What is a boss fight? A miserable pile of busted controllers. The Castlevania games are well known for their diverse cast of monsters, and they don't go silently into that good night. The Belmont Bestiary is full of formidable foes that hail from Biblical, Greek, and even Japanese folklore. With an entourage like that, players will likely toss in the towel long before they even step foot in the eponymous castle of Dracula.
Make no mistake, these boss fights will humble even the most boastful of players. Only the bravest and dedicated vampire hunters will best these beasts. Which of Dracula's minions are the toughest to vanquish?
10 Galamoth (Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night)
Though critically acclaimed, Symphony of the Night did get some flak from fans for toning down the difficulty the series was known for. However, there is one boss in this PlayStation classic that might cause players to toss their controllers – Galamoth.
Even with the massive abundance of potions, healing items, spells, and transformations, Alucard will have his work cut out when dealing with the beast's projectiles and lightning attacks. If that's not bad enough, Galamoth doesn't just dish out damage – he soaks in it with a total HP of 12,000.
9 Blackmore (Order of Ecclesia)
One common complaint with the Castlevania entries headed by Koji Igarashi was that levelling up characters mixed with the amount of healing items and weaponry made many battles a simple formality. The bosses in Order of Ecclesia gave those dissenters more than they bargained for. It's particularly telling that even after Shanoa's had a chance to level up, collect more powerful glyphs, and rescue most of the townsfolk that grant her some helpful items, Blackmore is still a formidable opponent. His silhouetted beast, projectiles, and sheer dogged determination will make any player sweat.
8 Slogra (Super Castlevania IV)
The omnidirectional whip from Super Castlevania IV came in handy against the game's many bosses. Monsters that were previously a pain like the mummies, Medusa, and Death were less of a hassle since Simon's whip had amazing range when fully upgraded. Slogra will humble any player thinking they're in for an easy fight. He's fast, dishes out lots of damage, and his attacks are very hard to avoid. If his spear and projectiles don't do the job, then his lunge and jump attacks will.
7 The Werewolf (Castlevania Chronicles)
As if the trek through the Clock Tower wasn't arduous enough, the Werewolf may cause players to give up completely in this X68000 reimagining of the original Castlevania. In contrast to the slower moving Simon Belmont, the Werewolf is fast, aggressive, and dishes out lots of projectiles. Be wary of rocks, numbers from the clock face, and even the hand as the werewolf leaps and somersaults all through the arena. The axes are definitely the sub-weapon of choice in this fight as the werewolf loves to leap out of the vampire killer's range.
6 The Creature (Castlevania)
Some might argue that Death is the hardest boss in the original Castlevania, but holy water is enough to put him out of commission in under 20 seconds. The Creature, however, has no such exploit. Players just have to suck it up and deal with his infinitely spawning flea men and flame projectiles. Another aspect that might put players on the edge during this fight is the North American version's lack of any save function or passwords feature. Rage quitting here means going through the entire game all over again.
5 The Gargoyle (Bloodlines)
The Gargoyle is pretty tough, but one annoying aspect of Bloodlines exacerbates his difficulty – the continue system. Limited continues means players have limited tries to get through a stage and defeat a boss before needing to redo everything. Hopefully, they have enough to traverse the Leaning Tower of Pisa and deal with a flying boss that's hard to reach, dishes out three way projectiles, and a hard to predict tail whip attack. Of course, losing all remaining lives means starting back from the beginning of that long level.
4 Shaft's Boss Rush (Rondo Of Blood)
Who's the evil priest in red who raised the count back from the dead? Shaft. Dracula's servant in Rondo of Blood summons some of the most feared foes in the Belmont bestiary for a grueling boss rush. Players will have to contend with old favorites such as the Creature, the Giant Bat, Medusa, and the Mummy from the original NES games. All of them have to be vanquished in one go, which is easier said than done. This might be the boss fight that'll cause players to throw in the towel and just use Maria instead of Richter.
3 Death (Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse)
It wouldn't be a Castlevania game without a battle against Death, and Castlevania III's incarnation may just be the hardest one yetever As usual, Death floats around and spawns an inordinate amount of scythes that are difficult to avoid. Players can use the holy water to make things easier, but it proves to be less effective this time around.
Not only that, Death has to be fought twice in one go. In his second form, he's a giant floating skull that takes up a large part of the screen and dishes out some more projectiles.
2 Gilles De Rais (Castlevania 64)
The Belmont clan's first step into 3D isn't one of the most well – regarded entries in the series. This was a time when developers were still learning how to work with camera control, 3D movement, and combat. One would think that the boss fights would pull their punches a bit to compensate for the lack of precision. They'd be wrong. Gilles de Rais' projectiles, shockwave attacks, and ability to suck blood to replenish health make him a more considerable threat than even the count.
1 Dracula (Dracula X)
The big confrontation with the count himself isn't going to be easy, but the one in Dracula X for the Super Nintendo takes the stake. Unlike the other final frays which used the standard throne room, the arena in Dracula X consists of a bunch of floating platforms atop a bottomless pit. One blow is all it takes to cause Richter to fall backwards, making any hit, no matter how minor, potentially fatal. Players could be at the end of Dracula's second form only to get bopped by one stray fireball, die, and be forced to start the whole fight all over.
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