Jova (ヨーバの町 Yōba no Machi?, lit. "Town of Jova") is a location in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. It is the first town encountered in the game. Early basic items can be bought in this town once the player has acquired enough Hearts, including a Thorn Whip, Holy Water and a White Crystal. Simon Belmont can also heal his wounds at the church.
Geography[]
This town can be thought of as the "center" of Simon's Quest. Simon Belmont starts out in the upper left corner whenever he starts a new game or continues using a password. The town consists of three levels. The top is a single platform with a church in the center. The middle is segmented with shops at the east and west side. The bottom level is broken up by areas of water that Simon must jump over or fall to his death in.
To the east of this town lies a relatively easy path that takes you to the town of Veros. It starts out forested (the Jova Woods), and then you have to cross the South Bridge and into another forested area, the Veros Woods. Taking the upper path will take you to Berkeley Mansion, while taking the lower path will take you to the town of Veros.
To the west is the Belasco Marsh, which has some tough creatures for someone who only has a leather whip. In order to cross the marshes without taking damage, you will need some Laurels, which can be picked up two towns east in the Town of Aljiba. It leads to the Dead River.
The land of Transylvania in this game is divided by a great river that forks as it heads south (an island is in the middle of this fork). Jova is located south of the fork. To the north are some mountains and beyond that near the tip of the fork are the ruins of Dracula's Castle. There is no path directly between Castle and the town of Jova in the game though. The Dead River is the south-west fork of the great river, while the South Bridge takes you across the south-east fork of this river.
Villagers[]
- Upper level
- Old Man #1 - Found in the upper "floor", he is the first villager you encounter in the game. He tells you "FIRST THING TO DO IN THIS TOWN IS BUY A WHITE CRYSTAL". You will find the merchant in the mid-level of this town who will sell you a white crystal, which you will need to enter the first mansion.
- Old Man #2 - Also found in the upper floor, he tells you "A CROOKED TRADER IS OFFERING BUM DEALS IN THIS TOWN". There really are no crooked traders in this town, his only purpose may be to try to dissuade you from buying the items found in this town. Ignore him.
- Priest of Jova - This is the first priest you encounter and he is located in the first church you will find. Like all priests, he will heal all your wounds if you enter his church and talk to him and tells you "REST HERE A WHILE".
- Mid level
- Old Man #3 - An old man who tells you "13 clues will solve Dracula's riddles." Clues, which appear as books, are hidden throughout the game and there are indeed 13 of them. The townsfolk will often tell you where to try to find these clues.
- Thorn Whip Merchant - A cloaked merchant in the western shop of Jova. He will sell you a Thorn Whip for 100 hearts. This has double the attack of the Leather Whip that you started out with and will make traveling to far away areas much easier.
- Young Man #1 - A young man who tells you "RUMOR HAS IT, THE FERRY MAN AT DEAD RIVER LOVES GARLIC". The Dead River is to the left of Jova, but the ferry man doesn't like garlic.
- Young Man #2 - A young man who tells you "A FLAME IS ON TOP OF THE 6TH TREE IN DENIS WOODS". The Denis Woods is located at the furthest west point of the map and will require Dracula's Heart in order to get there. Near as anyone can tell, no such "flame" exists on the in 6th tree in the forest.
- White Crystal Trader - A cloaked merchant wandering the streets of Jova. He will sell you a White Crystal for 50 Hearts. This crystal will allow you to enter the first mansion. Despite what Old Man #1 told you, it would probably be wiser to buy the other two weapons sold in this town first, since this will make collecting hearts easier.
- Holy Water Merchant - A cloaked merchant in the eastern shop in Jova. He will sell you Holy Water for 50 hearts, which you will need to fight creatures below you and can break some blocks on the ground, revealing hidden areas.
- Lower level
- Old Man #4 - An old man who tells you "YOU HAVE A FRIEND IN THE TOWN OF ALDRA, GO AND SEE HIM". The town of Aldra is right across the Dead River. When you have enough strength and the ability to summon the Ferryman, head left and allow the Ferryman to give you a ride across the river. The friend in question is most likely the Vampire Killer who will trade your blue crystal for a red one.
- Old Man #5 - An old man who tells you "A MAGIC POTION WILL DESTROY THE WALL OF EVIL". This is a hint that Holy Water, which can be bought in this town, can destroy some walls and floor areas.
- Young Man #3 - A young man who tells you "CLUES TO DRACULA'S RIDDLE ARE FOUND IN THE TOWN OF VEROS." One of the 13 clues that Old Man #3 told you about can be found in the next town to the right, Veros, which can be reached by heading right across the Jova Woods, crossing a long bridge, heading into the Veros Woods, and taking the lower path.
Jova at night[]
While villagers go about their business and may help Simon during the day time, at night they all hide in their houses and the streets are overrun by Zombies. It is not possible to enter buildings at night. These zombies are slower than Simon and can be killed with two hits with Simon's Leather Whip or Holy Water. Simon can take them out with a single hit with a Thorn Whip. Killing these creatures and taking their hearts is an excellent way to save enough to be able to buy the important items in this town.
Enemy Data[]
| Enemy Data: Jova | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name - Game Description |
Statistics | Items | Location | Notes |
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| ' | HP: 2/4/8/16 |
Drop: Half Heart |
Jova, Veros, Aljiba, Aldra, Oldon, Fetra |
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Item Data[]
| Item Data: Jova | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name - Game Type - Users Description |
Attributes / Consume | Statistics / Sell | Found | Notes | |||
|
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| The Thorn Whip is stronger than the Leather Whip. | Buy: 100 Hearts Find: Jova |
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| Holy Water disintegrates walls and floors which conceal weapons and items. | Consume: None |
Attack equal to Leather Whip |
Buy: 50 Hearts Find: Jova |
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| The White Crystal offers a weakened source of magic power. | Buy: 50 Hearts Find: Jova |
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Gallery[]
Maps[]
- See also: Simon's Quest World Map
Other appearances[]
As the first town stage to appear in a Castlevania game, Jova is the archetype for village and town stages. It isn't known if the town of Jova has actually appeared in any other Castlevania game, as the name "Jova" has not appeared again. Several design choices suggest that it may have been the first stage of more than one Castlevania game, however, or at least inspired them.
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse[]
- Main article: Town of Warakiya
The middle section of the town of Warakiya in Dracula's Curse bears some resemblance to the structure of the town of Jova. The church in this stage is on considerably higher ground than the starting point of the stage. In order to reach it, a steep climb upward is necessary, similar to a climb up stairs along the left edge of Jova to reach its church. Once the church has been traversed and exited, after a platform-filled section, a descent down to lower ground takes place, similar to a climb down on the right edge of Jova. Similarities between Jova and Warakiya become more pronounced when compared with the layout of the town in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. The placement of the church within the stage makes it seem that an old religious complex such as an abbey, or its ruins, existed around the church during the time of Trevor Belmont.
Worlds of Power 4 - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest[]
While the town of Jova is not specifically named in the non-canon licensed Worlds of Power novelization of Simon's Quest, the heroes start their quest in a town that does resemble Jova. Its name in this book may actually be the Town of Castlevania (not to be confused with the Land of Castlevania). Its local tavern and inn was Hart and Sole Tavern, run by Pedersen, where Timothy Bradley and Simon Belmont would eat and rest. At night, its streets were deserted and overrun by Ghoul-Wraiths, from which energy could be collected. It had a central sign post that gave directions to other places and over which the captive Linda Entwhistle could magically communicate. It had a single large church that was large enough to fit all Castlevania's citizens inside. A monk inside this church assisted Tim and Simon. He sold them a box of goods, which included Holy Water, a White Crystal, and two Thorn Whips. He then gave them directions to Berkeley Mansion, where the Dracula's Rib was kept at, which was past Bulgaria Road and the Jova Woods.
Super Castlevania IV[]
- Main article: Super Castlevania IV Stage 1
The raised platform and crumbled walls in the background at the beginning of Super Castlevania IV suggests that this is the same area as the first stage of Dracula's Curse. A drawbridge is shown over a water area not depicted in Dracula's Curse, though. This could represent the water at the left edge of the town of Jova in Simon's Quest, which is in a similar location in Rondo of Blood. These gates lead to the same abbey-like structure seen in Dracula's Curse. Unlike in Simon's Quest, however, there is no sign of houses in this area. Also, unlike Dracula's Curse, there is no sign of a church or any overtly religious symbols anywhere in the area. Beyond this area building is a stable area, which may represent a small human settlement nearby. The next block after the boss fight may represent the graveyard in Warakiya Town, while the adjacent marsh may be the Belasco Marsh, which is adjacent to Jova in Simon's Quest.
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood[]
- Main article: Dinner of Flames
The town in Rondo of Blood is called Aljiba on a signpost in the game. However, the layout and design is nearly identical to that of Jova instead. There is no known in-world or out-of-world explanation for this. It would, however, make more sense for the starting stage of Rondo of Blood to be the same as the starting stage in Simon's Quest, rather than another random town from that game.
The leftmost part of the stage resembles the beginning of Warakiya from Dracula's Curse. Much of the ruined buildings have been replaced with buildings resembling those from Jova, but are still badly damaged. Past them are two pillars that may represent the foundations of an old abbey that enveloped the portion of Jova seen during Trevor's time, but now has been replaced with other town structures. Past this is the base of Jova, including its signpost which says "Aljiba". The path goes up, then to the right, with the church in the middle of the section, and then goes back down. To the right is a flat section with luxurious town buildings in the background, similar to those found in Warakiya.
This town is the hometown of Richter Belmont's fiancée, Annette. As Richter rushes toward the town during the Prologue of Rondo of Blood, it has been set ablaze. Richter battles Dracula's forces encountered there, but they capture and take off with Annette, as seen in the Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles version of the game.
These events are possibly retold in Stage 1 of Castlevania: Dracula X, which also features a burning town, although this is not explicitly stated. They are also covered in the Ash Banquet book of Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow[]
- Main article: The Lost Village
It is possible that The Lost Village in Dawn of Sorrow is actually Jova/Wygol. It may have been magically transported to near Celia Fortner's replica castle, and thus considered "lost". It is particularly cold in this village in this game. This may have inspired the creators of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow to depict their version of Wygol Village as an uncannily chilly town if they considered it to be the same as Wygol Village in Order of Ecclesia. All of these places could possibly represent Jova.
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness[]
It is possible that Cordova Town in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness is the same as the town of Jova. It is situated adjacent to the the Aiolon Ruins, similarly to how Warakiya is positioned next to ruins in Dracula's Curse.
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia[]
It's possible that the remnants of the Belmont Clan founded the Wygol Village on the site of Jova after it had been burnt down in Rondo of Blood, as they had a connection to this place. The Monastery could represent the large ruined building traversed in Dracula's Curse that is at the same location as Jova in Simon's Quest.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (series)[]
- Main article: Wygol Village (Lords of Shadow)
The proximity of Wygol Village to the Veros Woods and the Vampire Castle in the alternate continuity game Lords of Shadow, suggests that in this timeline, Wygol Village is analogous to Jova or Veros.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow[]
Wygol Cemetery may represent the cemetery found in Warakiya in Dracula's Curse. The nearby abbey is likely inspired by the Monastery from Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, which may correspond with the site of Jova in Simon's Quest as depicted in Dracula's Curse. This is depicted as up on a hill high above the rest of the town, similar to its position in other games.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate[]
- Main article: Cursed Village
It's possible that the Cursed Village seen in Mirror of Fate is Wygol Village, considering its proximity to Dracula's Castle. It has a stable area similar to the one in Super Castlevania IV, which could be related to Jova.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2[]
Wygol Village was destroyed during the Great Explosion at the end of the Castle Siege in Lords of Shadow 2 in medieval times during the battle between Dracula and Roland de Ronceval. Humans eventually resettled in the areas around Wygol Village and Dracula's Castle, which eventually grew to become a thriving metropolis known as Castlevania City by modern times.
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair[]
- Main article: Lord of Unseen String
Since it is possible that The Lost Village in Dawn of Sorrow is the same place as Jova, it is possible that Jova is represented along the top section of the second chapter of Harmony of Despair.
Castlevania (animated series)[]
It is possible that the village founded at the end of the Castlevania animated series is a reference to Jova. The debate among the villagers about what to call the place may be a nod to the fact that this town has gone by many different names in the games. One of the leading candidates for a name was "Belmont", in honor of Trevor Belmont, who was thought to have perished during his battle with Death. Sypha Belnades later joked with him after he was found to have survived that they should name it "Trefor" after his namesake, or even "Treffy", her nickname for him.
Other villages depicted in the series have some similarities with Jova or other towns that may be Jova. Lindenfeld is seen to have a priory, which could be a reference to the abbey or monastery near these towns.
External links[]
- NES Game Atlas hints: Scan of pages 152-153 and 158-159 hosted on the Castlevania Dungeon.