Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (PS2)

Some general notes before I begin...

* I refer to the directions north, south, east, and west quite often during
    this walkthrough. Keep in mind that the directions are based on what the
    screen looks like and not what the map suggests. Remember this, or my
    directions will be of little use to you.

* Saving is a fundamental part of playing this game. I recommend doing so
    whenever you find a save room (they always have blue doors).

* My walkthrough does not follow the most direct path to the end of each
    area. Instead, I go through each room, obtain every item, and get full map
    percentages. If you're looking for the most direct route to the boss, I
    suggest looking elsewhere.

* This FAQ is by no means spoiler-free. I will explain what happens in the
    game's various scenes, so take caution if you don't wanna spoil the plot
    for yourself.

* Seinfeld is the funniest show on TV, Coheed and Cambria is the best band in
    the world, and the Castlevania series works better in 2D. There is no
    debating this.

          ___________________________________________________________

As the game begins, our hero Leon Belmont is racing through a mysterious
forest, en route to the castle where his beloved is held captive. Suddenly,
he encounters a strange man, who tells him that the monsters have sealed him
in the area and he won't be able to leave. Although the man, who reveals
himself as Rinaldo Gandolfi, shows great admiration to Leon, he prefers to be
treated as an equal.

Rinaldo leads you back to his cabin, where he tells you that Walter Bernhard,
the master of this castle, plays a game with anyone and everyone who comes to
his castle. Sounds like a pretty sadistic guy, ya? Rinaldo is eager to help you
out, and hands over a whip made with alchemy. After a bit of idle chit-chat,
Rinaldo will enchant your gauntlet, which will allow you to gather magical
energy from blocking enemy attacks. Pretty useful, it seems.

He'll also explain that the central portion of the castle is initially blocked
off. There are five doors, all of which lead to areas guarded by five different
monsters. In order to confront Walter, you'll need to defeat all of those
creatures.

At this point, Leon will thank Rinaldo for his help and take his leave. Now
that you're in control, I recommend taking a bit of time to get acclimated with
the controls and using your whip. When you've prepared yourself sufficiently,
find the hill on the eastern part of the screen and head towards the castle.
When you reach the drawbridge, the game will take over again as Leon vows to
save his betrothed, Sara. He'll head inside.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
a - Prelude to the Dark Abyss
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

In the main hall, there are several candles strewn across the place that you
should bust open to reveal some hearts. There are two open doors that you can
take, one west of the entrance and one to the east. There's nothing worthwhile
to the west for now, so instead head into the door on the eastern side of the
screen.

-- THE TUTORIAL ---------------------------------

Although this section of the game is a ridiculously simplistic tutorial, I'm
gonna walk you through it anyway. Once you enter the door, you'll be inside a
corridor with a door straight ahead and another door on the right wall. Since
the latter will be closed off, run directly down the hall and into the door.

The game will explain the jump and double jump abilities to you. Pretty
standard stuff, really. Grab the marker stone in the center of the room, then
head to the northern part of the screen and hop onto the block. From there, use
a double jump to reach the ledge above. Pick up the potion up here, then enter
the door.

Now the game will tell you about the Indiana Jones-esque whip swinging aspect
of things. If you jump and whip either a pole protruding from the wall or a
fence on a balcony, you can booster yourself up. First boost up to the balcony
on to the west, as you'll find Marker Stone 2 up here. Grab the Serum floating
around the middle of this chamber, then whip-boost to the northern balcony. Go
through the door.

Finally we get to try out our whip for real! This room is filled with three
Skeletons, all of whom you must defeat in order to open the door ahead. These
guys are total pushovers, and I can't see anyone having trouble taking them
down. Once the final guy croaks, you'll receive an ability known as "Quick
Step". You're definitely gonna need it during the course of the game, since
it's the best evasive maneuver out there. Anyway, head through the now unlocked
door.

In the subsequent room, there will be two long poles suspended over a deep
chasm. The idea is for you to whip-boost across the abyss below using the
poles, but first you're gonna want to drop inside and grab the Uncurse Potion
that's just laying around. From there, return to the top and boost across to
the next door, which has a Magical Ticket sitting in front of it. You know what
to do.

Inside this next room, you'll be forced to try out that magical gauntlet of
yours and block the foe's special attack. Before you attempt that, though, pick
up your first relic (the Svarog Statue) on the grate in the center of the room.
With that equipped, head towards the Golden Knight and wait for him to wind up
and make ready to nail you. When that happens, hold down R1 and you'll deflect
his attack, gaining a nice MP boost, as well! Since your basic whip lashes have
no effect whatsoever on this guy, hold R1 and press Circle to activate your
relic. This particular relic causes flames to sprout from your footsteps, so
run circles around the foe and he'll be dead before you know it.

Head through the northernmost door and you'll emerge back in that first
hallway. Hmm... So we just went around in a circle. Anyway, return to the main
foyer and enter the door opposite the one you just came through. The door on
the eastern side of this corridor leads into your very first save room, so I
suggest heading inside to take a short break.

After saving your data and replenishing your health, head back into the hall
And run north through the door. You'll enter a kind of "warp room", where there
are five different circles engraved on the floor. Stepping onto each one will
take you to a diverse section of the castle. For now, stand on the one in the
middle, snatching Map 1 as you do so, and you'll teleport to the House of
Sacred Remains.

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b - House of Sacred Remains
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And into the first part of the castle we go!

-- LIGHTING UP THE FIRST CIRCLE -----------------

The room you begin in is completely devoid of anything worthwhile, so just
descend the stairs, take out the Skeletons, and head through the door. You'll
find some more Skeletons lurking in the subsequent hallway, so take them out to
unlock the western door, which you should head through. As soon as you're
inside, the door will slam closed behind you. It seems you're gonna have to
defeat the various Skeleton enemies that appear before proceeding. Go after the
archer first, as he poses a threat even from a distance. Once he's out of the
way, beating down the other shouldn't be cause any trouble. When the doors
unlock, exit through the northeastern doorway.

Inside is a hexagonal switch that you should hop onto. Remain stationary for a
second or two and it'll sink into the floor. You'll see a faraway door with
three circles engraved into it. A red light will appear in the first circle.
Okay, so I'm guessing that we need to find two more switches in order to open
up that door. No problem, right?

-- NABBING AN MP MAX UP -------------------------

Return to the first hallway in this part of the castle and head north through
the brown door. Again, the door will lock behind you and some enemies, zombies
this time, will emerge. Beat them down and head through the door opposite the
one you came through. You'll enter a hallway with three doors: one to the
north, one to the south, and one on the eastern wall. Go to the north if you
want some useful items or head south if you just wanna progress. The eastern
doorway leads into a save room. I'll be heading north.

Two new enemy types will be introduced in this room: the Skeleton Swordman, who
are just normal Skeletons with swords, and the Ghost Warrior, who float around
and whack at you with their weapons. Neither is very tough, but it's imperative
to kill every last foe in this room. Otherwise the door ahead will remain
locked. Also, when you defeat the first Ghost Warrior, you'll obtain a new
skill: the Extension. This allows you to tack on two more hits to your basic
whip combo. Sweet!

Don't go heading off into another room the moment you take down all the
enemies, though! Instead, whip-boost up to the various balconies and claim the
two money bags and High Potion. After that, exit through the western door and
you'll meet a few more Skeletons and Ghost Warriors. If you break open the
candle at the northern part of this screen, you'll find the Crystal sub-weapon.
Personally, I prefer the knife, although you might opt to take this new item
with you. It's your decision. When you've made it, whip boost up to the eastern
balcony to earn a cool $250, then boost up to the northwest ledge.

From here, you can see another balcony suspended on the western wall, but a
metal grate disallows a successful jump. So how do you get around it? The basic
gist of it is that you have to jump away from the balcony, almost towards the
center of the chamber, then double jump back towards the ledge and boost on up.
It may take a few tries, but the prize is well worth it, I think. Enter the
door once you get to the ledge.

The corridor ahead is laden with bats, as well as an enemy known as a Red
Skeleton. Now, the bats can be easily disposed of, but the skeletal foe is as
close to invincible as they come. Although you can reduce him to a pile of
blood-red bones, he'll always come back to haunt you, so you may as well just
charge right past him. Head through the doors at the end of the hallway and
you'll be greeted by an MP Max Up item. These things increase your magic point
capacity by 20! Awesome!

-- THE FIRST LIGHT IN THE TRIANGLE --------------

After basking in the glory of having 20 more MP than before, head through the
door that you didn't come from. A duo of invulnerable Red Skeletons will attack
as you enter the next corridor, so run past them and slap the Skeleton Hunter
silly as you head for the far door. Be careful of him, though, as he's a good
bit more potent than the normal skull archers you've encountered before.

The subsequent room is simply brimming with activity; Skeleton foes are all
over the place and a dangerous mace-swinging Heavy Armor is out to get you. If
you stay on the move, you can actually get the armor's mace to smack into some
of the skeletons, which is pretty darn funny! Eliminate the Skeletons, then
close in on the Heavy Armor and give him a few whacks prior to backing off in
order to elude his attacks. It may take a while, but he'll go down eventually.

When that happens, run to the north and pick up the HP Max Up, which will add
another 10 HP to your total. Good deal! Before leaving, also make sure you grab
the Uncurse Potion on the eastern balcony and the Serum on the western balcony.
At that point, jump down below the ledge where you got the Serum and run up
against the bookcase. It'll soon begin to move, revealing a secret passageway!
Head inside and you'll find a second hexagonal switch. This one will light up
the first circle in a triangular door.

-- TRIANGLE DOOR: LIGHT #2 ----------------------

Now then, take a look at your map and backtrack to the room just left of where
you located the Crystal sub-weapon. When you arrive, defeat the enemies if you
feel the need, then go through the double doors to the north. Head down the
hall and through the wooden door at the end. It'll close behind you, leaving
you locked inside with a bevy of different foes. Destroy them all and both
doors will be unlocked. Exit to the west.

Again you'll be locked in with a menagerie of enemies, including Skeleton
Knights and Zombies. Head north through the door once you've given them all a
nice introduction to the Whip of Alchemy. There's absolutely nothing going on
in the subsequent corridor, so just run down and open the door. As you may
guess, the moment you step inside the next room all of the paths out become
locked. In addition to a few more Skeleton Knights, you'll also get to meet a
enemy known as the Rune Spirit. Fortunately, they're pretty easy to defeat, so
I wouldn't get worried. Defeat just ONE of these ghostly beings and you'll
learn the A Extension 1 skill. Nice. Now finish off the other foes and exit to
the north.

As usual, the doors will slam shut behind you and it will once again be time to
kick some monster butt. There are four Rune Spirits and a couple of Zombies who
inhabit this chamber, so whip them and whip them good. As the doors unlock, you
will want to head through the northeastern door. Head south through this next
corridor, twiddling your thumbs as you go, since this room is totally bereft of
anything exciting.

In the subsequent room, you'll get to beat down some more Zombies and Skeleton
Knights, both of whom should be old news to you. Exit east and make your way
south through the completely boring hallway. This next room should prove fun,
though, as it is filled to the brim with Skeletons and other bloodthirsty
enemies. Exit west and you'll appear in what should be a familiar hallway.
Don't worry, we're just stopping by the use the save point, although you'll
need to take down some Skeletons before you can.

After you've saved your data, return to the room you just came from and whip
boost yourself up to the balconies, where you can find some hefty cash to help
beef up your wallet, as well as a pasta dish called Neapolitan. Exit to the
southeast. In the next room, fight off six Skeletons and six Rune Spirits, then
bust open the candle to the north and grab the Axe sub-weapon, as it is far and
away the best you can have at this point in time. Grab the Gray Money Bag from
the western balcony before exit through the door on the eastern balcony.

The next corridor will first send some easily-slaughtered bats at you. As you
turn the corner, though, you'll encounter a floating eye known as Buckbaird. A
few whip strikes will take him down, though, so you needn't worry. Head through
the door to the north and you'll emerge in a large chamber filled with Zombies
and Wolf Skeletons. Defeat all the foes, then grab the cash from the balconies
and exit to the southeast.

Run down the hallway, avoiding confrontation with the Red Skeletons as much as
possible, and defeat the Buckbaird en route to the door at the end. When you
arrive in the next room, the door leading ahead will be blocked off, so you'll
need to stick around and fight. Although there are three Red Skeletons, there
is no way to kill them, so concentrate on defeating the Heavy Armor. If you
took my advice and picked up the Axe sub-weapon a few rooms back then you can
simply toss those at him until the cows come home. If not, run in for a hit or
two then back off and evade his attack. It can take a while, so try to be
patient. Before heading through the now-open door to the east, be sure to grab
the $250 on both balconies.

The subsequent room contains Marker Stone 6 and another switch for you to stand
on. Do so and the second light in the triangle door will begin to glow. Sweet.
Now then, pull up your map and look it over for a second. If you've been
following my walkthrough, there will be two blue rooms (that means you've
already been inside them) towards the south. They look sorta like this:

/--------------------------------------------------\
|                       |                            |
|                       |                            |
\--------------------------------------------------/

See the ones I mean? Yeah? Good. Head down there and head into the hallway to
the west of the room on the left. It's the place you haven't been to yet, so
it's colored gray.

-- THE SECOND LIGHT IN THE FIRST DOOR -----------

You'll know you're in the right place if you are ambushed by a mini-army of
Flea Men who come from down the hall. They're really easy to defeat, but it
can be pretty darn annoying since there are so many of them. Use your heavy
whip attacks if you get surrounded, as they work great for crowd control. Once
all of the Flea Men are history, exit through the foreboding door at the end of
the corridor.

In this next room, there are several creatures that zoom across the floor,
causing tons of damage if they hit you. To avoid them, you simply have to keep
moving (preferably jumping, not running) as you cross the dangerous sections of
the floor. You can also use the pillars to cross, but it's difficult to make
the jump from place to place. As you jump over the floor, try to go for some of
the coins laying about, as they add up to a small fortune. Exit to the east.

Head straight down this hall, curving off to the right when you get the chance.
There is a save room along this part of the corridor, but two Skeleton Swordmen
must be defeated before it will open. I recommend that you save your game at
this point, or at the very least allow it to replenish Leon's HP. When you've
finished with that, exit the save room and turn back the way you came, exiting
this corridor to the north (the Holy Water sub-weapon can be picked up in the
yellow candle, but I suggest sticking with the Axe).

Anyway, the northern room is very similar to the southern room, as the floor
is infested with very agile creatures. Just continue jumping and they shouldn't
be able to touch you. Now, you're headed for the door to the southwest, but
you're probably gonna want to grab all the coins in this room first, as there
are quite a few. There is also a $1000 hidden way to the southeast, you can't
see it on-screen, so it's commonly missed. Just search for a bit and you'll
eventually pick it up.

Continue north in the subsequent hallway and into the next room, where you'll
find a set of spikes that constantly moves along the only path there is.
Quickly run across and double jump over the spikes whenever they come your way.
Enter the first door you come across and defeat the doggies as you run towards
the northern door. As you try to open it, it won't move. I believe it's safe to
conclude that the door is locked. Hmm... Apparently we need something called
the Yellow Dragon Key to proceed. Meh, we'll be back later.

For now, return to the previous room and head north, eluding the spikes the
same way as before. Enter the only door in this room you haven't been through
yet. Inside is the switch that will illuminate a second light on the door where
the three circles are in a straight line. Nice!

-- OPENING THE FIRST DOOR -----------------------

At this point, you'll want to backtrack to the southern room in the corridor
with the save point. Remember which room it is? It's the first place with those
annoying floor monsters! Head through the northwestern door prior to running
north down the subsequent hall, which has nothing at all important in it. You
should now be in another spike room, so you'll already know how to avoid them.
Run west, waiting for the spikes to pass before you begin, and enter the first
door you come across.

Inside is another switch. Step onto it, thus lighting the third circle on the
straight line door and unlocking it. Unfortunately, we don't have the slightest
clue where that door is at this point in time, so we can't take advantage of
having unlocked it. That sucks! Return to the previous room and head to the
west again, entering the first door you come across (it should also be the only
one you haven't been through yet).

-- UNLOCKING THE TRIANGLE DOOR ------------------

Run north through an uneventful corridor and head through the door. It'll lock
behind you and a band of skeletal foes will rise from the ground. Whip them
down with panache (or not... you can beat them down with no style whatsoever
for all I care), then boost up to the western balcony and take the Potion. At
this point, I suggest heading through the eastern door to pay a visit to the
good ol' save room before venturing forth. Once that's been taken care of,
let's open the western door and see what this castle has in store for us, shall
we?

Well, whaddya know? It's the door with the straight line of circles engraved
upon it! I wonder what's inside... Why not head through and find out? You'll
come into a corridor with a Heavy Armor guarding the door leading ahead. Now,
these guys can be a real pain in the neck if you don't have a decent ranged
sub-weapon. Hopefully you decided to keep the Axe, as that works wonders
against these guys. If not, you'll have to find an alternate method of taking
down this metal brute.

As the doors shut behind you in the next room, you'll have to defeat a group
of Zombies and Vassagos. You've faced the former before, but the latter is a
new creature. They have a pretty powerful move where they assault you with
their axe-hands. It's kinda difficult to avoid, so keep on the move and make
good use of your Quick Step skill. When everyone is dead, grab the $400 from
the balcony and proceed through the door to the south.

In addition to a pack of Wolf Skeletons, you'll also need to destroy a very
dangerous opponent named Spartacus who was, more than likely, named after the
warrior from Roman history. Luckily, he's a bit on the slow side, so that
allows you to keep your distance from him whilst you fight off the doggies.
When you decide to confront Spartacus himself, nail him with some heavy whip
lashes, as they tend to knock him onto his butt. As long as you keep attacking
and don't give him any wide openings you should be just fine. Claim the Potion
on the balcony as your own, then head north through the door.

There are several skeletal foes and a Peeping Eye in here. Take them out and
progress through the northern door. Inside is the final switch; the one that
will unlock the triangle door! Backtrack a few rooms, until you reach the
chamber that, as your map will display, leads into uncharted territory (the
gray-colored rooms).

Travel down the empty corridor and you'll enter a chamber with a locked door to
the north. Run eastward and hop onto the circular pedestal in front of the
altar. Doing so will unlock the door, but it will also create a barrier of
electricity to preclude your path. In order to get past it, you'll need to leap
onto the western balcony and whip-boost across the series of poles protruding
from the wall. If done correctly (and before the door locks again), you'll be
able to head through the door.

Run south through the subsequent hallway, busting open the yellow candle and
taking the Cross sub-weapon if you like. Descend the staircase at the far end
of the corridor and you'll enter Basement Floor 1.

-- INTO THE BASEMENT ----------------------------

In the initial corridor, simply head due north and enter the only doorway that
there is. The next room requires that you slay several Vassagos, as well as a
new type of foe known as the Astral Fighter. These guys are incredibly
obnoxious to fight against; they're a real pain in the neck! In order to avoid
their constant teleporting, you'll need to keep on the move. Exit to the east
once you've cleared this chamber.

Proceed north through the hallway and you'll finally reach the room with the
three locks in the shape of a triangle. Head inside and run in a northerly
direction, avoiding the arrows being fired at you by the Skeleton Archers. Take
those guys out if you want, then open the door behind them. Inside you'll find
a valuable item called the White Tiger Key. We'll be needing it later on in the
game, so just tuck in away until then.

Now, return to the first actual room (as in not hallway) in the basement and
exit via the westernmost door. As per usual, you'll be locked inside, and the
only way out is to vanquish all of the foes. I suggest concentrating on cutting
down the Vassagos before bothering with the Executioner. When you get ready to
take down the big guy, though, the best method I've found is to keep your
distance and lob Axes at him. However, if you have a different sub-weapon on
hand you'll wanna nail him with a heavy whip strike or two, then jump away to
elude his club swing. Rinse and repeat until he dies, which should be your cue
to head through the east door.

Head down the corridor and use the northern door. Getting past this next room
can be a bit on the tricky side, so make sure you listen up. Run north just a
bit and stop before you get to the brown platforms. Now, wait for the laser
beam to pass behind you. At that point, run across the platforms (do NOT jump)
and use the various fences to take cover from the lasers. Head through the
door when you reach the opposite side.

An Executioner is waiting eagerly for you in the subsequent hallway, so be
prepared to take the brute down. There will be a much-needed save point to the
north, so use that. Now, if you want to proceed directly to the boss, feel free
to enter the door to the west and do so. However, there's still quite a few
useful items left in this part of the castle, so I'm gonna go collect those
first.

Backtrack a few rooms until you reach the chamber where you encountered your
first Executioner. Exit this time to the west. You'll enter a hallway in which
you can exchange your sub-weapon for the Knife if it pleases you, but I still
recommend keeping the Axe with you. Use the door at the end to progress
onwards.

The next chamber has doors on its west and southern walls, but they are both
locked and there aren't any foes in sight. What to do? You need to arrange the
statues to the east in the proper direction. Since we want to open the west
doorway first, arrange the statues like so (from north to south): goat, woman,
goat, woman, woman. Head through the now-unlocked door and you'll find a
beautiful HP Max Up inside. Awesome!

Return to the previous room and arrange the statues as such: woman, goat, goat,
woman, goat. This will unlock the southern door, so head through there. Defeat
the hordes of Poison Zombies and Astral Fighters in the subsequent room, then
make your way through the northeastern door. Run north down the hallway and you
will encounter some enemies known as Evil Swords. Defeat one and you'll gain a
new technique: the A Extension 2. Nice! Enter the door ahead to locate a brand
spankin' new accessory. What's it called? The Bloody Cape! Sweet!

With your new accessory now equipped, return to the save room you were in just
a few minutes ago (y'know, the chamber right after the place with the lasers
and whatnot?) to replenish your health and save your data. When you're done,
run north through the corridor and enter the door engraved with a skull. Guess
what, folks? It's boss time!

                   ========================================
                   B O S S : U N D E A D   P A R A S I T E
                   ========================================
Other than the massive fire-breathing worm, the first things you might notice
about this chamber are the four orangish "eyes" at each corner of the room.
Forget about the worm for now and concentrate on destroying each of the eyes
first. As you pummel the eyes, make sure you elude the worm when it emerges
from one of the holes by running around. His fire attack can also be quite
painful, so stay as far away from it as you can. Finally, creatures called
Soulless will randomly appear from the ground, so be on the lookout for them
and whip them into submission whenever you get the chance.

Once all four eyes have been destroyed, the actual parasite will appear in the
center of the stage. Race towards it and nail it with everything you've got (I
like to use the three heavy attacks combo because it can also damage any nearby
Soulless, but you can go with whatever you want). Before long, the parasite
will begin to relocate to any of the holes where the eyes originally were. Find
where it is and resume with your whip-lashing, all the while avoiding the
Soulless and worm attacks. Hopefully you've got a few potions on hand, as you
are definitely gonna need them.

          ___________________________________________________________

Kill the parasite and everything else will go up in flames along with it. Grab
the Blue Orb when it appears, then step into the circle of light to return to
Rinaldo's place, keeping in mind that we'll return here later to head into the
door locked away by the Yellow Dragon Key.

Before making your way back into the castle, I advise you to use the cash you
made in the previous area to purchase some goods from Rinny. If you exhausted
your supply of Potions in that last boss battle, you'll want to pick up more
than just a few of those. Possibly some High Potions, also. Furthermore, I
suggest buying the Earth Plate and Sacrificial Doll, as they'll both prove
invaluable later on.

Make your way back into the castle's warp room and step onto the circle
closest to the door you entered from. Time to explore the Anti-Soul Mysteries
Lab!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
c - Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Man, does this place have groovy music or what? Start off by pummeling the two
Skeletons in this initial room, then head to the north. Head straight down the
corridor, through the door to the west. As you enter the next room, the door
will lock behind you, so be ready for a fight against several Ghost Knights as
well as some Skeleton Swordmen. When everybody is dead, exit via the door on
the western wall.

-- EXPLORING THE MAP ----------------------------

Kill the Flame Zombies in the subsequent hall, then head on through the door to
the north. You'll be locked in with some Hellhounds and a heavily-armored foe
known as the Armor Knight (such original names). The doggies are a piece of
cake, but the knight can be a bit tricky. He may look slow, but he can execute
some deadly-fast moves, so try to take him out from afar using your sub-weapon
in conjunction with the Blue Orb or just received. Before you leave, you should
have learned the Quick Step 2 skill, which makes evasive action an even easier
task!

Enter the northern door, then proceed south through the hallway, taking the
first door you come across (the one on the western wall). Inside you'll find
a group of Flame and Frost Zombies, all of which need to be whipped up good.
Once you've cleared the room, take note of the interesting gargoyle-esque
statue you find. There isn't anything we can do with it just yet, but we'll
return at a later point in time, so you might wanna place a marker stone on
your map. Exit north.

Defeat the three Flame Zombies patrolling the subsequent hallway and trade out
your current sub-weapon for the Cross if you so desire, then enter the northern
door. Beat down the myriad Ghost Knights you find waiting inside, then focus
on the two Axe Armors. They're potent adversaries, but their central weakness
lies in their lack of dexterity. Charge in and bust out with a few strikes,
then back off and try again. Works like a charm.

Now then, instead of continuing on through the next door, you're gonna want to
first do a bit of backtracking. Return to the hallway prior to the room where
you located the immovable statue and run to the south. Enter the door and get
ready to kick some Flame Zombie and Ghost Warrior butt. After all the enemies
have been killed, head through the western door. The backtracking just now was
merely to fill in some of the map, so now you can head back through a few more
rooms. You're now headed for the chamber with three doors in it, only one of
which you haven't been through yet.

Get to said room and enter the one door that leads to uncharted territory.
Guess what's inside? A save room! Nice. Use it, then return to the previous
room and exit southwest. Run south down the hall and enter the first door you
come across; don't turn the corner and go to the very end of the hallway. Slay
the many Frost Zombies and Skeleton Swordmen in the subsequent room, then head
through the unlocked door to the north.

Take out the Flame Swords who confront you in the next corridor. If you want,
you can swap your current sub-weapon for the Axe. There's no absolute need to
do this, but I think the Axe is usually the best sub-weapon you can have with
you, so I'd recommend taking it with you. Either way, head through the door to
the north. Defeat the Axe Armors and Skeleton Swordmen in here, then exit via
the northeastern door.

The long corridor you've just entered will link you back to the some of the
chambers you visited a bit earlier, so avoid going to the very end. Enter the
first door on the right and defeat the twin Peeping Eyes and Astral Warrior
inside, then grab the Blue Money Bag and get the heck outta there. Continue
northward down the hallway and enter the next room on the eastern wall. In
addition to a few Red Skeletons, there will also be an Axe Armor that needs to
be exterminated. Since the skeletal foes can't be destroyed once and for all,
you only need to knock out the armor. Do so, then grab Marker Stone 4 and
return to the previous corridor.

Break the yellow candle and grab the Crystal if you think you'll need it,
otherwise continue ahead, picking up Map 2 (Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab) as you
head for the fourth door on the eastern wall (skip over the third door for
now). Quickly destroy the Flame Zombies in this chamber, then assault the Mad
Diver when he emerges from the ground. Once all your opponents are dead, pick
up Ancient Text 4 near the oven and exit this room. Run south just a bit and
head through the only door you haven't been through yet. There aren't any foes
inside, but you will find a staircase leading up to the second floor. Ascend
it.

-- TO THE SECOND FLOOR --------------------------

There isn't anything worthwhile in the first room, so just exit to the south.
Once in the hallway, run down to the south, grabbing the Knife sub-weapon if
you want, and enter the first room on the eastern wall. Quickly dispose of the
many Astral Warriors that appear as if from nowhere, then grab the $400 and
leave via the same way you entered. Continue southward down the hall and you
will come across a save room, which you should use. After that, return to the
hallway and exit via the southernmost door.

Snatch the Purple Money Bag off of the ledge and head through the northeast
door. The following corridor leads to a door locked with the Red Phoenix Key.
Hmm... Guess we'll have to come back a bit later, eh? As you return to the
previous room, some Hellhounds and an Axe Knight will have magically appeared
to do battle with you. Neither of them provide anything you haven't seen
before, though, so taking them down shouldn't be a problem.

Return to the hallway with the save point and run to the very end, entering
the final door on the eastern wall. A bevy of enemies known as Hanged Men await
you inside, so be ready to take them down with some heavy whip strikes, since
they tend to be the most effective method of defeating groups of foes. Just
try not to get too close to one of these guys, as they can grab onto you and
start causing some serious damage, not unlike the zombies from Resident Evil.
Once you've defeated them all, take the High Potion and leave.

If you wanna play things really safe, go back and save your game again.
Otherwise, proceed through the doorway at the north end of the hall. First of
all, drop onto the ground at the very bottom of this rather large room. Now,
either defeat the Skeleton Flowers (your aerial combos work quite well) or
just run right past them to the north of this room. Behind the gold-colored
pillar is a well-hidden Heart Max Up, which will grant you another 10 Hearts,
adding up to a grand total of 90. Nice!

-- AN OPTIONAL BOSS... --------------------------

Now, jump up to the stairs southwest of the pillar and, instead of heading
through the door, wait for the moving platform to come by. Leap onto it when
it does, and jump over to the eastern ledge when you near it. Head into the
door and claim the HP Max Up. Sweet! Return outside and hop back onto the
moving platform. There's another ledge on the eastern wall that's closer to
where you initially entered this massive chamber. Grab the Potion from it, then
whip-boost across the golden poles on the wall behind. From here, you should
first grab the Heart Max Up off the platform to the south, then open the boss
doors to the north and say hello to your first optional boss...

                  ========================================
                  B O S S : F L A M E   E L E M E N T A L
                  ========================================
This fiery demon is pretty darn tough, so I hope you brought along some
Potions. Heal whenever you need to and nail him with a quick whip combo when
you get an opening. If you've got a good long range sub-weapon (like the knife
or axe), combine that with your Blue Orb and hit him with it, as it'll give
you some space. His sword attacks hurt like you wouldn't believe, so it's not
at all a bad idea to try to keep your distance whilst fighting this guy. The
Quick Step 2 skill is gonna be a total lifesaver if you use it right, so don't
even bother with guarding against this guy. Most of his moves seem to be
unblockable anyway. Defeat him and the Whip of Flames is all yours. I suggest
equipping it right away, since it beats the pants off of your basic Whip of
Alchemy.

          ___________________________________________________________

Now then, I recommend heading back to the save point and using it. If your
supply of items is running a little short due to that last battle, it wouldn't
be a bad idea to use a Magical Ticket to return to Rinaldo's place and pick up
some stuff. Then, just buy a Memorial Ticket and use that to the return to the
save point!

Picking up where we left off, return to the immense room with the moving
platform and whatnot. Use the platform (or just drop down and use the stairs)
to access the western door and head through. Run south through the hall and
enter the door you come across. The next room is brimming with Red Skeletons
which can't be killed, so forgot about them and concentrate on the Red Ogre
instead. Exit northwest, then run down the hall and head through the southern
door.

Once inside, step onto the yellowish panel in front of the stairs and remain
stationary for a second. It'll sink into the floor and carry you to the room
below, which contains the coveted Yellow Dragon Key. That's the item we needed
to open that door in the House of Sacred Remains! Grab it, then stand back on
the tile to return to the above room. Head up the stairs to the west and you
will arrive at the third floor!

-- UP TO THE THIRD FLOOR ------------------------

In this first room, take down the four or so Astral Warriors that materialize
to open the doors ahead. Take the eastern door and you'll locate a yellow
candle that contains the Cross sub-weapon. Take if you want, then run far north
towards the strange-looking black painting on the wall. Jump into it and you
will find the Arctic Ring accessory. Great!

Jump back out of the painting and enter the closest door on the eastern wall.
Defeat the three Mad Divers in here, then pick up Ancient Text 3 towards the
northern side of the room. Exit and continue south, entering the next room
to the east. Inside will be an Axe Knight, two Axe Armors, and a Super Potion.
You know what to do. Return to the previous hall and continue southward when
your work in there is done.

The next door on the eastern wall leads to a room that contains several
Hellhounds. Although the Whip of Flames doesn't seem like it would be able to
deal out damage to creatures from Hell, it works just fine against these guys.
Who woulda thought? Make sure you take Ancient Text 1 before leaving. Back in
the corridor, proceed to the south and enter the next door. Ignore the Red
Skeletons and bust out with your Whip of Alchemy to do battle with the Flame
Demon, as flames don't hurt him in the least. Quickly defeat him, then gather
the MP Max Up and leave before the Red Skeletons cause too much damage.

Finally, you can exit the main hallway on this floor via the southernmost door.
To start off your toils in this room, run to the east and hop up to the ledge.
See the switch on the wall? Yeah? Good. Now give it a whack. Doing so will
cause all manner of ledges to protrude from the northern wall. Of course, you
have a limited amount of time to use them before they'll sink back into the
wall. If such a thing happens, you'll simply have to restart from the
beginning. No big deal. Once you reach the top, enter the door you find.

-- METH / EMETH ---------------------------------

Run north through the hallway and open the door. Inside is an item known only
as the "e" tablet. It's necessary should you want to proceed onwards, so I
suggest that you grab it. Now then, return to the first room of the third
floor and take the western door this time. Run straight down the hall,
defeating the fire-based enemies with your Whip of Alchemy. The subsequent
chamber contains two Flame Demons and some Hellhounds, all of whom are just
waiting to feast on you. Don't let that happen. Kick their butts and enter the
northwestern door.

Head directly down the hall and through the only door there is. The bridge
ahead is unstable and there is no way to cross it, so drop down below instead
and pick up the Potion and High Potion. At this point, there isn't anything
else that we can do here, so mark it with a stone and return to the second
floor.

First of all, return to the room where you first encountered the Red Ogre.
When you arrive there, take the eastern exit and you'll come into a corridor
with two rooms in it. The first leads to a save room which I strongly recommend
you use. The other leads into the boss's chamber. Ready? Then head inside.

Hmm... What's this? No boss? No foreboding music? No nothing? Has Konami let us
off the hook? Nope. Find the stone that reads "meth" and examine it. Select
yes to place the "e" tablet you found a bit earlier inside. Guess what happens?
Those large stones placed around this chamber come to life. It's that time
again!

                             ====================
                             B O S S : G O L E M
                             ====================
First of all, this guy is made of solid rock, so he's gonna be really strong
against your whip attacks. One of my favorite ways to cause some serious
damage to this guy is with the Blue Orb + Axe combo. It tends to cause 60 or
so points of damage each time you use it, and it has great range, allowing you
to back off and fight from a distance. If you don't have the Axe with you,
however, try to get around behind him and deliver some quick whip combos before
he turns and crushes you. Deplete his life gauge and he... Won't die. Nope, he
comes back for round two!

In addition to the attacks he's been using all along, the Golem will now shoot
his fist at you (kinda like that dude from episode 5 of Trigun). The best way
to avoid taking tons of damage from this move is to simply keep on the move
and dash outta the way using your Quick Step technique. Every time he uses said
attack, though, he'll pause for a moment to reel his arm back in. That is your
opportunity to move in and deliver some powerful combos to his chest. When you
empty this health meter, he'll be down for good and the Red Orb will be yours
for the taking! Awesome!

___________________________________________________________

Grab the orb and step into the light to warp back to Rinaldo's Shop. In
addition to any Potions or other restorative items that you may need, you'll
most likely also wanna pick up the Meteor Plate, which is a much better piece
of armor than whatever you've currently got.

Now, return to the castle and the second statue will light up. Nice. Go to the
warp room and use it to return to the House of Sacred Remains. Now that we've
got the Yellow Dragon Key in our sweaty little palms, we're free to finish up
that area.

Once you've returned to the House of Sacred Remains, make your way to the door
that was locked by the Yellow Dragon Key (hopefully you marked it with a stone
earlier). Open the door up and you'll find a Relic called the Black Bishop.
Nice!

With that little task done, the word "Complete" should appear on your map of
this area. If not, then you probably haven't been following everything this
FAQ says. Go back and look for some rooms that you may have missed.

Anyway, return to the warp room in the main part of the castle and step onto
the second warp pad from the right; it'll take you to your next destination:
the Dark Palace of Waterfalls.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
d - Dark Palace of Waterfalls
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

In the first room, take down the various Skeletons and exit through the western
doorway. Run down this watery corridor, defeating the Fish Men that appear, and
take the right path when you reach the fork. Enter the door at the end. Destroy
the foes (Skeleton Swordmen and Fish Men) who emerge after the exits lock, then
get outta here using the door to the northeast. Head down the following hall
and kick some Fish Man butt. Take the left path this time when you come to the
fork in the road.

-- FINDING THE MAP ------------------------------

The subsequent room is a trap; you'll have to defeat a set of Frost Swords as
well as some Fish Men in order to unlock the doors. Once you've done so, enter
the westernmost doorway and proceed down the next hallway, taking the Axe sub-
weapon if it so pleases you. After heading through the door at the far end of
said hall, you'll stumble across a small chamber with a switch concealed
inside. Give it a few good whacks and it'll eventually slide into place, at
which point you'll receive a message informing you that you've triggered a
bridge in the room with the large waterfall. Nice... I guess.

Return through the previous hall and, once inside the room before that, head
into uncharted territory via the northern door. Run north through the damp
corridor and head into the first door you come across (it should be the only
other door in this hall). In the next chamber, defeating the sole Flea Man
hopping around inside will cause a crew of the same foes to appear. However,
you must clear this room in order to progress, so go ahead and start whipping
these buggers. Exit to the south.

Slay the enemies chilling in the subsequent hallway and enter the door at the
end of the right path. This will lead to a save room, which I suggest you use.
When you're done, return to the previous hall and take the left path at the
fork, entering the door it leads to. Once inside, the doors will, as expected,
slam shut behind you and you'll be forced to take down a bevy of foes. Start
off by felling the Heavy Armor with a long-range sub-weapon (unless you're
carrying the Crystal, some orb combination should grant you the desired
effects). When that's done, go for the Skeleton Soldiers. Just when they're all
dead and you think you've cleared the room, a group of Vassagos appear as if
from nowhere. Defeat them before grabbing Map 3 (Dark Palace of Waterfalls) and
exiting via the north door.

-- SEARCHING FOR AN HP MAX UP -------------------

Race northward down the hall and enter the door at the end, either killing or
running right past the enemies who inhabit this place. There are no foes in
this next room, so feel free to explore the dimintive chamber as much as you'd
like without fear of being assaulting by the undead. Make sure you pick up
Marker Stone 8.

Okay, so now for some backtracking. If you pull up your map, you might notice
that we've still yet to explore the entire eastern section of this dark
palatial dungeon filled with water. En route to that portion of the palace, we
are gonna make a short pitstop at the only gray room remaining on the west
side. You see it on your map? Just a few rooms north of the save room? Yeah?
All right, head back that way.

In the wet corridor leading to the room that is our current itinerary, you'll
find some Mermen and Skeleton Archers. Nothing you ain't never seen before.
After defeating them all, run south and open the door ahead. Inside you will
encounter some Fish Men accompanied by Mermen. Like the previous hallway, this
chamber provides nothing you haven't seen before, so I can't see you having too
much trouble with it. Now why was it that we had to come here again? Oh, that's
right. Because we want to uncover EVERYTHING on the map! Return to the very
first fork in this palace's road and take the one path you passed by last time.

The moment you enter the room at the end of the hall, the doors will lock
behind you. Of course, this is nothing new to you at all, so you were probably
expected that to happen. Whatever. At any rate, cut down the Frost Swords and
Frost Demon (preferably using that nifty Whip of Flames that we found in the]
Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab), then proceed onwards through the door to the west.
Charge down the corridor (actually, there's no real need to charge; I just
didn't want to say "run" too much. That way, the walkthrough is more varied and
provides a more pleasureable read :)). In any event, you can find the Axe sub-
weapon if you take the right path at the fork, but for now let's head to the
left, shall we?

As you approach the wall ahead, you may notice that there is no door... For
now, at least. Turn around and wave hello to the Heavy Armor who just snuck up
behind you. Man oh man, Leon must be deaf not to hear that fool clanking around
in all that heavy armor. Nonetheless, your goal is to get the Armor to smash
open the wall with that mace of his. The best way to do this is to simply stand
directly in front of the wall and hold your guarding position. The wall will
be crushed when he attacks, and you won't take any damage! Sweet! Now take down
that fool and head through the new door!

Once inside, you'll be ambushed by an Axe Armor and some Red Skeleton minions.
Since you already know that fighting the red dudes is totally worthless, focus
on taking down the Armor and exit via the western door once he's dead. Now this
next area is finally gonna provide you with some of the whip-boosting, platform
hopping action that this entire portion of the castle has been bereft of. First
of all, drop down to the bottom level and snatch the cash you find ($1000).

Now then, return to the ledge with the door from which you entered. Leap up
onto the westernmost platform, then turn around and whip-boost up to the
platform on the east. It may take a few tries, but eventually you should be
able to get it. From there, hop over to the west two platforms (you have to
whip-boost to reach the second one). Feel free to enter the door on this ledge
if you want, however know that there is an optional boss (with great rewards
for defeating him) that I recommend taking on. Actually, head through the door
right now and grab the HP Max Up, then return to the previous room.

-- OPTIONAL BOSS NUMERO DOS ---------------------

To reach the optional boss, start by making a blind jump to the south and
(hopefully) you'll land on a stone pillar. Once there, you should be able to
see a potion floating to the north. Leap to the northwest and boost with the
aid of the fencing. Take the Super Potion from the ledge, then whip-boost onto
the eastern ledge. From here, just continue boosting onto the ledges above
until you reach the boss door. Gather your courage and enter to meet...

                   ========================================
                   B O S S : F R O S T   E L E M E N T A L
                   ========================================
Hopefully you've been following my walkthrough all along and, as such, have
the Whip of Flames under your control. You should also have an accessory known
as the Arctic Ring in your tote bag. Both of these pieces of equipment will
prove to be integral to defeating this tough gal. If you don't have either
item, I highly recommend heading back to the Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab and
finding them (don't fret, my walkthrough for said area reveals the location of
each).

With those nigh necessary preparations made, this battle should be a snap. Her
attacks cause precious little damage and your flaming whip will completely
dismantle her. Just be sure to watch out for the attack that causes paralysis,
as not being able to move at all puts you at a large disadvantage. Fortunately,
the effect doesn't last long, so you should be able to deplete her energy gauge
in no time flat. I believe there's but one thing left to say: BURNED!

          ___________________________________________________________

Your prize for winning the battle is a new whip: the Whip of Ice. However,
since a good portion of the foes who are indigenous to this section of the
castle have built up a strong tolerance for ice and water-based moves, I'd
suggest staying with the Whip of Flames for now.

-- RIDING THE ROLLER COASTER --------------------

With that little chore completed, return to the room where you located the HP
Max Up and head through the skull-shaped door. Here's the deal: you're about to
embark on a nifty roller coaster-esque ride, Castlevania style! The thing is,
there are several coins along the ride, collect them all and you'll receive a
sweet new relic at the ride's end. Miss even one and you won't get it, and that
would just suck!

---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---

PROWLER_IRON SENDS IN THIS TOTALLY TUBULAR TIP!
===============================================
First, the row of coins alternate from right to left, to right, to left....
It's the same for both rides. So what I did is I stood right, never jumping
and moving left after collecting the first row, move right after the second
row... Sure, you loose energy but you are sure to get all the coins. When
you hear a tone, you've collected all the coins! Move to the center of the
platform and collect your prize!

DARIUS SHADOWLIGHT ADDS THIS INTERESTING INFO!
==============================================
Just a little something I found out about the roller coaster rides in the Dark
Palace of Waterfalls: It is possible to Perfect guard the spike-ball-thingies.
That should save some gamers a little greif.

---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---

When the ride comes to an end, you'll be down in the Basement Second Floor, so
whip the level until in locks into place, thus changing the flow of the water.
Exit to the northwest. In this next room, take down the Mermen before going
after the Cyclops, as he's a much more formidable opponent. Even so, he's still
not too difficult. Since Leon is infinitely more agile than the hulking brute,
you can easily crack your whip on his back a few times, then Quick Step outta
the way of his club. Simple enough, eh? Leave through the eastern door.

-- CHECKING OUT THE BASEMENT --------------------

In addition to some Flea Men, the subsequent hallway is also home to another
Cyclops. Defeat all of the foes, then run north at the fork and enter the door
at the far end of the corridor (you may wanna leave a marker stone in front of
the door locked with the Black Turtle Key). Inside you'll find a pair of Lizard
Men and yet ANOTHER Cyclops. I'm growing a bit weary of fighting them, aren't
you?

At any rate, exit to the east and take the Crystal sub-weapon you find in the
following hallway if it's your cup of tea. If not, proceed through the door
ahead. As you enter, a dozen or so Lizard Men will charge at you from the far
side of the chamber. Apply some nifty Quick Steps to avoid the attacks that'll
be coming at you from all directions, then destroy all the foes with some
powerful moves. Once every monster has been killed, take the HP Max Up at the
top of the room, then backtrack a few rooms to the hallway where you placed the
marker stone at the Black Turtle Door.

This time, you'll want to head south at the fork and take the door on the
western wall. Destroy the Mermen and Axe Knight to unlock the doors, then
progress through the northern doorway. Run south, waiting for the pendulums to
swing by before continuing onwards. In the subsequent corridor, defeat the many
Lizard Men and Skeleton Archers who plague the area, then take the right path
at the fork and open the door at the end.

A multitude of Flea Men and Mermen inhabit the following chamber, so take them
out with the greatest of ease before proceeding onwards through the doorway to
the north. Press northward, stopping only briefly to do battle with the Flea
Men and reptilian foes. The doorway here is covered with a sheer layer of thick
ice. Bust out your Whip of Flames and melt it away, giving you access to the
Little Hammer relic found inside. Awesome!

-- EN ROUTE TO ANOTHER BOSS ---------------------

At that, retrace your steps through the previous corridor and, in the room
directly before said hallway, exit this time to the east. Run in a northerly
path, being wary of the deadly pendulums that preclude the path. After you
open the northern door, be ready to face off against the two Frost Demons and
Heavy Armor that lurk inside. Keep in mind that a couple more Heavy Armors will
materialize once the first wave of foes have been downed. Head through the door
to the west after you've defeated anyone and everyone who was inside.

Run through the watery corridor and take the left path at the fork, grabbing
the Potion and entering the door to the north. Save your data and replenish
your health in this here save room, then head back into the previous hallway
and take the opposite side of the forked road. I hope you've got a sufficient
supply of items with you, because inside this subsequent room is another boss!

                      ==================================
                      B O S S : D O P P E L G A N G E R
                      ==================================
This guy is a lightning-quick copy of Leon Belmont himself! He's got all of
your moves, as well as some new ones, too! I find the most effective way to
combat this foe is to race in and nail him with a quick combo whenever you have
an opening, then Quick Step away and head back in again. Most of his attacks
don't cover a very wide range, so as long as you stay on the move he'll have a
good bit of trouble trying to hit you.

          ___________________________________________________________

When you defeat him, he'll escape into the sewers. I suggest returning to the
nearby save room to restore your lost health before proceeding through the door
on the northern wall. As you head through this damp hallway, you'll have the
option of grabbing the Cross sub-weapon if you want it. Whether you take it or
not, you'll wanna head through the door to the north. In the following room,
pay no mind to the skull room for now and instead go through the western door.

From the moment you hit the first torch, you'll have a grand total of eight
seconds to hit the other two and proceed into the door to the east. The Blue
Dragon Key is sitting all lonely-like on a desk, so give it some company and
return to the chamber with the skull door. Just like last time, this is a fun
roller coaster ride with a prize for snagging all of the coins. This time, your
prize is a shiny MP Max Up. Nice.

-- TO THE REAL BOSS! ----------------------------

Now that you're back on the first floor, you'll find yourself quite near to a
save room. Use it, then head for the forked road just before the unexplored
rooms on this floor. Once there, take the right path at the fork and open the
door that looms just ahead. Make short work of the various enemies that await
your arrival inside, then proceed through the door to the northeast. The room
ahead has three more fast-swinging pendulums that you must pass in order to
progress. Just go be quickly and carefully and you'll be fine. After the first
pendulum, leap up to the hidden ledge to the east and claim a Heart Max Up as
your own, then whip-boost across the poles to the west and grab the Raccoon
Charm, a brand new accessory! Sweet!

After heading through the northern door, you'll find a save room on the western
wall if you take the southern path at the fork. After using it, head back the
other way and take the northeastern road at the fork, heading through the door
at the end of the hallway. Defeat the Vassagos and Rune Spirits that live in
the following room before grabbing the Heart Repair in the center of this
chamber. After that, whip-boost across the lower tier of poles, then back
across the higher tier of poles. Continue across the poles until you reach the
door leading ahead. Enter it and take the Heart Max Up you find. Cool beans!

Now then, return to the nearest save room (the one a few hallways back) and
save up, as it's time to confront the real boss of this place. The entrance to
his domain is just a few rooms south of the save room, so make sure you're
well-prepared before heading in.

                   ========================================
                   B O S S : J O A C H I M   A R M S T E R
                   ========================================
After a bit of chit-chat concerning Joachim's grudge towards Walter and some
item known as the Ebony Stone, the battle will begin, and Joachim will commence
his beating you to a pulp. At first, you won't be able to cause the slightest
bit of damage to this demonic vampire. In order to hurt him, you need to
destroy the blue light on the statues in the corners of the room. Once you've
done so, start attacking furiously, restoring your own health using Potions
whenever the need be. Every so often, Joachim will restore the blue orbs on the
statues, so you'll have to temporarily postpone your assault to destroy them
again. As long as you've got a sufficient amount of healing items with you,
this battle shouldn't prove too difficult.

          ___________________________________________________________

Afterwards, Joachim will express his surprise that he was killed by a "lowly
human". He'll tell you that the Ebony Stone was made with alchemy, and creates
never ending darkness. It also chose Walter as its master, granting him his
powers. Before perishing, Joachim mentions an item called the Crimson Stone.
Once you're back in control, take the Green Orb, then teleport back to
Rinaldo's cabin.

Head inside and you'll trigger a cutscene. Leon will ask about the Ebony and
Crimson Stones. It seems there is a third stone called the Philosopher’s Stone,
and it can provide eternal youth. You'll also learn a bit more about the other
two stones. When this scenario ends, purchase whatever you feel you may need
from Rinny, then return to the castle and the third orb in the foyer will begin
to glow. Nice. Now that we've got both the ice and flame whips, we can do a bit
more in the Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab, so return there.

Once there, head for the chamber with the abnormal-looking statue (it isn't too
far from the entrance, so you shouldn't have too much trouble if you didn't
mark it). After defeating the array of Flame and Frost Zombies, equip your Whip
of Flames and attack the statue until it turns red. At this time, pull out
your Whip of Ice and hit it again, thus freezing it and causing it to shatter.
Cool beans! Head through the door and grab the White Orb you find inside.
Sweet! There's still a bit more to do here, but nothing that we can complete at
this point in time, so return to the warp room and head for the second pad on
the left.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
e - Garden Forgotten By Time
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

This area has a nice foresty-garden kinda feel. I like it. First things first,
defeat the three Skeletons in this initial area, then head northwest through
the door. Run down the hallway and take a right when there is nowhere else left
to go; exit via the doorway at the end of this hall. As you enter the next
room, the doors will lock automatically and you'll have to clear out all the
enemies in order to proceed. Shouldn't be too tough, as you're only fighting
against some Skeletons. Exit to the west.

-- LOCATING THE MAP -----------------------------

Defeat the two Skeletons in the following corridor, then head through the
door on the eastern wall. Whack the statue you find until it clicks into place,
thus lighting one of three vertical circles on a door somewhere in the garden.
Exit this room and head through the northern door. Take down the Ghosts and
Bats you encounter in this next chamber, then open the western door and head
on in.

In this hallway, head south until you see a doorway on your left (Leon's
right). Enter said door and jump down below. You can find an HP Max Up behind
the platforms that serve as stairs leading back up to the main platform, and
there is also a bag containing $400 to the south. Once you've gotten all the
goodies, climb back up to the top and get ready for some tricky whip-boosting.
Crossing the first chasm is simple enough, since there's only a single pole
moving up and down. However, the next gap isn't so easy. Basically, you wanna
hit the first pole with your whip right as it's about to reach the very top.
If you can do that, hitting the second pole shouldn't prove troublesome. Just
make sure you remember to whip the switch after the second pole, otherwise
you'll fall to the bottom and be forced to retry. Exit through the door on the
opposite side when you make it.

Run north down the subsequent corridor and take down the two Skeleton Swordmen
prior to slapping the archer silly. After that, head through the door at the
far end of the hall. Inside is another statue that you'll need to whip into
place, causing the second of three locks in the vertical door to glow. At this
point, you'll wanna retreat backwards through a few rooms until you reach the
hallway directly before the room with all the pole-swinging.

Once you've arrived, head south and, after deciding to either take or leave
the Axe sub-weapon, turn north when you have the choice. Enter the door up
here and get ready to meet up with a creepy-looking foe: the Evil Stabber.
There are also some Red Skeletons in here, but you already know that you're
better off not bothering with them. Defeat the Evil Stabber, take the Potion
in the corner and get outta here (via the same door you entered through).
Run down to the opposite side of the hallway and enter the south doorway.

Some Astral Warriors (who are always a pain) and a pair of Buckbairds (who are
rarely a pain) await you inside. Eradicate them all to unlock the doors, then
head off through the west door. Begin running north and there will be a big
blue save room door to the west. I would recommend using it before moving on
ahead. When you're done, continue north through the corridor and enter the
door you come across. Defeat the Shadow Wolves and Ghosts who inhabit this
chamber, then take Map 4 (Garden Forgotten By Time) from the northwestern
corner of the room, then head through the nearby door.

-- A NEW ACCESSORY ------------------------------

Head down this hallway, entering the door to the north. A short cutscene will
introduce the Gargoyle enemies to you, then you get to introduce them to your
whip. Lots of introductions going on in this room, eh? Luckily for you, they
are rather easy to fight against and will die after taking just a little
damage. Once the first two and the third that swoops in afterwards have been
taken out, you are free to leave this room via the southeastern door.

In the following hallway, run due south and head through the first door you
come across. Destroy the many Storm Skeletons who have made their home in this
room, then exit through the northeastern door. Charge straight down this next
corridor and head into the doorway at the end, unlocking it with your Blue
Dragon Key. Stashed away inside is the Tool Bag, which will allow you to equip
up to three accessories at once. Sweet!

Now, return a few rooms back to the hallway where you could've taken a turn and
headed off into uncharted territory. In the subsequent chamber, you'll have to
take down four Axe Armors who materialize from outta nowhere. Once they've been
defeated, another pair will appear, and then finally the two Evil Stabbers who
pop out of the ground. After they're all gone, open the door to the north and
head through.

Run through the following corridor and head up (away from the screen) at the
fork, grabbing the Knife sub-weapon if you want it. Kill off the various Shadow
Wolves inside this next room, along with the Gargoyle. Make sure you take the
bag of cash to the northeast before leaving via the only other door there is.
As you run south down this next hall, defeat the lone Buckbaird before you
proceed onwards.

Destroy the two Skeleton Archers and single Thunder Demon who lurk in the next
chamber, then progress through the other door. Head north down the hallway and
take the right when you can, as there is a save room in this direction. After
using it to heal up and save your data, head back down the other way and north
through the door. You'll soon be locked in with some Skeleton Archers and a
Gargoyle, but they probably won't be too difficult to dispatch. Enter the north
eastern door and race down the hall into the next room, where you should kill
the Evil Stabbers and skeletal foes who plague the place. Once that's done,
return to the hallway with the save room and enter the one door that you have
not been through just yet.

Two brand new foes await in the subsequent room: Mist and the Man-Eating Plant.
Neither are very difficult, however, so just go to town on the Mist with
whatever moves tickle your fancy. Don't kill the plant just yet, though, as he
can be manipulated to your advantage. No, we're not gonna pull some Legato
Bluesummers-esque mind control, sadly enough. Instead, lure the plant over to
the westernmost wall. When you've done so, get it to open up and, from there,
leap up to the above ledge. Grab the cash, then enter the door on this hidden
platform.

Inside you'll locate the Jewel Crush accessory, as well as another statue for
you to hit into the wall. However, this one will not unlock the first door, but
rather it will open the first lock on a second door. Geez, is it just me, or
are there WAY too many doors? Whatever. Return to the previous room and jump
below, heading into the next room.

-- AN OPTIONAL BOSS -----------------------------

Run southward down the following hallway and take the northern path when you
reach the fork. There are three or so Poison Lizards and a Thunder Demon
hanging out in the next chamber. Take them out, but try to avoid getting
afflicted with the poison status effect. If you do get poisoned, you should
have at least one Serum with you to cure it's effects. If not, you're screwed.
Exit west.

Head in a northerly direction down the hall and enter the door at the end.
Concealed inside is the final statue-switch that will unlock that first door!
Of course, this really doesn't do us any good at the moment, seeing as how we
don't have the slightest clue where that door is! Oh well, we'll find it sooner
or later, eh? Return to the hallway with the Holy Water sub-weapon and head
south through the door at the end of the corridor.

Take down the Shadow Wolves and Mist in the following room, then exit to the
east. The next room is inhabited by a few Buckbairds, so take them out whilst
avoiding their laser eye attacks. Don't kill the Man-Eating Plant just yet,
though, as we'll need him to boost ourselves up to the northeastern ledge. Lure
him over in that direction, then whip him until he opens up. At this time, use
it to leap up to the ledge and head through the doorway.

Defeat the Thunder Swords and other foes in this hallway, then enter the door
at the far end. Start this next room off by destroying the Spirits inside, then
quickly hit the switch behind each statue, ignoring the new foes that appear
when you do so. Once both switches have been activated, the ledge leading to
the next door will appear, so hurry over there and hop up before the switches
reset.

In the next area, jump down below and first rid yourself of the enemies roaming
around down here. Then, grab the Heart Max Up from the small structure to the
northwest. After that, whip-boost up to the central platform using the crooked
lantern. The door off to the west is currently unreachable, so we'll have to go
to the east instead. Ascend the spiral staircase in this room, defeating the
Poison Lizards and Ghost as you go. When you reach the top, allow me to welcome
you to the second floor. Whoo-hoo... I guess.

After heading through the door at the top of the stairs, whip the statue-switch
into place to unlock the second of three locks. Exit to the south. Head north
down the subsequent hallway and take out the Axe Knight you encounter. Continue
northward past the now-dead knight and you'll locate another foreboding boss
door. Inside is another optional boss... I bet you can't figure out it's name
without looking below!

                 ============================================
                 B O S S : T H U N D E R   E L E M E N T A L
                 ============================================
Okay, since we don't have any equipment made particularly to ward off thunder
attacks, this guy is gonna be more difficult than the laughable Ice Elemental.
However, your basic strategy from the battles against previous elementals will
work pretty well here, too. Knock him with a few quick combos then back off and
head back in. Quick Step is much more effective than blocking, and long-range
sub-weapons work wonders. Other than that, there isn't a whole lot I can tell
you. Your prize for winning? As unbelievable as it may sound, the Whip of
Lightning is now yours! Pretty useful in other dungeons, but not here, as many
of the enemies are lightning-based.

          ___________________________________________________________

-- FINDING THE TRUE BOSS ------------------------

Return back to the first floor and head for the room you left off in before
embarking on this little sidequest. Y'know, the place with the Man-Eating
Plant? Yeah? Good. Once you're there, head through the doorway to the north.
In the following hall, continue northward and defeat the Axe Knight and Ghosts.
Defeat the Gargoyle and Skeleton Flower collaborating in the next chamber, then
exit to the north.

Another Skeleton Flower resides in the subsequent room, along with three
Buckbairds. Continue ahead after defeating them and you'll encounter a second
Skeleton Flower as well as some Poison Lizards. Take them all out before
heading into the door to the northwest. Run down this corridor and kill off the
two Armor Knights before entering the doorway to the north. Inside is the final
statue-switch needed to open the second door, so whip it into place.

Now then, backtrack a few rooms back and enter the northeastern doorway. Take
out the foes you encounter in here, then open the door over on the western side
of the chamber. You'll find the Red Phoenix Key inside, which is something you
will need to finish up the Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab. Return to the room before
and exit this time to the northeast (the door is kinda hidden; it's part of the
fence)

Pick up the Ring of Thunder you find inside, then head into the save room to
the east. Use it, then return to the room where you hit the final statue-switch
into place. Enter the eastern door and head north down this corridor, defeating
the two Gargoyles along the way. There seems to be nothing going on in this
chamber... Until you start smashing the statues up. There is a hidden door
behind one of these statues, so head inside. Use the save room to the east,
then proceed into the boss room at the very end of the hallway.

                            ======================
                            B O S S : M E D U S A
                            ======================
Before the battle actually begins, she'll compliment your body and reveal to
you that all of the stone statues throughout the garden were once people just
like Leon. First of all, avoid her "Turn to stone!" attack at all costs, as it
temporarily freezes you in place, allowing Medusa to get some free hits in on
you. Other than that, I recommend simply using your Quick Step technique to
strafe around to her side, then unleash a powerful combo. Rinse and repeat.

Once you deplete her first health gauge, some stone blocks will generate and
she'll toss them your way. Simply Quick Step to get outta the way. From there,
just continue the same general strategy as before and she'll go down in no
time. Is it just me, or do the bosses in this game seem painfully easy?

          ___________________________________________________________

After the battle, Medusa will recognize your whip and mention something about
it regaining its "complete form". What's that all about? We'll find out soon
enough. For now, just grab the Purple Orb and teleport back to outside Rinny's
cabin.

Go inside and talk to Rinny. He'll explain that the whip is not yet complete,
but has become more powerful because it suits you. He strictly tells you not
to think about the whip gaining its complete form, and the scene will end. At
this time, buy whatever you need from Rinny (like the Moonlight Plate!) before
returning to the castle.

First, lets head back to the Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab and finish that place up.
Head to the Red Phoenix Door first and open it up with the key you found in
the Garden Forgotten By Time. Inside is the Wolf's Foot relic, which allows you
to run with ridiculous speed. Nice.

Now head for the room with the collapsing bridge that we couldn't cross before.
Once there, equip your Wolf's Foot and race over the bridge. With such speed,
you'll definitely be able to make it across without any trouble. Head into the
door at the end and grab a new accessory: the Megingjord. Sweet!

Okay, now head back to the Garden Forgotten By Time and head into the northern
door in the very first room. Head down the Ghost-filled hall and grab the Ring
of Fire from the following room. Now, you'll want to return to that one room
that we couldn't do a thing in. Remember? It was en route to the battle against
the Thunder Elemental. Remember now? Good. Head back there and get to the
platform to the east a bit. From there, equip the Wolf's Foot and use it to
leap to the ledge above to the west. Enter the door here and destroy the
Thunder Demon and Evil Stabber in here. After that, head into the subsequent
corridor and open the door to the north. Inside this next room is another new
relic for you: the Saisei Incense. Awesome!

Return to the castle entrance and, after getting everything you need from good
ol' Rinny, proceed to the warp room and teleport to the final area: the Ghostly
Theatre.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
f - Ghostly Theatre
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

First off, defeat the two Skeletons in this initial room, then head through
the door to the west. Run southward down the hallway and open the doorway you
find at the end. As you enter the following chamber, begin by hopping down
below, where you should quickly dispatch of the skeletal foes who reside here.
With that done, grab the Heart Repair to the north and return to the upper
tier. Start along the narrow bridge and you'll undoubtedly notice the statue
blasting a non-stop laser beam. In order to get past this, have Leon face
towards it and it'll stop (kinda like those lasers in Zelda: A Link to the
Past), so hold down the guard button and strafe right by, entering the door on
the other side of the room.

-- GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE THEATRE ----------

Run to the south and destroy the Buckbaird you meet on your way. Grab the
Crystal sub-weapon if you like, then take the northern road at the fork. Take
out the Skeleton Warriors and Ghosts who attack you, then pick up the Potion
at the bottom of the stairs before exiting to the west. Follow the bending
C-shaped corridor and enter the door at the end.

Within the confines of this next room, jump down below and kill off the
various foes you find at the bottom. Then, take the High Potion that's kinda
hidden behind a pillar to the east and return to the top level (you'll have to
whip-boost up the poles near the eastern pillar). From here, its time again to
make our way past a series of laser-statues. Keep in mind that, for now, the
lasers above can't touch you, so don't bother with them just yet. Face towards
the nearest laser and strafe by, then turn to face the next direction. It's
actually pretty simple.

Enter the room to the northwest, but since we're going for full map percentages
here, you'll want to immediately return to the previous room. Don't worry, we
won't miss anything; there is a method to my madness, y'know. Anyway, once back
in the previous room, continue following the narrow ledge westward, avoiding
the laser-statues deadly beams of death. Just wind your way around and you will
inevitably end up standing in front of a new door. Head inside.

Make your way down the subsequent corridor and enter the doorway on the eastern
wall. Destroy the Ghost Soldiers and Skeleton Warriors, then head downstairs
and pick up the money bag, which contains a hefty $400! You can also exchange
your current sub-weapon for the Holy Water if you want (unless you've already
got the Holy Water, in which case you can ignore everything in this sentence).
Exit to the east, which is the door at the bottom of the stairs.

The following room contains some Spirits and Zombies, which you should make
short work of, as well as the Aroma Earring accessory. When everything seems
to be done here, return through the same door you entered and ascend the
stairs, going through the northern door this time. Run through the C-shaped
hall and enter the door at the opposite end.

As you enter the next room, you may notice that strange circles appear on the
ground and are shortly after smashed with rocks raining from the ceiling. If
that wasn't warning enough, let me say this now: do NOT stay in the same place
for extended periods of time, lest you be nailed with heavy rocks. There is
also a seal on the door, so there isn't anyway that you're gonna escape from
this place for now. In order to leave, we're going to have to destroy the blue
statues in this chamber, with the aid of the raining rocks, of course.

-- THE BLACK TURTLE KEY -------------------------

Head to the northern part of the room and whip-boost to the ledge above using
the pole protruding from the wall. You'll find the first blue statue up here,
so take cover behind it and a rock will completely crush it. There's a second
statue on the ledge just opposite of this one, so head over there and repeat
the same steps. Now hop down to the main floor and locate the statue to the
southwest. Once it's been destroyed, use the nearby platforms to access the
ledge suspended over the door from which you entered. The last blue statue is
up here, so let the rocks crush it and they'll stop. Pick up Ancient Text 2,
then open the door to the east.

The Heart Max Up you find inside is all yours, so snatch it greedily and return
to the previous room. The other door is still sealed off, so I guess we should
probably destroy the orange statues now, eh? All four statues are in plain
sight on the main floor, and since the boulders have resumed their incessant
falling, crushing them should prove no problem. Now that you've got easy access
to the southwestern door, head right on in.

Begin by striking down the Ghosts and other enemies who reside in this chamber,
then take the Potion and Rosario items at either side of the stairs and head
through the western door (at the top of the staircase). The subsequent hallway
is only half of a "C", so that means we're gonna have to turn back around and
enter the previous room (no, I'm not racist against half C-shaped rooms, but
we wanna get full map percentage, don't we?). This time, enter the door at the
bottom of the stairs.

Take down the Spirits and Shadow Wolves roaming around in the following room,
then exit north when the doors unlock. Enter the eastern door in this next
hallway, then defeat some more Shadow Wolves in the following chamber. Since I
can't stand that strange sound in this place, we're gonna return a few rooms
back and head through the door to the southeast. Run northward through this
hallway and open the doorway at the far end.

A slew of Astral Knights, accompanied by an Axe Knight, are eagerly awaiting
your arrival in the following chamber. Cut them down to size, then enter the
southeastern door. Defeat a couple of Ghosts who haunt the subsequent corridor,
then ascend the stairway and say hello to the second floor. Take out the two
Ghosts in the first hall, then exit to the east into the save room, which you
should most definitely use.

Once you've taken care of business, exit the save room and continue down the
hall, entering the door you find at the end. In this next room, hop down below
and defeat the many Hanged Men. Then, take the Mana Prism in the center and
return to the above level. With that done, it's time to head for the door at
the far end of the various narrow ledges up here. Like before, face towards the
laser beam and it'll stop. There is anything too difficult, so you should be
fine. Enter the doorway and you'll find the Black Turtle Key inside. Nice!

-- FINDING A NEW RELIC --------------------------

Now then, return to the upside down T-shaped hallway near the very start of the
Ghostly Theatre. Once there, head through the one door you haven't been into
just yet. As you enter the following room, grab Marker Stone 7 and the $400 at
the bottom of the stairs, then defeat the various foes to unlock the doors.
Exit east at the top of the staircase. Run through the C-shaped corridor and
open the door at the end.

More raining boulders, eh? All right. There aren't any blue statues this time,
so you just need to smash up the orange ones right nice. Once you've done so,
head through the southeastern doorway. As you enter the subsequent hallway, the
doors will lock and a pair of Shadow Wolves will rush towards you. Defeat them,
then use the first room on the western wall to save your data and replenish
Leon's health. After that, return to the previous hall and open the door at the
far side of the wall.

The next chamber can be summed up in a single word: dangerous. Spikes crash
down from above constantly and there are few places where you can avoid their
spiky wrath. To the west of the door you entered is a small area where the
spikes won't fall. Above there is a ledge that you should whip-boost up to.
Head into the door and take the HP Max Up. Once you've done that, return to the
previous room and exit via the door to the south. Make your way through the
C-shaped corridor and enter through the door at the end.

In the subsequent room, defeat the Ghost Soldiers and Skeleton Warriors, then
pick up the $400 at the bottom of the stairs before heading up. Exit to the
west. Take out the Spirits and Skeleton Warriors in this next room, then exit
to the east. Since we're going for complete map percentage, though, I'm gonna
have to ask you to return immediately to the previous room and head into the
door at the bottom of the stairs this time.

Destroy the enemies in the following room to open the doors, then head into the
easternmost door. Head down the corridor and unlock the doorway on the eastern
wall using the White Tiger Key that you should have in your possession. Enter
the small room and take a new accessory called the Heart brooch. Nice! Now
then, head back to previous room (note that I said room, not hallway) and this
time open the westernmost door.

Run northward down the hallway and, in the next room, defeat the Astral Knights
and Armor Knight to unlock the doors. From there, run to the southwest portion
of the room and open the door. Defeat the two Ghosts, then ascend the stairs
to once again reach the second floor.

Start off by cutting down the two Ghosts in this first room, then proceed
onwards and enter the door at the far end of the corridor. GAH! More falling
spikes! Head to the west until you find a small safe-zone with a pole on the
wall above it. Whip-boost up it and grab the MP Max Up to the west, then head
back to the east and boost across another pole. Open the door over here and
take Lucifer's Sword, another relic! Sweet!

-- CURTAIN TIME ---------------------------------

Return to the spike room and carefully make your way northward, entering the
door when you reach it. Make short work of the Spirits and Axe Armor that
inhabit this next room, then open the southeastern door. Run down the
subsequent corridor (with a creepy ticking clock) and enter the first door you
come across, the one on the western wall. The following room is completely
dark, so navigating through it can be a pain. Simply hop across the platforms
and gradually press eastward. The door on the left contains a mandatory item
called the Curtain Time Bell, so be sure to pick it up. The other door holds
the Brisingamen, another spiffy relic for you to put to use.

---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---

BOW DOWN BEFORE PROWLER_IRON FOR CONTRIBUTING THIS NIFTY TIP!
=============================================================
[T]o get very easely to the secrets doors, the wolf's foot works a charm! You
just need to focus on the blue arrows pointong at the door to execute your
jump!

---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---

Okay, so now return to the previous hallway and head to the north, going
through the door you find. Take down the three Buckbairds and singular Axe
Knight, then run north through the now-opened door. Kill the two Skeletons who
keep the following hallway all locked up, then head west into the save room.
Once you're done in there, open the eastern door and head inside.

All right, this next room can be a total pain in the neck, since getting
knocked off by one of the lasers will force you back to the first floor. Just
use the fences to shield you from the laser beams and carefully traverse the
bridge en route to the door on the far side. Go on in and run down the hall,
heading into the eastern door. As fast-paced music begins to play for the first
time in this area, you'll wanna head east and leap over the chasm towards the
HP Max Up on the other side. With that done, hop down below and we'll be back
on the first floor, in the exact room that we wanna be in. Awesome, eh?

Defeat the Cyclops and Red Ogre foes, then run northwest through the door. Pick
up Map 5 (Ghostly Theatre) to the north, then proceed in a westerly direction
to find the boss door. Make all the necessary preparations, then head inside.
Strangely enough, there isn't a thing inside. What to do? Use the Curtain Time
Bell that you found just moments ago.

Leon's beloved Sara will appear on-stage, but as Leon goes to embrace her she
tries to stab him. That's not cool, and it DEFINITELY isn't something Sara
would do, so it must be an imposter!

                          ==========================
                          B O S S : S U C C U B U S
                          ==========================
First of all, let me warn you that her roses are poisonous to the touch, so
steer clear of them as best you can. Since Succubus is weak against fire
elemental stuff, bust out your Whip of Flames and go to town on her. When you
get too close to her, she'll begin to whirl around and surround herself with
roses. You can simply guard to avoid this, so it shouldn't be too much of a
problem.

____________________________________________________________

Defeat her and she'll start to mention Rinaldo and his daughter, but she bites
the dust before she can finish her sentence. Anyway, take the Yellow Orb and
use the warp pad to return to Rinaldo's house. Go inside and he'll tell you
that his wife and son were brutally killed by his daughter, who was turned into
a vampire by Walter. As a result, Rinaldo built the Whip of Alchemy and hunted
for his daughter. Creepy stuff, ya?

Buy whatever you want from Rinny, then return to the warp room and set out for
the Dark Palace of Waterfalls, as we've got some work to finish up in there.
Return to the second floor basement and make your way to the door locked by
the Black Turtle Key. Since we now have said key in our possession, we can
open the door and take the Draupnir accessory concealed inside.

Now then, the door to Walter in the main foyer is now open, so head inside to
see what ol' Walt has in store for us next!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
g - Pagoda of the Misty Moon
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The moment you enter, Walter will reveal himself. What happens during the
following scenes is really cool, so I don't wanna spoil any of it for you. When
they come to an end, you will have the most powerful weapon in the game at your
disposal: the Vampire Killer. Return to where you met Walter in the room right
after the central foyer.

-- DOPPELGANGER RETURNS! ------------------------

Back in the chamber where you met Walter, ascend the stairs and head through
the door to the north. The following corridor contains all five sub-weapons,
so choose whichever one you want before proceeding northward through the door.
In the subsequent room, start by hopping off the bridge down below and grabbing
the Super Potion hidden underneath the western stairs. Then, return to the
above bridge and make your way across, using the fences to shield yourself from
the laser beams. Keep in mind that jumping will cause the platform to fall, so
don't do that.

As you enter the following hallway, quickly dispatch of the two Spartacuses who
are roaming about inside. Once you've done so, make sure your health and other
vital statistics are in good order, as the northern door leads to another boss
battle.

                      ==================================
                      B O S S : D O P P E L G A N G E R
                      ==================================
Remember this guy from the Dark Palace of Waterfalls? Well, he's back! He still
possesses all of your moves, as well as some nifty sub-weapon combinations,
namely the Cross and Holy Water-based ones. Even so, he's no match against your
omnipotent whip. Since he himself doesn't actually have a whip, he can only
attack with martial arts. As such, he has to get in quite close to you in order
to cause any damage. Your whip gives you a significant advantage in that it
works well from a distance. Just Quick Step around Doppelganger's fiery punches
and kicks and you'll take him down with relative ease.'

---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---

WARREN ROLFSMEYER ADDS:
=======================
First, when you are fighting the Doppleganger for the second time, if you
happen to be face to face with him, if you have your svarog statue relic
equipped, activate it, then strafe backwards away from him. Doppleganger with
walk towards you, but he will constantly take damage from the flames.
Eventually he will move away, but before taking a good amount of damage.

---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---

          ___________________________________________________________

Once he's been defeated, take the HP Max Up that appears in the center of the
chamber and leave via the northeastern door. Two Chaos Swords and a gargoyle-
esque foe called a Gaap await in the following corridor, so take them down and
progress northward. After opening the northern door, you'll find yourself in a
large chamber with a very shiny floor. Yet another type of skeleton-based foe
resides in here: the Phantom. Defeat them both to unlock the doors, then exit
to the northeast.

-- EXPLORING THE DUNGEON ------------------------

Head in an easterly direction, only jumping over the laser beams when you're
standing on part of the floor that is gray (the brown platforms crumble if you
jump on them). Continue along the path and enter the door you find at the end.
Destroy the Death Reapers and Chaos Swords in this next hallway, then enter
through the door at the far end.

The doors will slam shut behind you as you enter the following chamber, locking
you inside. In order to leave, you'll have to defeat the Mirage Skeleton
inside. The catch is that there are a ton of them in here, and only one is the
real deal! I really don't know how to tell the difference between the real
McCoy and the fake ones, so just whip up a storm and hope you take down the
right guy. Once you've done so, enter the northeastern door and pick up the
MP Max Up inside. In the previous room, now head to the west and take the Heart
Max Up! Sweet!

---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---

THANKS TO PROWLER_IRON FOR THIS SPIFFY NOTE!
============================================
Telling the difference between the real and the copys is realy easy once you
know it. When you enter the room, if you hurry to the piles of bones you are
going to see only one skeleton standing! He is the target. But if you manage
to loose sight of him, there's still another way. Wait for the skeleton to
group up and then watch their movements. Most of the skeletons will move
towards you but only one will move away from you. It may be hard to
understand, but try it, it works a charm!

ADDITIONAL PROPS GO OUT TO VALDRIN FOR THE FOLLOWING COOL TIP!
==============================================================
The trick here is the floor. The skeleton you're supposed to take out will
have its reflection in the floor, while the others will not.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL! JASON BROWN ADDS THIS AWESOME INFORMATION!
==============================================================
[Y]ou can tell the correct mirage skeleton if you find the one already
assembled before the rest come together (he is also the one who usually doesn't
chase after you and goes his own way).

---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---

With those two power-ups now in tow, backtrack to the room with the lasers and
take the other exit this time. In the following hall, run to the north and
climb the stairs at the end of the hall to reach the second floor!

Pretty groovy music, eh? I think so. At any rate, run in a southerly direction
and open the door at the bottom of the hallway. Okay, so remember those ground-
bound enemies from the House of Sacred Remains that you had to jump over to
avoid? Yeah? Well, they're back. Fortunately in much fewer numbers than before,
but they're obnoxious nonetheless. In any event, you wanna activate all six of
the lamps in order to open the western door at the top of the stairs. Since you
have 20 whole seconds to complete said task, I suggest starting with the two
lamps at the bottom of the stairs, then working your way up to the top.

Once you've entered the western door, run north through a hallway bereft of
anything exciting and open the doorway you find at the end. Take down the Death
Reapers and Phantom, then exit via the northeastern doorway. The following hall
is actually quite full of activity, so be ready for a fight. There are two Red
Ogres and two Dullahans in here, all of whom should be taken out. Although you
have never encounter the latter before, they don't provide anything you haven't
seen before, so I wouldn't worry too much about them.

After entering the northern door, destroy the Gargoyle you find inside and head
south through the door. Take out the Gargoyle and Gaap foes that reside in the
following room, then continue eastward through the door. The subsequent
corridor contains a single Flame Demon and four Axe Knights that you should
either defeat or run past. Kill the pair of Executioners in the next room, then
exit to the east.

-- PREPPING FOR THE FINALE ----------------------

Instead of heading south down the following corridor, you'll want to stop in
the western room first. Much like the room near the end of the Ghostly Theatre,
this place is pitch dark. Just follow the barely-visible platforms and you'll
eventually make it to the end. Open the door and you'll locate the final HP Max
Up! Nice! Before leaving there is a hidden door to the northwest that you might
wanna find, as inside is the Unlock Jewel, which will allow you to access the
final optional boss (check the secrets section for more information).

---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---

PROWLER_IRON DESERVES YOUR RESPECT FOR ADDING THIS COOL NOTE!
=============================================================
[T]o get very easely to the secrets doors, the wolf's foot works a charm! You
just need to focus on the blue arrows pointong at the door to execute your
jump!

---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---

Now then, return to the previous hallway and continue southward, opening the
door at the end. Three fierce Lizard Knights lurk inside, so defeat them to
open the locks and proceed to the east. A couple of Chaos Swords and three
Spartacuses inhabit the following hallway, so be sure to kill them good before
proceeding to the south. Take down a whole group of Death Reapers in the next
room and you'll be done with this area. As such, you now need to do a bit of
backtracking; return to the first hall on the second floor.

Once there, proceed north through the door that leads into uncharted territory.
Kill the Phantom and Lizard Knights, then exit to the northwest. Make your way
northward down this lengthy corridor, defeating the Gaap and Lizard Knights who
will try to kill you along the way. Deal with the Gargoyle in the next room,
then head south through the door. A trio of Spartacuses are in the following
chamber, so take them down and exit to the east.

The next hallway houses some Death Reapers and a vicious Gaap, all of whom you
should kill before proceeding southward through the door. Cut down the
Dullahans in the subsequent chamber, then continue to the east. Head into the
door on the western wall in this next hallway. Run north through the hall and
enter the door at the end. Grab the "VI" Tablet and then leave, as there isn't
anything else we can do in this room just yet. Head south in the next two halls
and you should come into a room inhabited by a pair of Lesser Demons. Defeat
them before exiting to the east.

The subsequent corridor contains two Red Ogres and as many Spartacuses. Kill
them all before using the southern door to leave. Destroy all of the Hanged Men
in the next room, then it'll be time to do some backtracking: get back to the
chamber with the lamps and the ground-bound foes.

There's no need to activate the lamps again, as the door we want to go through
(the one at the bottom of the stairs) is already wide open. Head inside and
run through the hallway, taking down the Red Ogres who are in the way. This
next chamber has three doors in it. I recommend heading west first, as it is
a save room. After using it, return to the previous room and head southward
into the door on the opposite side of the room. Examine the drawing on the
table and insert the "VI" Tablet into it. Then, hit the switch and watch as the
"VI" Tablet becomes the "IV" Tablet. Nice! Take it and return to the place
where you found the "VI" Tablet. Use your shiny new "IV" Tablet and the door
ahead will open. Head inside and take the Dragon Crest you find.

Okay, so return to the area with the save room and, after replenishing your
health, saving your data, and ensuring that you have a ton of healing items,
head through the northernmost door. Ascend the staircase and open up the boss
door ahead. Enjoy the cutscene, then its boss time.

                            ======================
                            B O S S : W A L T E R
                            ======================
Right from the beginning, nail Walter with a single whip lash and his barrier
of protection will be destroyed. After a short cutscene, you'll be put back
into control. Walter can freely teleport around the battlefield, so he's
definitely got the upperhand on you when it comes to movement. He can also send
some explosive spheres of energy at you, which you should avoid to the best of
your abilities. There is also one main attack of Walter's that you really need
to be on the lookout for; whenever he yells "Behold my strength!" he's about to
unleash a massive blast of energy, so get as far away from him as humanly
possible. Other than that, simply hit him with a barrage of whip strikes and
your Vampire Killer will eventually destroy him.

          ___________________________________________________________

However, Walter Bernhard is not the final boss...

                             ===================
                             B O S S : D E A T H
                             ===================
Now that you're staring true death in the face, it's time to kill the night
once and for all! For starters, lemme tell you that any and all sub-weapons are
completely useless against Death; he's totally impervious to them. His most
dangerous attacks include tossing his scythe at you, firing explosive skulls
to home in on you, and lock-on blasts of pure energy. There is also Death's
ultimate attack, where he immense waves of fire that crash down from above,
creating a huge blast when they reach the ground. To make matters worse, he's
got significantly more HP than any other boss you've fought before. Also,
since he only stays at the outskirts of the battlefield, hitting him can be
quite difficult. Hopefully you've brought along a sufficient amount of healing
items, otherwise you're totally screwed. Just chip away at his health whenever
you get the chance and he should go down eventually.

          ___________________________________________________________

Once he's been defeated, you have successfully beaten Castlevania: Lament of
Innocence! Congratulations, and enjoy the ending!

=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=
     VI ---------------------------------------------------- S E C R E T S
=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=

Although I've covered all the hidden items and stat bonuses within the
walkthrough, there is still some extra stuff that you can't find there. Here
they are...

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
a - Prison of Eternal Torture
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you were following my walkthrough, then you should've found an item called
the Unlock Jewel. With that firmly in tow, return to the warp room (where you
can access the five initial areas of the castle) and head through the door to
the west. In this next room, make your way southward and descend the spiral
staircase. Enter the door at the bottom and you'll come into a room with a
High Potion in the center, as well as a save room to the west and another door
to the east. Use the Unlock Jewel on the eastern door and you'll enter the
subsequent room, where you'll have to run down another spiraling staircase. At
the bottom is a door. Head inside and you'll encounter the fourth and final
hidden boss in the game!

                     ====================================
                     B O S S : F O R G O T T E N   O N E
                     ====================================
First of all, this guy will afflict you with the Poison and Curse statues a
LOT, so make sure you've got plenty of Serum and Uncurse Potion on you. The
first part of the battle should prove no problem; just stand at the edge of the
platform and nail him with heavy whip attacks from either your Vampire Killer
or Whip of Ice, all the while fending off the slugs, as they cause status
abnormalities. Also, try to avoid the blood as it rains down upon you from
above. Deplete his first health gauge and another will appear.

The second round is a good bit tougher. Your new target will be his arm, but
that's also what he'll be using to damage you, so it's kinda a pain to hit.
Simply jump over his sweeping attacks and back outta the way when's about to
smash it into the ground. Also, avoid the blood that he pours onto the
platform, as it causes damage and Poisons you. When he holds his hand directly
over the platform that you're standing on, it means he's about to try to smash
you, so get outta the way to avoid the resultant shockwave.

The third round finally puts you face-to-face with your rather ugly foe (anyone
else think this guy looks kinda like Anima from Final Fantasy X?). In his final
form, he can take you out ridiculously fast with his breath move. To avoid it,
you'll have to seek refuge behind one of the rocks that will shower down from
above. You'll be able to tell he's preparing to use his breath attack when you
see white wisps of energy gathering in front of his mouth. When you notice that
your rock is getting all cracked up, that signifies that you need to locate a
new hiding place, as your current one is about to be destroyed. Keep chipping
away at his health and he should eventually bite the dust. Your reward for this
mess? The Black Orb.

---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---

DWDUCK CONTRIBUTES AN ALTERNATE SOLUTION TO DEFEATING THIS BEHEMOTH!
====================================================================
I was able to defeat him using only the Cross subweapon. Peculiar considering
his tolerance for that weapon. So here it is:

1) Torso
   I used the Heart Broach / Aroma Earing / Jewel Crush
   Equip Cross sub-weapon and Yellow Orb.
   Walk as close as possible to torso.
   Jump up (to avoid worms) and execute Divine Cross.
   Continue to use this attack as fast as possible.
   This should result in a combo exceeding 99 hits
   and approximatly 1200 points of damage, all in less
   than a minute, and with out damage.
   At this point the game cuts the combo off and your
   counter resets. Repeat the Divine Cross bit to
   finish it off
2) Chest / Arm
   Same Idea, Divine Cross combo for 400 - 600 damage
   a whack, then he will whack you. Use potions /
   Jewel Crush to regain health / hearts
   This is a little trickier than stationary torso.
3) Head
   More Cross action, but now with Green Orb.
   Stand behind a rock
   Face towards him and jump, shooting Holy Light at
   his head. 40 - 100 damage a shot is not much, but
   you can stay hidden throughout the fight.
   Dodge to another rock whne yours is ready to go.

I also used the rotating cross bit on the Undead Parasite, the Doppelgangers,
and Joachim. For these three I added light whip shots to boost combo size for
the added damage bonus it provides.

The Divine Cross idea for the Forgotten one may also work using the Axe
Tornado, but I didn't try it. I think that attack allows you to get the
successive shots of it to hit fast enogh to boost the combo damage.

AND WARREN ROLFSMEYER ADDS:
===========================
when you're fighting the Forgotten One, when your at his head, and he is using
his flame attack, it is possible to damage him somewhat while hiding behind one
of the rocks closest to his head. If you have the axe sub-weapon, combine with
the blue orb (I think, whatever gives you the spinning edge attack), and use
this to get in at least some damage while remaining safe behind the boulder.

---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
b - Hidden Characters
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

=======================
PLAY AS JOACHIM ARMSTER
=======================

You can actually play as this creepy vampire whom you fought against in the
Dark Palace of Waterfalls. After beating the game, you'll be given this
password: @Joachim. Input this as your name at the start of a new game and you
will be able to play as this sword-wielding vampire. He controls quite a bit
differently from Leon, but using his five swords in battle is entirely awesome!

===============
PLAY AS PUMPKIN
===============

This strange young boy controls just like Leon, although he statistics are
different and he can only use one sub-weapon: the Pumpkin Bomb. To unlock him,
you must first beat the game using Joachim. Once you've done so, you will
receive the following password: @Pumpkin. Input this as your name at the start
of a new game and you'll be able to play as this interesting character!

For more in-depth information on these characters and how they differ from
Leon, I ask that you take a look at Taladryel's Secret Character Guide.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
c - Other Stuff
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

==========
CRAZY MODE
==========

As the name suggests, this mode is crazy difficult. It'll be unlocked once you
first beat the game. Input the password you're given after beating the game and
you'll be able to play in this mode, where Leon's statistics are drastically
reduced and you can't hold nearly as many items as usual. You'd have to be
crazy to try beating this (get it?)!

==============
BOSS RUSH MODE
==============

After defeating every single boss in the game, this mode will become available.
Once you've done so, return to the warp room and there will be a sixth
teleporter around. Stand on it and you'll enter Boss Rush Mode, where you fight
every boss in the entire game all in a row. Fortunately, you get healing items
between battles, but it is incredibly difficult nonetheless. Keep in mind that
there is no reward for winning this.

================================
START A NEW GAME WITH ALL SKILLS
================================

There is a way to begin a new game with all of Leon's skills and techniques
already learned. After beating the game for the first time, start a new game
and input @Llskill and you'll automatically have all of your skills learned.
Sweet, no?

===============
OPTIONAL BOSSES
===============

There are a grand total of four optional bosses in this installment of the
Castlevania series. The first three, the Flame, Frost, and Thunder Elementals,
can be found in the Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab, Dark Palace of Waterfalls, and
Garden Forgotten By Time respectively. Destroying these elemental bosses will
yield a new whip, each imbued with the element embodied by the foe you beat for
it. Pretty cool, eh? Keep in mind that the exact location of each boss and how
to beat them are in the main walkthrough, so check the proper section to locate
each one.

The fourth optional boss is known only as the Forgotten One, and it resides
deep inside the castle, in the Prison of Eternal Torture.

Dashboard Clock

P.S. A big thanx to Gamefaqs for letting me use SOME walkthroughs.