Guide Opening (2)

Welcome to the Castlevania II: Simon's Quest FAQ/Walkthrough. Learn about the game's unique RPG elements, cryptic puzzles, and day/night cycle. Get step-by-step guidance to break Dracula's curse.

Hello and welcome to both my, and Greg's, FAQ/Walkthrough for perhaps one of the most polarising entries in the whole Castlevania series – the second entry on the NES console – Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. Yes, we're back to double-team the sequel to the original game that we also co-authored a guide for! Castlevania II does control and play quite similarly to its predecessor on the same system, though does also have some very notable gameplay changes in that the game now has a more open, non-linear (and pretty cryptic) approach, and with the introduction of towns and stores, and all the additional weapon upgrades and key items required to purchase, there is more of an adventure-RPG theme this time round.

Once again, taking control of vampire slayer extraordinaire Simon Belmont, afflicted with a curse following the final showdown with Count Dracula at the conclusion of the original Castlevania game. You now must visit a series of mansions to gather Dracula's scattered body parts, and return them to his castle in order to destroy them permanently. The game runs on a 24-hour clock that progresses by 4 in-game minutes per second, resulting in day-to-night transitions. It also serves a secondary purpose; for the number of game days taken to defeat Dracula and beat the game determines the type of ending you achieve, whether or not Simon is freed of the curse, and if Dracula is truly defeated.

How you like this game may well depend on what you expect out of your classic Castlevania; this game is generally less challenging than the original game – which went a little overboard with enemies in large numbers and several cheap pitfalls to catch you out. That's not to say it doesn't have some tough spots and enemies in the overworld and dungeon areas, but the main challenge now comes from finding your way round the game with its non-linear, open-world layout with some cryptic puzzle-solving involved. It is a definite change of pace, and without some kind of a guide or map, these puzzles may very well leave you will no idea of where to go next – so that's where we come in!

Within this FAQ, Greg and I will give you a full walkthrough to guide you step-by-step through each area to clear the game from start to finish, and include as much additional miscellaneous information (such as NPC dialogue and clues) for the various locations you visit. We'll also cover basics, enemies, items and secrets to round the guide off. I hope that you find this guide useful, and should you wish to leave any feedback or additional information that you reckon would be useful to include within it, please drop either of us a line!

Hello everyone!

We are back with another Castlevania guide. What is there to say that my mate Ryan didn't already? This is definitely the "Black Sheep" of the Castlevania family. They really did try to make something different here, for better or worse. I can appreciate that, and the game is definitely unique. But oh man, the translation issues in this game!

I'm still on my quest to write for every Castlevania game out there, as it has always been one of my favourite series in gaming. This is my 19th Castlevania guide in fact, and who better to write it with than my good friend Ryan Harrison, certified old-school game lover and long time GameFAQs author/reviewer.

As Ryan pointed out, this game is quite a doozy with cheap pitfalls, hidden items, and a nonsensical quest structure. If you ever needed a guide for an old-school game, this game certainly qualifies! Still... we have your back! Let's guide Simon on his quest and break Dracula's curse!