- For the Rondo of Blood stage, see Rondo of Blood Stage 1.
Aljiba (オルジバの町 Orujiba no Machi?, lit. "Town of Orgiva") is a location in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. It is the easternmost town. It is the only town east of the Dead River that sells Garlic and Laurels. It's also the only town east of the Dead River that does not have a church where Simon Belmont can heal his weariness. The most important thing to do in this town is to talk to the Vampire Killer and exchange the White Crystal for a Blue Crystal, which will allow Simon to enter Rover Mansion.
Geography[]
Aljiba is built over a lake, which happens to be the northern shore of the Yuba Lake. When approaching from the west, it appears similar to Veros in that a house with a "moat" around it and a hidden merchant is near the beginning. After this house, the ground will rise and then fall above some water. After that, the player can take the stairs to a small platform. They can then go above that platform and enter the top level, which stretches across the length of the town.
Aljiba is entered from the west through the Aljiba Woods. Just beyond the town is Camilla Cemetery. Right outside the town, in the cemetery, is a spirit who will appear if the player places Garlic nearby. He will give a Silver Knife. Rover Mansion can be reached (after obtaining the Blue Crystal) by heading West back into Aljiba Woods, and then taking the lower East path to Yuba Lake, equipping the Blue Crystal and holding the down button at the base of the lake.
Villagers[]
- Main level
- Garlic Merchant - In the first house with the moat around it, you will find a hidden merchant who is reachable by throwing Holy Water on the ground. He says "WILL YOU BUY SOME GARLIC?" and offer garlic for 50 hearts. Do not buy Garlic in order to please the oarsman though, as he does not like garlic, unlike what that villager in Jova told you.
- Old Hag - In the next house above the water, you will find an old hag hiding in the basement. Use holy water on the ground, descend down the stairs, and enter the next room over. She will tell you "DRACULA'S EYEBALL REFLECTS THE CURSE". This at least tells you that you can find Dracula's Eyeball. She has nothing more to offer you.
- Young Man #1 - After crossing the part of the land built over water, you will come across a young man who says "BUY SOME GARLIC. IT HAS SPECIAL POWERS." Garlic can be used as a weapon or to summon certain strangers or phantoms. Take this opportunity to leave the town to the right and then use some garlic. A cloaked stranger will appear, saying "I'LL GIVE YOU THIS SILVER KNIFE TO SAVE YOUR NECK" and will leave you with a Silver Knife for free, although it will cost you some hearts every time you use it.
- Mid level
- Young Man #2 - A young man paces the small platform on the middle level at the right of the town. He tells you "CLUES TO DRACULA'S RIDDLE CAN BE FOUND IN VEROS WOODS".
- Laurel Merchant - In the house on the mid-level, a hidden merchant can be found below the stairs using Holy Water on the ground. He will ask you "BUY SOME OF MY LAURELS?" and offer you a Laurel for 50 hearts. Most new towns that you encounter will also have laurels in them. Laurels can help you get across marshy land without taking damage.
- Upper level
- Old Man #2 - The old man will tell you "A LAUREL WILL PROTECT YOU FROM THE POISON MARSH". It will indeed.
- Woman #1 - The woman will tell you "THE DEAD RIVER WAITS TO BE FREED FROM THE CURSE".
- Young Man #3 - The young man will tell you "TO RESTORE YOUR HEALTH, SHOUT IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH". This is not correct, as you must enter a church and talk to the priest to have your life restored.
- Vampire Killer - The most important thing to do in this town is to talk to the Vampire Killer crystal trader. He says "I WOULD LIKE TO EXCHANGE A WHITE CRYSTAL FOR A BLUE ONE". He will then proceed to take your white crystal (you do not have a choice) and give you a blue one. Fortunately, a Blue Crystal has the same ability as a white one plus it allows you to enter Rover Mansion. To reach Rover Mansion, go left, down, to the right, and at the base of Yuba Lake, press the down button. The blue crystal will drain the water and allow you to reach the mansion.
Aljiba at night[]
A lone Zombie roams the lower levels of Aljiba at night. It takes three hits with a Chain Whip. The upper section of the town is host to many weaker Zombies who only take one chain whip hit to kill.
Enemy Data[]
| Enemy Data: Aljiba | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name - Game Description |
Statistics | Items | Location | Notes |
|
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| ' | HP: 2/4/8/16 |
Drop: Half Heart |
Jova, Veros, Aljiba, Aldra, Oldon, Fetra |
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Item Data[]
| Item Data: Aljiba | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name - Game Type - Users Description |
Attributes / Consume | Statistics / Sell | Found | Notes | |||
|
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| Place the Garlic in front of enemies, and it will weaken them significantly. | Buy: 50 Hearts (×2) Find: Aljiba |
Effect: Paralyzes and inflicts continuous minor damage to enemies Special: Summons hidden Gypsies at certain graveyards | ||||||
|
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| Laurel helps make you invincible against enemy attacks. You can purchase Laurel from town merchants. | Buy: 50 Hearts (×2) Find: Aljiba, Fetra, Laruba Mansion (...) |
Effect: Renders the player invincible for a certain period of time | ||||||
|
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| Offers stronger magical powers than the White Crystal. | Find: Aljiba (...) |
Effect: Drains Yuba Lake, granting access to Rover Mansion | ||||||
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| AN OLD GYPSY HOLDS A DIAMOND IN FRONT OF DEBORAH CLIFF. JPNver: デボラノガケノ マエニ チョウコウセキヲ モツ トシオイタ ジプジーガ イル Translation: There is an old Gypsy who lives in southern Deborah Cliff. Gypsy has a Ricochet Rock. |
Find: Town of Aljiba |
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Notes[]
- This town doesn't feature a church where to rest in.
Gallery[]
Maps[]
- See also: Simon's Quest World Map
Other appearances[]
It is possible that Aljiba is the home of the Belmont Clan and the starting point in many Belmonts' later journeys to Dracula's Castle.
Haunted Castle[]
Aljiba may have been the town that Simon Belmont started in Haunted Castle. In this game, Dracula's Castle is depicted on a giant lake. It is possible that this lake was Yuba Lake from Simon's Quest, while Dracula's Castle corresponds with the site that Rover Mansion is on. Simon's journey starts in the north-west of Dracula's Castle and the lake, which is somewhat similar to Aljiba's relative position to Yuba Lake.
The basic design of the first stage of the game is basically a mix between Aljiba and the two environments that were adjacent to it, a cemetery and a forest (Camilla Cemetery and Aljiba Woods in Simon's Quest, respectively).
The first section could have the town of Aljiba in the background while Simon explores a cemetery. There is a stone platform with stairs ascending up to it and then descending down, which would recur in many other games. This could be a reference to the bridge that was in Simon's Quest, although it's probably not a bridge. There is an actual bridge on the other side of the cemetery, although without buildings in the background. Parts of a forest peak through the cemetery as well. Medusa is fought in a mausoleum at the end of the stage. She could be a reference to another female boss, Carmilla, who the Simon's Quest cemetery was named after. The mausoleum itself could be a stand-in for either Laruba Mansion (where Carmilla was fought), or Rover Mansion, which was nearby in Simon's Quest but across the lake in that game.
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse[]
- Main article: Warakiya
Dracula's Castle again appears on a lake in Dracula's Curse, which may correspond to Lake Yuba. The town that Trevor Belmont starts out in, Warakiya, is located in the same relative position to this lake and the castle as Aljiba and the town depicted in Haunted Castle. This town has been overrun by Dracula's forces and is badly damaged.
The earliest areas of Warakiya could correspond with the town of Aljiba as seen in Simon's Quest. The background shows some ruined buildings, which could correspond with Aljiba's buildings. A "bridge" goes over some land, which could correspond with the bridge seen in Aljiba. The next area depicts a massive fortress or monastery. The climb up of this building is similar to the climb up in the town of Jova in Simon's Quest from the bottom left. Toward the top is a chapel that could correspond with the church found in Jova. After navigating some upper walls, the climb back down also resembles the climb down to the bottom right. It seems as though from this point forward, the towns of Aljiba and Jova can be considered one and the same.
The area after this section could correspond with Camilla Cemetery, which is shown as to the right of Aljiba in Simon's Quest. On the map, it is positioned to the south of Warakiya instead of to the north as it is in Simon's Quest, possibly for gameplay reasons as the general direction of travel has changed from that game.
The general layout of the town in Dracula's Curse was followed in several other later games.
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood[]
- Main article: Dinner of Flames
The signpost in the town depicted in the first stage indicates that it is Aljiba. However, the designs of the stage much more closely resemble that of Jova, which was the first area in Simon's Quest and the first town area of the Castlevania series as a whole. Other parts of it resemble Warakiya, the first stage of Dracula's Curse, which also resembles Jova.
The very beginning of this stage does resemble the layout of Aljiba somewhat, however. In Aljiba, there is a bridge section that goes up and over some water. The similar structure in Rondo of Blood, however, goes over dry land, and corresponds with the start of Warakiya's stage. The general location of Aljiba within its environment also is a better match for the town depicted in Rondo of Blood. Left of the town is a wooded area, which could correspond with the woods that Richter Belmont used to reach the town. On the right is a cemetery, which could correspond with the nearby cemetery to the right in Rondo of Blood.
References[]
- ↑ A Vampire Killer crystal trader can be found wandering on the upper-leftmost corner of this town. If the player is in possession of the White Crystal, he will trade it in exchange of the more powerful Blue Crystal.
External links[]
- NES Game Atlas hints: Scan of pages 154-155 and 156-157 hosted on the Castlevania Dungeon.