The Creature

The 'Creature is a giant monster made out of pieces of corpses sewn together horribly by the insane biologist Dr. Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's novel. The Creature has immense strength and physical prowess. Its name is commonly confused with its creator, which is amusing as in Castlevania, it predates its creator by several centuries.

Frankenstein's monster (or Frankenstein's creature) is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. In the novel, the creature has no name—a symbol of his parentlessness and lack of human sense of self and identity. He does call himself, when speaking to his creator, Victor Frankenstein, the "Adam of your labours". He is also variously referred to as a "creature," "fiend," "the dæmon," "wretch," "zombie," "devil," "being," and "ogre" in the novel. The character is often referred to as simply Frankenstein.

The monster's namelessness became part of the stage tradition as Mary Shelley's story was adapted into serious and comic plays in London, Paris, and France during the decades after the novel's first appearance. Mary Shelley herself attended a performance of Presumption, the first successful stage adaptation of her novel. "The play bill amused me extremely, for in the list of dramatic personae came, _______ by Mr T. Cooke,” she wrote her friend Leigh Hunt. “This nameless mode of naming the unnameable is rather good.”

Into this vacuum, it is understandable that the name of the creator—Frankenstein—would soon be used to name the creation. That mistake was made within the first decade after the novel was published, but it became cast in concrete after the story was popularized in the famous 1930s Universal film series starring Boris Karloff. The film was based largely on a play by Peggy Webling, performed in London in 1927. Curiously, Webling's Frankenstein actually does give his creature his name. The Universal film reverted to the empty cypher, however: the film's credits list the character Karloff plays as a series of question marks. Nevertheless, the creature soon enough became best known in the popular imagination as "Frankenstein".

Vampire Killer & Castlevania
In these two titles in the series, the Creature's attack pattern doesn't differ in the slightest from each other. Even its own sprite is reused for these two games (the only difference being its palette).

The Creature ambles back and forth in a fixed area while its ward, Igor, hops about in an attempt to dissuade the player's assault on the Creature itself.

While the Creature doesn't attack, it can deal a lot of damage to the player if it ever comes into physical collision with the hapless player who is busy trying to land blows on the Creature's head as well as avoid the wiry Igor.

Haunted Castle
In the notorious arcade title Haunted Castle, the Creature is chained to the far left wall of the late Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory preventing it from wandering across the screen. However, the Creature isn't entirely helpless as it will strike the back wall causing large boulders to come raining down upon the player from the ceiling above. If the player is too close to it, the Creature will swing its chains around trying to knock the player away from it.

This battle can be made harder if the Hunchbacks in the previous screen aren't dealt with prior to the fight with the Creature. If not slain, the Hunchbacks will follow the player into the room where the Creature dwells.

Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse
The Creature now has abandoned his former comrade Igor when it takes up residence at the end of the Deadly Tower (or the Castle Basement depending on the player's path). In both encounters, the Creature's attack strategy remains the same. It'll come marching in from the left side of the screen and then start to saunter to and fro across the floor stopping only to stomp the ground to cause an avalanche of bricks to come crashing down from above. If all of the bricks miss the player, the Creature will pull out a new brick and toss it toward the player in an arced path.

When the Creature is defeated, it collapses to the ground and burns up leaving only his skull visible where his head should be.

Super Castlevania IV
The Creature returns to his late creator's lab in the midst of the dungeon in Dracula's castle. Its attack strategy has again changed although meandering back and forth still remains. Taking advantage of the shelves of chemical filled vials behind it, the Creature will now hurl these in the player's direction.

The vials each have a different effect depending on the color of its liquid content:


 * Pink: The vial will cause a shockwave across the floor when it crashes against the floor.
 * Green: Explodes in midair to produce several miniature pale green fireballs to come shooting down upon the player in a diagonal fashion.
 * White: Once cracked upon the floor, a faint clone of the Creature is produced. Though easily dispatched, it can allow the real Creature to sandwich you in for more damage.

Castlevania: Bloodlines
The Creature returns in the Munitions Factory as a sub boss this time around. This is perhaps its tallest incarnation in the series.

Its only methods of attacks are striking the floor with its fist to produce a jolt of electricity that travels to the other end of the screen and swinging a long chain wrapped around its wrist.

The Creature doesn't wander much in this title unlike most of its other appearances.

Castlevania Chronicles
The Creature returns yet again as a sub boss stationed in Stage 7. This is perhaps the only time in which you do not have to actually fight the Creature itself using nearby stairways and running quickly to avoid fighting it altogether.

When the player first approaches it, an explosion will bring the Creature to life. After rising up from its position, the Creature will proceed to march slowly toward the player, madly swinging its ball and chain all the while, periodically stopping to do a dash attack. It is best to defeat it quickly, as being cornered will spell certain doom for the player.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
In this title, the Creature is merely a pawn of Shaft in a grand scale battle. This time around, the Creature has three methods of attack that it will pull off in a random fashion with little to no warning:


 * It can grab and hold the player in a choke hold that, if the player doesn't manage to shake free, can quickly lead to death.
 * It will generate a blue beam in which to blast the player.
 * The Creature resurrects an old tactic straight from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse where it will stomp on the ground, causing bricks to come crashing down.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
This time around, the Creature's appearance has been altered quite a bit from his earlier incarnations complete with a new method of attack: a sledge hammer.

His new appearance comes fully equipped with a new set of attacks. His primary attack being to slam its hammer down into the ground upon the player. At different intervals, the Creature will roll himself up into a ball and roll all around the parameter of his room, using the slopes to roll onto the walls and ceilings and to increase his overall speed. When in this form, his tubing and machinery pokes out making it harder to perform a jump over his rolling body.

After defeating him, you acquire the Tooth of Vlad relic.

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness & Castlevania 64
The Creature no longer keeps a boss status in these two titles, but more over as a very dangerous immortal hazard. It is accompanied by two gargoyle hounds that chase after the player and hold the player by his ankles so that the Creature can catch up to deliver a mortal wound with its chainsaw.

The Creature now resides in the maze garden of the Villa level in both titles and is now equipped with a chainsaw and (depending on the version of the game you are playing) a shot gun.

The Creature can be damaged and even knocked down for a time, but it cannot be killed unlike in previous appearances where it could be. This makes escaping from garden maze all the more difficult and only by using the holy water as a means to slow it and its stone comrades down is it any easier.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
In this title for the Gameboy Advance, the Creature has been downgraded to the status of a lesser enemy known as Franken and only makes its appearance in the Eternal Corridor after the player defeats Death in the Underground Warehouse.

It lumbers along very slowly only to stop and deliver a two-fisted downward smash whenever the player wanders too close to it.

In this game, there appear to be more than one Creature.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
For the first title on the DS handheld, the Creature remains a (though rather strong) lesser enemy in the game appearing ever so rarely throughout the castle.

When approached, the Creature is activated by a few bolts of lightning. Afterward, it proceeds to stroll slowly in the player's direction only to speed up tremendously when it draws within close proximity of the player's position.

The Creature's main method of attack is its electrically charged hammering fist which has great range and is dealt very quickly, making it difficult to dodge.

Its soul is one of the hardest (if not THE hardest soul) to attain in the entire game.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Once again, the Creature returns as a boss monster in the Dark Academy area of the game and (which appears to quickly becoming tradition to the series) springs to life after being charged by lightning bolts.

This game, although uses the same sprite set it had in Rondo of Blood, offers a whole new range of techniques though keeping some of his old ones from Rondo.


 * It keeps its old grabbing choke hold technique.
 * It also keeps its clenched dual-fisted beam which is now a series of lightning bolts rather than a beam.
 * It is now able to do a diagonal leap into the air and come crashing down hard on the player.
 * It is now also able to launch a heat-seeking missile or a series of machine gun bullets from its elbow mounted turret.
 * It no longer causes blocks to rain down from the ceiling.

A cheap tactic to use in order to negate some of his attacks is to call Charlotte and have her use Dark Gate to suck up all of the Creature's bullets.

When defeated, the Creature dies in a similar manner to how it does in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.

Two Creatures appear at the same time in one of the later levels in the Nest of Evil, making that room very difficult to beat. After fighting them for awhile, you can move on to the next room, but if you're trying to gain experience, then the fight may be necessary. The best tactic to beat both of them is to use the Greatest Five Dual Attack. Make sure you have the Magus Ring equipped to one of your characters before you use it.

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
In Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, The Creature is a common enemy. He can shoot lightning from his hands and can launch fire from a flamethrower built in one of his hands. Other than that, he uses kicks as normal attack.

While not directly related to The Creature, two other variations of the enemy, aptly known as Enkidu and Rebuild, appear in Order of Ecclesia.

Status & Descriptions
The Creature has been given stats that vary from game to game since Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Level 40

HP: 1100

Strong: None

Resistance: Thunder

Weak: None

Absorb: None

Exp.: 2500

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

HP: 1200

Resistance: Earth

STR: 700

DEF: 350

EXP: 2100

Drop: Ninja Garb 1.2% drop rate

Drop2: Soldier Fatigues .75% drop rate

Location: Eternal Corridor

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

HP: 150

MP: 60

EXP: 130

Weak: Spears and Swords

Resistant: Lightning

Soul Type: Enchant

Soul Drop Rate: 1%

Soul Description: Restore HP gradually.

Max Soul Level: 1

MP Use (for soul): -

Soul Rarity: ***

Soul Synthesis: -

Drop: Tinned Spinach 8% drop rate

Drop2: -

Location: Wizardry Lab, Dark Chapel

Description: A humanoid creature constructed from numerous corpses.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

HP: 4000

Resistance: Lightning

Weakness: Whips and Swords

EXP: 5000

SP: 60

Location: Dark Academy and Nest of Evil

Description: An artificial being created by a mad scientist.

Trivia

 * The Creature is based on the monster created by Dr. Frankenstein from the classic horror tale Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. The monster is often mistakenly called "Frankenstein".
 * In Dawn of Sorrow for the DS, the Creature drops a can of Tinned Spinach. This, coupled with its menu description, may be a reference to the old Popeye cartoons.
 * Up until just before Symphony of the Night, the Creature was referred to as Frankenstein within the games.
 * In Lament of Innocence you can see a portrait of the Creature hanging in the Ghostly Theatre.