Glitches and Fun Facts

 

Slogra, Gaibon Early: Nothing really special is required to trigger this event. After early on meeting Death (when he takes away Alucard's weapons and generally taunts the hero ), continue on through the connecting hall and enter into the Alchemy Laboratory. After entering the Lab, immediately go back through the door and return to the previous area--that is, all the way back to the room where you met Death just a few seconds before. When you arrive back at the room in question, the apparent courtyard of mass impalement, Slogra and Gaibon will for some reason be stationed in these rather small quarters, and they'll proceed to make a preemptive strike--a sort of test battle. Gaibon will remain airborne while Slogra attempts to corner you. After a while, when you strike either member of the pair enough times, Gaibon will grab Slogra in tow, and the duo will then retreat to its rightful place in the Alchemy Lab.

Wiggle While You Wait: Tired of watching that same ol' loading screen over and over again as you wait through cut-scenes and scurry between castle sections? Well, too damn bad. However, you can find temporary amusement by manipulating the loading screen itself. When the highly organic words "Now Loading" appear over the black screen, push any direction (or multiple directions in succession) on the d-pad to influence the words' very movement--doing so will result in waving, twisting and general rotation of mesmerizing proportions. (Image contributed by Danny.)

The Chairman of Castlevania: "Don't video game heroes ever get tired, what with all that endless running and jumping?" you ask. The answer is, of course, "Not when I'm paying $50-plus just for the very privilege of controlling them." Be that as it may, you can give our hero, Alucard, a much-deserved rest any time you spot a chair that stands out from the normal background. Simply walk over to it and push up, which will sit him down comfortably. If you remain idle for a bit, the fatigued hero will eventually fall asleep and catch a few visual Z's. (Second image contributed by Danny.)

When Getting Up Is Too Much Work: What would a Konami game be without such conveniences as continuing from the last save point without having to wait through a "Game Over" screen, the title sequence, the mission select, and the cold gravy we call loading times? Right--something that slipped by the sadists in product management. Fear not, for at least one archaic gameplay component has been assessed: If you find yourself wanting to quit the game at any time and return to the title screen but can't find the option, you don't have to manually reset the Playstation; instead, simply hold the "Start" and "Select" buttons during the game's live action.

But Really White Men Can Jump: Dracula isn't the only castle resident that enjoys himself a little "hangtime" (as evidenced by his work as showcased all around the Outer Wall)--his son, too, has a gift for excess. Specifically, unbeknownst to many a player, the at-first-limited Alucard can grab a little extra air on his jumps if the player hits the jump button ("X"), releases, and then quickly hits the button again. Beware that the action requires perfect timing. (Contributed by Danny.)

Fountain of Blood: Olrox's Chamber is home to the castle's infamous water fountain, the area surrounding which was always marked by air assaults as launched by eagles and harpies carrying fleamen. Need more proof that this fountain is in fact a well of evil? Well, simply stand in front of it long enough to see its liquid change from water to a stream of blood; confirm further its true nature by jumping up so that the moon, as seen in the background, lines up with the fountain's very structure, which will reveal a demonic figure in place of what was a peaceful-looking angel.

A Shoulder to Fly on: Even a midget helper needs to grab itself some rest and relaxation, so give it a helping hand (or a shoulder, in this case). To do this, activate Alucard's Faerie Familiar and stand still for a prolonged period. After a few moments of inactivity, the Faerie will recognize the situation and rest itself on Alucard's shoulder. When you finally move Alucard, the surprised Faerie will fall of his shoulder with a shriek. (Contributed by Danny.)

Shaken to the Bone: Those pesky Skelerangs may look calm and collected as they lean against the wall and hop to, boomerangs in hand, at the very presence of a hero, but inside the ribcage of any such foe is the empty space that once housed the heart of a kitty. Take advantage of the Skelerangs' cowardly nature not by wasting long-range weapons to counter their annoying 'rang attacks but by getting up close and personal, in response to which Skelerangs will crouch down and cower in the corner, open to attack without retaliation.

A Boneheaded Decision: Alucard's buddies, the aiding Familiars, stick with their master through and through. However, the ol' crossbreed will have to give a pass to his literally brainless companion, the Ghost Familiar, which will abandon Alucard, in confused fashion, whenever he transforms into a bat. While the reason for its departing isn't fully understood, the Ghost Familiar will indeed return to Alucard's side when he retakes human form. (Contributed by Danny.)

Shattered Soldier: The Dracula X titles (as played on the PC-Engine and SNES, respectively) had a brand of Axe Knight whose shields could be knocked away with a certain amount of force. While many of Symphony's enemy characters were recycled from earlier titles, its version of the Axe Knight was not--the fighting style derivative but the look and technique unique. However, as a nod to the older Dracula X assortment, the enemy designers threw in an easy-to-miss detail: An Axe Knight's shield can be destroyed, ripped from its hand, if Alucard strikes it with a sharp enough or strong enough blade. (Contributed by Danny.)

Cheating Death: This secret is sent in by ray_e1x3@lycos.com: To start, you must begin a new mission by entering the "Luck Increase" code seen as seen on the code page. Make your way to the third room of the main hall--the room with three Wargs, right before the meeting with Death. After destroying the Wargs, unequip everything but the Alucard Sword, Necklace of J and the Twilight Cloak. Exit this room from the left and reenter. Kill the first warg and jump over the second (if you get hit, stop and use a pot roast since you're low on energy); after jumping the second warg, stand there and let it lunge into you--you'll be knocked two rooms over, past Death before it can stop you. You can now freely move on with your strongest weapons. If you return to the room where Death lurks before entering and exiting the Alchemy Lab, it will be there to steal away your weapons.

Richter Overkill: This glitch/secret is sent in by djac15@hotmail.com: First, when you reach Richter correctly--after receiving the glasses from Maria--you must destroy the Belmont and the floating green orb at the exact same time using a bomb (the sender suggests the pentagram); to do this, calculate the amount of hits it takes to destroy each of them and use the bomb when you come within one shot of what will destroy both. Afterwards, when you enter into the reverse castle, immediately go back to the regular castle's keep, down the stairs and one screen over. Now return to where you fought Richter, and he'll be there again! Fight the vampire hunter in a rematch, and use a library card if you get stuck in the battle area when the fight is over.

Unlawful Entry: This was sent in by Amar Youkai, and it applies to both Alucard and Richter: If you use the cross sub-weapon (normally for Alucard or as an item-crash for Richter) near the first gear-locked door in the Clock Tower (for reference the same location where you found Annet in Chi no Rondo), on either side, the move's very animation will see you become wedged in the ground, unable to get back to the platforms above. A resetting of the game will be in order. Note that this will also work for the same door in the Reverse Clock Tower.

Animation Manipulation: This glitch was sent in by ray_e1x3@lycos.com. First, work your way to an area where there's a switch that had to be hit in order to access another area (like the the one found in the Colosseum that lowers the gate dividing it from the Royal Chapel). Now, stand on the switch and equip the Wolf Bane or the Rapier. While standing on the switch, hit, in one motion, down, down-right, right plus attack; you'll notice that the animation of the respective special attacks will change in strange ways.

Exit Stage Left: This glitch, also provided by Amar Youkai, is simple to execute. Upon starting Richter Belmont's mission, you'll find the hero placed right in front of the rapidly closing gate. If you quickly turn left and perform a series of slide kicks, you can exit through the gate before it slams shut. Once outside, you'll find yourself in the woodland as seen in Alucard's intro; you can run across its entire length and to the end, doing which will trigger an inexplicable intro of Richter running through the woods and jumping across the again-closing drawbridge (as seen in the Saturn version). He won't be able to enter through the permanently closed gate, however, and will be stuck in the outskirts of the starting point. Alternately, if you walk out the gate rather than sliding, you'll instead fall into the remains of the unfinished path to the Underground Garden.

Milked to the Max: This glitch, courtesy of Amar Youkai, will serve Alucard well in the area of healing. If you've earned yourself the Faerie familiar, you have with you an ally who when present will heal negative ailments by reaching into your inventory, grabbing available potions, and automatically administering them when negative status is incurred. You can further milk this act of convenience with some quick moves: When the Faerie is about to automatically use a potion, quickly enter into the inventory and equip that very recovery item in either hand; in returning to gameplay, and before the numbers indicating the amount of healing appear, activate the potion. If done correctly, the item's effect will be maxed out to 255.

Diddler on the Roof: If your thirst for breaching the walls, floors and ceilings of Castlevania hasn't yet been quenched, then let Alucard show you a new way to party. Head to the Royal Chapel, climb the perilously long staircase, and continue on; before entering the room guarded by a lone Spectral Sword, activate the Sword Brothers spell twice. If done correctly, you will after entering the Spectral Sword room be able to jump through the ceiling and up onto the roof. (Contributed by Amar Youkai.)

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