Name Entry Screen

The Name Entry screen or Password Select screen is the screen where the players enter their name on and/or password just prior to starting to play.

It allows you to save your progress through the use of a game save or a "password" that can get to where you were before. You can also enter special modes or cheats by selecting a particular name or password. This article details information about the ability to save and resume a game and play an entire game with alternate modes. See Boss Rush Mode and Sound Test Mode for other start menu options.

Game Specific Information

Castlevania

The original Japanese Famicom Disk version of Castlevania had a name entry screen allowing you to save your progress, which was saved to the disk's memory. The style of the name entry screen was reused and enhanced in Castlevania Chronicles.

The NES version of the game did not have this capability, so no name entry screen exists for it.

The Japanese Famicom cartridge version did not have a name entry screen, but allowed you to select Easy Mode or Normal Mode before starting the game.

The Amiga, IBM, and Commodore versions of the game required you to enter a special password in order to play the game, which is contained in the manual, which is used to enforce copy protection. After entering the password, you are given the option to "Start a new Game" or "Continue a Saved Game", which picks up from the last time you saved the game after quitting the game. There is only one saved game at a time.

The first Japanese cell phone game let you select the "rules" of the game. The second cell phone game (also available in North America) has a Stage Select, a Difficulty level select (easy or normal), a mode select (Original or Alternate). Alternate mode uses subweapons instead of the whip, allows you to change your sub-weapon at any time, starts you out with 50 hearts.

Exact ports of the Castlevania game let you save your progress through the external interface and return to exactly where you left off, but do not change the menus.

You are able to restart the game at a higher difficulty level when you beat the game, which includes additional or alternate monsters and additional trophies.

Vampire Killer

The game lacks a name entry screen and does not let you save your progress or continue. A hidden level select is available using Mega Rom cheat device.

Haunted Castle

There is no way to save your progress in the game. While there are no menu options for alternate modes of play, entering four credits prior to starting the game will quadruple the size of your life bar. You will not be able to perform any continues during the game though. Since you are normally only allowed three continues per game, the number of credits allowed per game is the same for either mode.

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest

This game is the first Castlevania game that allows you to save your progress using a password system. You can either start a new game or enter a password which was given to you after you lose all your lives and choose not to continue. The password is a series of letters that can be used to reconstruct what items you have and where you died. It does not save the number of hearts that you had, as you lose all your hearts when you run out of lives.

The password screen used in the Konami Collector's Series: Castlevania & Contra computer ports is slightly different than the NES, as it removes all the vowels. Save states used for the NES are not compatible with the ones used in this port.

The Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (LCD Handheld) and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (LCD Watch) spinoffs of Simon's Quest do utilize passwords.

Castlevania: The Adventure

There is no password feature in Adventure. Each time you beat the game, you are able to restart the game with a harder mode.

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

Dracula's Curse is the first Castlevania game to use a combined name and password system and to use symbols instead of letters for password entry. When starting a game, enter any name you chose. When you run out of lives and choose not to continue, you will enter a password screen that you can write down on a piece of paper. The password only works for the name that you entered and is arranged in a 4x4 grid, using blanks, morning star whips (whip), rosaries (cross), and big hearts (heart) as symbols. When you start the game again, you can enter this name and password combination to resume your game at the beginning of the stage where you left off. It remembers what partner you had with you and what difficulty of the stage you are playing.

When starting a new game, special names can be entered for a special effect. These include:

"HELP ME" - Gives you ten lives after every continue
"AKAMA" - Starts you out on the second quest (hard mode) as Trevor without the need to first beat the game.
"FUJIMOTO" - Start normal mode with Grant Danasty as your partner.
"URATA" - Start normal mode with Sypha Belnades as your partner.
"OKUDA" - Start normal mode with Alucard as your partner.

Note that for all these name codes, the only one that will allow you to obtain new partners during the game is the "HELP ME" code.

It is also possible to start Hard Mode using the name "GAMETEAM" [1] and entering the following password. This will allow you to see the true names of the game team that designed the game:

Whip, Whip, Blank, Blank

Blank, Heart, Blank, Blank

Whip, Blank, Cross, Blank

Blank, Blank, Cross, Heart

Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun

There is no name entry or password system to the Boku Dracula-kun NES game starring Kid Dracula.

Super Castlevania IV

This game has the same name/password system that Dracula's Curse did, only using different symbols (Axe, Heart, Holy Water, Empty). There are no special names or passwords for this game. Beating the game once allows you to continue the game on Hard Mode. The password system remembers the stage you were last on and the difficulty level.

Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge

Belmont's Revenge has a simplified password system with no name entry. It only has one row of four symbols, which can be a Heart, Orb, Candle, Eyeball, or Empty. There are a few passwords that have special effects:

Heart, Heart, Heart, Heart - Enter Sound Test mode
Candle, Candle, Heart, Heart - Start with 9 Lives (unable to obtain any additional lives)
Blank, Eyeball, Blank, Eyeball - Start on Hard Mode (you will automatically obtain this password if you beat the game once on normal mode)

Kid Dracula

The game boy game Kid Dracula has a four-digit number based password system with no name entry.

Castlevania Chronicles

The original and arranged mode for Chronicles have a similar design to the original Famicom Disk System Save. They give you three save states and let you enter your name. When you run out of lives, you are given the opportunity to save your game. Continuing a game starts you at the beginning of the stage you last completed. Every time you beat the game, you are able to start over at a higher level of difficulty.

There is one special name entry that you can use, which is "NOMIS". Starting a new game with this name starts you out with only a single bar of health at the beginning of each stage and life. It is possible to collect meat and use the Laurel to increase the amount of life you have during the course of a stage though. This works in both the original game and the arranged game.

In the arranged game, you can unlock a "Time Attack" mode by beating the game that allows you to play any stage you want and records your best time for it.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

Rondo of Blood has an advanced save system. You have three slots for name entries. It will remember which stage you were last on, which stages you have ever reached, which player you were last using, which village ladies you have rescued, and how much gold you have accumulated. When first starting a saved game (not in the middle of playing or when continuing), you have the option to start at any stage you have played before, or switch playable characters if you have rescued Maria. You can also "buy" boss battle hint videos with the gold that you have collected throughout the game.

There is one special name that you can enter, which is "X-X!V''Q" (two single apostraphies between the V and Q). This will allow you to select any stage in the game, even if you have not reached it yet.

Castlevania: Bloodlines

The password game is similar in Bloodlines, except that it doesn't include a name entry and uses different symbols (Coat of Arms, Axe, Crystal, Blank). It starts you off at the beginning of the last stage you were on before you ran out of lives with the same character you were using on the same level of difficulty.

When you start a game, you can play on Easy or Normal difficulty. Defeating the game allows you to select Expert difficulty. Entering the Konami Code (Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A) at the title screen allows you to select Expert difficulty from the beginning (a chime will be heard if you entered the code successfully).

Castlevania: Dracula X

Dracula Xʼs password screen is like Bloodlineʼs in that there is no Name entry screen. The grid is now only 3x3 though. The symbols are the same ones used in Super Castlevania IV, and can be a Blank, Axe, Holy Water, or Big Heart. Entering a password brings you back to the beginning of the last stage you played and remembers which village girls you have rescued. There are no special passwords.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Symphony of the Night's name select screen allows you to start a new game or continue one by selecting one of fifteen save states arranged in a 5x3 grid on either memory card. Each save is represented by an animated icon (such as Maria, a tombstone, or Konami Man etc), which is randomly selected each time you save the game. A save state is not accessible if there is another game taking up space for that state on the memory card. These icons are accessible from normal PlayStation memory card managers as well.

When starting a new game, you can enter a few special passwords [2] if the correct conditions are met.

X-X!V''Q - Start a game with Alucard on Thief Mode, which increases luck greatly, but decreases other stats, making the game more challenging. A Lapis Lazuli is in your inventory at the beginning of the game.
X-XIV (must have started a game on Richter Mode) - Start a game with Alucard on Magician Mode, which increases Alucard's Intelligence greatly at the expense of Attack.
AXEARMOR (must have a CLEAR file on the memory card) - Start the game with Alucard with the Axe Lord Armor in your inventory, which will give you the appearance and move sets of an Axe Knight enemy.
RICHTER (must have a CLEAR file on the memory card) - Start the game playing as Richter Belmont throughout the entire game.
GHOST111 - Start the game as Alucard with a single Potion in your inventory.
DRACULA - Start the game as Alucard with a single Neutron Bomb in your inventory.
MEPHISTO (must have a CLEAR file on the memory card with 200% map coverage) - Start the game as Alucard. Guardians in the Black Marble Gallery will always drop God's Garb.
MARIA (Sony Playstation and direct ports only) - Start the game as Alucard and skip fighting Doppelganger foes.
MARIA (Dracula X Chronicles Only) - Start the game playing as Maria Renard throughout the entire game.

Note that all codes except for the luck code only work if you have a "Cleared" save (ie, you have beaten the game) on your memory card.

A new game can start "over" a Cleared game and is indicated as a "Replay Game". Certain features in the game are only accessible on a replay game, such as the ability to purchase a Duplicator or view the Sound Test at the library.

The Sega Saturn version of the game has a character select screen after entering your name that allows you to select Alucard, Richter, or Maria regardless of whether you have beaten the game or not. The save states are also arranged in a scrollable list, the one on the left for internal memory, and the one on the right for a memory card. The save states use Roman numerals for symbols.

The Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (LCD Tiger Handheld) spinoff of the game does not feature a name entry screen.

Castlevania Legends

Legends has a password system similar to the one used in Castlevania: Belmont's Revenge in that it is a 1x4 grid with no name entry. The number of symbols that can use are unusually large though, as any of the sub-weapons can be used (Axe, Holy Water, Cross, Stopwatch, Dagger), as well as a pair of Drumsticks or Candles. There are two levels of difficulty, "Normal Mode", and "Light Mode", in which your whip is always powered up to the maximum.

Saving the game remembers what stage you left off on and what sub-weapons you have collected, which determine which ending you will receive.

Castlevania (Nintendo 64)

Castlevania (Nintendo 64) has three save states on the memory card you have attached to your controller. You can continue an old game or start a new one. You can select Easy or Normal difficulty levels when starting a game. Hard level is available once you have beaten the game with any player. A character select screen is then presented, allowing you to play the whole game as Reinhardt Schneider or Carrie Fernandez. If you have unlocked their alternate costumes by performing a certain feat during their games, you can also select which costume they should wear by pressing up or down.

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness

Legacy of Darkness game select screens are nearly identical to Castlevania (Nintendo 64). Four save states are now available in a memory card. The only player initially playable is Cornell. Beating the game with him unlocks Henry Oldrey as a playable character. Rescuing certain children with Henry unlocks Reinhardt Schneider and Carrie Fernandez as playable characters, as well as Hard Mode and Cornell, Reinhardt, and Carrie's alternate costumes.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

8 Save States are available in Circle of the Moon, which you can select to start a new game or continue an old one. Beating the game on one mode unlocks another mode when using a special name entry. These are as follows:

FIREBALL - Allows you to play in Magician Mode if you have beaten it on normal mode. Nathan starts out with all DSS Cards unlocked, and his Intelligence and Max MP are quadrupled, but his other stats are weakened.
GRADIUS - Allows you to play in Fighter Mode if you have beaten it on Magician Mode. This increases Nathan's physical Strength and Defense greatly, but no DSS combinations may be used, which completely removes any magical potential that he would have had in other modes.
CROSSBOW - Allows you to play in Shooter Mode if you have beaten it in Fighter Mode. This increases the strength of Nathan's subweapons, as well as the maximum amount of hearts that he can possess. It also allows the Homing Dagger to be collected whenever a dagger is obtained when you already have one. Other statistics are weakened.
DAGGER - Allows you to play in Thief Mode if you have beaten Shooter Mode. This increases Nathan's luck by a large margin, but at the cost of all other statistics, making this a challenging mode.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

This game only gives you three save states, as would become the norm for future handheld games. There are three special names that you can enter for special modes of play:

HARDGAME - Play the game on Hard Mode.
NO MAGIC - Play a mode of the game where no Spellbooks appear.
MAXIM - Play the game with Maxim Kischine if you have beaten the game once.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

Aria of Sorrow also offers three save states. This game features a suspend feature. While in the middle of the game, you can select "Suspend" from the game menu, which will save the entire state of the game. When starting that save again, you are given the choice to resume from the suspend point, or start at the last save point. The suspend point is deleted after either choice.

After beating the game, you are allowed to select a difficulty level from a menu (Normal or Hard). Several items can be collected in Hard Mode that cannot be found in normal mode. You are also allowed to start a new game "over" your existing save (that you have beaten the game with), by selecting "NEW GAME+". This will keep all of your items from your previous game (except for ones related to getting to certain parts of the map), yet start from the beginning with initial statistics and a new difficulty level. Entering special names will enable special modes of play as well if you have beaten the game:

JULIUS - Play as Julius Belmont
NOSOUL - Play the game without the ability to use souls (except for those needed to reach essential parts of the castle)
NOUSE - Play the game without the ability to use "use items" for improving health or status etc.

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

When starting a new game of Lament of Innocence, you first enter your name. You then select a "save slot" on the memory card to save it to. Additional modes of play can be played with by entering special names (each with start with the "@" symbol) if the right conditions are met. These include:

@JOACHIM - Play the game as Joachim Armster if you have beaten the game
@PUMPKIN - Play the game as Pumpkin if you have beaten the game with Joachim
@LLSKILL - Play the game with all the skills at the start of the game if you have beaten the game.
@CRAZY - Play the game with Leon on Crazy Mode. Defeating the game on Crazy Mode will allow you to purchase the Mobius Brooch on a later game.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

Instead of entering your name with letters, you are able to "Draw" your name and symbol with the stylus in Dawn of Sorrow when starting a new game. Starting a new game with the cartridge for Aria of Sorrow inserted in the Dual Screen will start you out with the Rare Ring, Meat Strip, and Spoiled Milk in your inventory, as well as the presence of a Mina Doll in the background of Yoko's shop. The Suspend Mode, difficulty select menu (Normal or Hard Modes), and NEW GAME + option from Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow return in this game if you have beaten the game. Beating the game on Hard Mode with Soma grants him the Hellfire soul (Dracula's triple fireball) if you select New Game+ on that save. If you receive that bad ending of the game, you will be able to enter "JULIUS" as your name to start a new game in Julius Mode, which allows you to play as Julius Belmont and also later add Yoko Belnades and Alucard to your party.

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

The menu system in Curse of Darkness and special modes of play are very similar to that of Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. If you possess a save state for Lament of Innocence on the same save you are using for Curse of Darkness, a Moai can be found outside of the Abandoned Castle at the beginning of the game. Defeating the game allows special names to be entered when starting a new game:

@TREVOR - Start the game as Trevor Belmont
@CRAZY - Play the game in Crazy Mode. Defeating this game will allow you to purchase the Mobius Brooch in new games that you start.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

Many of the features from the previous handheld installments return in Portrait of Ruin. These include the Suspend feature and after the game is beaten once, the difficulty level selection (Normal or Hard) and New Game+ features. In addition to entering your name, you can draw an "Emblem", which is displayed in online modes of play.

In addition to offering a Hard difficulty level, you can also enter a level cap that prevents the players from leveling up beyond a certain point. A different reward is offered depending what the level cap is when playing hard mode. If none is set, a portrait of Vincent is displayed during the ending. For level cap 50, you will receive the Vic Viper trophy, which offers a Luck boost +50 in all games that you play. Level cap 25 gives you the Twin Bee which gives an Intelligence +50 boost. Level cap 1 gives you a Konami Man trophy which gives a Strength +50 boost. These trophies can only be obtained once and are also obtained if you defeat the game with a lower level cap. They reside in your inventory and do not need to be "selected" in order for the stat boost to take effect and cannot be sold or turned off.

This game has many different modes of play and alternate characters to play as, and as a result gives you more save slots than usual (6). Alternate character modes are selected by a menu instead of by entering a special name. These modes are as follows:

JONATHAN - Play in "Jonathan Mode" which is the normal mode allowing you to play as Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin
SISTERS - Play in "Sisters Mode", which allows you to play as Stella and Loretta before they were turned into vampires on a quest to save their father Eric Lecarde. They "fly" through the game using the directional arrows and attack using the stylus. Available once you beat the game and Whip's Memory.
RICHITER - Play in "Richter Mode" (menu option is misspelled), allowing you to play as Richter Belmont and Maria Renard. Available once you beat the game and Whip's Memory.
OLD AXE ARMOR - Play in "Old Axe Armor Mode", allowing you to play as an Old Axe Armor. Available once you kill 1000 Old Axe Armors in a given save file.

Castlevania: Order of Shadows

Order of Shadows allows you to enter your initials when you start a new game and is able to use a single save slot to save your game at any time. The initials entered are used to identify yourself for a high score, which is tracked for both normal and hard difficulty levels. Defeating the game once unlocks a "Hard Mode" option. Defeating Hard Mode allows you to choose whether or not you want unlimited items whenever you start a new game. If chosen, you will start with every item in the game in your inventory and will always have "9" of every usable item stocked.

Castlevania: The Arcade

It is possible to save your accomplishments in Castlevania: The Arcade by using the E-Amusement Pass. At the beginning of the game, you are allowed to choose to play as a Vampire Hunter or Lady Gunner. Defeating the game with either of these players unlocks the ability to play as a Little Witch. Defeating the game as Little Witch allows you to play an advanced mode with her where Yellow Chickens appear that must be shot down, which leads to an alternate ending if you are able to shoot them all.

Akumajō Dracula: The Medal

It is possible to play the Akumajō Dracula: The Medal slot machine simulator using Richter Belmont or Maria Renard.

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

Several options from Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin return in Order of Ecclesia. Once you defeat the game once, you are able to do a NEW GAME+ option to start a new game with all the items you have collected in the previous games. You are also able to select Hard Mode with an optional level cap of 1-50. Defeating the game with any level cap gives you the Queen of Hearts item. Defeating hard mode with a level cap of 1 unlocks Hard Mode with a level cap of 250 and also allows you to level up beyond the default level cap of 99 that is on all other games.

Beating the game also gives the option to select Albus as your playable character.

Castlevania: Judgment

The Name Entry screen in Judgment allows you to set your name and maintains three save states, each which maintain a separate set of unlockables. It is not possible to transfer one of your states from one Wii system to another.

Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth

There are no name select, password, progress saves, or rewards for beating the game. However, there are multiple options that you can set prior to starting a game. There are three levels of difficulty that can be selected from the beginning, Easy, Normal, and Hard. Once you have started playing the game and "saved" at the end of the game, you will be able to play Classic Mode, which prevents you from being able to switch direction mid-air, only allows you to use the Cross Boomerang and Axe sub-weapons, and makes you lose your fire whip if you get damaged.

There is a hidden level select that allows you to start on any level that you have reached in a given difficulty level. To reach this, on the main menu screen, while the cursor is on START, hold the "right" directional arrow for several seconds and select the level you wish to start on.