Simon Belmont
The Belmont clan vampire hunter controlled by the player. He uses a whip and secondary weapons to fight through Dracula's castle.
Documented for this version
Arrow LeftArrow Right | Move left or right |
|---|---|
Arrow Down | Crouch |
A | Jump |
B | Use the whip |
Arrow Up | Climb stairs when aligned with them |
Arrow UpB | Use the currently equipped subweapon |
Start | Pause the game |
The whip can be upgraded twice during a life, increasing its length and damage.
Hearts are ammunition for subweapons, not health recovery.
How it plays
The game uses a two-dimensional side view. Simon advances through Dracula's castle, defeats enemies, collects items, and reaches a boss at the end of each block.
Players can walk, crouch, jump, climb stairs, whip enemies, and use collected subweapons. Candles can reveal hearts, score items, money bags, or equipment. Hearts provide ammunition rather than health.
The six blocks are divided into stages with checkpoints between sections. Each block ends with a boss, and completing all six leads to Dracula and a second final form.
Plan your run
Use the whip's reach and attack enemies before they enter close range. Learn enemy patterns instead of rushing, especially around stairways and moving platforms.
Collect hearts for subweapon ammunition and upgrade the whip whenever the opportunity is safe. Holy Water can repeatedly stun many enemies, while the Axe is effective against targets above Simon.
Preserve reliable subweapons for bosses, and remember that defeating Dracula requires surviving a second form after the first battle.
Meet the cast
The Belmont clan vampire hunter controlled by the player. He uses a whip and secondary weapons to fight through Dracula's castle.
The game's principal antagonist and final boss, who has returned to threaten Transylvania.
A powerful guardian of Dracula's castle who attacks Simon with spinning sickles.
A large boss encountered during Simon's progress through the castle.
Before you begin
Stand at a safe distance and strike enemies at the edge of the whip's range.
Avoid wasting hearts on minor enemies when a boss is approaching.
Use stairways carefully; Simon cannot attack normally while changing direction on them.
Castlevania is a gothic action-platform game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Players control Simon Belmont, a vampire hunter who enters Dracula's castle after the count's resurrection. The game combines deliberate side-scrolling combat with platforming, stair climbing, subweapons, and demanding boss encounters. Its six-block structure and memorable audiovisual style helped define the series and made it an important early NES action title. Critics and players have generally remembered it for responsive controls, strong atmosphere, and satisfying progression, while also noting its strict timing, limited recovery options, and punishing difficulty. Its design became a foundation for many later Castlevania games.
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