Castlevania Chronicles II - Simon's Quest (PC) - Leather Whip Only, No Subweapons, No Continues

Game: Castlevania Chronicles II - Simons Quest v1.1
Author: WarMachine Studios
Platform: PC
Completed: February 12, 2023
Rules: Beat the game using only the leather whip and no subweapons (This forces you to get the "bad ending")

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   • Castlevania Chronicles II   Simon's Quest ...  

Out of nowhere I heard that there was a brand new fan-made Castlevania 2 remake for the PC with all new graphics, sound, and some extras. Being a big fan of the original NES version, there was no way I could pass this one up. I played through the game back when it was version 0.3 but now that version 1.1 was released it was time for a challenge playthrough. It's sort of a minimalist run...complete the game without any whip upgrades and without using any subweapons. The only things that are collected are items that are mandatory to beat the game, with the exception of hearts and money of course. As an added bonus, somehow I was able to pull it off without using any continues (mostly thanks to good Carmilla luck). Here are some highlights:

11 minutes - Do rapid taps on the stairs for maximum enjoyment.

13 minutes, 20 seconds - You're supposed to crouch for a few seconds with the blue crystal here like in the original, but that doesn't necessarily mean you need to be standing at the edge of the platform. Safety first!

26 minutes, 10 seconds - Cool people jog in place on the stairs while waiting for enemies to pass.

27 minutes, 10 seconds - What were those squirming around?

31 minutes, 20 seconds - The lightning that strikes this boss when he dies can hurt you. Beware!

33 minutes, 20 seconds - There's a bit of a glitch here in version 1.1 when you enter the town of Alba from the right side. It starts you in the church instead of the beginning of the town, but that's where I wanted to be anyways!

34 minutes, 20 seconds - This woman likes you. Make sure to say hello for no reason.

36 minutes, 50 seconds - You can face away and still get the lightning to strike here if you're very precise. You can also jump "out of" the fall here. I see no reason to do either of these tricks. Who is the guy in the tree though?

38 minutes, 50 seconds - I tried to be safe and kill this miniboss while he was on my left to make absolutely sure I didn't pick up the subweapon he dropped. That would have invalidated the run!

40 minutes, 20 seconds - Carmilla is by far the most difficult boss in this challenge because her blood rain causes her to restore her health faster than you can take it with the leather whip. It's random when she uses it so you just have to hope for the best here and try to always keep her under constant damage. The fact that she's immune to your whip right before, during, and right after her big blast doesn't help (she isn't immune to subweapons during these times by the way). This can be a very frustrating fight but you can use your shield to defend against her smaller projectiles which can help.

51 minutes, 40 seconds - This person gives you an item which eventually gets you the flame whip and the sixth relic, leading to the true ending. Because this is a leather whip only run, I will not be participating in any of that.

53 minutes, 10 seconds - Here's a nice trick to handle the ghosts. It even works on the floating platforms if you need to do it there.

1 hour, 5 minutes, 30 seconds - Max money!

1 hour, 17 minutes, 10 seconds - This is considered the "bad ending" which as far as I know is the only possible ending for this challenge. It's so sad! There's a "good ending" which is achieved by obtaining the flame whip and the sixth relic, which causes Dracula's second form to appear, but that would invalidate the "leather whip" and "minimalist" aspects of this challenge run.

Final thoughts:
Generally I only try these sorts of difficult challenges on games that I really enjoy and this was no exception. Warmachine Studios did a fantastic job here and I recommend this game to anyone who enjoys the original. Actually, even if you dislike the original or haven't played it, play this game!

"Castlevania Chronicles II - Simons Quest v1.1 Leather Whip Only"