Enemies Encountered: Shaft.

Navigate the Clock Room and beyond in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. Learn how to access new areas, find items, and prepare for Dracula's imminent arrival.

Alright, so you've made it to the Clock Room. The first thing you'll want to do is drop down into the middle area. You'll see a cool flash of light, and then the clock hands will start spinning. They'll eventually settle on six, and the clock will chime thirteen times – spooky! This opens up the ceiling, giving you access to the upper part of the castle.

Once you're up there, you'll see three paths. The one on the left has a Heart Refresh, which is always handy. The path on the right is a save room, perfect for banking your progress. The middle path is the way forward, leading you closer to facing Dracula himself.

You'll then find yourself back in that room with the really ominous music. When you reach the top, you'll have a choice: left or right. Here's a pro-tip: this game really rewards you for exploring and filling out your map. So, you'll actually need to go down both the left and right paths without falling into the gap at the top middle. This means you'll have to backtrack and find a way around to cover the other side later.

Now, don't worry, we're not fighting Dracula just yet. The room where that epic battle takes place hasn't actually been discovered yet. And since you can't save after beating the game, you'd lose that map coverage if you went in now. To get around this, when we do get to the fight, we'll immediately use a Library Card to teleport out, save, and then head back to take on Dracula properly.