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CASTLEVANIA PORTRAIT OF RUIN: OLD AXE ARMOR MODE GUIDE
(By Blorgh1212)
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Version 1.16: 02/21/2007 (Information update on section 5a)
Version 1.15: 02/16/2007 (Information update on section 4a)
Version 1.14: 02/07/2007 (Information update on section 3 and 4a)
Version 1.12: 01/25/2007 (Information update on section 4a,
and version number error fix)
Version 1.10: 01/12/2007 (Information update on section 4a,
and spelling/grammar fix on the whole guide)
Version 1.08: 01/10/2007 (Information update on section 5b)
Version 1.07: 01/06/2007 (Information update on section 4a and 6b)
Version 1.05: 01/04/2007 (Information update on section 5c, 7, and 8)
Version 1.02: 01/03/2007 (Information update on section 3)
Version 1.00: 01/02/2007 (Finished writing and submitted to GameFaq)
Version 0.90: 12/28/2006 (Started writing guide)
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*CAUTION!! THIS GUIDE CONTAINS POSSIBLE SPOILERS! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!*
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Table of Contents
===================================
1. Introduction
2. Basic Terms
3. How to Unlock the Old Axe Armor
4. About Old Axe Armor
4a. Characteristics
4b. Sub-weapons
4c. Special Moves
4d. Basic gameplay
5. Boss Strategies
5a. Castle bosses
5b. Portrait bosses
5c. Nest of Evil bosses
6. Nest of Evil Tips
6a. Map and Enemy List
6b. Tips and Tricks
7. Disclaimer
8. Contact Info
===================================
1. Introduction
===================================
Old Axe Armor is an unlockable, playable character that is based on an
actual monster with same name and same look in the game. To put it in a
simplest form, his gameplay is challenging, yet very fun.
Playing as Old Axe Armor is very different from playing Jonathan and
Charlotte. First, he has no partner. He has very limited arsenal of
weapons. He doesn't have any mass-slaughter super-spell. He can't use any
items. Thus, you have to depend solely on your "skill" to survive the
onslaught. At times, he may even seem a bit weak.
Does this mean he's impossible to beat the game with? Absolutely not. In
fact, he's quite strong and capable of beating Nest of Evil and True
Dracula on his own. Once you realize his true strength, you may come to
like the little guy in the blue suit of armor, as I did.
This isn't the first time Old Axe Armor is playable. He was also
unlockable and playable in Castlevania Symphony of the Night. Back then,
he was known as Axe Lord Armor. I believe that Konami included Old Axe
Armor in Portrait of Ruin as a part of tribute to that game.
Through out the guide, I'll abbreviate Old Axe Armor as "OAA." And
whenever I mention a name of a monster or a boss, I'll post its
corresponding monster ID number so that you can look it up if you want
to. You can use in-game enemy list or either of two beastiary on GameFaq.
DualGreen's Beastiary:
(with a nice looking ASCII art of Charlotte)
http://db.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/file/castlevania_por_bestiary.txt
Darth Nemesis' Beastiary:
http://db.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/file/castlevania_por_bestiary_a.txt
=================================
2. Basic Terms
=================================
I'm only posting these for reference.
HP  = Health Points
MP  = Magic Points
LV  = Character Level
EXP = Experience gained.
ATK = Attack Power
DEF = Defense Power
STR = Strength
CON = Constitution
INT = Intelligence
MND = Mind
LCK = Luck
(Note: Following controls are shown on default setting)
(D-pad)
^      = Up
v      = down
<      = left
>       = right
X      = switch partner
Y      = attack
A      = summon/recall partner
B      = jump
L      = back-dash
R      = call partner for his/her sub-weapon/spell
Start  = in-game menu / pause
Select = toggle between map window and status window
==================================
3. How to Unlock the Old Axe Armor
==================================
As far as I know (AFAIK), you can only unlock OAA mode while you are
playing as Jonathan and Charlotte.
To play as OAA, there are three things you have to do, in order:
1. Slay at least one thousand OAA (#092).
2. Save your game.
3. Beat the final boss and get the good ending.
(Read on for more details)
When you accomplish above three things, you can access OAA mode by
starting a new game and choosing "Old Axe Armor" at the character
selection menu.
UPDATE: If you are unlocking OAA while playing on "New Game+", you do
NOT have to beat the final boss to successfully unlock OAA mode.
(See below update at the end of this section for more detail)
----------1. Slay at least one thousand OAA----------
It might be a good idea to slay those 1000 Old Axe Armors during your
first play through the game. But if you already beat the game, just load
the file again, slay 1000 OAA, save the game, and beat the final boss
again to unlock OAA.
AFAIK, best places to find OAA is following:
- 13th Street
- Forgotten City
- Nest of Evil
I'll leave it up to you to choose which place is best for you.
It may take some time to kill 1000 OAA, but it will not take too long.
There is also a shortcut that shortens the process a bit. It utilizes a
unique glitch that allows certain spells to keep going, even after you
leave the room. If you want to learn about the shortcut, read on.
To take the shortcut, first go to 13th Street. There, go to Save Room at
the middle of the map. From there, go up three rooms to the top. At the
very top room, there are two Red Axe Armor (#71) and three OAA's. This is
the place to "farm" those OAA's.
You can only do this from right entrance to the room. Next, you need to
use Charlotte for this to work. Equip her with Explosion spell, exit the
room, and do following steps:
1) Enter the room. When you do, you'll see a Red Axe Armor and two OAA on
your screen.
2) Immediately cast Explosion. Be sure to fully charge it for maximum
effect.
3) When the two OAA die, IMMEDIATELY exit the room and re-enter. The
Explosion spell will keep going and kill two additional OAA. That way,
you score FOUR OAA kills, instead of two, with a single cast of
Explosion.
4) Exit the room, rinse and repeat from step 1.
Some people may feel that above method is kinda cheesy since it abuses a
glitch. I have no objection to that, so you may use whatever method that
suits you.
You can buy Explosion spell from Vincent for 10,000 gold. I believe it
shows up on the shop menu after you beat the twin sisters.
Some people claimed that above glitch works with Chain Lightning spell
too. I did try it, but I was unsuccessful, so I can't say I recommend it.
CORRECTION: It's not Chain Lightning, but Thunderbolt. The glitch also
works with Thunderbolt. (See below update for more details)
CORRECTION: There is another glitch, which you can try in Nest of Evil,
in a room with 9 OAA. It respawns all 9 OAA without leaving
the room. (See below update for more details)
>
I recieved an email from a reader named Aegis5, regarding the glitch and
Chain Lightning.
Aegis5 (leblanct@gmail.com) wrote:
"Hey dude, just thought I could let you know that in your OldAxe Armor
FAQ. You stated that other people have used chain lightning to the same
effect, I found this didn't work, but Thunderbolt did. In the same manner
as Explosion, I think it's because they use the same enemy targetting.
Just thought you would like to know,
Aegis5"
Thanks, Aegis5.
Apparently, I was mistaken; it was Thunderbolt, not Chain Lightning.
I tested it out and it works fine too, so you can use either Explosion
or Thunderbolt for the glitch.
You can find Thunderbolt spell in Tower of Death.
>
I received an email from a reader named Captain Commando, about another
glitch you can use to farm OAA easily. It's a trick using suspend
option to respawn all monsters in a room without ever leaving there.
Captain Commando (email withheld at his request) wrote:
"I think there might be a little bit quicker way of dealing with those
OAA's, utilizing the respawn 'glitch' in the Nest of Evil. Respawning
occurs when you suspend the game and restart - all the enemies in the
room you are at respawn. I don't know if this is purposeful or a glitch,
but I'll take any shortcut when I have to kill 1000 of something. The
best place to use the suspend glitch is in the Nest of Evil where there
is a room full of 9 OAA's (Check Darth Nemesis's Nest of Evil guide for
the room location - it's room 6.3 on the floor with Grant, Sypha,
and Trevor
http://db.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/file/castlevania_por_nest.txt).
Kill them all, then suspend the game and restart - the OAA's reappear,
plus it saves your nine kills. You do have to kill all 9 in the room in
order to suspend the game though - otherwise it won't let you. You still
have to repeat it a bit less than 112 times (you would have killed a few
before you got to the Nest of Evil), but it works. Because you can
usually kill all 9 OAA's in 30 seconds or less, the whole process should
take less than an hour.
When using this method, I recommend jumping into the middle of the OAA's
and casting Holy Lightning - the spell is fast, doesn't use much MP, and
kills any OAA in range. Couple this with the Magus Ring or Sage Ring to
help you recharge your MP faster and Charlotte's Heal spell when your HP
starts to run low. You might consider equipping the Shaman Ring to
double your experience. I also recommend having a Magical Ticket handy to
warp directly to the shopkeeper and a save point"
Thanks, Captain Commando.
Well, there you have it. An another method to speed up the farming
process. All for your convenience. Suddenly, killing 1000 OAA doesn't
seem so hard now, does it not? =)
----------2. Save your game----------
After you kill 1000 OAA, you have to save the game. Otherwise the system
will not recognize the kill count and will not unlock OAA.
----------3. Beat the final boss and get the good ending----------
To get the good ending, you must beat the twin sisters using Sanctuary
spell. Otherwise, the game will just end and you'll get a bad ending.
Once you successfully beat the sisters with Sanctuary, remaining half of
the game will open up: you'll gain access to second set of 4 portraits,
which then will lead to Brauner, then Dracula for final showdown. You
also get a chance to unlock the true power of Vampire Killer, and access
to Nest of Evil through a quest.
Once you beat Dracula, game will end and you'll get the good ending.
You can find Sanctuary spell in Sandy Grave, in the rolling boulder room.
Use Toad Morph or Owl Morph to squeeze through the narrow crevice and
grab the spell.
I'll not post where to go and how to beat above portraits and bosses of
latter half of the game with Jonathan and Charlotte. There are
walkthroughs written for that. You can even find two on GameFaq:
Draferen's walkthrough:
http://db.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/file/castlevania_por_a.txt
GCNzach's walkthrough:
http://db.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/file/castlevania_por_b.txt
However, I'll post a mini guide on how to use Sanctuary on the twin
sisters in case anyone has trouble with it.
Before you enter the twins' room, make sure you are using Jonathan.
Equip Charlotte with Sanctuary. You may also wish to equip Jonathan with
any gears that give him highest possible CON, DEF, and MND. Now enter
the room and face the twins.
As soon as you enter, do not move (stay in the corner) and press R to
summon Charlotte and have her cast Sanctuary. Remember that Sanctuary
has very a long casting time. So you have to keep the twins away from
Charlotte for her to finish casting.
Now move Jonathan toward the sisters, and use him as decoy to keep them
occupied. You may wish to use Taunt to draw their attention. I also
recommend using Stonewall to absorb damage from their attacks.
Do not move too far away from Charlotte. If she goes out of your screen,
she will cease casting the spell and you'll have to start over.
When the spell goes off, make sure that both sisters are on your screen.
If successfully done, the battle will end immediately and there will be
a conversation between the twins, and Jonathan and Charlotte.
>
I received an email from a reader named Obsidian Blast regarding the
third and last step of unlocking OAA mode (i.e. beating final boss and
getting the good ending). Apparently, if you are unlocking OAA mode
while playing on "New Game+", you can skip the third step.
Obsidian Blast (obsidianblast@hotmail.com) wrote:
"You mentioned that after saving the game when you killed around
1000 OAAs, the player would have to beat the game. Not true if the player
is playing a "New Game+". I beaten the game twice, once on normal and
the other on Hard Level 50. On the third try, I killed 1000 OAAs, saved
then reset the game and was able to choose OAA for a new game. Meaning
that if a player is playing through the "New Game+" option, then all they
have to do is reset their game when they have completed steps 1 and 2."
Thanks Obsidian Blast! I appreciate it!
Well, there you have it. So if you already beat the game and trying to
unlock OAA mode in New Game+, you don't have to fight the last boss.
Simply kill 1000 OAA's and save the game. You will be able to acess
the OAA mode right away!
==================================
4. About Old Axe Armor
==================================
----------------------------------
4a. Characteristics
----------------------------------
Playing as OAA is bit different from playing as Jonathan and Charlotte.
I'll try to list all the differences and any notable characteristics.
If I left something out, just email me and I'll add it in.
- There is no plot. So there is no dialogue through out the whole game.
- OAA has no partner. Thus, pressing R, X, or A button will do nothing.
Pressing down plus A (v + A) or up plus X (^ + X) will do nothing
either. And obviously he doesn't have any dual-crash either.
- Pressing Start will not bring up the in-game menu. Instead, it'll just
pause the game.
- Pressing Select will not cycle between map window and status window.
Instead, it will cycle between OAA's two sub-weapons. You are stuck
with the map window for top screen of your DS in OAA mode.
- OAA cannot pick up or use any items. As matter of fact, only items that
you'll find and pick up through out the game are hearts, HP-Max Up
potions and MP-Max Up potions. All other items, including money, are
NOT present and monsters will NOT drop anything either.
- Only way to heal OAA is to use the Save Room or picking up HP-Max Up
potions.
- There is no Wind/Eric or Vincent in OAA mode, thus no quests and no
shopping.
- OAA starts his game with all of his sub-weapons and special abilities.
Therefore, the entire castle is accessible from the start.
- OAA can do double jump and super jump.
- OAA can not slide. Pressing down plus B (v + B) will only make him jump.
- OAA can not do dive kick.
- OAA can not do diagonal attack, since (obviously) he does not use whip.
- OAA can not master his sub-weapons.
- OAA can fit through narrow passages by simply walking through them.
Next three characteristics deserve a special attention.
- OAA can deal damage to monsters by simply jumping when he's beneath
them. Whenever he jumps, he sticks his axe out above and behind his
head. And whenever an enemy touches the axe, it'll take a damage. This
is a perfect way to break candles hanging above your head, and to
dispose those pesky, small, flying enemies that constantly fly around
you. You can even stand beneath a platform and repeatedly jump to
safely kill any monsters standing on top.
This property is also true for double jump and super jump, since he
shares same sprite for all three jumps.
However, it has ridiculously short range, since the axe is so small.
If the target doesn't die in one hit, you may bump into it and trade
hits.
- Whenever OAA back-dashes, he swings his axe above his head, from back
to front. This too has same property that as long as something touches
the axe, it takes damage.
This can be used to hit flying monster just above your head, or
negating destroyable enemy projectiles raining from above (ex: Gold
Skeleton's (#127) bone throw).
- When you press and hold up (^), OAA sticks his axe out just above and
in front of his head. This is probably one of OAA's best attacks and a
preferred boss killer against most bosses.
Unlike jumping or back-dashing, which OAA is in a motion and the axe
can hit only once or twice at best, holding up keeps the axe held in a
fixed position. And as long as an enemy is touching the axe, it takes
a constant damage at an incredible speed.
Large enemies or flying monster hovering just above your head
(typically bosses) can be quickly dispatched in a record time with this
move. The rate at which this move deals damage is probably equal to
1000 Blades dual-crash or spamming Illusion Fist.
Biggest drawback with this move is its ridiculously short range. It
requires OAA to be dangerously close to his target to score hits. Often
you'll stand too far and completely miss, or stand close and bump into
it. It also requires OAA to be standing still while executing this
move, which leave him open to all sorts of nasty surprises. The target
also needs to stand still for this to work; otherwise it can move away
or bump into OAA and cause damage.
Some monsters are not tall enough to be hit by this move.
Still, given the limited arsenal OAA has, this is his one of best
melee combat skill.
This last one is just an interesting tidbit about OAA.
- Zacchino (#006) proposes to OAA, despite OAA's manly Jonathan voice.
Astarte (#142) can not charm OAA with her Temptation spell. This means
that OAA is actually a FEMALE character. Imagine, under that suit of
armor, a beautiful woman~. (Hahaha) But then again, what about *her*
voice? Of course, honestly, this was done to make sure that OAA can
fight Astarte. Otherwise, it would be impossible since OAA has no
partner.
>
I received an email from a reader named Squall-kun (email withheld)
saying that OAA is indeed a female; there is even an official art by
Konami showing OAA as "she." You can find the picture by following this
link:
http://www.konami.jp/gs/game/dracula_ds2/galleryof/popup/41.html
Thanks Squall-kun, for pointing that out.
Still, that may be true, but it still doesn't answer anything about
*her* voice. Beside, you can't see who's inside that suit of armor
in-game. So, in my opinion, it doesn't really matter. :)
>
I received another email regarding OAA's gender; this time it's from
a reader named Crassadon. He says there is another proof that OAA is
female, and it's in-game! The proof can be viewed in the Records mode,
when you reach one of top ranks with OAA in boss rush.
Crassadon (email withheld at his request) wrote:
"I noticed you musing about Old Axe Armor's gender, and saw you state
that one can't see what's under that suit of armor in game. Not so!
Well, sort of, anyway. Since you're so experienced with Old Axe Armor,
I'm sure you're already aware of this, and simply didn't bother to make
note of it since it's such a minor thing, but I thought I'd point it
out anyway:
Although Old Axe Armor doesn't have a partner, it still has two
portraits like every other character in the game. You can't see this
second portait during normal play, but if you take Old Axe Armor into
the Boss Rush Mode, and do well enough to get a high score--somewhat
difficult to do with Old Axe Armor--then, when you view the records,
you'll get to see both of Old Axe Armor's portraits. The first shows
the standard blue armor image that you see during normal play, and the
second shows what is clearly a female character wearing some sort of a
blue headband. Presumably, this second portait is what Old Axe Armor
looks like under that armor. Not the best example of an "in-game"
image, but it's more so than an image from Konami's website, and it's
more evidence that Old Axe Armor is a female."
Thanks Crassadon, for that interesting info about OAA.
And yes, I have seen that second portrait of the girl in the boss rush
mode. However, that's the portrait of Maria, from Richter mode
(misspelled as Richiter in-game).
There was a minor discussion some time ago at a forum about that, and
honestly nobody knows why OAA has Maria's portrait for the partner
slot. A bug? A glitch? An error that beta testers overlooked?
Who knows...
Plus, it still didn't answer the question about *her* in-game voice. :P
>
I received third email regarding OAA's gender. This time a reader named
Alex_Kid88 gave me an interesting explanation about OAA's "manly" voice.
Alex_Kid88 (email withheld at his request) wrote:
"On the Old Axe Armour's voice and gender question, it is a common
element in high fantasy and mythology(and some maintain real life) that
women fought in ancient wars by disguising themselves as men using
concealing armour and lowering their voices. The Old Axe Armour's
description in the beastiary is that she is "a veteran zombie warrior
wearing antique armor", if she is as old as her armour then she would
probably have disguised herself as a man when fighting explaining her
deep voice."
Thanks Alex_Kid88, for that information.
This explanation is more plausible. But something still seems bit
bizarre: even if she did lower her voice, I think it's *too deep* for
that to be true. Anyone listening to it can tell it is Jonathan's
voice, not a girly-man voice. Of course, I am not an expert on this,
so I can't say that I'm sure.
Please don't get me wrong; I am NOT a sexist. I also believe that it
might have been more fun if OAA was really a female. But it has been
already established that Konami gave OAA female-like characteristic
in order to make sure that OAA can fight Astarte (#142). If Konami
really DID intended OAA to be a female, I believe they would have given
her female voice in the first place.
>
A reader named momo mo sent me an email asking a question regarding
a contradiction between OAA's looks and in-game description for monster
OAA's.
momo mo (skullman387@hotmail.com) wrote:
"Hello. You know that picture of the female Old Axe Armor. But if she's
a zombie, how can she be beautiful?"
Good question, momo mo. As a matter of fact, the in-game description of
monster OAA says "A veteran zombie warrior wearing antique armor."
(You can look it up on in-game enemy list, or on Beastiary with link
posted on section 1.)
Here is reply that I sent to momo mo:
"In my opinion, it's all in the context. Most people think zombies are
reanimated rotten corpses, probably due to popular media representing
them as such. But who's to say that is absolute truth? Remember, this
is just a game and it's all make-belief. I'd like to say we could allow
few exceptions, don't you agree? :)
Plus, the zombie description for Old Axe Armor applies to the monster
Old Axe Armors. There is no proof that it's also true for our playable
Old Axe Armor.
I know it doesn't make much sense, but I can at least say our
imagination is limitless. Remember, it's all in our head. :)"
In other words, our playable OAA may or may not be a zombie.
So, anything is possible! :)
To be honest, however, there is no information regarding OAA anywhere,
not even from Konmai. So... we can only imagine. xD
>
Haha, it seems like a lot of readers are more interested in OAA's
gender more than anything. Most emails that I received so far deal
with this subject, more than anything. xDD
I received yet another email, this time from a reader named
DanielSucks, with yet another clue that indicates OAA might be
a female. And it's in-game too. According to him, there is a glitch
that allows you to play as the person inside the suit!
DanielSucks (email withheld) wrote:
"You were talking about in your guide about how the OAA could be
a girl...
Here is another reason how OAA might be a girl. For the ending credits
for OAA there is a picture of Maria. There is a glitch where you can
play as Maria instead of OAA.
I read this on gamespot.com-
There is a glitch in the game that lets you play as Maria only.
However, note that she can not beat the game by herself since she does
not have a super jump skill. To unlock a Maria-only mode, follow these
steps. You must have both Richter and Old Axe Armor modes unlocked for
the glitch to work:
1. Resume your completed Jonathan/Charlotte mode game.
2. Switch the main character to Charlotte.
3. Save the game. Restart.
4. Choose New Game + with your Jonathan/Charlotte mode game.
5. At the name entry screen, press B.
6. Start a new game and choose Old Axe Armor as the character.
7. Instead of Old Axe Armor, your character will be Maria!
This could mean that OAA could actually be maria in the blue armor,
even though the OAA sounds like a man. Who knows, maybe its the armor
that makes her sound like that... But this is definetely another hint
towards that subject."
Thanks, DanielSucks, for that information on how to do the glitch, and
your interesting interpretation. :)
But, sorry to say, it's just a glitch. What is a glitch? A miserable
little pile of overlooked bugs and errors! ;) Or, in other words,
it's not a stantard feature in a game. Therefore, I believe that this
clue is not a valid hint toward the subject at hand.
Plus, even if it were true, what is Maria doing in the suit of armor?
I mean, she is so much stronger WITHOUT it. So it doesn't make much
sense. And it contradicts with the picture posted on Konami's website.
Surely the girl in the picture is NOT Maria. Also, as I said before, if
Konami really did intended OAA to be female then they would have
actually given her female voice from the very beginning.
----------------------------------
4b. Sub-weapons
----------------------------------
OAA has only TWO sub-weapons: Axe and Puppet. Unlike Jonathan, OAA starts
the game pre-equiped with them. You can toggle between the two by
pressing Select.
----------1. Axe----------
No, it's not the horizontally thrown axe that the monster OAA uses. It is
exactly same as the very Axe that Belmonts used for many centuries. When
used, OAA will throw an Axe forward in an arc: it will fly upward than
fall down. The axe can hit enemies while both going up and falling down.
If the enemy is large enough and the axe is thrown at right angle,
it will hit multiple times. The axe will normally go through enemies and
hit multiple targets on its trajectory, but it will not go through
certain monsters with tough skin (ex: Iron Golem, #121). Its primary use
is for attacking enemies positioned above you, or tackling large, flying
bosses. And that's how it's used for most characters.
However, for OAA, this is ONLY projectile attack he has. No other attack
allows him to attack from a safe distance. Therefore, I highly recommend
you to learn the approximate distance at which the Axe hits the ground.
Make it your second nature to instantly recognize that distance, and
throw axes at any enemies you DON'T want to get close to (ex: Cave Troll,
#128). Learn it, use it, and love it.
There is a short delay each time you throw axes. During the delay, OAA
can't move or attack; and it could leave him vulnerable to enemy attacks.
Avoid this situation by throwing axes while jumping; it will at least
allow you to manuver and add tiny bit of range to the axe. Also,
back-dash cancel (pressing L as soon as you throw axe) is another good
way to reduce the delay.
----------2. Puppet----------
This sub-weapon was actually one of Bullet Souls that Soma Cruz used in
Dawn of Sorrow, to squeeze through narrow openings. It makes a come-back
in PoR as a sub-weapon for OAA. When used, OAA tosses a blue puppet about
a quarter of the screen length in front of him. When the puppet hits the
floor, OAA and the puppet instantly switch places; it's sort of a
teleport-like move.
Even though OAA can squeeze through narrow openings without any help,
this sub-weapon isn't entirely useless. It can be used to dodge nasty
attacks or escape from corner traps during boss fights. However, it does
require a certain level of precision and skill to use it effectively.
Otherwise, you might end up tossing it into wrong spot (i.e. boss' body)
and end up taking damage instead.
You can increase the distance by using it while jumping.
The puppet can not go through a wall; if the puppet hits a wall, it'll
just drop to the floor.
Also, if the puppet goes out of screen, it will do nothing. So make sure
that the puppet lands within the screen for it to take effect.
----------------------------------
4c. Special Moves
----------------------------------
During the Wind's quests while playing as Jonathan and Charlotte, you
will notice that Wind teachs Jonathan some funky martial art and combo
moves, with half-circle command and the like. OAA also has couple of
special attacks with similar commands. Unlike Jonathan, who has to learn
his moves through out the game, OAA already starts the game with ability
to use his from the beginning.
These moves will consume MP when used, and will not execute when OAA
does not have enough MP.
I do not know the real names of these moves, since there is no
description of them anywhere. I gave them generic names, for the sake of
this guide.
(Note: Following commands are done while the character is facing right.
If the character is facing left, switch right with left, and vice
versa. also, switch clockwise to counter-clockwise, and vice
versa.)
----------1. Charging Attack----------
Command: > > + Y (right, right + Y)
(if facing left, < < + Y (left, left + Y))
Correct way of executing this move is to tap a direction twice, and press
Y button at the same time during second tap.
This move is actually a weapon special for Jonathan, but for OAA, it is
a charging attack.
If done correctly, OAA will charge forward while flailing his Axe above
his head. A blue shadow will trail just behind him, showing that the
command input was successful. It is similar with the one used by the
monster OAA, except it travels longer distance but is less reliable as
only the axe deals damage, not the whole body.
Also, OAA is NOT invincible during the move and can take damage, which
may halt the charging immediately.
Still, it can deal some heavy damage. Best used when dealing with enemies
floating at a height just above the head level.
Otherwise, it's not very useful.
----------2. Pouncing Strike----------
Command: ^  < v >  + Y (up, left, down, right + Y)
(if facing left, ^ > v  < + Y (up, right, down, left + Y))
Correct way to execute this move is to go counter-clockwise, 270-degrees,
from up to right in a quick, smooth motion. When facing left, go
clockwise, from up to left, 270 degrees. Press Y button at the same time
you press the last direction on D-pad.
When done correctly, OAA will pounce forward for a short distance while
swinging his axe. If the hit connects, it will deal a lot of damage and
OAA will bounce back. While using this special move, a blue shadow will
trail just behind OAA, indicating that the command input was successful.
This, IMHO, is one of OAA's best attacks, because it's so safe. It deals
good damage, and while OAA isn't invincible during the move, the bouncing
back effect will keep OAA from bumping into the monster.
This move can be used while jumping.
Because of Bouncing effect, it will not go through the monster whether it
dies or not.
I recommend using it for boss fights and quickly killing any monster that
are too close for axe sub-weapon to hit.
A word of caution: you DO need to execute it quite close to the target,
else you'll miss and fall short, or worse, bump into it and take damage.
Nonetheless, an excellent special that is powerful, fast, and reliable.
----------3. Triple Combo Special----------
Command: >  v  < ^ >  + Y (right, down, left, up, right + Y)
(if facing left,  < v >  ^  < + Y (left, down, right, up, left + Y))
Correct way to execute this move is to go clockwise, 360 degrees,
starting from right direction, in a quick, smooth motion. When facing
left, go counter-clockwise, starting from left. Press Y button at the
same time you press the last direction on D-pad.
If executed correctly, OAA will do a string of three attacks:
First he will take a step forward while swinging his axe.
Then he'll swing his axe back and forth above his head.
Finally, he'll end the combo by taking another step forward, with another
axe swing.
A blue shadow will trail behind him, indicating that the move was done
successfully.
The second attack can hit twice, if the target is large enough.
The third attack will travel bit further than the first.
The move deals good damage, but only axe will deal damage, not his whole
body. Luckily, OAA is invincible during the entire process, except at the
very end when you can get hit or bump into the monster.
This move consumes a lot more MP compared to other two.
This move can also be done while jumping.
----------------------------------
4d. Basic Gameplay
----------------------------------
For OAA, the game progresses at a slight different pace than Jonathan and
Charlotte.
OAA has access to entire castle from the beginning, because he is able to
use double jump and super jump from the start. He can also fit through
narrow passages by simply walking through them. Therefore, you can
technically fight most of the bosses in any order you wish.
However, despite that fact, you still need to complete the first set of
four portraits. Each portrait will unlock the door for corresponding
portrait in the second set of four portraits. (By corresponding portrait,
I mean that completing Sandy Grave will unlock Forgotten City, completing
Nation of Fools will unlock Burnt Paradise, and etc)
Completing all four portraits in the second set will grant you access to
Brauner. And beating Brauner lets you fight Dracula.
AFAIK, Nest of Evil is unlocked by completing all eight portraits.
I believe this pace of progression is same for Richter & Maria, and the
sisters.
Gameplay wise, it's very simple: walk around slashing things, or toss
axes at them. For large monsters, try holding up-direction
trick if you can reach them safely. The pouncing strike (see above) is
very handy too, so use that as well. But be careful as generally OAA has
short range and many enemies will out-range him.
Only way to heal OAA is to use Save Room or picking up HP-Max Up potion.
At times, going from one save room to next can become a real nightmare
when you are inexperienced or too low leveled for the area. Stay mobile,
and fight from distance by chucking axes. And if all else fails, run.
And be especially careful during boss fights. You can't drink potions
and that single HP bar is all you have between you and the game over
screen.
==================================
5. Boss Strategies
==================================
I'm going to post only the name, monster ID #, Resistance, Weakness, HP,
and EXP of each boss. Any other info about the boss is quite irrelevant,
so I'll not post them. You can still look it up on beastiary if you want
to. Links to beastiary is posted on section 1.
The bosses will be listed in the order of monster ID #, under their
respective section.
----------------------------------
5a. Castle bosses
----------------------------------
-------------------------
BEHEMOTH (#140)
-------------------------
Resistance: Dark
Weakness:   Sword, Fire, Holy
HP:         800
EXP:        1000
An easy boss, though it can keep you on your toes with its many tricks.
Again, holding up on D-pad is fastest way to kill it. Just be careful
when it moves or does something. His charging attack or tongue tentacles
can be dodged by standing on one of the platforms. You can even stay
there for the entire fight and throw axes all day. But watch out when it
jumps or spits rocks at you. Be prepared to get off the platform and move
out of the way at the moment's notice.
-------------------------
KEREMET (#141)
-------------------------
Resistance: --
Weakness:   Fire, Ice, Lightning
HP:         666
EXP:        2000
Very easy. You can stay on ground and chuck axes whenever it shows its
ugly face, or push the pot to a platform at the side and hold up while
standing on it. If he doesn't pop up, start hitting the pot. Hit the
little slimes to make them go away. Or stay on the platform and you can
completely ignore them. Keremet's red ball-o-fire can't even hit you
unless you jump or do something similarily stupid. Only thing you need
to watch for is the raining skull attack. Still, you can kill it faster
than it can ever do the same to you.
>
A reader named JHF1889 sent me an email with an alternative strategy,
which he says it's easiest way to defeat Keremet. I haven't tried it, but
it sounds very reasonable, so I am posting it here for others to see. :)
JHF1889 (email withheld) wrote:
"Just a little addition to your description of how to defeat kermit.
I found the easiest way to do this is to jump onto to the kettle he is in
so that you are just barely on it, if you tap back you should fall off.
From here, hold up to use Old Axe Armour's quick damage trick and
he should die in seconds, hope i helped and great job on the FAQ!"
Thanks, JHF1889, for that strategy. And thanks for the compliment too.
You really did help. :)
Well, now you don't even have to use axe sub-weapon or push the pot!
Keremet is truly an easy boss... I'm beginning to think Konami made it
to be a joke boss or something. Haha. XP
--------------------------
DEATH (#145)
--------------------------
Resistance: Dark
Weakness:   --
HP:         4444
EXP:        0
Dracula's right hand man and his best friend.
(Following is a dialogue from "Castlevania Dirge of Inebriation" flash,
made by OZero)
DRACULA: (to Death) "Y... you know you are like my ONLY friend man? You
are, man. You... you GET me. No-nobody GETS me."
(See the flash on Newgrounds:
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/258184)
(Credit goes to Ozero for making such a wonderful Castlevania parody.)
(Ozero's website: www.ozero.ca)
Ahem... back to the guide. Death has two colors in this fight, dark or
white, which he'll switch between the two during the battle. They will
determine what type of damage he is weak to at a given moment. When his
color is dark, he'll take MORE damage from spells and LESS from physical
attacks. When his color is white, vice versa. Your axe sub-weapon will be
completely useless when Death's color is dark, so throw axes only when
his color is white.
Death's first attack is slashing at you (either straight down when you
are under him or to the side when you are next to him); dodge it by
moving quickly out of the way.
His second attack is to throw his scythe: it will spin and bounce around
the room but only within the confines of the chain barrier. You can dodge
it by watching where it's going and moving out of the way, or standing
outside the chain barrier. Also, this is the best time to attack Death:
he'll float in place while slowly moving side to side. Walk up to him
and hold up to deal massive damage on him.
His third attack involves opening four little portals that take turns
shooting chains with a hand at the end. If one hand grabs you, remaining
three will shoot out, and the four hands will hold you at the center of
the screen. Then Death will fly in and slash you for a huge damage.
Since you don't have a partner to free you from this "grasp-of-doom,"
avoid it all cost, by staying away from the portals.
During the entire battle, small sickles will randomly pop up and home in
on you. They are mainly there for annoyance, but they can provide Death
with free hits on you if you are not careful. You can hit them to make
them disappear, fortunately.
Luckily, Death will not pose too much threat, as the battle can be
finished rather quickly with the holding up on D-pad trick. Death may not
even live long enough to do his "grasp-of-doom" attack, if you defeat him
fast enough.
--------------------------
STELLA (#146)
--------------------------
Resistance: Water
Weakness:   Whip, Sword, Fire, Lightning
HP:         2500
EXP:        0
Same ol' drill: throw axes and/or use hold up trick when she is hovering
close to ground.
Double jump or super jump over her ground wave attack ("Secret Furious
Wave!!"). When she shoots a green fireball, crouch; then jump to dodge
the second one. When she does her Crescent moon attack, keep as many
moons out of your screen. And if you do, some of them will not fire and
make your life whole lot easier. Sometimes she'll try to slash at you
when you are close to her, but that shouldn't be too difficult to dodge.
In the end, even she can't withstand the might of holding up on D-pad
trick and will fall easily.
---------------------------
LORETTA (#147)
---------------------------
Resistance: Water
Weakness:   Whip, Sword, Fire
HP:         2500
EXP:        0
You don't need to use Sanctuary to defeat the twin sisters. After all,
you don't even have that spell when playing as OAA anyway. Just beat them
the good old fashioned way: by using the brute force.
The twins battle can also be ended quickly, but you do need to watch
out for few of their attacks.
When Loretta twirls and summons a giant magic circle that follows you and
drops icicles, you can walk through a gap between the icicles or
destroy them by attacking it. Better yet, start attacking Loretta and
she will stop the spell when she takes enough damage.
When Loretta summons the magic circle in front of her, she's going to do
one of two things: either summon 4 big wolf heads that shoots forward,
or shoot out a massive blizzard spell. Both can deal a lot of damage, so
just walk behind her when she starts casting them.
When Loretta summons a big chunk of ice that pushes you around and Stella
shatters it into many shards that scatters, try not to get hit by too
many shards. From my personal experience, it seems that more shards will
hit you when you jump. But I'm not sure so I need a verification or a
correction on this.
when Loretta enchants Stella's sword with an ice magic, run away. You
really need to watch out for this attack since it can deal a lot of
damage. When you see Loretta casting enchantment (look for small flakes
of ice spinning around her and ice blade forming above Stella's head),
walk away or go behind them.
Focus on Loretta since she takes more damage from your attacks.
Holding up trick works like wonder again, but axe sub-weapon is great
too since it can hit both sisters for multiple hits if thrown at right
angle.
---------------------------
BRAUNER (#148)
---------------------------
Resistance: Dark
Weakness:   Holy
HP:         6000
EXP:        0
If real artists could do what Brauner can, the world would be a scary
place to live.
Artist: "I'll make you my masterpiece!!"
Victim: "Noooooooooooooooooooo~!!!"
Brauner battle may be your first tough battle while playing as OAA.
Although he can fall victim to hold up trick, he has sufficient HP to
survive long enough and make your life miserable.
He has a distinctive pattern to his attacks, which he does in given
order.
For his first attack he'll say "Blood Art Technique!" and draw a pattern
with his hand. Then the exact same pattern will appear around you in
blood trails. There are three variations to this attack:
First pattern is two horizontal parallel lines (one forms on ceiling &
another on floor). Dodge these by jumping between them away to safe
ground.
Second is in the shape of letter 'X'; dodge it by staying in a gap or
moving away.
Last variation is in shape of letter 'V', rotated sideways. Evade it by
jumping away.
For all three variations, touching the trails will result in a damage.
Attack the parts of the trails to make them disappear, or you might get
trapped.
Brauner will yell "Painting of the Soul!" for his second attack. He'll
summon a portrait that spews blood drops like a fountain. Just stay away
and you'll be fine.
Then Brauner will yell "I'll make you my masterpiece!" and summon one
of three types of portraits:
First one summons bunch of flying cyclope heads that turns you into stone
when you touch them. Just attack them and they'll go away.
Second painting will split into two, then into two giant grey monsters
that charge at you from ground and ceiling. Jump to dodge the first one,
then stay on ground to dodge the second. If you get hit, you'll get
cursed.
Third portrait will summon two green giant wheel monster with 5 spikes.
One will roll to left, and other to the right. Walk between the spikes
toward the direction of their rotation to avoid getting hit. If they hit
you, you'll get poisoned.
Then Brauner will either go back to first attack and repeat the process,
or say "This is art!!" and summon a big portrait and disappear inside.
The big portrait will then fly around the room back and forth. Be
prepared to jump when you hear his laughter, because then the portrait will
swoop down across the ground to hit you. You can attack the portrait as
it flies around, so toss axes at it. After a while, the portrait will
land and Brauner will reappear. Then he will resume his attacks.
Again, axe sub-weapon and/or hold up trick will be your best means of
fighting this boss.
-------------------------
WHIP'S MEMORY (#153)
-------------------------
Resistance: Holy
Weakness:   Dark
HP:         5000
EXP:        0
Sadly, you can't fight Whip's Momery while playing as OAA. This boss is
reserved ONLY for Jonathan, as a plot device for unlocking true power of
Vampire Killer. But it would've been very cool if we could. =)
Unlock the true power of the axe! xD
-------------------------
DRACULA (#154)
-------------------------
Resistance: Dark
Weakness:   Holy
HP:         6666
EXP:        0
Jonathan said "Well, there is two of us. So I guess that makes it even.
No problem, bring it on!" when Dracula decided to team up with Death.
Too bad OAA doesn't have a partner to even things out. But no problem!
You can still tackle the duo all by yourself, as long as you stay very
vigilant.
Don't even bother with any melee attacks. Forget about hold up trick
too. You wouldn't want to stand beneath Death anyway. And Death flies too
high and Dracula is too tall for the axe to reach his head. So stick with
the axe sub-weapon and stay mobile.
Death doesn't change his color this time, but he will be susceptible to
all kinds of damage. As matter of fact, he'll take more damage than
Dracula, so focus on him. Thankfully, the duo shares same HP, which will
make your life bit easier.
Most of time, Death will hover around and follow you. If he goes directly
above you, he will dive while swinging his scythe. Move out of the way
to dodge it. While Death does that, Dracula will do his usual
teleport-and-fireball attack. His fireballs are beefed up too: for his
tri-fireball, he'll shoot 3, then 5, then 3 again. Jump between each
wave to dodge. You can hit them to make them disappear, but you may miss
one or two and get hit. For his boulder missiles, he'll shoot 4 instead
of his usual 2. Jump the first boulder, crouch the second, jump again
for third, and crouch again for the last one.
The duo can easily trap you with no means of escape using their attacks.
You need to jump in order to dodge Dracula's fireballs, but if Death is
hovering above you, you have no choice but to get hit. Avoid this
situation at all times by luring Death to dive at you just as Dracula
begins shooting his fireballs. That way, the space above you is cleared
for jumping.
Sometimes Death will create duplicate shadows of himself and they will