Elgiza is an enemy in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. It is a giant, possessed Egyptian funerary mask and guardian of treasure.
Origins
Like the music found in the Egyptian-themed paintings in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, the enemy Elgiza may have been added as a homage to the game King's Valley II.
This game has the subtitle "The Seal of El Giza" in Japan and references the city of "El Giza", where the great pyramids of Egypt are located.
Elgiza may have been based on the jumping 'Pyoncy' enemy (pictured left) found in that game, which is also a monster in a Tutankhamun mask with its arms stretched out forward.
Description
As expected from a possessed Egyptian mask, Elgiza can be encountered in desert-themed levels, namely the Sandy Grave and the Forgotten City.
It will not show itself immediately as the heroes enter one of the rooms where it dwells in, and instead will do so once approached, at which point a giant Egyptian funerary mask will emerge from the ground whilst a gigantic body made of sand materializes underneath. It is usually encountered in rooms where several Ghosts randomly spawn around.
The first times Elgiza is encountered it can prove to be a worthy foe, as its high resilience will require that the player inflicts continuous damage before it subdues. It can only be damaged by striking the mask itself, although it will move back and forth with its arms extended in front of it, smashing with them in an attempt to harm the heroes, providing with this both offensive and defensive capabilities at the same time.
Each arm will eventually crumble if attacked enough times, though, leaving it more vulnerable. However, this does not mean it will be completely at the player's mercy, as it may plunge forward and burrow itself once more into the sand, dealing considerable damage in the process. It may also perform this attack when it has its arms, although less frequently.
Casting Holy Lightning will deal considerable damage to its arms and mask from a safe distance and will also clean the room from lesser enemies. There are no stronger versions of Elgiza later on in the game and those encountered at that time will be easily defeated with a single cast of the same spell.
Enemy Data
| Enemy Data: Elgiza | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name - Game Description |
Statistics | Items | Location | Notes |
|
|||||
| A guardian of treasure. | HP: 168 Exp: 133 Skill Pt: 5 |
Drop: Kalasiris, Uraeus |
Sandy Grave, Forgotten City |
||
Trivia
- Additionally to its origins mentioned above, Elgiza appears to be an reimagining of Tutankhamun, an enemy appearing in Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun.