THE BOSSES K - R Karamusan Found in: Symphony of the Night Karasuman is the raven man, King of Ravens, as his winged appearance would suggest. Not too hard of a boss to defeat, he will send a flock of the birds to attack you from his wings. He can also send out electrically charged feathers in many directions. Koranot Found in: Super Castlevania 4 A giant made entirely of stone, this rock monster has the ability to expand and contract its granite body. When attacked, it can shrink from its previous enormous size down to one not much larger than Simon himself. Given its rocky nature, it mainly attacks by, get this, and this is very original, causing loose bricks to fall from the ceiling, crushing invaders! When was the last time that happened I ask?! Koranot will also throw bits of his own rocky composition to destroy his foe. Also, say Koranot backwards...you get Ton a rock. Kumulo and Nimbler Found in: Castlevania 2: Belmont's Revenge These two Minotaur statues, one on each side of the room, wield gigantic trident spears. These can be stuck in the ground to attack Christopher or trap him in the corner. The pair can also spit projectiles from their mouths. Their heads are their feeble spots, so you've got to jump on the floating platform to reach the top of these behemoths. Oddly enough, they are named after types of clouds - Cumulus and Nimbus. Lesser Demon Found in: Symphony of the Night The first time you encounter a Lesser Demon will be in the Long Library. Not too fast of a flyer, it will move back and forth across the area. When on the ground, it can throw lasers from its wings. The worst attack method, by far, is when it hovers in the air and makes a clone of itself. Did I mention that the second third, fourth, and fifth times you encounter the Lesser Demon, he will be an ENEMY!? Legion Found in: Symphony of the Night, Harmony of Dissonance, Aria of Sorrow Originally called Legion in the Japanese version, it was renamed the Granfalloon. This seems to be taken from something in Kurt Vonnegut novels. Vonnegut himself defines Granfalloon as "a proud and meaningless association of human beings." Who the hell knows what that has to do with a ball of naked bodies surrounding a monstrous nucleus with tentacles. Its first incarnation is found in the Catacombs. The aforementioned bodies of the damned will fall off the Granfalloon and walk on the ground. However, your main goal is to start destroying the shield of bodies on the ball. Once you clear enough away, a nasty looking monster will emerge, who will shoot lightning out of its tendrils when it gets the chance. Once this creature inside is killed, then you will be allowed to proceed. There are not one but two Legions in Harmony of Dissonance - Saint and Corpse. The Saint simply floats in midair and occasionally sends over smaller blobs of itselfs to attack. Break off enough pieces and the core will shoot lasers at you, much like Symphony. The Legion Corpse is pretty stationary, and is made of skulls rather than bodies. The only way to harm it is to attack the skeleton in the center. It bleeds blue liquid and sends out little maggots that will curse you. And the Legion in Aria of Sorrow is much more mobile than before, as it will chase Soma around a large, square shaped room. However, the attack method is the same - make sure to kill all parts of it if you want to gain its soul. Leviathan Gargoryle Found in: Castlevania 3 Gargoyles are creatures carved out of stone that are thought to protect castles. This creature is not based off the biblical Leviathan, but rather alluding to the term "Leviathan" meaning "very large". Brought to life out of its stone casket, this creature relies mostly on high jumps, stomps, and fireballs. Thinks of Leviathan as practice for Dracula's second form in CastleVania 1. It often attacks as part of the Terror Trio, consisting of a mummy duo and a Cyclops. Lightning Elemental Found in: Castlevania Lament of Innocence Living Armor Found in: Harmoy of Dissonance It's large, has a sword and lumbers forward - much like half of the bosses in Harmony of Dissonance. It even stumbles back after a few successive hits. Just stay away from the blade and you'll be okay. Magic Armor Lords Found in: Castlevania Bloodlines There are three magic suits of armor, which attack with three different methods. One uses an extremely large axe, another uses a mace, and final one will send its detached gauntlets at you. The Magic Armor Lords are actually about four times larger than Eric or John, but can be defeated if you watch the patterns. Man Eater Found in: Aria of Sorrow Alright, this isn't a real boss, but Konami saw it fit to stick this sucker in the Boss Rush mode, so why not label it here. This skull has snakes that crawl out of its eyes and mouth, and shoot little circular lasers. Pretty simplistic. Manticore Found in: Aria of Sorrow Encountered in the chapel, the Manticore breathes fire and attacks with its large tail. Once you learn to dodge both, then taking this earlier boss down isn't too difficult. Max Slimer Found in: Harmony of Dissonance It's a slime that's larger than normal, and shoots off little slimes. The more you attack, the smaller it gets. Medusa Found in: Castlevania 1, 3, 4, Bloodlines (in the form of Elizabeth Bartley), Dracula X Duo, Haunted Castle, Chronicles, Symphony of the Night, Lament of Innocence Medusa rose from ancient Greek myths, which was turned into a Gorgon by the Gods for desecrating worshiping grounds. Her hair is full of small snakes, and her body is half human, half serpent. When looking at her eyes, any man or woman can be turned to stone, although Medusa has been able to concentrate these glances into beams. Snakes often crawl from her hair to battle intruders. In the original Castlevania, she simply appears as a head that floats around the screen. This was expounded upon in Lament of Innocence, except she's much bigger and can roll around the floor. There was a male version of the Medusa, known as the Snake Man Sentinel perhaps her elite guard on CastleVania 3's Haunted Ship of Fools, which shoot arrows and beams to turn the hero into stone. A female version of this same creature is the midboss of level 2 in Super Castlevania 4. She is one of the forms Elizabeth Bartley takes in one of the final battles of Bloodlines, and whips with her very long tail. This is similar form as in Chronicles, who is very agile. In Haunted Castle, she is the fairly simple first boss who attacks with small snakes, and in symphony of the Night, she barely puts up a fight. Mega Moles Found in: Castlevania Adventure Found at the end of Stage 2 in the Castlevania Adventure, the Mega Moles hide out in several holes in the cave wall. There are twenty moles total that leap out of the wall, do somersaults, and basically try to overwhelm Christopher with their vicious claws. They also appear as regular armless enemies in Belmont's Revenge. Minotaur Found in: Dracula X SNES and Duo, Symphony of the Night A Minotaur is a combination of a bull and a human. He carries an axe, and is not hesitant to use it to chop up things. Additionally, the Minotaur can charge at an enemy, much like a normal bull. The disadvantage to this is that he can get stuck, leaving him open to attack. He can also blow a poisonous breath into the hero's face. In Symphony of the Night, you'll fight one of these together with a werewolf. There are also two Minotaurs in Harmony of Dissonance - one with an axe and the other with a gigantic ball and chain. Both the same - just back-dodge when they're about to attack, and strike relentless in the meantime. This creature is based off the Greek myth wherein Theseus was trapped inside of the Labyrinth with this fierce creature. The Mummies Found in: Castlevania 1, 3, 4, Dracula X Duo The ancient Egyptians often removed vital organs from the bodies of the dead, wrapped them entirely in bandages, and sent them to their tomb in the 40-day process. These mummies have been brought back to life through the power of Dracula. They mainly attack by throwing loose bandages at their attackers, which strangle the life out of them. Often seen in pairs. In Dracula X, one lone mummy will send bandages flying, as well as shooting magic beams and calling bricks from the ground to move horizontally across the screen to crush enemies. Quite possibly, this loner is Akmodan II, who attacks atop the clock tower in CastleVania 4 and later in Symphony Necromancer Found in: Circle of the Moon The necromancer floats around the room, attacking with orbs and summoning enemies on the floor. After enough hits, it'll shed it cloak and occasionally dart around encased in energy. For the second boss of the game, it's quite difficult. Olrox Olrox must be a close friend of Dracula if he was given his own section of the castle to inhabit and govern. According to an anonymous Castlevania fan, he is most probably based of the character that Max Schrecks played in the movies, named Count Orlock. Among his magical skills include hovering, teleportation, summoning tormented souls from the ground, creating a portal to the land of the undead to summon ghost skulls, and lightning beams. When enough damage has been inflicted, Olrox will shift forms into a huge green lizard monster that can spout fire and use its extremely large limbs to punch. Olrox can also focus an energy beam on the ground that will cause fire to rise up. It may just be me, but Olrox's second form reminds me of the final form of Mother Brain in Super Metroid. When you destroy him, you may remember the Crocomire, also from Super Metroid. Orphic Vipers Found in: Castlevania 3, 4 The Orphic Vipers are obviously based off the Hydra. It is mythical being made of multiple heads (in the case of the Castlevania series, the Hydra only has two heads.) Existing primarily in water, these dragon heads will attack by shooting a variety of fireballs: the straight flame tongue, three way, and downward blowtorch. It is a good idea to concentrate on one and then get the other head, at least in Super Castlevania 4. In Castlevania 3, the Orphic Vipers peek out of the water, so you can't tell who's who. Unlike mythology, the Hydra's heads do not grow back. Pazuzu Found in: Harmony of Dissonance Pazuzu is an evolved form of the Leviathan Gargoyle from Castlevania 3 - it slowly jumps forward, but this one shoots a spread of fireballs and will summon legions of flying imps to help in its attack. Peeping Big Found in: Harmony of Dissonance Yet another sickeningly boring enlarged version of a regular enemy, the Peeping Big will attack with its tail-thing...but that's it. The only cool thing is that it breaks into scores of tiny peeping eyeballs that bounce around the screen when it dies. Puwexil Found in: Super Castlevania 4 An extremely large skull creature, Puweyxil's most powerful attack method involves his tongue. This particular appendage (its only one, in fact) drips acid saliva that does sizable damage on any vampire hunter. Additionally, Puweyxil can cause tremors when landing onto the scene and make bricks fall from the ceiling. His name is derived from his method of attack...Puweyxil said backwards is licks you up. Queen of Moss Found in: Castlevania Bloodlines At first glimpse, the Queen of Moss looks to be the ghost of the beautiful queen of the Palace of Versailles. After a few hits, however, she will take off and morph into a gargantuan moth. It will fly around the screen spreading poisonous dust and release its babies to attack interlopers. Rock Monster Found in: Haunted Castle This poorly animated monstrosity emerges from the left side of the screen and attempts to both punch and smash out poor hero. Rowdain Found in: Super Castlevania 4 A jouster is his former life, Rowdain is a powerfully undead skeleton who rides on an equally undead horse. This horse spits fireballs much like the Bone Dragons encountered much later in the game, but is easily defeated. Left to fight on his own, Rowdain not only swings his weapon, but will also leap far into the air and come down with a stab. It is possible that his name is a play off of Gawain, one of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. Onto Page 4... Back to Page 2...