Reach Dracula with a plan
Use the continue system to learn each level and prepare for the final two-part battle.
Original 1986 Famicom / 1987 NES Castlevania, using the North American cartridge rules. Famicom Disk System saving, later Castlevania movement and remake level layouts are outside these guides.
Learn the six level groups
The eighteen stages are divided into six larger levels, each with a major encounter at its end. After a game over, Continue restarts from the beginning of the last level reached. Use that structure to learn a manageable sequence of rooms, pickups and boss positioning. A failed attempt still supplies route knowledge when you identify where the weapon changed or which jump first became unsafe.
Prepare a weapon for the late guardians
The later castle approach becomes easier when the equipped sub-weapon fits the next boss. Holy water is particularly useful for controlling Death when Simon keeps it supplied and places its flames deliberately. Protect a useful weapon by reading candle drops before collecting them. If an attempt reaches the arena without the intended ammunition or equipment, practice the boss’s movement rather than assuming the same attack plan will work unchanged.
Finish both parts of the final battle
For Dracula’s first form, watch each teleport, avoid the released fireballs and time an attack at his head. The second form is a separate monster encounter with a different jump pattern. Holy water can hold it in place while Simon follows with head-level whip attacks. Keep enough ground to land safely after jumping. Defeating that form completes the first run and reveals the ending before the harder repeat adventure.
A useful late-game weapon is part of the route: preserve it before reaching the boss.
Picture details
Game artwork belongs to its respective rights holders.