Julius Belmont is another of those hidden characters who deserves mention for his own playing experience. His story: In 1999, the year of Dracula's predicted resurrection, the Belmonts returned after a years-long absence to reclaim their weapons and their birthright. It was Julius Belmont who defeated Count Dracula and vanquished him from this world; he and a brigade of vampire hunters, fearing the eternal cycle and its entailing struggle, tried to end the threat once and for all by using their combined powers to seal Dracula and his castle within the darkness of an eclipse. Julius, either by the virtue of the titanic battle or by the doings of the Catholic Church, lost his memory and spent the better part of the next thirty-six years trying to find his identity; ultimately, in 2035, he found himself wandering Dracula's castle, beckoned somehow by its evil glow. He eventually regained his memory, in large part to his meetings with Soma, and played out his role by keeping sharp the Dracula-absorbee. After the encounter, he agreed to assist the church in its undertakings.

Once you clear the two games' main missions, respectively, you can play as Julius, whose missions holds no relevance to the story and exists on their own. In Aria of Sorrow, it's a cut-and-dried run-through of little significance. In Dawn of Sorrow, though, he partakes in a "fantasy" mission, the appropriately named "Julius Mode"--a company's bid to hunt down Soma Cruz, who finally gave into temptation and took his place as the Dark Lord. As far as advancing the genes, he's not too far off from what Juste, Richter and Nathan Graves were working toward. Even at his advanced age, he was perhaps the quickest and smoothest jumper of the lot; with this in mind, he mastered the slide kick, the double jump, and the jump kick plus he perfected a new type of sidestepping dash for better defensive skill. Unhappy with John Morris' design, he brought back the boomerang prototype, and therein he finally instituted a separation by assigning "cross" and "boomerang" their own relevance, deeming them two individual weapons with their own separate quirks.

In Action: Aria of Sorrow | Dawn of Sorrow

Yoko Belnades, like her cohort Julius Belmont, is an unlockable character whose escapades are worth noting. In Dawn of Sorrow's "fantasy" mission, appropriately titled "Julius Mode," Yoko, along with Alucard, will join Julius' company in its bid to keep a promise and destroy Soma Cruz, who eventually chose the wrong path and became the Dark Lord incarnate. Her story: In 2035, it was Yoko Belnades who helped Soma Cruz to realize that his possession of dark power didn't necessarily render him a representation of evil. Truly, she was as encouraging as anyone in guiding along Soma to his destiny. A year later, as part of the Church's continuing investigations, she arrived at the cult's hideaway in order to supply Soma assistance--mainly the enhancing of his weapons via released souls--thanks to her magical prowess.

Her playable appearance proves that Yoko doesn't stray too far from what Sypha Belnades showcased way back in Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse (whose ally system is conveniently emulated here). She commands what could be the very same Warakiya Staff, and she most definitely has magical powers that are one in the same if not advanced: The holy flame spell allows her to expel flames more rapidly, in quick-fire shots. The ice spell allows her to fire out giant icicles all around, released outward from a half-circle formation. And the lightning spell sees the release of three heat-seeking charges that pass through enemies and in the process strike for repeated damage.

Click here for Yoko in action