporary flame whip; this carried over to the SNES version, Castlevania: Dracula X. By the time of Symphony (and Nocturne), he upped this crash ability by becoming completely enflamed, able to damage enemies through contact as well as with the enflamed whip. Nathan Graves built upon this with a no-item crash that could be pulled off by combining his Pluto and Salamander DSS cards. By activating this combo with no mystic weapon (by making a 360-degree motion on the d-pad), Nathan will produce long crash where he releases evil-annihilating magic flashes in all directions. This powerful yet costly attack is perhaps the family's most destructive.

Blue Crystal - Spear Head

By the time of Bloodlines, John Morris had added a special blue crystal to the Belmont clan's arsenal. The blue crystal is either obtained by finding a magic book under the right circumstances or by collecting a total of more than fifty gems. Unlike other mystic weapons, this has a crash property to it already, so no matter which way you use it, it does the same thing. When you activate it, a pack of fireballs chases foes around, striking them repeatedly. His friend, Eric, can use a similar power by collecting a spear head symbol by the same means; the only difference is that Eric throws the fireballs, some with a sonic property, spreading in all directions.

Magic Book

The magic book certainly wasn't one of the original five mystic weapons, but it became one for all titles involving Richter (and earlier Juste, in storyline). As with the stopwatch, Richter had two separate item crashes reserved for Dracula X: Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night. In the Dracula X game, a book would appear overhead, with loose pages quickly circling it, creating a blading effect; this new formation would then fly forward and damage anything in its way. In Symphony, it got a big power boost: A similar book with circling pages would initially form overhead; soon after, it would blast a huge, long, colorful beam forward. This second form is the best item to use on grounded enemies and bosses, since they'll be unable to escape from its range, and it's also surprisingly effective against the airborne lot.

Rebound Stone

Simon was originally able to wield the rebound stone, known then as "The Diamond," in Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest. All it would do is simply bounce off the walls and ceilings, sometimes striking enemies over and over. It makes a return to the series in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, much quicker and deadlier than its previous incarnation. As if derived from Sonia's soul powers, Richter's item crash for this weapon is much like her Soul Bat: A powerful flash will emanate out of Richter's fist, engulfing anything within screen's length.

Bibuti

This is another one of those special weapons that saw its debut late in the series. The bibuti is patterned after holy water, or garlic from Simon's Quest to a lesser extent, in that it gets looped to the ground, its lingering effect engulfing enemies that walk over it. This is an item you can only crash if you first unlock Richter in Symphony of the Night. Richter can use the bibuti to release a continuous smoke blast upward for a long period of time. Of course, this is best utilized against foes that travel through the air.

Aguen

Like the bibuti, this weapon was nonexistent until it debuted in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Used regularly, an aguen symbol will flow through the air, damaging enemies with which it makes contact; however, this is the most unique of the mystic items, as pushing the button repeatedly will cause it to stall, blasting lightning all around. Richter's item crash ability expanded on that idea, as he could gather energy and make lightning emanate from his fist, which would send lightning blasts in just about every direction, each striking again and again for a limited time.

Bird

Like the Belmonts, Maria had her own set of weapons, and she also had the ability to add a crashing effect to them. Of course, all of her "weapons" were actually different animals, all generally stronger than the usual mystic weapons. As a regular attack, Maria will throw two birds upward in opposite diaganol directions. When crashed, Maria's regular birds will turn into a huge falcon-like creature that will swoop down, grab Maria, and lift her up to safety. With Maria safely in tow, meteors will begin raining down, wiping out all of the lesser enemies contained within a given screen. The giant bird will then let Maria go.

Cat

Maria's cat friend would ordinarily run across the ground, attacking any enemy with which it crossed paths. But when utilized as an item crash, it would become a big tiger that would urge Maria to hop on. It would then rip across the screen three times, back and forth, on three different levels. It's likely that every enemy on the screen will be damaged, but some enemies can manage to avoid being hit if they're in the wrong place at the right time.

Dragon

Without a doubt, the dragon is the most powerful of the mystic and special weapons seen throughout the history of Castlevania. Its general heart consumption is more than most regular weapons, equaling five, so it's no surprise that the item-crashed version of this weapon consumes the most hearts--a whopping fifty. In essence, you'll only be able to use this once during a battle-- twice if you're lucky. This item crash summons a huge dragon, a long-necked beast that whips its tail repeatedly across the whole screen, amost in a blur; it's sure to destroy anything contained within that screen-length, be it a horde of lesser enemies or a boss.

Egg

The egg is the most unconventional weapon ever used in a Castlevania game, and it's very rare to boot. Normally, Maria will throw an egg to the ground; it'll then break open and release a swarm of small birds that'll proceed to fly all over the place. The item crash of this weapon isn't all that different: Maria will first throw an egg to the ground; it'll then break open and reveal a flock of birds--eight white and one red. The white ones will form a circle around the red one, and then they'll fly forward in a pack, each bird able to score a single hit on an enemy. Sadly, this may be a case of an item crash not being worth the time it takes to power.

Turtle

The turtle is another one of those unique special weapons. It really doesn't have any attacking presence, as Maria actually becomes a turtle. The shell will protect her from all attacks, but she has to move at a snail's pace in return, and her jumping ability will become nonexistent. Its item crash, however, will do some damage, as four turtles will beam in from each corner, heading toward the center of the screen; they'll then form into one big, vicious tortoise. After its transformation is complete, it'll spin wildly like a bladed disk and blast either left or right, depending on where the enemies lurk.

Music Book

This item is Maria's answer to Richter's magic book. With it, Maria shows off her singing ability to surprised enemies--each note will damage anything within range. When she crashes it, several notes will fly upward, to the top of the screen, and form a line over an invisible staff. A song will then begin to play; during this time, any enemies that come in contact with a given note will be damaged. When the last yellow note has played and the song has ended, all of the notes will disappear.

Back