Rainbow Chara X
Impossible to gauge!
- 129
- Posts
- 9
- Years
- Shiny Hunting in Sinnoh
- Seen Feb 24, 2025
I didn't expect this to become a three parter, but oh well.
Future Dan Says: ... Three parter? Oh that's right, this was back when I tried to upload in bulk as opposed to waiting days in between.
Chapter #6 - Soma's Fate
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We begin this chapter... with me already having killed a new enemy without documenting it. Damn it!
Oh well, here's the stats:
Name: Killer Mantle
HP: 200
EXP: 345
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Nothing
Drops: Ramen (rare)
Description: "An evil cloak that assaults humans."
Soul effect (
): "Ability to swap the HP and MP of enemies."
Soma's Thoughts: ("Did that cloak just grow an arm and try to shank me?")
The Killer Mantle is a strange enemy as it's literally just a flying cloak that tries to stab you. However, its ability is one of the raddest in the entire game - see, every enemy in the game has an invisible MP meter that can only be affected by Killer Mantle.
For some enemies, one use of Killer Mantle's soul wipes them off the face of the earth. With others, it gives them a truckload of health to the point of becoming boss-level enemies. It's also the only way to kill the ultimate golem in the game, but we'll get to that one later.
... And yes, I really did just get its rare drop and its soul already. Ramen is pretty good as a healing item to boot.
I've missed you, buddy.
To elaborate, Beam Skeleton not only hits for strong fire damage twice in one go but it can be fired instantly for a pittance. You can also attack as it's firing, making it my absolute favorite Bullet soul in the game. Nothing else compares.
What kind of door is this? It's certainly not the boss door, but still interesting enough to investigate.
Whoa, holy crap!
Name: Lubicant (should be Rubicante)
HP: 500
EXP: 550
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Weapons, Curse
Drops: Muramasa (rare)
Description: "An always angry minion of hell. Not enough calcium in his diet."
Soul effect (
): "Gains strength as it loses HP."
Soma's Thoughts: ("... Someone else already beat me to the joke.")
Cagnazzo is the only one that escaped having his name mangled by a bad translation, and man poor Rubicante got the worst of it.
"Lubicant" is the strongest of the Divine Comedy-based demons and is also the most aggressive. He's faster than Cagnazzo and sturdier to boot, which makes trying to kill multiples of him a lovely experience. However, his soul is amazing as it gives you incredible boosts, to the point where it outclasses every other boost soul at critical health.
I've seen a tool-assisted speedrun where some dude combined Blocking Armor (occasionally negates an attack) with Lubicant at 1 HP, and they wound up becoming a completely unstoppable game breaking monster. If only I had that kind of luck, haha.
Oh yeah, the god statues in the back will try to slap and kick you for some reason. It's hard enough for Soma to walk around without getting assault by Lubicants. (*snicker*)
We destroy a wall by hitting it with a goddamn wrecking ball of all things, which has to be amazing considering Soma is still an 18 year old.
Oh, but don't get too greedy otherwise you'll get mauled by this spiked bar. Who designed this place?
Soma gets a fancier suit and we walk off feeling like a baller. Olrox is another character that appeared in Symphony of the Night as a sort of vampire lord that worked under Dracula. He could turn into a giant lizard man and shoot fireballs out of his mouth...
Which only reminds me why Castlevania is one of my favorite franchises out there.
God, seeing all of those enemies get reamed in record time is therapeutic to watch.
The second door leads to the worst room in the game. You see those yellow Medusa heads and all of those spikes? Yeah, it's gonna be one of those challenges.
Oh, and new enemy:
Name: Erinys
HP: 200
EXP: 500
Strength: Light
Weakness: Weapons, Dark, Poison, Curse
Drops: Ronginus's Spear (rare)
Description: "The goddess of revenge."
Soul effect (
): "Increases experience points by 120%."
Soma's Thoughts: ("So give Valkyries an upgrade and they become this?")
Erinys is... literally just a red Valkyrie. In Dawn of Sorrow, they at least give her a different (if ineffective) attack and a new soul that outclasses Valkyrie... but come on. The soul effect here is also a typo because it doesn't really increase experience points by 120%.
Ronginus's Spear is what I would classify as the "second best" weapon. It's not as fast or as effective as the real ultimate weapon, but it's a good substitute if you don't know where it is. (It is also a mistranslation - it's supposed to be Longinus)
god, it begins
You're supposed to step on this switch to reverse the tracks because you'd just get pushed into the spikes otherwise.
I went into this room with 600+ health and now I'm almost dead! God damn! Yellow Medusa Heads and spikes should never be placed next to each other, given how you take double damage from petrification!
Is this sword even worth it?
A 62 point increase in attack sounds badass, but what does it do?
... It's as slow as the lance.
It looks really cool and has high attack, but it'll take me forever to do anything with this. You are vendor trash.
SKELETON.
This is a perfect place to grind for Beam Skeleton's soul, which I intensely urge everybody to do. (nah you can do whatever i don't care)
With this room, you have to go in the direction of the button inputs. It's incredibly simple and the only way you'd mess it up is if you were doing it on purpose.
Our reward for clearing the Nuclear Bonetrousle room is the Rare Ring which increases the appearance of rare item drops. Very nice, all things considered.
Now that all of the bonus rooms are done, let's go straight to the boss.
Come on, we've already fought Legion. Now we have to fight one for bats?
... Well, fuck.
[Current boss theme in-game: A Formidable Foe Appears]
Name: Balore
HP: 4000
EXP: 16000
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Nothing
Drops: N/A
Description: "Demon with a fear-inducing gaze."
Soul effect (
): "Packs a deadly punch."
Soma's Thoughts: ("Oh, I am soooo screwed.")
Ah see, they tried to fake you out with the Giant Bat there. Balore is the real boss of the Arena and one of the most devastating enemies yet. He can crush you by slamming his fists down and he can hit you full-force with his knuckles, with both moves capable of leaving Soma as a bloody smear on the wall.
His arms are invincible, so you have to hit his eye... which has to be really painful when you think about it.
"You bastard!" (jap. voice clip of Balore when he opens his right eye)
Oh boy, this is gonna be great. See, when you do enough damage to Balore, he opens up his right eye... that shoots laser beams. It takes more damage than the left, but this is where it gets intense.
See, if you don't kill Balore quickly, the laser volleys will get faster and faster to the point where jumping out of the way in time will be impossible.
I like to imagine Soma jumps straight onto Balore's face and jabs a giant freakin' katana straight into his eye, killing him in the coolest way possible.
[A loud thud shakes the screen, followed by Balore's soul going into Soma]
Sweet.
Oh, and the game was generous enough to give us the Giant Bat soul after killing Balore.
That's also 2 out of 3 required souls for the best ending.
Huh? What's J doing here?
: "J, what's wrong? You look pale."
: "D-Don't worry... Just now... all of my memories came flooding back."
: "What?!"
: "It seems that your dark power triggered the return of my memories. Just like I guessed... I have quite an extensive history with Dracula."
: "I thought so..."
"I am a descendant of a clan that has fought against Dracula for ages."
Raise your hands if you saw this coming from a mile away.
: "And the person who destroyed Dracula in 1999 was..."
: "Yes. It was me... But there were others who assisted me..."
: "So, if Dracula is revived again, just as it is written in the prophecy..."
I never thought it even was a prophecy that the Belmonts were there to kick Dracula's ass. They always seemed to be there at just the right moment for a game to start.
: "Then I must destroy him! It is my destiny."
: "You haven't met a man named Graham yet, have you?"
: "Graham? Uh, you mean that missionary right?"
Of course, considering the person we're dealing with...
: "He told me that he was Dracula."
: "I did sense Dracula's powers at work within him... But it's difficult to believe that he's Dracula... rather... I think... No, forget it. It is nothing more then a hunch."
: "Huh?"
: "Assuming that he is Dracula, I won't be able to kill him yet."
: "Why not?"
: "I need my weapon."
: "Your weapon?"
"In 1999, I sealed it in this castle to weaken his spirit and magical powers."
So you mean to tell me that Julius has gotten through the entire castle using nothing but his bare fists and his sub-weapons. Holy shit, this man is good.
: "That means it's in this castle somewhere?"
Soma, he just said it was in the castle. Aren't you paying attention? He's talking about THE VAMPIRE KILLER, BOY - THE RADDEST OF THE RAD WHIPS
: "Yes. And I know exactly where it is. I'll go and get it now."
: "Alright. Please be careful."
[Julius walks to the right]
... Well, that's a sinister note to leave this conversation on.
The Giant Bat soul turns Soma into a cute little white bat.
Awww, here we go.
Name: Succubus
HP: 550
EXP: 360
Strength: Dark
Weakness: Weapons
Drops: Heart Pendant (rare), Pudding (common)
Description: "This enticing beauty is really a nightmare in disguise."
Soul effect (
): "Absorbs enemies' HP when an ordinary attack is delivered."
Soma's Thoughts: ("I can't help but get this awful feeling the more I look at this lady.")
Succubus is an upgraded Lilith. A nasty thing she likes to do is latch onto you and steal your HP. It gets especially annoying when you have other monsters surrounding you.
However, her soul is simultaneously important and one of the best in the game. See, she allows you to steal 5+ HP from anything you hit, even objects. You could potentially steal your entire health back from hitting candles and for no cost at all.
The Black Cloak makes Soma look cooler and boosts his confidence.
Aaaand that's 3 out of 3, ladies and gentlemen. We have all of the tools to get the best ending now.
Name: Bael
HP: 300
EXP: 380
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Poison
Drops: Nothing
Description: "A demon that grants cunningness."
Soul effect (
): "Increases Intelligence by 12."
Soma's Thoughts: ("Pretty sure this is supposed to be something different than Buer.")
Palette swap of Buer that gives you Intelligence instead of firewalls. It's also another Ars Goetian demon, but... Ho-hum.
Name: Giant Skeleton
HP: 2000
EXP: 1200
Strength: Dark
Weakness: Light
Drops: Durandal (rare)
Description: "A giant skeleton with no lower body that crawls along the ground."
Soul effect (
): "Throws giant skulls."
Soma's Thoughts: ("What is with all of the giant monsters? Is this like their home or something?")
Palette swap of the already-demoted Creaking Skull with a terrible soul. The only reason you'd waste your time with him would be for 100% completion.
There is this, though. The candle at the end of this room will always have 1000 gold inside of it, and the candle respawns every time you exit the room and come back. The hallway is even designed for you to use the transformation souls, as every other candle or so gives you a big heart that restores a moderate amount of MP.
Can anybody else smell the moolah?
Name: Red Minotaur
HP: 929
EXP: 1000
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Weapons, Poison, Curse
Drops: Battle Axe (common), Tasty Meat (common)
Description: "A red Minotaur that grew stronger during a recent trip to Hell."
Soul effect (
): "Swings an oversized axe."
Soma's Thoughts: ("This guy looks... uh, pretty mad. Better be careful around him.")
Red Minotaurs are a godsend. Killer Mantle completely pantses them and their soul is easily the most broken Bullet soul in the game. Sure, Beam Skeletons are my specialty, but this is just too much.
You want to know how "oversized" that axe is? As big as the screen. Not only that, it hits twice if you get it in the right spot. Busted.
Killer Mantle just poofs 'em away. It's amazing how much versatility an evil cloak adds to the game.
The equivalent soul in Dawn of Sorrow is nowhere near as good, just for the record.
Laevatain is a fire version of Rahab's Sword, so it's amazing... as more money.
Beam Skeleton is king around here, see.
And that's all of the punch-based souls. Watch Soma become Saitama soon enough.
Anyway, let's explore the rest of the Top Floor now that we have the Giant Bat soul.
Damn, that's some metal scenery right there.
You might be wondering: "Is that Mina lying on the ground there?"
Actually, no. She yells out "Help!" in Japanese and everything, but it's just a Succubus that takes her shape. They have a... tendency of mimicking the heroes' closest friends and loved ones.
(Alucard knows what I'm talking about.)
Name: Final Guard
HP: 1200
EXP: 2000
Strength: Everything
Weakness: Nothing
Drops: Gold Plate (rare), Final Sword (rare)
Description: "Specially chosen to defend important areas of the castle."
Soul effect (
): "Guards against enemy attacks."
Soma's Thoughts: ("Oh boy, I can tell we're getting really close with a name like that.")
Final Guard is... very final. They're the second sturdiest enemy in the entire game and powerful to boot. I love their gold design in this game and their soul.
It may be impractical due to how the soul guzzles your MP like soda and forces you to stand still, but it also allows you to block any attack in the game.
They can also drop the Final Sword which is actually stronger than the ultimate weapon, but doesn't have its more appealing qualities. (fast swing speed, etc.)
Name: Basilisk
HP: 700
EXP: 600
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Weapons, Dark
Drops: Milician's Sword (common)
Description: "The offspring of a lizard and a bird. Its gaze can turn you to stone."
Soul effect (
): "Defensive strength increases and offensive strength decreases."
Soma's Thoughts: ("The things they let people do for science.")
Basilisk is the "older brother" of Cockatrice, and the soul is absolute garbage. I'm pretty sure people value being able to hit hard over surviving a hit in a game like this, just saying.
Another Super Potion ripe for the taking. Also, jesus christ look at the dragon statue in the background. That's amazing spritework for a Gameboy Advance game, jeez.
I've been Monster Partied. (aka. there's absolutely nothing in here - no secrets at all.)
Name: Stolas
HP: 1500 (+9999 if you use Killer Mantle on him)
EXP: 1500
Strength: Dark
Weakness: Light
Drops: High Potion (rare)
Description: "An aged, wise owl."
Soul effect (
): "Intelligence increases by 16."
Soma's Thoughts: ("Man, imagine if all of these cool monsters worked for me. You know, instead of trying to kill me.")
Stolas is a very interesting enemy, especially compared to a lot of the palette swaps around here. On top of being another faithfully recreated Ars Goetian demon (yes, even the crown it's wearing is a reference to its original appearance), he has a neat gimmick.
He can summon other enemies! Not only that, his incarnation in Dawn of Sorrow does it in such a cool way that-- man, I really need to play Dawn after how much I keep gushing about the advances.
But yeah, Stolas can bring forth more enemies. This is actually a really good idea for grinding if you don't have the monsters that he summons.
WELL OK
S-Satan's Ring?? Is this okay? Is this a good thing? Are we allowed?
There has to be a trick to this. Some sort of catch.
... Nope, there's no strings attached. You get the best stat boosting ring in the game just like that! Enjoy!
Oh, that's cool. When you pass by, the torches light up. Nice touch.
We finally got to open the way back to the Clock Tower, so that's good too.
Let's go down to the basement of the "top floor", though...
Name: Iron Golem
HP: 9999
EXP: 500
Strength: Everything
Weakness: Nothing
Drops: Nothing
Description: "A manlike figure made out of iron and animated by magic. Extremely tough."
Soul effect (
): "Withstand a lot of damage without flinching."
Soma's Thoughts: ("Nothing I do works! I can't even scratch it! What is this thing made out of?!")
Oh man. Behold - the Iron Golem! The absolute toughest enemy in the entire game, bar none. It has max health and takes 1 damage from any attack, no matter what it is. It is completely invincible. You're likely wondering "How do you kill it then?".
Let me demonstrate.
And just like that, it's dust in the wind. The sturdiest enemy killed in one hit thanks to the Killer Mantle soul. I love it.
Sadly, Iron Golem doesn't have the spinning punch like his companions and just slams the ground. Lame.
Breaking the wall past Iron Golem will reward you with the greatest Ability soul (and description) in the game.
... Li... lid-jump. How do you mess that up? Seriously!
Translation oddities aside, Hippogryph immediately obsoletes the Giant Bat soul and even Double Jump. It allows you to infinitely jump in the air as long as you keep pressing the L button. For free.
Yeaaah! Look at Soma go! He's a natural Batman!
The Kaladbolg is one of the few Dark elemental weapons in the game. Believe it or not, it's going to be very useful in the future so we're not going to sell it away.
.... Ouch! Yeah, you even get a little animation for when Soma wangs his head against the ceiling.
Just Mana Prisms everywhere. It's crazy how much they want to make sure you have MP to fire off attacks.
Sweet. Let's go heal up first before we do anything else.
Actually... before we make our way towards the throne, I have a little detour to make.
Yep, back here of all places.
Name: Dryad
HP: 350
EXP: 200
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Fire
Drops: Mystletain (rare), Persimmon (rare)
Description: "An evil tree spirit."
Soul effect (
): "Grows stronger by stealing HP from enemies."
Soma's Thoughts: ("I'll admit, this monster lady looks kind of cool.")
Dryads have a nice design and attack you by throwing a fruit that sucks your health away. This applies to the soul too, but it only works with flesh and blood enemies. So you can't make it work on Skeletons and so on.
[The music stops and only the sound of a waterfall can be heard]
Alright, this room. This is the way to the secret area of the castle.
What you have to do is to equip the Undine soul and one of the transformation souls. It doesn't matter which as long as you have one.
The walls are even marked with little drawings of what the transformations even look like, which doesn't really tell you where the souls are located but is still enough of a hint that you need something special to pass.
You have to build up speed otherwise the waterfall rejects you like a rotten quiche.
Your reward for doing so, aside from getting entrance into a brand new area, is the most anime armor I've ever seen. It has incredible defense, but lacks the boost and swagger of Olrox's Suit.
[Current audio in-game: Sacred Cave]
This place isn't hard by any stretch of the imagination and has a dump truck's worth of treasure. It's perfect.
Name: Mudman
HP: 200
EXP: 400
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Nothing
Drops: Nothing
Description: "The evil spirit of a man who drowned in a marsh."
Soul effect (
): "Slings mud at enemies."
Soma's Thoughts: ("... I sort of want to poke him.")
The Mudman is a unique enemy surprisingly enough. He can hide away from your attacks and throws mud (although if he didn't do that, that'd be weird). Kinda meh, but at least they didn't use another palette swap.
Oh, and there's Alura Unes here just in case.
Ooh, spooky pirate ship. What's this all about?
There's a breakable wall...
Oh lord. Here is is. The Ultimate Weapon.
The Claimh Solais, at last. Just look at those boosts! We've officially broken the game in half just by getting this.
It's an overhead weapon that's light elemental and swings as fast as the Osafune. It's like using the Valkyrie Soul with every swing but for no MP.
I think that's pretty busted, wouldn't you agree?
The Claimh Solais itself is a reference to Irish Mythology as the sword of light that belonged to the king of Ireland. It had the power to cut his enemies in half and is considered one of the Four Treasures of Ireland (along with the Spear of Lugh, the Dagda's Cauldron and the Stone of Fal.)
There's treasure chests all around this place, and given how there's a sunken pirate ship around here...
: ("Arrrgh!")
: "What in the world was that?"
... Your guess is as good as mine as to what that was about.
Oooh, this room looks neat. Let's just nab--
What the hell?! Money betrayed me!
Name: Mimic
HP: 100
EXP: 200
Strength: Dark
Weakness: Light
Drops: Nothing
Description: "Assumes the form of treasure and quietly awaits his prey."
Soul effect (
): "Increase money as damage is occured."
Soma's Thoughts: ("Damn! That spooked me. I guess that's what I get for being greedy...")
Boy, you ain't slick. If you let a Mimic hit you, it just sits there and laughs at you for being a dumbass. Well, guess what? I'm the one with the sword.
His soul allows you to make your own money the more you injure yourself. A good spot for grinding is at the Clock Tower due the spikes guaranteeing you big money bags.
Now that we're properly equipped, let's finally go to the throne.
To get the best ending, you must have these souls equipped before you fight. Just trust me on this.
Christ, now that's a background.
: "Dracula's power doesn't concern me! I came here to find a way out of this castle."
: "With my new abilities, I can get you out of here quite easily... You, however, have some property of mine in your possession. The souls of MY demons are under YOUR control."
: "Can I forgive such a crime? NO! NEVER!"
Yep, he's definitely Dracula. Nobody else can be such a ham.
: "If I knew how, I'd return them all to you right here and now!"
Soma, no - DON'T GIVE AWAY BEAM SKELETON
: "Even if you return them, you have still committed the crime of stealing. Don't you know that?"
Wow, you asshole!
: "You are one selfish bastard!"
Yeah, tell him, Soma.
: "You're guilty of grand theft. Therefore, I sentence you to death!"
: "You're insane!"
: "And as a special treat, I myself will deliver the punishment!"
[Current boss theme in-game: Battle for The Throne]
Name: Graham
HP: 5000
EXP: 0
Strength: Poison, Curse, Stone
Weakness: Nothing
Drops: N/A
Description: "A missionary gone amiss."
Soma's Thoughts: ("I've had enough of this guy.")
Graham fights you the same way Dracula would in the other games. Also, since he's a human, beating him doesn't give you his soul.
"What's the matter?!"
His first attack is shooting three fireballs ala Flame Demon's soul. You can swipe them away with the Claimh Solais.
"Kneel!"
His second attack are these much more evil looking lava balls that you have to dodge out of the way of.
Finally, when you've chopped off a considerable amount of Graham's health, he starts summoning lava balls in a swirl around his body. You can cheese through this attack by ducking because the Claimh Solais will still reach him.
Grinding, boyo.
: "What do you mean by "those powers"?"
: "I'm Dracula and you're not the one!"
[Pained scream, followed up with "This is power!"]
Oh sweet jesus, what the hell are we dealing with now? The angels have a halo pierced through their eyes and Graham's sitting in their heart... This design is simultaneously disgusting and amazing.
In this form, Graham has two attacks. He can make the angels smash you with their giant hands and there's also the skull halo that shoots a giant laser at you. This fight can easily overwhelm you if you're not paying attention.
But then again, if you're going for the best ending, you have the Succubus soul equipped and that heals you by 5 regardless of what you hit. You could camp under Graham's weird angel hands and hit him with the Claimh Solais as much as you want and the only thing you'd have to worry about is the laser.
If you're patient enough, Graham and his freaky angel transformation finally go down from heartburn.
(Also, they seriously forgot to capitalize "This cannot be!"? Whoops...)
[Graham screams "What the hell are you?!" as he vanishes into blue fire]
[Black souls appear out of nowhere and pour into Soma endlessly]
: "What... what's this? Whoa, something is flowing into me! NO, WAIT! PLEASE... STOP, NOOO!"
Oh, this doesn't look good.
[Soma falls to his knees and lets out an agonized scream]
[Current audio in-game: Dracula's Fate]
Holy shit, we were Dracula all along!
... Seriously though, this is huge. This explains everything about Soma's powers and why he was chosen to come to the castle. The song that's playing right now is the most somber in the game, and I absolutely adore it. Soma even looks intimidating now that he's like this.
: "This is like a bad joke. Come on out, Arikado, I know you're there."
[Arikado walks in from the left]
: "Yes, you weren't supposed to come to this castle in the first place."
: "Then why did you make me come here!?"
: "Your soul and Dracula's magical powers are one and the same. No matter what we did, this day was destined to come."
: "Huh? What do you mean? I don't understand."
: "Because you are now one with him, an evil spirit must be flowing into you."
: "Yes, it started not too long ago, and its slowly filling me up... I'm doing all that I can to keep him being consumed by it."
Man, this is freaky. Is this even Soma anymore? It sounds like he's being possessed.
: "Once you have finished absorbing all of it, his powers will be yours."
: "Neither do I!"
: "I know. That's why I chose the dangerous route."
: "The dangerous route?"
: "The evil in this spirit comes from those who seek chaos and destruction. So we need to cut off the source of the chaos influencing the spirit."
: "Is that possible?"
: "This castle is a product of Dracula's magic. It's a spiritual world. My point is this... a stream of chaos exists within this castle as well."
By the way, if you didn't have the souls equipped, Graham would have yelled out "Impossible!" and Arikado would have just taken you out of the castle. That's boring, so I did this instead.
: "I'll go. I'm not afraid... But what do I do once I get there?"
: "You'll have to stop it using your own strength. You already succeeded in reaching the throne. I'm sure you can do it."
: "If it will make me myself again, I'll do what it takes."
: "As long as my powers continue to affect this place, the flow of the evil spirit into you will be slowed down. Go quickly!"
: "I'm going... I appreciate your help..."
I should take this time to mention that Arikado is really Alucard, aka. Adrian Farenheights Tepes, or Dracula's son. Yeah, that's a mouthful, so we just call him Alucard instead. He's the main protagonist of Symphony of the Night, and had to stop his dad from being resurrected there too.
... Their relationship is kind of strained if you can't tell.
Go into the room Alucard came out of, and you get some fancy stuff.
The first treasure is the Black Panther soul, a high speed ability that also damages enemies. Very nice, considering how we have to backtrack a fair amount to get to where we need to go.
The second item is Dracula's Tunic which is by far the best armor in the game. It gives Soma the ultimate coolness upgrade.
Black Panther soul also looks really cool, especially if you ram into a bunch of weak guys or have the Iron Golem soul. (aka. no flinching)
Galamoth's soul completely neutralizes Chronomage and the only thing you have to worry about is him running away.
Amazingly, I managed to get Chronomage's soul for that inevitable grind...
But I think that's enough excitement for one chapter. See you guys next time for the ending!
Future Dan Says: ... Three parter? Oh that's right, this was back when I tried to upload in bulk as opposed to waiting days in between.
Chapter #6 - Soma's Fate
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spoiler:
We begin this chapter... with me already having killed a new enemy without documenting it. Damn it!
Oh well, here's the stats:
Name: Killer Mantle
HP: 200
EXP: 345
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Nothing
Drops: Ramen (rare)
Description: "An evil cloak that assaults humans."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("Did that cloak just grow an arm and try to shank me?")
The Killer Mantle is a strange enemy as it's literally just a flying cloak that tries to stab you. However, its ability is one of the raddest in the entire game - see, every enemy in the game has an invisible MP meter that can only be affected by Killer Mantle.
For some enemies, one use of Killer Mantle's soul wipes them off the face of the earth. With others, it gives them a truckload of health to the point of becoming boss-level enemies. It's also the only way to kill the ultimate golem in the game, but we'll get to that one later.
... And yes, I really did just get its rare drop and its soul already. Ramen is pretty good as a healing item to boot.
I've missed you, buddy.
To elaborate, Beam Skeleton not only hits for strong fire damage twice in one go but it can be fired instantly for a pittance. You can also attack as it's firing, making it my absolute favorite Bullet soul in the game. Nothing else compares.
What kind of door is this? It's certainly not the boss door, but still interesting enough to investigate.
Whoa, holy crap!
Name: Lubicant (should be Rubicante)
HP: 500
EXP: 550
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Weapons, Curse
Drops: Muramasa (rare)
Description: "An always angry minion of hell. Not enough calcium in his diet."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("... Someone else already beat me to the joke.")
Cagnazzo is the only one that escaped having his name mangled by a bad translation, and man poor Rubicante got the worst of it.
"Lubicant" is the strongest of the Divine Comedy-based demons and is also the most aggressive. He's faster than Cagnazzo and sturdier to boot, which makes trying to kill multiples of him a lovely experience. However, his soul is amazing as it gives you incredible boosts, to the point where it outclasses every other boost soul at critical health.
I've seen a tool-assisted speedrun where some dude combined Blocking Armor (occasionally negates an attack) with Lubicant at 1 HP, and they wound up becoming a completely unstoppable game breaking monster. If only I had that kind of luck, haha.
Oh yeah, the god statues in the back will try to slap and kick you for some reason. It's hard enough for Soma to walk around without getting assault by Lubicants. (*snicker*)
We destroy a wall by hitting it with a goddamn wrecking ball of all things, which has to be amazing considering Soma is still an 18 year old.
Oh, but don't get too greedy otherwise you'll get mauled by this spiked bar. Who designed this place?
Soma gets a fancier suit and we walk off feeling like a baller. Olrox is another character that appeared in Symphony of the Night as a sort of vampire lord that worked under Dracula. He could turn into a giant lizard man and shoot fireballs out of his mouth...
Which only reminds me why Castlevania is one of my favorite franchises out there.
God, seeing all of those enemies get reamed in record time is therapeutic to watch.
The second door leads to the worst room in the game. You see those yellow Medusa heads and all of those spikes? Yeah, it's gonna be one of those challenges.
Oh, and new enemy:
Name: Erinys
HP: 200
EXP: 500
Strength: Light
Weakness: Weapons, Dark, Poison, Curse
Drops: Ronginus's Spear (rare)
Description: "The goddess of revenge."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("So give Valkyries an upgrade and they become this?")
Erinys is... literally just a red Valkyrie. In Dawn of Sorrow, they at least give her a different (if ineffective) attack and a new soul that outclasses Valkyrie... but come on. The soul effect here is also a typo because it doesn't really increase experience points by 120%.
Ronginus's Spear is what I would classify as the "second best" weapon. It's not as fast or as effective as the real ultimate weapon, but it's a good substitute if you don't know where it is. (It is also a mistranslation - it's supposed to be Longinus)
god, it begins
You're supposed to step on this switch to reverse the tracks because you'd just get pushed into the spikes otherwise.
I went into this room with 600+ health and now I'm almost dead! God damn! Yellow Medusa Heads and spikes should never be placed next to each other, given how you take double damage from petrification!
Is this sword even worth it?
A 62 point increase in attack sounds badass, but what does it do?
... It's as slow as the lance.
It looks really cool and has high attack, but it'll take me forever to do anything with this. You are vendor trash.
SKELETON.
This is a perfect place to grind for Beam Skeleton's soul, which I intensely urge everybody to do. (nah you can do whatever i don't care)
With this room, you have to go in the direction of the button inputs. It's incredibly simple and the only way you'd mess it up is if you were doing it on purpose.
Our reward for clearing the Nuclear Bonetrousle room is the Rare Ring which increases the appearance of rare item drops. Very nice, all things considered.
Now that all of the bonus rooms are done, let's go straight to the boss.
Come on, we've already fought Legion. Now we have to fight one for bats?
... Well, fuck.
[Current boss theme in-game: A Formidable Foe Appears]
Name: Balore
HP: 4000
EXP: 16000
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Nothing
Drops: N/A
Description: "Demon with a fear-inducing gaze."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("Oh, I am soooo screwed.")
Ah see, they tried to fake you out with the Giant Bat there. Balore is the real boss of the Arena and one of the most devastating enemies yet. He can crush you by slamming his fists down and he can hit you full-force with his knuckles, with both moves capable of leaving Soma as a bloody smear on the wall.
His arms are invincible, so you have to hit his eye... which has to be really painful when you think about it.
"You bastard!" (jap. voice clip of Balore when he opens his right eye)
Oh boy, this is gonna be great. See, when you do enough damage to Balore, he opens up his right eye... that shoots laser beams. It takes more damage than the left, but this is where it gets intense.
See, if you don't kill Balore quickly, the laser volleys will get faster and faster to the point where jumping out of the way in time will be impossible.
I like to imagine Soma jumps straight onto Balore's face and jabs a giant freakin' katana straight into his eye, killing him in the coolest way possible.
[A loud thud shakes the screen, followed by Balore's soul going into Soma]
Sweet.
Oh, and the game was generous enough to give us the Giant Bat soul after killing Balore.
That's also 2 out of 3 required souls for the best ending.
Huh? What's J doing here?
"I am a descendant of a clan that has fought against Dracula for ages."
Raise your hands if you saw this coming from a mile away.
I never thought it even was a prophecy that the Belmonts were there to kick Dracula's ass. They always seemed to be there at just the right moment for a game to start.
Of course, considering the person we're dealing with...
"In 1999, I sealed it in this castle to weaken his spirit and magical powers."
So you mean to tell me that Julius has gotten through the entire castle using nothing but his bare fists and his sub-weapons. Holy shit, this man is good.
Soma, he just said it was in the castle. Aren't you paying attention? He's talking about THE VAMPIRE KILLER, BOY - THE RADDEST OF THE RAD WHIPS
[Julius walks to the right]
... Well, that's a sinister note to leave this conversation on.
The Giant Bat soul turns Soma into a cute little white bat.
Awww, here we go.
Name: Succubus
HP: 550
EXP: 360
Strength: Dark
Weakness: Weapons
Drops: Heart Pendant (rare), Pudding (common)
Description: "This enticing beauty is really a nightmare in disguise."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("I can't help but get this awful feeling the more I look at this lady.")
Succubus is an upgraded Lilith. A nasty thing she likes to do is latch onto you and steal your HP. It gets especially annoying when you have other monsters surrounding you.
However, her soul is simultaneously important and one of the best in the game. See, she allows you to steal 5+ HP from anything you hit, even objects. You could potentially steal your entire health back from hitting candles and for no cost at all.
The Black Cloak makes Soma look cooler and boosts his confidence.
Aaaand that's 3 out of 3, ladies and gentlemen. We have all of the tools to get the best ending now.
Name: Bael
HP: 300
EXP: 380
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Poison
Drops: Nothing
Description: "A demon that grants cunningness."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("Pretty sure this is supposed to be something different than Buer.")
Palette swap of Buer that gives you Intelligence instead of firewalls. It's also another Ars Goetian demon, but... Ho-hum.
Name: Giant Skeleton
HP: 2000
EXP: 1200
Strength: Dark
Weakness: Light
Drops: Durandal (rare)
Description: "A giant skeleton with no lower body that crawls along the ground."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("What is with all of the giant monsters? Is this like their home or something?")
Palette swap of the already-demoted Creaking Skull with a terrible soul. The only reason you'd waste your time with him would be for 100% completion.
There is this, though. The candle at the end of this room will always have 1000 gold inside of it, and the candle respawns every time you exit the room and come back. The hallway is even designed for you to use the transformation souls, as every other candle or so gives you a big heart that restores a moderate amount of MP.
Can anybody else smell the moolah?
Name: Red Minotaur
HP: 929
EXP: 1000
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Weapons, Poison, Curse
Drops: Battle Axe (common), Tasty Meat (common)
Description: "A red Minotaur that grew stronger during a recent trip to Hell."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("This guy looks... uh, pretty mad. Better be careful around him.")
Red Minotaurs are a godsend. Killer Mantle completely pantses them and their soul is easily the most broken Bullet soul in the game. Sure, Beam Skeletons are my specialty, but this is just too much.
You want to know how "oversized" that axe is? As big as the screen. Not only that, it hits twice if you get it in the right spot. Busted.
Killer Mantle just poofs 'em away. It's amazing how much versatility an evil cloak adds to the game.
The equivalent soul in Dawn of Sorrow is nowhere near as good, just for the record.
Laevatain is a fire version of Rahab's Sword, so it's amazing... as more money.
Beam Skeleton is king around here, see.
And that's all of the punch-based souls. Watch Soma become Saitama soon enough.
Anyway, let's explore the rest of the Top Floor now that we have the Giant Bat soul.
Damn, that's some metal scenery right there.
You might be wondering: "Is that Mina lying on the ground there?"
Actually, no. She yells out "Help!" in Japanese and everything, but it's just a Succubus that takes her shape. They have a... tendency of mimicking the heroes' closest friends and loved ones.
(Alucard knows what I'm talking about.)
Name: Final Guard
HP: 1200
EXP: 2000
Strength: Everything
Weakness: Nothing
Drops: Gold Plate (rare), Final Sword (rare)
Description: "Specially chosen to defend important areas of the castle."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("Oh boy, I can tell we're getting really close with a name like that.")
Final Guard is... very final. They're the second sturdiest enemy in the entire game and powerful to boot. I love their gold design in this game and their soul.
It may be impractical due to how the soul guzzles your MP like soda and forces you to stand still, but it also allows you to block any attack in the game.
They can also drop the Final Sword which is actually stronger than the ultimate weapon, but doesn't have its more appealing qualities. (fast swing speed, etc.)
Name: Basilisk
HP: 700
EXP: 600
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Weapons, Dark
Drops: Milician's Sword (common)
Description: "The offspring of a lizard and a bird. Its gaze can turn you to stone."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("The things they let people do for science.")
Basilisk is the "older brother" of Cockatrice, and the soul is absolute garbage. I'm pretty sure people value being able to hit hard over surviving a hit in a game like this, just saying.
Another Super Potion ripe for the taking. Also, jesus christ look at the dragon statue in the background. That's amazing spritework for a Gameboy Advance game, jeez.
I've been Monster Partied. (aka. there's absolutely nothing in here - no secrets at all.)
Name: Stolas
HP: 1500 (+9999 if you use Killer Mantle on him)
EXP: 1500
Strength: Dark
Weakness: Light
Drops: High Potion (rare)
Description: "An aged, wise owl."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("Man, imagine if all of these cool monsters worked for me. You know, instead of trying to kill me.")
Stolas is a very interesting enemy, especially compared to a lot of the palette swaps around here. On top of being another faithfully recreated Ars Goetian demon (yes, even the crown it's wearing is a reference to its original appearance), he has a neat gimmick.
He can summon other enemies! Not only that, his incarnation in Dawn of Sorrow does it in such a cool way that-- man, I really need to play Dawn after how much I keep gushing about the advances.
But yeah, Stolas can bring forth more enemies. This is actually a really good idea for grinding if you don't have the monsters that he summons.
WELL OK
S-Satan's Ring?? Is this okay? Is this a good thing? Are we allowed?
There has to be a trick to this. Some sort of catch.
... Nope, there's no strings attached. You get the best stat boosting ring in the game just like that! Enjoy!
Oh, that's cool. When you pass by, the torches light up. Nice touch.
We finally got to open the way back to the Clock Tower, so that's good too.
Let's go down to the basement of the "top floor", though...
Name: Iron Golem
HP: 9999
EXP: 500
Strength: Everything
Weakness: Nothing
Drops: Nothing
Description: "A manlike figure made out of iron and animated by magic. Extremely tough."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("Nothing I do works! I can't even scratch it! What is this thing made out of?!")
Oh man. Behold - the Iron Golem! The absolute toughest enemy in the entire game, bar none. It has max health and takes 1 damage from any attack, no matter what it is. It is completely invincible. You're likely wondering "How do you kill it then?".
Let me demonstrate.
And just like that, it's dust in the wind. The sturdiest enemy killed in one hit thanks to the Killer Mantle soul. I love it.
Sadly, Iron Golem doesn't have the spinning punch like his companions and just slams the ground. Lame.
Breaking the wall past Iron Golem will reward you with the greatest Ability soul (and description) in the game.
... Li... lid-jump. How do you mess that up? Seriously!
Translation oddities aside, Hippogryph immediately obsoletes the Giant Bat soul and even Double Jump. It allows you to infinitely jump in the air as long as you keep pressing the L button. For free.
Yeaaah! Look at Soma go! He's a natural Batman!
The Kaladbolg is one of the few Dark elemental weapons in the game. Believe it or not, it's going to be very useful in the future so we're not going to sell it away.
.... Ouch! Yeah, you even get a little animation for when Soma wangs his head against the ceiling.
Just Mana Prisms everywhere. It's crazy how much they want to make sure you have MP to fire off attacks.
Sweet. Let's go heal up first before we do anything else.
Actually... before we make our way towards the throne, I have a little detour to make.
Yep, back here of all places.
Name: Dryad
HP: 350
EXP: 200
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Fire
Drops: Mystletain (rare), Persimmon (rare)
Description: "An evil tree spirit."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("I'll admit, this monster lady looks kind of cool.")
Dryads have a nice design and attack you by throwing a fruit that sucks your health away. This applies to the soul too, but it only works with flesh and blood enemies. So you can't make it work on Skeletons and so on.
[The music stops and only the sound of a waterfall can be heard]
Alright, this room. This is the way to the secret area of the castle.
What you have to do is to equip the Undine soul and one of the transformation souls. It doesn't matter which as long as you have one.
The walls are even marked with little drawings of what the transformations even look like, which doesn't really tell you where the souls are located but is still enough of a hint that you need something special to pass.
You have to build up speed otherwise the waterfall rejects you like a rotten quiche.
Your reward for doing so, aside from getting entrance into a brand new area, is the most anime armor I've ever seen. It has incredible defense, but lacks the boost and swagger of Olrox's Suit.
[Current audio in-game: Sacred Cave]
This place isn't hard by any stretch of the imagination and has a dump truck's worth of treasure. It's perfect.
Name: Mudman
HP: 200
EXP: 400
Strength: Nothing
Weakness: Nothing
Drops: Nothing
Description: "The evil spirit of a man who drowned in a marsh."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("... I sort of want to poke him.")
The Mudman is a unique enemy surprisingly enough. He can hide away from your attacks and throws mud (although if he didn't do that, that'd be weird). Kinda meh, but at least they didn't use another palette swap.
Oh, and there's Alura Unes here just in case.
Ooh, spooky pirate ship. What's this all about?
There's a breakable wall...
Oh lord. Here is is. The Ultimate Weapon.
The Claimh Solais, at last. Just look at those boosts! We've officially broken the game in half just by getting this.
It's an overhead weapon that's light elemental and swings as fast as the Osafune. It's like using the Valkyrie Soul with every swing but for no MP.
I think that's pretty busted, wouldn't you agree?
The Claimh Solais itself is a reference to Irish Mythology as the sword of light that belonged to the king of Ireland. It had the power to cut his enemies in half and is considered one of the Four Treasures of Ireland (along with the Spear of Lugh, the Dagda's Cauldron and the Stone of Fal.)
There's treasure chests all around this place, and given how there's a sunken pirate ship around here...
... Your guess is as good as mine as to what that was about.
Oooh, this room looks neat. Let's just nab--
What the hell?! Money betrayed me!
Name: Mimic
HP: 100
EXP: 200
Strength: Dark
Weakness: Light
Drops: Nothing
Description: "Assumes the form of treasure and quietly awaits his prey."
Soul effect (
Soma's Thoughts: ("Damn! That spooked me. I guess that's what I get for being greedy...")
Boy, you ain't slick. If you let a Mimic hit you, it just sits there and laughs at you for being a dumbass. Well, guess what? I'm the one with the sword.
His soul allows you to make your own money the more you injure yourself. A good spot for grinding is at the Clock Tower due the spikes guaranteeing you big money bags.
Now that we're properly equipped, let's finally go to the throne.
To get the best ending, you must have these souls equipped before you fight. Just trust me on this.
Christ, now that's a background.
Yep, he's definitely Dracula. Nobody else can be such a ham.
Soma, no - DON'T GIVE AWAY BEAM SKELETON
Wow, you asshole!
Yeah, tell him, Soma.
[Current boss theme in-game: Battle for The Throne]
Name: Graham
HP: 5000
EXP: 0
Strength: Poison, Curse, Stone
Weakness: Nothing
Drops: N/A
Description: "A missionary gone amiss."
Soma's Thoughts: ("I've had enough of this guy.")
Graham fights you the same way Dracula would in the other games. Also, since he's a human, beating him doesn't give you his soul.
"What's the matter?!"
His first attack is shooting three fireballs ala Flame Demon's soul. You can swipe them away with the Claimh Solais.
"Kneel!"
His second attack are these much more evil looking lava balls that you have to dodge out of the way of.
Finally, when you've chopped off a considerable amount of Graham's health, he starts summoning lava balls in a swirl around his body. You can cheese through this attack by ducking because the Claimh Solais will still reach him.
Grinding, boyo.
[Pained scream, followed up with "This is power!"]
Oh sweet jesus, what the hell are we dealing with now? The angels have a halo pierced through their eyes and Graham's sitting in their heart... This design is simultaneously disgusting and amazing.
In this form, Graham has two attacks. He can make the angels smash you with their giant hands and there's also the skull halo that shoots a giant laser at you. This fight can easily overwhelm you if you're not paying attention.
But then again, if you're going for the best ending, you have the Succubus soul equipped and that heals you by 5 regardless of what you hit. You could camp under Graham's weird angel hands and hit him with the Claimh Solais as much as you want and the only thing you'd have to worry about is the laser.
If you're patient enough, Graham and his freaky angel transformation finally go down from heartburn.
(Also, they seriously forgot to capitalize "This cannot be!"? Whoops...)
[Graham screams "What the hell are you?!" as he vanishes into blue fire]
[Black souls appear out of nowhere and pour into Soma endlessly]
Oh, this doesn't look good.
[Soma falls to his knees and lets out an agonized scream]
[Current audio in-game: Dracula's Fate]
Holy shit, we were Dracula all along!
... Seriously though, this is huge. This explains everything about Soma's powers and why he was chosen to come to the castle. The song that's playing right now is the most somber in the game, and I absolutely adore it. Soma even looks intimidating now that he's like this.
[Arikado walks in from the left]
Man, this is freaky. Is this even Soma anymore? It sounds like he's being possessed.
By the way, if you didn't have the souls equipped, Graham would have yelled out "Impossible!" and Arikado would have just taken you out of the castle. That's boring, so I did this instead.
I should take this time to mention that Arikado is really Alucard, aka. Adrian Farenheights Tepes, or Dracula's son. Yeah, that's a mouthful, so we just call him Alucard instead. He's the main protagonist of Symphony of the Night, and had to stop his dad from being resurrected there too.
... Their relationship is kind of strained if you can't tell.
Go into the room Alucard came out of, and you get some fancy stuff.
The first treasure is the Black Panther soul, a high speed ability that also damages enemies. Very nice, considering how we have to backtrack a fair amount to get to where we need to go.
The second item is Dracula's Tunic which is by far the best armor in the game. It gives Soma the ultimate coolness upgrade.
Black Panther soul also looks really cool, especially if you ram into a bunch of weak guys or have the Iron Golem soul. (aka. no flinching)
Galamoth's soul completely neutralizes Chronomage and the only thing you have to worry about is him running away.
Amazingly, I managed to get Chronomage's soul for that inevitable grind...
But I think that's enough excitement for one chapter. See you guys next time for the ending!