Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) Tips & Guide

CURSED CASTILLA (or MALDITA CASTILLA EX) is the Ghosts 'N Goblins sequel Capcom never gave us, and it's tough as coffin nails! Use our tips and tricks guide to beat back the evil, and prove you're old-school hardcore. So grab your daggers, toss on that Spanish helm, and ready your button-mashing finger for battle!

Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) Tips & Guide

introduction

If you've so much as taken a peak at indie-dev Locomalito's SNES love-letter Cursed Castilla (aka Maldita Castilla EX), you'll know that it's the special blend of retro and arcade bliss that'll have you singing it's praises.

You'll be cursing it's name, too, because this title is controller-breaking hard! That's okay, because I've got some tips and tricks that'll help you get the most out of Cursed Castilla (so you can beat the odds while bopping your head to Gryzor87's awesome chiptune soundtrack).

Grab your gamepad or keyboard, don your armor, and guide Don Ramiro onward to victory!

old-school tips

Cursed Castilla may have modernized controls, but the gameplay is 100% old-school. That means you should look to the game guides of the past to get the upper hand on the horrors of the now. For those of us old enough to remember the lovely rectangle booklets slipped beside our coveted NES carts, you'll be surprised to hear that Cursed Castilla sports a gorgeously illustrated and well-written manual of its own (albeit in digital form).

This manual should be mandatory reading for those wanting to discover all the endings in the game, if for no reason other than to flesh out the intriguing story and lore. Check it out on Locomalito's site here.

Endings

Yes, you heard right–this side-scrolling romp features 4 different endings, and which one you get will depend on what you discovered/destroyed throughout your play-through. So follow the below tips, and get that high score so you can laugh at those poor shmucks still stuck on the first horse-cart level.

Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) treasure chest!

Secrets

While the pretty pixel art of Cursed Castilla mirrors a lost Ghosts 'N Goblins sequel, it's actually structured more like Super Castlevania IV, with its linear levels featuring timing-based combat and waves of enemies, rather than mashing-the-fire-button-while-jumping mob battle of G'NG.

This fact makes the hidden loot drops that require you to fire up at trees, chandeliers, and sometimes just at the ceiling in random spots feel right at home. True, there was a bit of this in the G'NG series, but it just feels more like the breakable wall-blocks of Castlevania ​style of secrets​​​, so seeing it in that frame of mind will help you find all special bits without firing at every single pixel in vain.

Exploration

Like an arcade beat-em-up, Cursed Castilla features blinking arrows at certain parts of levels, directing you to walk, jump, or drop in the desired direction toward the next area. However, don't follow these arrows blindly; instead, take a look around before going ahead. Doing so might reward you with extra loot from tucked-away rooms, such as keys (which you'll want to find in order to 100% the game, you achievement hound!)

Quick Timing

Getting to know the animations of Don Ramiro during his run, jump, and fire actions is important. The collision detection is pretty good, so you'll have a lot of close calls, and knowing how long it takes you to fall after a jump, and how far you can walk on the edge of a platform without falling off, will help keep you among the living. So move around a lot to get accustomed to all Ramiro's quirks, and you'll be able to pound those jump and fire buttons quickly and confidently!

Likewise, be aware that Don Ramiro stops when you fire if you're on the ground, but not while jumping. Keep this in mind, as it could mean jumping around now and again might save you from getting smacked around.

Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) cart defending is tough stuff

weapons

There are six weapons in Cursed Castilla, as well as a hidden special one. For the most part, though, you'll be sticking with the major ones, which–if you're a Castlevania fan, and who isn't?–will be familiar. You can switch between them only by finding a weapon loot drop. These are boxes that cycle through the weapons, so wait until you see the one you want to snag it.

Also keep in mind that Don Ramiro can throw three shots in quick succession, then he suffers from a small micro-cooldown. Get comfortable with this delay with each weapon you use, so you don't end up firing blanks at a critical time.

Here are the 6 primary weapons you'll be slinging against evil:

Sword (Dagger)

This is the weapon you start with, and has moderate speed and damage, but travels the entire length of the screen.

Sickle

This is the fave weapon of speedrunners, as it's the fastest, and comes back to you like a boomerang. It's range is shorter than the sword, however, as it travels maybe a third of the way across the screen. Still, it's speed tends to make up for it's lesser damage and range.

Bolas

These chain-linked iron balls are slower than most weapons, but they cover a wide swath of space, making them great against flying swarms of enemies.

Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) dragon-bashing!

Small Daggers

These weapons are three tiny knives that fly out in a spreading pattern, covering a larger area the farther they travel. They're decently powerful, especially if more than one of the knives hits a single opponent. They're also good if you want to search for as many hidden loot spots as possible, since they cover such a wide area.

Axe

These are–you guessed it–thrown in an arc that heads upward, then down to the ground. They're very powerful, but the limited range of the arc makes them hard to use against agile enemies.

Holy Water

A Castlevania classic, the glass bottle of holy water is thrown in an arc, then shatters and burns a small area of ground like napalm. Fun, though it's the hardest weapon to use. Good against bosses, though, as many take up a large amount of ground space.

ITEMS

In addition to your primary weapon choices, Don Ramiro also has a secondary slot for items. Like weapons, you can only carry one item at a time; that means, in order to carry a key through a level, you can't grab an offensive or defensive item at all, so choose wisely. Here are the items you'll mostly handle:

Potion

This is a temporary item, but it gives you invincibility–except against spike traps and the like. Don't forget that little tidbit.

Key

These are usually off the beaten path, and you'll want to grab them in order to get something nice (I won't spoil just what that is, just get it!)

Lightweight Boots

These give you double jump, which can really help you blaze through a level, assuming you don't smash into a hazard or careen into a pit along the way.

Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) that's an ugly imp

Magical Sphere

This is an odd one–it lets you see hidden stuff. Give it a shot, if given the chance.

Blue Flower

This is my fave item, as it calls to you a small Zelda-esque blue fairy that lobs arcing fairy-fire every time you shoot–a "bullet buddy," if you will.

Chests

True, you don't carry these with you, but they often contain weapon blocks, items, or coins, the latter of which boosts your score.

enemies

There are a fair amount of enemies in Cursed Castilla (48 in total), and most of them are pretty straightforward. Some general tips:

  • If you die, remember the spawn position of enemies–they're invariable.
  • Remember that you can fire up or down (the latter when jumping), so don't think you can't swat that flying or crawling pest before it tags you.
  • Take note of the enemies on a level if you have to repeat it, and decide whether or not your weapon of choice is effective against them. If it takes too much effort to down the cannon-fodder enemies, it may be time to switch to an alternate weapon, if available.

There are a couple of enemies that do bear special remark:

Harpies

Having these vile creatures come down from the sky is bad enough, but they also creep out of holes in the walls on several stages. Watch for their red eyes appearing through the cracks, and time how long it takes for them to pop out after their eyes show–this'll give you the upper hand. If you want a super-effective weapon against them, the Small Daggers are the way to go.

Macabre Dancers (Skeletons)

These will definitely kill you the first time you see them. They twerk their way slowly towards you, but explode into flying bones when hit. You can sometimes do better by simply avoiding or jumping over them, though I prefer to smash them to smithereens and improve my pitiful dodging skills.

Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) Goo begone!

bosses

Talking in detail about the awesome folklore-inspired bosses would be a disservice, because they're more fun to see when you don't know what to expect. That doesn't mean I don't have a good tip, though, and that is this:

Start firing at a boss as soon as they start coming on screen.

Many of the bosses in Cursed Castilla​ can take damage when making their entrance (aside from a few exceptions, such as the two-headed vulture–okay, I'll give that one away, but it'll still surprise you.) Getting those extra shots in before the boss can even make a move at you will definitely give you a much needed edge.

Wrap-up

There it is, the top-notch info that'll help you guide the otherwise doomed Don Ramiro to victory. Time your attacks, know your movements, and choose the right weapon to pound away at those nasty bosses before they know what hit 'em! While you're at it, why don't you tweet @Locomalito some love, and maybe he'll give us some more updated games from his illustrious repertoire!
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Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) mini-boss!

1 Comment

  1. Avatar photo

    “CURSED CASTILLA (or MALDITA CASTILLA EX) is the Ghosts ‘N Goblins sequel Capcom never gave us…”

     

     

    Umm, ever heard of Ghouls and Ghosts and Super Ghouls and Ghosts? Other than that, helpful info, thanks.

    Reply

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