Castlevania Cheat Codes & Secrets
Complete collection of cheat codes, passwords, unlockables, and hidden secrets for Castlevania (1986).
Continue System
Castlevania (NES) does not use a password system — progression is handled entirely through a limited continue mechanic. When Simon Belmont loses all lives, a Game Over screen appears. Pressing Start at this screen spends one of your continues and restarts you at the beginning of the current block (each block contains three stages). You begin each new game with 2 continues.
| Action | Input | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Use a continue | Start at Game Over screen | Returns to start of current block |
| Restart from block beginning | Automatic on continue | Progress within a block is lost |
Because continues are scarce, learning enemy patterns and conserving hearts (for sub-weapon use) is essential to reaching Dracula.
Second Quest (Hard Mode)
Completing the game unlocks a harder second playthrough, often called the Second Quest. After the ending credits roll, the game restarts with noticeably increased difficulty:
- Enemies deal greater damage per hit
- Enemy movement speed is increased
- Enemy placement becomes more aggressive
- Medusa Heads and Fleamen appear in tighter corridors
No code is required — simply beat Dracula and the harder mode begins automatically. This is the closest Castlevania NES comes to a “New Game+” system.
Extra Lives and Score Bonuses
Simon earns bonus lives through the score system. Reaching 20,000 points awards a 1-UP, with additional 1-UPs granted at every 20,000-point interval thereafter (40,000, 60,000, and so on).
| Score Threshold | Reward |
|---|---|
| 20,000 points | +1 Life |
| Every 20,000 after | +1 Life |
To maximize score:
- Kill every enemy rather than avoiding them
- Collect all money bags from candles (worth 100–400 points each)
- Large money bags in breakable walls grant 400 points
- Bosses award bonus points on defeat
Farming early stages for score before major boss encounters is a practical way to stockpile lives for the brutal later blocks.
Hidden Items and Breakable Walls
Hundreds of candles line the castle, and most contain items. A smaller number of wall blocks across all stages are secretly destructible — whipping them reveals hidden food, hearts, money bags, and 1-UP dolls that are not visible until struck.
Notable hidden item locations:
| Stage | Location | Hidden Item |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | Second set of stairs, whip the right wall | Large money bag |
| Stage 2 | Dungeon area, floor-level wall right of first pit | Pot roast (full health restore) |
| Stage 3 | Clock tower approach, upper-left corner block | 1-UP doll |
| Stage 4 | Sunken city section, behind bottom-row bricks | Pot roast |
| Stage 6 | Final corridor before Dracula’s chamber, right wall | 1-UP doll |
The general rule: any wall that looks slightly different in color or texture, or any floor-level block near a pit, is worth whipping. Pot roasts fully restore Simon’s health and are critical resources before boss fights.
Boss Exploits and Combat Glitches
Dracula — Holy Water Stunlock
The hardest boss in the game is significantly easier with Holy Water equipped. Throw Holy Water directly at Dracula’s feet when he teleports to a low position. The flame pool from Holy Water deals continuous damage and can prevent him from teleporting away, effectively stunlocking him through his second phase. With full hearts and Holy Water, the fight can end in under 20 seconds.
| Sub-weapon | Effectiveness vs. Dracula | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Holy Water | Excellent | Drop at his feet, repeat |
| Cross (boomerang) | Good | Arcing throw hits both phases |
| Axe | Good | High arc hits second-phase head |
| Dagger | Poor | Too low damage |
Death — Cross (Boomerang) Cheese
The Death boss encounter in Stage 5 is one of the most notorious fights in the game. Entering the room with the Cross sub-weapon and maximum hearts lets you spam it continuously. The Cross’s arc tracks across the entire room and hits the Sickles as well as Death himself, dramatically reducing the difficulty of this fight.
Medusa Staircase Knockback
Medusa Heads are intentionally designed to knock Simon off staircases, but this knockback behaves inconsistently near wall-adjacent stairs. If Simon is positioned at the very edge of a staircase against a wall when struck, the knockback can push him into the wall, briefly freezing him in place rather than sending him into a pit. While not a reliable survival trick, experienced players can use wall positioning to absorb some knockback without dying.
Fleaman Phase-Through
In several rooms, Fleamen (the hopping enemies) can clip slightly into staircase geometry when spawning. If Simon stands at the base of a staircase during this spawn frame, the Fleaman’s hitbox briefly overlaps Simon’s without dealing damage — a one-frame window that cannot be intentionally exploited but is worth knowing explains some apparent invincibility moments on stairs.
Whip Upgrade Progression
The whip follows a fixed upgrade path. Collecting a Morning Star icon (a small flail weapon in certain candles) upgrades the whip permanently for that life:
| Stage | Whip Name | Range | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default | Leather Whip | Short | Straight hit, weak damage |
| 1st upgrade | Thorn Whip / Chain Whip | Medium | Slightly longer reach |
| 2nd upgrade | Morning Star | Long | Full extended chain, maximum damage |
The Morning Star is the most important power-up in the game. Losing a life resets the whip to Leather, which is why extra-life farming and conservative play matter so much in later stages.
Sub-weapon Quick Reference
Sub-weapons are found in candles and activated with the Up + B input.
| Sub-weapon | Input | Hearts Per Use | Best Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dagger | Up + B | 1 | Fast enemies, Bats |
| Axe | Up + B | 2 | Arcing enemies, Medusa Heads above |
| Holy Water | Up + B | 2 | Bosses, stationary enemies |
| Cross (Boomerang) | Up + B | 3 | Death, clearing rooms |
| Stopwatch | Up + B | 5 | Freezes all enemies, emergency use |
The Stopwatch is the rarest and most powerful sub-weapon — freezing every enemy on screen for several seconds. It is particularly effective in the Stage 5 clock tower corridor before Death, and against the block-throwing Knights in Stage 4.
No Password System — A Note for Players
Unlike its sequels Simon’s Quest (which uses an extensive password system) and Dracula’s Curse (which uses passwords for character selection), the original Castlevania NES has no password or save system. The game must be completed in a single session using only the built-in continues. Emulator save states are the modern substitute for players who want to practice specific sections without replaying from the beginning.