Castlevania: Dracula X - Stage 1: Burning Town
11So now I actually start on this game. If you're coming to this from Rondo of Blood, all of Richter's actions are the same: He can only swing his whip in front of him, standing or crouching. He can backflip, which can also be used as a weak double jump.
The one thing Dracula X did managed to retain from Rondo of Blood is that game's most significant feature for the franchise: Item Crashes! With a lot of Hearts, you can use whatever your subweapon is, and turn it into a super attack that (usually) fills the screen!
Of course, there are pros and cons to this gameplay style if you're coming from Super Castlevania IV. Richter can't whip vertically or diagonally, nor can he freely brandish the whip around. He is actually supposed to be more powerful than Simon, but this game also still limits his attack range.
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In Stage 1, before Richter can enter into Castlevania, itself, he must first travel through the town Dracula has wrecked with his evil hordes, and pillage them from the land of the living.
The boss of this level is the 3-headed demon, Cerberus. It can pounce at you and shoot fireballs that travel along the ground. Try using the backflip technique to help you dodge it.
It's a rather easy boss, being the first and all. After you beat the boss, you'll get a new password to keep track of your progress in the results screen. The password is formed by the flamed powerups you see there.