Alucard/Symphony of the Night/Page 2

Hand Items and Weapons
Alucard can place a different weapon or item in each hand and uses a different button to use each one. There are a variety of different kinds of weapons and items he can equip.

One Handed Weapons
Most weapons at Alucard's disposal can be placed in a single hand. Short Swords include smaller swords, knives, and rapiers and do Cut damage. Swords are generally similar, but longer, more powerful, and fast. Throwing Swords are thrown and indefinite number of times as their normal attack without consuming Hearts or MP and return to Alucard. Clubs are flails with long reach, a little slower, and have some overhead attacking ability. Fist weapons enhance Alucard's punching ability, do blunt damage, can be done repeatedly very rapidly, but have low range. Several weapons are elementally enhanced or have special moves associated with them.

Two Handed Weapons
Some large weapons require two hands to wield. These take up both hand slots, preventing the use of any other item or weapon. Most two-handed weapons are one of two basic types, the large, powerful, and slow Great Swords, and the fast Katanas. Like one handed weapons, these may have special attacks associated with them.

One Time Use Weapons
Many weapons can only be used once for each such weapon that has been acquired. These include Projectiles which are thrown like Sub-Weapons, and Bombs, which damage everything on the screen. These weapons can be used an infinite number of times once the Duplicator relic is obtained.

Shields
Shields can be equipped to raise defense and block projectiles. Some of them have special properties. Each shield has a special Shield Rod Spell that can be performed when a Shield Rod or Mablung Sword is equipped in the other hand. These will summon some kind of creature, which grants statistical enhancements or protection, or attacks enemies on the screen.

Food and Medicine
A wide variety of Food, which recovers health, can be equipped in one of Alucard's hands. Pressing that hand's button will cause the food to "pop out" near Alucard, and will recover some health once he touches it again. Medicine, most of which restore one of his meters, temporarily boosts his statistics, or recovers from a status ailment, can also be equipped. Its effect is immediate after pressing the corresponding button. In the Saturn version of the game, Alucard has a designated "third hand" that he can use for using food and medicine.

Other Equipment
Alucard has several other "slots" representing different areas he can equip items. He can have a single item equipped in Head slot, the Body slot, and the Cloak slot. He can also have any two items equipped in the Other slot. These items usually increase one of his stats, or provide some other enhancement.

Standard Items and Sub-Weapons
After facing Death, Alucard will soon find the Cube of Zoe relic, which causes items to fall from candles. These items include Small Hearts and Large Hearts, which, like in previous games, can be used to power Sub-Weapons. Money Bags of various denominations may also fall from candles. Rather than grant him addition lives, as in previous games, money can be used to purchase items from the Master Librarian. In some areas near enemies that cause Curses, candles may also drop Uncurse Potions.

Alucard will soon find his first sub-weapon, a Knife. Many sub-weapons from earlier games are in this game, as well as a few that are unique to this game. Alucard can only equip one sub-weapon at a time, but he can switch back to the previous sub-weapon if he changes his mind if the previous subweapon, which gets moved onto the screen and disappears after a while, is still on the screen. Alucard can use the same sub-weapons as Richter or the Saturn version of Maria can, but he tends to use a greater number of Hearts in order to use a sub-weapon. Unlike Richter though, he is able to increase the maximum number of hearts he can hold by leveling up or by finding Heart Vessels. Similarly, he is able to increase the maximum amount of damage he can take by collecting a Life Vessel, which can be found throughout the castle or summoned after defeating most bosses.

Shapeshifting
Throughout the course of the game, Alucard will gain Relics which allow him to take different forms, including a Wolf Form, Mist Form, and Bat Form. Other relics can be gained which enhance Alucard's abilities while assuming these forms. Each form is assigned its own button, which can be pressed to morph into the form and back. Maintaining these forms consumes MP. These form are initially used in order to gain better access to areas on the map or to evade enemies, but are later able to increase their offensive capabilities.

Familiars
Alucard can find a variety of Relics that grant him use of a Familiar. Only one familiar can be out at a time and consume MP gradually while they are out. They tend to follow Alucard around and perform independent actions. The familiars level up as Alucard does, and their abilities and aggressiveness increases with their level. The Faerie Familiar and Fairy Familiar tend to heal Alucard's health or status as he needs it. They may also use Medicine found in his inventory. Some of this medicine can only be used by these familiars if Alucard is incapacitated and unable to take any actions (such as being Petrified or dead). The Bat Familiar, Ghost Familiar, Sword Familiar, Devil Familiar, Nose Demon Familiar will attack nearby enemies. The Bat Familiar can be used in conjunction with Alucard's Bat Form. The Sword Familiar can utilize a spell and once it reaches a certain level can be equipped like a very powerful normal sword. The Devil and Nose Demon familiars can press switches that Alucard cannot reach himself. Because the Fairy Familiar and Nose Demon Familiars are nearly identical to the Faerie Familiar and Devil Familiars respectively, these familiars were left out of the international PSX and XBLA versions of the game.

Personal Spells
There are five spells that Alucard can use that don't require use of a form, familiar, or item. These can be performed from the beginning of the beginning if Alucard has enough MP to cast them, although the button sequence required to activate them is not revealed initially. The spell sequence needed become available if they are discovered by trial and error or by a players memory or upon purchase of a Magic Scroll from the Master Librarian. These are Dark Magic spells related to Alucard's vampiric heritage.

Other Relics
Some relics can be found that enhance Alucard's mobility or give him information about enemies. When he reaches the Inverted Castle, he must find five of Dracula's Relics by defeating bosses. These are required in order to open the gate to Shaft's ceremonial room, fight Dracula, and beat the game. They also offer permanent statistical enhancements or protection.