Boss Rush Mode

Boss Rush Mode is a mode first introduced in Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance and then reused in some later games. It is accessible once the game is completed (some require the "Best Ending" to be received) or by killing all bosses.

In this special game mode, the player must defeat bosses from the game. The mode's progress defers from game to game.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Boss Rush Mode is unlocked once the game has been completed and is normally played with Juste Belmont, no matter which ending was obtained. There are difficulty time trials in this mode. Between each boss room, it is possible to collect Hearts, but not changing the player's sub-weapon (as it is chosen at the beginning of the Rush).

You can play as Maxim Kischine by pressing L + R while choosing the difficulty. Another character only accessible in this mode is Simon Belmont, who can be unlocked if the Konami Code (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Select) is used. An arrangement of Vampire Killer and Clockwork can be heard when playing as Simon.

Three Boss Rush roads are open for the player, each new one being more difficult and longer, and being unlocked finishing the precedent one. The Normal road contains bosses from the Easy Road, and the Hard one contains all bosses from the game.


 * Easy Road
 * Giant Bat
 * Living Armor
 * Skull Knight
 * Golem
 * Minotaur
 * Normal Road
 * Devil
 * Giant Merman
 * Max Slimer
 * Peeping Big
 * Legion (Saint)
 * Hard Road
 * Shadow (after Peeping Big)
 * Legion (Saint)
 * Pazuzu
 * Minotaur Lv2
 * Legion (Corpse)
 * Talos
 * Death (both forms)
 * Cyclops
 * Dracula (both forms)

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow


The mode can be unlocked if you receive the best ending (use Flame Demon, Giant Bat, and Succubus soul when fighting Graham, and then kill Chaos). Once the Best Ending is received, go to the starting screen and select extras, where Boss Rush Mode is available. Man Eater is oddly a boss in this mode, as it is normally just a regular enemy. This Mode can also be played as Julius Belmont, if the player finished and saved a game as Julius.


 * 1) Creaking Skull
 * 2) Manticore
 * 3) Great Armor
 * 4) Man-eater
 * 5) Big Golem
 * 6) Head Hunter
 * 7) Death
 * 8) Legion
 * 9) Balore
 * 10) Graham

These bosses is stronger than their counterparts. They have more HP and Attack Power. Soma is set to level 40, with the same equipments and souls.

By finishing the Mode in less than a certain number of minutes, the player can obtain new powerful weapons. Once the weapon is obtained, a Potion will replace it.
 * Less than 4 mins: Valmanway
 * Between 4-5 mins: Positron Rifle
 * Between 5-6 mins: Excalibur
 * More than 6 mins: Potion

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Boss Rush Mode is unlocked once all bosses are defeated (including the Elementals and the Forgotten One). It then appears in the Castle Entrance as a sixth portal.


 * 1) Fire Elemental
 * 2) Ice Elemental
 * 3) Lightning Elemental
 * 4) Doppelganger
 * 5) Doppelganger 2
 * 6) Undead Parasite
 * 7) Golem
 * 8) Succubus
 * 9) Medusa
 * 10) Joachim
 * 11) Forgotten One
 * 12) Walter Bernhard
 * 13) Death

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
The mode is unlocked after the defeat of Menace. Malphas and Menace are not fought in this mode.


 * 1) Flying Armor
 * 2) Balore
 * 3) Dmitrii
 * 4) Puppet Master
 * 5) Dario
 * 6) Rahab
 * 7) Gergoth
 * 8) Zephyr
 * 9) Bat Company
 * 10) Paranoia
 * 11) Aguni
 * 12) Abaddon
 * 13) Death

By finishing the Mode in less than a certain number of minutes, the player can obtain new powerful items. Once the weapon is obtained, a Potion will replace it.
 * 5 Mins: RPG
 * 6 Mins: Death's Robe
 * 7 Mins: Nunchaku
 * 8 Mins: Terror Bear
 * More than 8 Mins: Potion

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Boss Rush Mode is unlocked when all the bosses have been defeated, including Legion and Nucleais. Boss Rush Mode can be entered during the game via warp rooms. It also allows the player to grab materials that they weren't able to obtain the first time around. Note that playing while playing as Trevor, Boss Rush Mode would be more challenging as Trevor does not use restorative items. Beating the Boss Rush Mode unlocks the Sound Mode.


 * 1) Crazy Armor
 * 2) Wyvern
 * 3) Trevor
 * 4) Skeleton Diver
 * 5) Minotaurus
 * 6) Isaac
 * 7) Saint Germain
 * 8) Trevor
 * 9) Dullahan
 * 10) Isaac
 * 11) Death
 * 12) Legion
 * 13) Nuclais
 * 14) Dracula
 * 15) True Dracula

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
This Mode contains three courses: the first course is already available when you start the game, but the two others require the good ending. This Mode can also be played as Richter and Maria, Stella and Loretta, and Old Axe Armor, but requires a finished and saved game with those characters.

This Mode contains normal enemies as well, but their rooms can be skipped.


 * Course 1
 * 1) Two skeletons and an Axe Armor
 * 2) Two Mermen and a Golem
 * 3) Balore
 * 4) Two Armor Knights and a Great Armor
 * 5) Dragon Zombie
 * 6) Gergoth
 * Course 2
 * 1) Dullahan
 * 2) Behemoth
 * 3) Keremet
 * 4) Astarte
 * 5) Legion
 * 6) Dagon
 * 7) Stella and Loretta
 * 8) Brauner
 * Course 3
 * 1) Dead Warrior and Demon Head
 * 2) The Creature
 * 3) Two Old Axe Armors and a Minotaur
 * 4) Medusa
 * 5) Heavy Armor and a Malachi
 * 6) Mummy Man
 * 7) Ruler's Sword
 * 8) Werewolf
 * 9) Two Cave Trolls
 * 10) Death

As for rewards, a Potion will replace already-obtained items:
 * Astral Ring - Beat Boss Rush Course 1 in under 1 min
 * Invisible Cape - Beat Boss Rush Course 1 in under 3 mins
 * Record 1 - Beat Boss Rush Course 2 in under 3 mins
 * Illusion Fist - Beat Boss Rush Course 2 in under 5 mins
 * Record 2 - Beat Boss Rush Course 3 in under 3 mins
 * Scout Armor - Beat Boss Rush Course 3 in under 5 mins

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
This game's Boss Rush mode is different from the previous games in the series : it becomes available as soon as one boss is defeated, it can be played with the help of a friend via a cooperation mode, and it is split into four courses : Random Rush, Boss Rush Normal, Boss Rush Dash, and Full Boss Rush. The three last courses give out three rewards each. With the exception of Akumajyo Dracula Peke (unlocked after completing Boss Rush Normal three times), these rewards are always Sound Items.
 * In Random Rush, the player will have to face all the bosses they have defeated so far in a random order. Because it is the only course that can be played as soon as at least one boss is felled in the normal game, it is also the only course that doesn't give any reward for completing it.
 * Boss Rush Normal contains all of the normal bosses of the game. However, Dracula is not fought in this course, and Shaft doesn't summon any monsters.
 * 1) Wyvern
 * 2) Werewolf
 * 3) Minotaur
 * 4) Dullahan
 * 5) Death
 * 6) Shaft
 * 7) Lesser Vampire
 * Boss Rush Dash contains all of the alternate bosses. Once again, neither Dracula or any of the bosses Shaft summons in Level 6 are fought.
 * 1) Serpent
 * 2) Bone Golem
 * 3) Dogether
 * 4) Carmilla and Laura
 * 5) Shaft
 * 6) Hydra
 * 7) Shaft's Ghost.
 * Full Boss Rush contains all of the bosses in the game, this time including Dracula.

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
This mode is unlocked after Dracula's defeat. You can play through it with either Shanoa or Albus. Two courses can be done: the first one contains every boss fought before getting into Dracula's Castle (an exception is the Giant Skeleton) and the second one that contains every boss fought inside Dracula's Castle (an exception is the Wallman).


 * Course A
 * 1) Athroverta
 * 2) Brachyura
 * 3) Maneater
 * 4) Rusalka
 * 5) Goliath
 * 6) Gravedorcus
 * 7) Albus
 * 8) Barlowe
 * Course B
 * 1) Blackmore
 * 2) Eligor
 * 3) Death
 * 4) Dracula

The rewards are the following:
 * Less than 4 Mins: L. Eye of God or R. Eye of Devil
 * 4 Mins or Higher: Arrow Helm, Axe Helm, Hammer Helm, Knife Helm, Lance Helm, Rapier Helm, Shield Helm, Sickle Helm, or Sword Helm

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate
This mode only appears in the HD remaster of the game. It is unlocked after the player finishes the game for the first time (a 100% run isn't mandatory). The player has access to all the unlocked techniques and upgrades from the Story Mode, even those obtained by defeating a specific boss (i.e. Alucard's Demonic Wings from the Daemon Lord). All bosses are fought, at the exception of the Daemon Lord with Trevor Belmont, as this boss is a QTE sequence. If defeated, Dracula will make fun of the player's capacities.


 * 1) Night Watchman
 * 2) Necromancer
 * 3) Succubus
 * 4) Reaver
 * 5) Daemon Lord (Resurrected)
 * 6) Dracula (Alucard & CPU Simon)
 * 7) Executioner (1)
 * 8) Lady of the Crypt (no QTE)
 * 9) Executioner (2)
 * 10) Dracula (Trevor only)