Submission #6200: Challenger & Grincevent's NES Castlevania "pacifist, minimalist" in 12:25.29

Game objectives

• Emulator used: BizHawk 2.2 (but could works on the lastest versions, like the any% run)

• Heavy luck manipulation

• Takes damage to save time

• Abuses programming errors

• Uses death to save time

• Like every pacifist run, you must not kill any enemy, except the bosses (in order to advance).

• Don't break the furniture. Candles and walls are left intact.

• Don't pick up items. They can indeed still drop from projectiles for example.

Development of the run

Stage-by-stage commentary

General notes

• Like the any% run, it's better climbing stairs by pressing up/down + left/right depending of direction. This saves a frame for most of these stairs.

• There are moments where I "unnecessarily" jump, for avoid certain lags.

• When resynching this game, the skeletons would recieve a different pattern, and can be manipulated/resynched with input (except select button), but certain things only can be done with pausing/unpausing game or stage timing.

• Normally it's better finishing a boss with a critical hit, but not did for the last 2 bosses due to obvious reasons.

• It's faster reaching the ground as soon as possible when grabbing an orb, because there's a certain timer before "time left" scoring.

• Stage 01: Jumping backwards for ghost manipulation (before the last stairs), allowing Simon to beat a framerule (16 frames)

• Besides better turning around and stair optimization, 1 less lag during the second stair transition for some reason.

• Stage 03: For the Vampire Bat fight, the same any% strategy was used, but due to small hitbox of the leather whip, 4 frames were lost.

• No extra lag transition (stage 05 and 06) this time.

• Stage 06: During the work on any% run, I notiched that you can delay the function of these crushers for 16 frames by pausing on "exactly" frames, so he can across without stopping at all!

• The second bonepillar dodge was improved a bit.

• Starting with Medusa fight, the boss strategies are very new, and being more agressive than before.

• Attacking on the opposite side to also use the ceiling for cancel the knockback when doing a critical attack. A snake was accidentally killed on the previous run - fixed it.

• The first room is same as any% run - and 13 frames saved.

• Big change on the next room: Before reaching the second raven, wait a few frames and the raven will descend enough to bypass and skip that difficult effort with three ravens "trying to self-destruct" on Simon. These skeletons are so annoying that I gained a lag frame while crossing for not lose a framerule.

• Stage 08: Extra lag transition added, for some reason.

• On Stage 09, the only optimization for this category is reaching the second skeleton as soon as possible, since he'll toss bones no matter how closer you can try to bypass him. Initially I reached him 2 frames earlier, and the remaining was almost identical as the previous run. After optimizing the mummies, I noticed that would be still possible to reach that skeleton a few frames earlier, at the cost of 1 frame (for raven manipulation) and a lag frame (almost immediately after spawning that skeleton).

• By reaching the skeleton more earlier, this also affects the pattern: He'll move one more time before reaching the bonepillar, so I didn't stop so much. Pause used for high tossing manipulation instead of lower tossing.

• The mummies are difficult to optimize, since you can get a different pattern by entering on different frames. Initially I used only one pause, but when I implemented the new skeleton pattern, the fight was affected so much that I only implemented after finished Dracula optimization. Because of desync pattern, more pauses were used to fix (not exactly) the fight. This resulted on some frames lost and also added more time left for the scoring, losing 2 frames than before.

• Stage 10: Removed lag frames.

• A framerule of stage 11 could be improved by 1 less turnaround, but these hunchbacks and birds ruined the possibility - so, no way (tested several positions).

• Pausing game on skeledragon (used on any% run) is done a bit later, saving some frames - but adding a lag frame (It saves 4 frames to the any% run).

• The Frankestein and Igor battle : Simon decides to only attack Frankestein. Igor was helpful this time, because I used the fireballs for critical hits. And is another critical hit type: If you get hit and not turnaround, the enemy will recieve more damage. Critical hits with leather whip normally does 15 damage, but with extra critical hit, it reaches 18 HP!

• Igor can be manipulated with some input, but not with Frankestein (pausing still works).

• Not killing enemies means a laggy room, but thanks for manipulation, and forcing one of these skeletons to leave the screen, most of the lag were removed. One more lag (before damage boost) could be removed, but got some bad luck on the way. What a tough room.

• Frame perfect to beat a framerule on the next room.

• Still on the same room, the new damage boost can't be used since I need HP for the damage boost of the next room (stage 14).

• Stage 14: The first room is same as any% run - improvement.

• No extra lag transition this time.

• Axe knight manipulated to stop earlier, improving a framerule.

• Stage 15: Initially the Death boss was improved, but when I improved the second axe knight, the Death fight wasn't affected (he moved on the same frame before). I used the "timing" opportunity (before entering the fight) for manipulation.

• The second pausing was necessary, because otherwise, he'll not move when doing an "extra" critical attack.

• The fight is bit different than the WIP I've shown before. But both strategies also helped fixing a noticeable flaw: One scythe was destroyed on the previous run.

• Improved stairs and entering stage 17 = 1 frame saved, respectively. But a frame is lost during transition (like the any% run).

• Second damage boost improved (more pixels left), different enemy manipulation, "third room" with pause manipulation (waiting 6-7 frames) for different third bird direction, and also jumping for another bird manipulation (otherwise, he'll reach Simon).

• By entering dracula battle 1 frame later (like the any% run), he can release fireballs earlier. It's possible for get a more earlier (12 frames) reaching a bit closer, but isn't enough for a third whipping attack (critical hit). I also tried jumping backwards and forward (respectively), but when the whip worked, I almost reached the head - so, no way.

• With extra critical hit, dracula is defeated with 3 cycles instead of 4 cycles.

• Hitting ghost dracula without breaking candles is frame perfect, and positioning is also important (so I adjusted him before defeating on the previous cycle).

• When starting cycle 1, he can jump lower or high depending of when you finish phase 1 (single frame difference).

• Whipping on certain frames will make ghost dracula to jump for some reason. This is helpful, since you must wait if you want for attack twice with a single jump - also frame perfect.

• With some farther distance, you can get the fireball pattern, which allows Simon to attack more times in a cycle before jumps.

• For the lastest 2 cycles, making a high jump (pausing is necessary) is better, since I need farther distance for ending input jumping forward while whipping, and not hitting a candle.

Table of improvements

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