Julius Mode

Julius Mode is a secret mode available in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow where the player takes the role of Julius Belmont as the main character instead of Soma Cruz. The game is still somewhat the same, but access to the Menu is denied in this mode (the game just pauses when the "START" button is pressed in Dawn of Sorrow; in Aria of Sorrow, the map has to be pulled up to pause).
Julius's default weapon is the Vampire Killer whip and can't equip any other types of weapons, such as swords, axes, fists, etc. Moreover, Hammer is not present in his usual spot, therefore making the shop inaccessible.
Julius can also use super-jumps and slides, as well as sub-weapons, such as Holy Water or Crosses, like other Belmonts from previous titles.
==Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow==
Julius enters the castle and runs through it with no cinematics with other characters. He can't buy items and can be healed only by saving the game or collecting a Boss Orb. In addition to healing Julius, collecting Boss Orbs increase Julius' strength, constitution and intelligence. His story ends with Graham Jones' death in the last stage. The Castle Corridor's music in this mode is now "Heart of Fire", and the Clock Tower's music is "Ruined Castle Corridor". Unlike in Soma's scenario, Julius and Chaos cannot be normally fought, and the Chaotic Realm cannot be accessed.
Some of Julius's moves are different from Soma's. Julius's high jump is an uppercut which can damage enemies on its path. Julius will not stick on the ceiling when hitting them. Julius's dash is the Omnia Vanitas, which can safely pass through enemies (and some obstacles, such as the big waterfall) and can be performed once in midair. Julius can do a Comet Kick without having to perform a double jump first.
The playable version of Julius is quite different from the boss version. Omnia Vanitas is slower and travels less distance. Julius's animation for sub-weapons is simplified (sparks of energy no longer flash). His falling speed is also increased notably. Also, Julius cannot jump backward while facing forward, as shown in the boss battle. Grand Cross differs most significantly, as Julius does not rise up in the air, nor does he pull enemies toward him. The duration of the move is shorter and the overall shape of the cross is a bit different.
===Julius's weapons===
==Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow==
thumb|Portrait in the throne room during the Dark Lord/Dracula fight.
Julius Mode in Dawn of Sorrow is unlocked by achieving the "bad" ending, in which Soma Cruz gives in to evil and becomes the new Dark Lord. The premise of Julius Mode is that Julius is keeping his promise to kill Soma, should that happen. This mode is also unlocked by receiving the "best" ending.
Julius begins the adventure alone, but later in the game he can add Arikado/Alucard and Yoko Belnades to his team. This mechanic is similar to the Partner System introduced in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. Yoko fights with a short staff and magic (very similar to Sypha Belnades from Dracula's Curse), and Alucard uses some of his Symphony of the Night attacks.
In this mode, the playable characters can level-up (signified by the level number displayed on the upper-right corner of the screen), yet the player has no actual indication of the experience points accumulated. With the lack of Destructive Glance, Julius can simply shatter ice blocks with his whip attack. Additionally, the whole team can move freely underwater by default. The Lost Village's music in this mode is now "Beginning", and The Dark Chapel's music is "Bloody Tears".
Julius mode is very much like Castlevania III: Trevor/Julius Belmont, Sypha/Yoko Belnades, and Alucard. According to a text dump, Hammer was likely to be included as a playable character, thus, he would have been Grant Danasty's counterpart.
The game ends in The Abyss. Julius and his friends don't fight Menace but Soma, who became Dracula, in the throne room (where Soma fought Dario and Aguni). The game finishes when The Dark Lord/Dracula dies. Note that the room is different: with Soma there was a mirror used to fight the gigantic Aguni, while in Julius Mode, there is a huge portrait of an unknown character (possibly a more life-like rendition of Mathias Cronqvist). This portrait reappears in Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia and Castlevania: Harmony of Despair.
===Weapons===
===Sub-weapons===
===Moves list===
 	Julius Belmont 	Yoko Belnades 	Alucard
Y/A 	Vampire Killer 	Staff 	Alucard Sword
Hold Y 	Limp whip 	/ 	/
A 	/ 	/ 	Alucard Sword's Special Attack
D/F + Y 	/ 	/ 	Swings downward angle
B 	Jump 	Jump 	Jump
B in mid-air	Double Jump 	Double Jump 	Double Jump
L in mid-air	Short-ranged uppercut	/ 	Vertical Superjump
D + B 	Sliding kick 	/ 	/
L 	Backstep 	Backward Cartwheel 	Quick Backstep
D + Y 	Low whip swing 	Crouching mule kick	Low sword slash (can also be angled diagonally as in Symphony of the Night)
:Source: Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - The Official Strategy Guide by DoubleJump Books, page 220 to 223 (Julius), 222 to 225 (Yoko) and 224 to 227 (Alucard).
===Dialogue===
==Gallery==
Dosjulius.jpg|Julius Mode.
Screen9.png|Alucard is back.
Fire ball1.png|Alucard performing his Hellfire.
Throne Room - Dawn of Sorrow - 01.png|The room where the final battle takes place.
==Trivia==
*In Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, if the player starts Julius Mode before defeating Chaos, the music of the Castle Corridor and Clock Tower will be the same as Soma Cruz's story.
*In Aria of Sorrow, it is possible to glitch Julius Belmont into the Julius fight and the battle will take place as normal. However, trying to enter Chaos's room without specified preparation will lock the game.
*Oddly, in Aria of Sorrow, the game's opening is still shown when starting a game in Julius Mode.
*In Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, despite having no displayed animation, Julius has a Cestus equipped from the beginning of the game.
*A text file from Dawn of Sorrow's data reveals a conversation between Julius and Hammer, the latter offering his help to defeat Soma possessed by evil. It is therefore likely that Hammer was originally planned to be playable in Julius Mode.Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow | Unused Text at The Cutting Room Floor.
*In Dawn of Sorrow, Julius Mode is the only alternate character mode in the franchise which has a unique final boss.
==References==
de:Julius Modus
Category:Alternate Modes
Category:Aria of Sorrow
Category:Dawn of Sorrow