Hints and Secrets
Passwords:
Magician Mode: Start a new game and enter your name as FIREBALL. In this mode, you will have low attack and defense ratings, but you will start out the game with all the cards and your Intelligence and Max MP are incredibly high.
Fighter Mode: Start a new game and enter your name as GRADIUS. In this mode, enemies will never drop cards, so you cannot use DSS spells. However, your Strength, Defense, and HP are incredibly high.
Shooter Mode: Start a new game and enter your name as CROSSBOW. In this mode, your Strength and Defense ratings are very low. However, sub-weapons only use 1/2 the normal number of hearts and they are twice as powerful. Also, pick up a Dagger sub-weapon twice to get special homing daggers! Of all the game play modes, Shooter Mode is probably the most difficult.
Thief Mode: Start a new game and enter your name as DAGGER. In this mode, your Strength, Defense, and Intelligence ratings are slightly low, but your Luck rating is through the roof. You start out the game with 1600 Luck and every time you level up, your luck will increase 160! This means that when you defeat enemies, they will almost always drop items. You should be able to pick up rare items, like DSS Cards, from enemies in a flash. Also, you will have no problem building a healthy inventory of Potions, Mind Restores, and Hearts.
Transform into a Bear!
Equip the Bear Ring and use the Pluto + Black Dog DSS Combination to transform into a cute, bomb-launching bear! Watch out though - one hit from an enemy and you will die.
Transforming into a Skeleton
The Pluto + Black Dog DSS Combination may seem pretty useless at first, since you can't deal much damage as a skeleton and you will die in one hit. If you keep throwing bones, however, you will eventually throw a giant bone that deals 9999 damage to most enemies!
Skip an entire area of the game and never fight Death!
Normally, when you beat Death, you'll get an item called Cleansing that purifies the poison waters of the Underground Sewer. This item is not necessary to beat the game. If you are playing Magician Mode, you can activate the Pluto + Unicorn DSS Combination to become invincible and walk through the poison water unharmed. You will need to deactivate the spell to hit switches, however.
Leveling Up:
Of all the enemies in the game, Liliths give the most Exp (40000 points). These creatures can be found in a secret room in the Underground Warehouse, and can be easily defeated with the Uranus + Thunderbird DSS Summon Attack. Even better, Liliths sometimes drop Mind Ex or even the rare Sage Robe. If you do not have this Summon Attack, another good place to level up is in the Battle Arena. The enemies there will give much more Exp than they usually do outside the Arena. Even if you are at a low level and cannot survive the entire Arena, you can always leave after gaining a great deal of Exp.
Stocking up on Items:
If you're looking to stock up on Potions and Mind Ex, you should try fighting Myconids. These enemies can be found near the Twin Dragon boss chamber. If you are playing Thief Mode, you should be able to stock your inventory with 99 of each item in no time. Otherwise, turn on the Venus + Mandragora DSS Combination to increase your luck.
If mere Potions just aren't cutting it for you, you could fight Imps for Spiced Meat, Legions for Potion High, or Alraunes for Potion Ex.
If you find yourself using a lot of MP, you could fight Spirits for Mind Restores, or Fishheads for Mind Ex.
If you need a lot of heart refills, you could fight Bone Towers for Heart and Heart High, and Arachnes often drop Heart Megas.
The Cross
The Cross is the best subweapon in the game. If you time it right so the point when the Cross boomerang starts to come back to you is right over the enemy, the enemy will be damaged 4 times. You can throw 3 Crosses at a time, and each cross deals 1.5 times the damage of your whip. If you do the math, this means that if you throw 3 crosses, you can deal at least 18 times the damage of your whip. To pick up a cross early in the game,
100% Game Status
Are you looking to get a 100% completed game status? Finding all the secret rooms can be difficult, since they are sometimes hidden in the ceilings or floors. A good way to look for secret rooms is to look for any black areas on your castle map. Then, turn on the Jupiter + Serpent DSS Combination and brush against all of the walls to see if any areas of the wall break off. You could use any DSS Summon Attack to quickly search for hidden rooms, but these attacks sometimes miss areas of the wall. If you are still having trouble finding all the secret rooms, be sure to check out the map section of this site.
Boss Strategies
Camilla: To defeat Camilla without even getting hit, you will need the Cross sub-weapon and the Jupiter + Serpent DSS Combination. Turn on DSS right away, and her poison gas attacks will not harm you. Camilla usually alternates between a beam attack and her poison gas attacks. When she performs her beam attack, she will usually pause in the center of the room. This is your cue to run like mad and stand on the platform above her. Then, check what direction she is heading in, and run to the tiny ledge by the door on that side of the room. As soon as she approaches you, start throwing your Crosses like crazy. Afterward, she will probably attack with her beam attack, so head for the platform above her. Repeat this pattern and you will defeat her in no time.
Dracula: Want to defeat the final boss without even getting hit? To do so, you will want the Cross sub-weapon. Turn on any DSS Combination you want (Jupiter + Unicorn is recommended), and wait for him to teleport next to you. When he starts to appear, jump up and start throwing crosses at his eye. After throwing a few crosses, he will disappear. Don't move anywhere. He will simply reappear next to you, and you can resume throwing crosses at his eye. Eventually, you will see Dracula start to flash. When this happens, turn the volume on your GBA all the way up, and use the Roc Wing (Up + Special) to jump to the top of the screen. Keep on pressing (Up + Special) to stay at the top of the screen. You will hear a series of "cling!" sounds, signaling that Dracula is performing his deadly dash move. As long as you stay at the top of the screen, you will be safe from this near-instant-kill attack. The maximum number of dashes Dracula can perform is 4, so if you hear 4 "clings," drop down to the bottom of the screen. Otherwise, listen for a pause, and then drop down. For a short time, Dracula's eye will circle around the screen, surrounded by bats. If you have the Uranus card, use any Summon attack. Otherwise, just wait at the bottom of the screen for the eye to circle around, and when it gets near, throw 3 crosses. When the eye finishes circling, Dracula will revert to his dash attacks, so make haste and Roc Wing jump to the top of the screen. Repeat this pattern, and you can easily defeat the final boss.