Luckily I had a late game save state from the collection. I did it under 7 days (
I think it's under 8 for the "good ending").
I didn't have to use passwords, and even though I used a couple save states, I beat it in just one night of playing from what I remember. You can get an idea of what to do when you watch a walkthrough. This is how I play it.
Skip buying the white crystal until
after the first mansion and just get the holy water for now. You won't be able to see the very first invisible moving platform right at the beginning of the first mansion, but if you just go for it right as you enter the mansion and don't hesitate moving right and jump and you
will land on it (
I'll edit in a clip of what I mean here in a minute). Buy another stake before you leave the first mansion too, and whenever you do a mansion just beeline to the end (doesn't really matter how long you take though, since no time passes in mansions) and buy another stake on the way out.
don't need no stikin' white crystal for the first mansion...
Before you leave the mansion farm for hearts to as many as you can carry (255 I think, there's a good place for respawning skeletons to the right of that night in the clip above |
right where there is a set of stairs going up a level and another going down a level) and then go outside and head left back to the first town and get the white crystal. Then turn around and go back to the right to Aljiba for the blue crystal (
and I think I stopped by the place to get the chain whip eh, don't do this). Buy laurels wherever you can.
I can't remember which towns. I'll look it up on the wiki. edit: Okay... buy laurels in Alijiba (where you get the blue crystal before you do mansion 2) and later on, Fetra (I'll tell you when to make this detour).
After clearing the second mansion, head left and get the sacred flame on your way. When you get to the ferryman, detour from going to the third mansion and get the morningstar from Oldon first (get the red crystal on the way though and refill your laurels). Then head back right to the raft, double back on the raft with the heart selected to get to mansion 3. Beat mansion 3 (screw the diamond weapon in Denis Woods) double back on the raft to go past Oldon again and headbang against the cliff. (note: it can be useful to make another detour to get the bigger bag for laurels, but I don't most times).
You're right in front of mansion 4. Beat mansion 4...
Detour right to the next town (fetra) to buy some laurels (I don't actually remember doing this, I think I just slow jumped through the slime pit, but I think it's quicker to get laurels). Then head left from mansion 4 to get the flame whip upgrade, then continue left to find and beat mansion 5. In mansion 5 there's a guy just hanging out by a lot of spikes that'll offer to refill your laurels, make sure you talk to him since you'll need them to get to mansion 6 (the last one) as there are a few "slime pits."
Then you go to Castlevania (or whatever, I guess it's not really a "mansion" so saying "mansion 6" isn't right) and beat it. It's not hard once you get a routine.
uhh, spoilers
If you're trying to do this on the Castlevania Collection, make a save state before you enter a town if you're intending to get a crystal or buy laurels so you can first scout out where they'll mingle. Then reload and beeline for them since going up and down stairs pointlessly if you don't know where you're going can waste a lot of time.
