Boss Rush Mode

Boss Rush Mode, or simply Boss Rush, is a recurring alternate mode featured in some titles of the Castlevania series. In it, the player must defeat several bosses one after the other. The roster of bosses is generally comprised by those from the main game, although there are rare instances that include guest bosses from other games of the series. The player is usually presented with three courses at the beginning, each having a different level of difficulty. Upon completion of each course, and depending if the player met certain criteria at the end (like finishing the course in a set amount of time), rare and powerful items may be obtained as a reward. The mode's progress differs from game to game.

This special mode was introduced in Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance and then reused in some later games. It is generally accessible once the game is completed (some require the "best ending" to be received) or by killing all bosses.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

Boss Rush Mode is unlocked once the game has been completed from any ending. Three Boss Rush difficulties are available to play, each one being more difficult and longer than the last. Initially, only the "Easy" difficulty is selectable, and clearing it will unlock Normal, which in turn unlocks Hard when cleared. The Normal road contains bosses from the Easy Road plus some additional ones, and the Hard difficulty contains all bosses from the game except Maxim. While playing, a time trial will be available but invisible to the player, only being seen at the mode's clear. In this game, the elapsed time only serves one purpose: for the leaderboard. It is possible to collect Hearts between each boss room, but it is not possible to change the player's sub-weapon as it is chosen at the beginning of the Rush. This mode comes with three playable characters:

• Juste Belmont: he is playable by default. Juste loses his access to the pause menu, inventory, and spell books, not even accessible by inputting the shortcuts of normal game.
• Maxim Kischine: he is playable by holding the L and R shoulder buttons when selecting the difficulty level.
• Simon Belmont: he is playable by inputting the Konami Code (↑, ↑, ↓, ↓, ←, →, ←, →, B, A, SELECT) while the Konami logo is being shown. If succeeded, the title screen will revert to the blue version, instead of the red one that is displayed after the game has been cleared. Enter 'Boss Rush' mode and Simon will be automatically selected. He appears as his iconic 8-bit version from the Castlevania (NES), both visually and gameplay-wise, with minor changes. Upon entering the area, "VK2K2" (an arrangement of "Vampire Killer" and "Clockwork") can be heard throughout his entire gameplay. If Hard Mode is cleared as Simon, a special ending will be viewable at the end of the Boss Rush. For more information, see Simon Belmont/Harmony of Dissonance.

The player and enemy stats do not match the normal gameplay, but instead use a different value set, which is also used in Maxim Mode. Generally, Juste has average attack and defense, Maxim has worse stats, and Simon has better stats.

According to debug mode, the Boss Rush area is located in the top-left corner of the castle. It is unknown if this location is truly part of the castle as it is never explored during the main story gameplay.

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 Wraith (both forms)

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

The route's map.
(does not appear in-game).

Boss Rush is unlocked when the player views the best ending (by equipping the Flame Demon's, Giant Bat's and Succubus's souls when dealing the last blow to Graham's first form, and then entering the Chaotic Realm to destroy Chaos). Once achieved, Boss Rush Mode will become accessible in the "Extras" menu on the game's title screen.

This mode can also be played as Julius Belmont, but can only be accessed after completing the Julius Mode first (beating Graham) and selecting that save file in the Boss Rush menu screen.

1. Creaking Skull (1,200 HP/ 55 ATK)
2. Manticore (1,440 HP/ 60 ATK)
3. Great Armor (1,650 HP/ 60 ATK)
4. Man-Eater
5. Big Golem (2,200 HP/ 55 ATK)
6. Headhunter (50 ATK)
7. Death
8. Legion
9. Balore
10. Graham Jones

Some of the bosses have more HP and attack power than their counterparts in the normal playthrough. Soma is set to level 40, keeps his equipment and souls, and his inventory is replaced with a predetermined amount of healing items for the duration of the Boss Rush.

By completing this mode within a time limit, the player will obtain new powerful weapons for the save file selected to initiate Boss Rush. Once a weapon has been obtained, the next prize will replace it. If all of the weapons have been obtained, a Potion will be awarded instead.

• Less than 4 minutes: Valmanway
• Between 4~5 minutes: Positron Rifle
• Between 5~6 minutes: Excalibur
• More than 6 minutes: Potion

In Julius' Boss Rush, the player can only acquire Potions regardless of the time they took to finish the mode. These Potions are not saved into the save file, as the player cannot open the menu to use items (see Trivia).

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. There is no reward for beating this mode, but the game does keep track of the player's best completion time.

1. Flame Elemental
2. Frost Elemental
3. Thunder 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

Boss Rush Mode is unlocked after defeating Menace at the end of the main game, or defeating Soma at the end of Julius Mode. Malphas and Menace are not fought in this mode.

It is possible to skip boss fights by using a glitch involving the Cutall and the Succubus soul.

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 has already been obtained, a Potion will replace it.

• 5 minutes: RPG
• 6 minutes: Death's Robe
• 7 minutes: Nunchakus
• 8 minutes: Terror Bear
• More than 8 minutes: Potion

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

Boss Rush Mode is unlocked after all the bosses from the main game have been defeated (including Legion and Nuculais). Once done, Boss Rush Mode can be entered during the game via Warp Devices. It also allows the player to steal and obtain materials they weren't able to obtain in the main game. Note that while playing as Trevor Belmont, Boss Rush Mode gets more challenging, as Trevor cannot use restorative items.

Beating Boss Rush Mode unlocks the Music Box.

1. Crazy Armor Lv.45
2. Wyvern Lv.46
3. Trevor
4. Skeleton Diver Lv.48
5. Minotaurus Lv.49
6. Isaac Lv.50
7. Saint Germain Lv.51
8. Trevor Lv.52
9. Dullahan Lv.53
10. Isaac Lv.54
11. Death Lv.55
12. Legion Lv.56
13. Nuculais Lv.57
14. Dracula
15. True Dracula

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

Boss Rush 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 Two skeletons and an Axe Armor Two Mermen and a Golem Balore Two Armor Knights and a Great Armor Dragon Zombie Gergoth

Course 2 Dullahan Behemoth Keremet Astarte Legion Dagon Stella and Loretta Brauner

Course 3 Dead Warrior and Demon Head The Creature Two Old Axe Armors and a Minotaur Medusa Heavy Armor and a Malachi Mummy Man Ruler's Sword Werewolf Two Cave Trolls Death

Rewards

As for rewards, a Potion will replace already-obtained items:

• Astral Ring - Beat Course 1 in under 1 minute.
• Invisible Cape - Beat Course 1 in under 3 minutes.
• Record 1 - Beat Course 2 in under 3 minutes.
• Illusion Fist - Beat Course 2 in under 5 minutes.
• Record 2 - Beat Course 3 in under 3 minutes.
• Scout Armor - Beat Course 3 in under 5 minutes.

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles

A room in the Boss Rush Mode of The Dracula X Chronicles.

This game's Boss Rush mode (spelled BOSSRUSH MODE in Japan) is different from the previous incarnations of the mode in the series - it is available from the start of the game and it is split into four courses; Random Rush (the only course available from the start), Boss Rush Normal, Boss Rush Dash, and Full Boss Rush. The player can choose to play as Richter Belmont or Maria Renard after selecting the course. Maria Renard is available from the start of the game, even if she has not yet been rescued in the main story.

It is important to note that the game cannot be "paused" while in a Boss Rush Mode; if the START menu is pressed, a simple menu asking the player to continue or exit will popup. This menu does not freeze the game, and the timer will still be running. Before each boss fight, the player character will find themselves in a room filled with several candles, vases, and other breakable objects containing Hearts as well as various Sub-Weapons. Once the player is ready, they can enter the portal in the center of the room to proceed to the next boss fight. All of these "intermission rooms" have the exact same layout (9 candles, two breakable objects related to the current background and the same map design) with only the background aesthetics altered between each of these room. Sub-Weapons found vary between rooms.

Modes

Boss Rush Normal This mode contains all of the normal bosses of the game except Dracula and Shaft's summoned monsters. Wyvern Werewolf Minotaur Dullahan Death Shaft Lesser Vampire

Boss Rush Dash This mode contains all of the alternate bosses. Once again, neither Dracula nor any of the bosses Shaft summons in Stage 6 are fought. Serpent Bone Golem Dogether Carmilla and Laura Hydra Shaft Shaft's Ghost

Random Rush The player will face the four bosses of the first two levels in the game as well as all the bosses they have defeated so far in a random order. It is the only course that does not reward the player upon completion.

Full Boss Rush As its name suggests, this mode contains all of the bosses in the game except for the four classic bosses summoned by Shaft in Stage 6 and does include Dracula in all three of his forms (in order) as the final boss to be fought. When the player reaches around the fourth intermission room, a Key can be found as one of the available Sub-Weapons to use.

The last three courses give out three rewards each. With the exception of Akumajyo Dracula Peke (unlocked after completing Boss Rush Normal between 11:01 and 15:00), these rewards are always Sound Items.

ad hoc mode

Unlike the main game, Boss Rush Mode can be played with the help of a friend via local wireless ad hoc mode (two PSP systems each with a copy of Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles is required. One player becomes the Host and the other a Client). In ad hoc mode, each player has their own respective Health and Heart count; while the HUD remains the same as in the main game, an additional small Health Bar will be shown underneath the collected Sub-Weapon's position. This second health bar is the other player's Health. Their Heart count and Score, however, remains hidden to anyone but the user's own HUD. A green jewel will appear above the head of the player's controlling character on their respective screen. During intermission rooms, each character starts in a part of the intermission room opposite of the other player. The Sub-Weapons dropped from Candles will appear as the weapon meant for the player on that screen only (if a Cross appears on the Richter player's screen, it will appear as a Dragon on the Maria player's screen). During battle against a boss, only one character is able to pick up a defeated boss's fallen Magic Crystal. This means only one player will be healed in each boss room, should one choose to obtain the item. In both the intermission rooms and the Boss rooms, if one player enters the Portal to the next room, the other player has 5 seconds to roam around the current room before they are reloaded alongside the exited player in the next room.

Gallery

The second Boss Rush exclusive intermission room.

Third Boss Rush exclusive room.

Fourth Boss Rush exclusive room, resembling a Laboratory. A Key can be found here.

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 (with the exception of the Giant Skeleton which becomes a common enemy later in the game) and the second one that contains every boss fought inside Dracula's Castle (with the exception of the Wallman which doesn't appear in Albus Mode as Albus lacks a way to kill him).

Course A Arthroverta Brachyura Maneater Rusalka Goliath Gravedorcus Albus Barlowe

Course B Blackmore Eligor Death Dracula

The rewards are the following:

• Course A in less than 4 minutes: L. Eye of God
• Course B in less than 4 minutes: R. Eye of Devil
• 4 minutes or higher: Arrow Helm, Axe Helm, Hammer Helm, Knife Helm, Lance Helm, Rapier Helm, Shield Helm, Sickle Helm, or Sword Helm.

The player cannot get duplicate rewards, the helms will replace the eyes if they have already been obtained. If all possible rewards have been obtained for the selected course, a Potion will be awarded instead.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate

Boss Rush 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 quick-time-event 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 and CPU Simon)
7. Executioner (1)
8. Lady of the Crypt (no quick-time-events)
9. Executioner (2)
10. Dracula (Trevor only)

Haunted Castle Revisited

On Update ver. 1.0.3 for the Castlevania Dominus Collection, released on December 13, 2024, a Boss Rush Mode was added to Haunted Castle Revisited. This mode can be accessed either by beating the game once or by entering the Konami Code on the title screen. Simon's graphics in this mode are recolored to resemble his appearance in Akumajō Dracula for the Sharp X68000. The music that plays in the first five boss battles is "A Lullaby Sent to the Devils". Both battles against Dracula still use "Dracula's Room" and "The Final Battle". The Game Over music has been changed to resemble an unused track from the original Haunted Castle.

Trivia

• The layout of the Boss Rush area in Harmony of Dissonance bears a strong resemblance to the Big Battle stage from Contra: Hard Corps. This may not be a coincidence, as multiple programmers from Hard Corps were hired to work on Harmony of Dissonance.
• Despite being a regular non-boss enemy in the game, the Maneater appears as a boss in Aria of Sorrow.
• Oddly, in Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin and Order of Ecclesia, the Alternate Mode characters can get the items rewarded from the Boss Rush despite being unable to use them.