Heart

<tabber> Small Heart =
Hearts in the Castlevania series have often served as ammunition/energy for various sub-weapons particular to each game. In some games which don't use a Heart count or have sub-weapons of any kind, they can replenish the player's magic meter instead or even replenish health.
==General description==
Hearts are generally used as ammunition to fuel the player's sub-weapons for ranged attacks. They are generally found by breaking the many candles that are distributed throughout a game's levels. Hearts in the Castlevania series are portrayed in the classic folkloric heart symbol shape (♥).
In most games, Hearts come in two forms: a Small Heart, which is worth one Heart Point, and a Large Heart, which is generally worth five Heart Points. Hitting a candle will usually make it drop a Small Heart, which will start slowly floating down from side to side until it lands on the ground (less often, candles may drop low level Money Bags instead, especially in the earlier games). Large Hearts, on the other hand, are more often obtained as drops from enemies, or revealed inside of breakable walls; these Hearts drop quickly to the ground when revealed. If the player is carrying a certain sub-weapon and hits a candle that has a fixed drop of that same sub-weapon, it will usually drop a Small Heart as a replacement instead (or, in rare instances, even a Large Heart).
The amount of Hearts consumed depends on the sub-weapon used. The classic games generally feature five iconic sub-weapons: Dagger, Axe, Cross, Holy Water and Stopwatch - with the Dagger generally regarded as the weakest, and thus, only costing one Heart per use, and the Stopwatch considered to be more advanced and generally costing five (or even six) Hearts per use. As the series progressed, more sub-weapons were eventually added to each title's arsenal, each with their own amount of Hearts required for use. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood introduced the concept of Item Crashes, which are powerful onscreen spells involving the player's current sub-weapon, and which generally cost a very large quantity of Hearts to cast.
In most of the classic games (that is, those that don't fall under the open ended "metroidvania" category), the player already starts with 5 Hearts in their collection for basic sub-weapon usage. When the boss of a level is defeated, a Magic Crystal will appear (may vary per game but a similar concept usually remains); upon pickup, the player is given bonus points for each remaining Heart in their collection, as well as each second left on the countdown timer, in addition to getting their health fully restored. In the next level, they'll generally start once again with the basic 5 Hearts. However, there are some games where the player's Heart collection remains between levels, such that it's possible to start the next level with a full stock of 99 Hearts if the player had that quantity on the previous one. Games that feature this mechanic include: Vampire Killer, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, Castlevania: Bloodlines (where Hearts are replaced by Jewels), Castlevania: Dracula X, Castlevania Legends, Castlevania 64 and Legacy of Darkness (where Hearts are also replaced by Jewels).
Usages of Hearts were also given different purposes in some titles as the series progressed. For example, in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, apart for being used to fuel certain sub-weapons, Hearts are mainly used as currency to buy items from merchants; in addition to this, acquired Hearts increase the player's EXP count, which once it reaches a determined amount, allows the player to level up and increase their HP bar. In Castlevania: The Adventure, Hearts are rare to find (and Flashing Hearts even rarer), and upon collection, they'll restore the player's HP instead (this game doesn't feature sub-weapons, so there's no need to fuel them with Hearts). Castlevania Legends also lacks sub-weapons, and Hearts are used to fuel Sonia Belmont's Soul Weapons instead. In Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, the player can switch between using the basic sub-weapons by consuming Hearts as usual, or to magically infuse them via usage of Spell Books to cast Spell Fusions, consuming Mind Points (MP) instead. In Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow, usage of Tactical Souls (which in many cases take the place of sub-weaponry) is also fueled by MP, and collecting Hearts will replenish the player's MP reserves. In Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, usage of Hearts is limited for casting Glyph Unions only (powerful spells akin to Item Crashes).
Certain enemies are known to drop large quantities of Hearts when killed. One such enemy is the White Dragon, which in some games drops several Small Hearts (or even Large Hearts or Money Bags in rare instances), one for each vertebra of its long neck. Another would be the Heart Eater, which also drops a large quantity of Small Hearts when killed. However, picking up Hearts is not the only way to increase a player's Heart Point count; one example would be Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, where the player can acquire 10 Hearts each time they absorb a Glyph, allowing them to cast Glyph Unions more frequently while on the field, or even in boss battles, if the boss in question includes a unique Glyph casting among their repertoire of attacks.
Throughout the series, there have also been many Heart-based items, whether they are consumables that replenish the player's Heart reserves, special items that increase the maximum amount of Hearts the player can carry, accessories or other equippable gear that can double the amount of Hearts obtained upon pickup, make enemies drop Hearts more often, or that can even exchange the player's HP and Hearts amount upon receiving a hit.
==Standard Heart restoration==
Hearts are usually restored in one of the following ways:
===Small Heart===
Small Hearts are the most common restorative item in the series. They're found in a myriad of places, ranging from candles to enemies. They usually replenish 1 Heart Point of the player's Heart meter. Even though a single Heart may not seem like much, some weapons only require just that in order to use, such as the Dagger.
===Large Heart===
Large Hearts usually restore 5 Heart Points and are most often found in candles. They're usually kept around the middle of an area. However, in some instances, they may be right next to an entry, making them easy to collect before a boss fight.
===Extra Large Heart===
The Extra Large Heart has only appeared in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. It restores 50 Heart Points and can only be found in the alternative Stage 3'.
===Heart Repair===
The Heart Repair (or Heart Refresh) was first introduced in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and takes the appearance of an angel holding onto a heart, restoring 500 Hearts. This is particularly useful during longer boss fights. Variants of this item commonly appeared in later games.
===Heart Max Up===
The Heart Max Up (or Heart Container) increases the maximum amount of Heart Points a player can have, and is also worth about 5 Heart Points. Usually found after defeating a boss or in areas which require special means to access. They were first introduced in Symphony of the Night.
==Alternate methods==
Collecting Hearts isn't the only way in which to restore them. In Symphony of the Night, there are many special items which have Heart restoration effects, such as:
===Blood Cloak===
The Blood Cloak restores Hearts equal to the amount of damage taken. This is an easy way to quickly increase Heart Points if the player plans to defeat a boss using only sub-weapons.
===Alucard Shield spell===
When the Shield Rod is combined with the Alucard Shield, the resulting spell can inflict 255 damage repeatedly, as well as restoring 8 HP and 1 Heart Point per hit. Can be used on Stone Skulls until all MP has been completely drained.
===Herald Shield===
Using the Herald Shield to block a projectile will give the player 1 Heart Point. The best way to use the Herald Shield for obtaining Hearts is by blocking a Tin Man's barrage of shots.
==Game specific information==
===Haunted Castle===
Unlike most other games in the series, where Hearts are usually found after striking candles, in Haunted Castle, they are only dropped by defeated enemies, and instead of gently floating to the ground, they are sent flying far away. While not confirmed, this behavior could be speculated to make it more difficult for the player to collect them, as well as to lure them into progressing further into the level and make more enemies to appear; all of this in order to defeat the player and make them add another credit to the arcade machine.
Also, unlike other games, picking up another Sub-Weapon will also restore 5 Hearts; and at the end of each stage, the remaining Hearts will be used to restore health, at the rate of "1 Heart for 1 HP".
===Castlevania II: Simon's Quest===
In Simon's Quest, Hearts are still found by killing enemies but this time they're mainly used as currency to buy items from gypsy merchants. The maximum amount of Hearts the player can attain at a given time is 256. Some advanced sub-weapons consume one Heart Point per use, like the Silver Knife or the Diamond; others, like the Gold Knife, consume two; and yet others, like the Holy Water or the Dagger, don't consume any.
Due to the constant day and night mechanics constraints, the player may not want to waste much time on the field collecting Hearts in their aim to buy a new weapon, lest they get stranded at nighttime fighting more powerful enemies. Since in-game time doesn't flow while inside of mansions, the player can take the opportunity while inside one to maximize their Hearts count.
During nighttime, enemies will become twice as powerful, but they'll also drop about twice the amount of Hearts. This can be helpful if the player is near a town which has an expensive item for sale and they happen to arrive at night and with few Hearts.
Besides being used as currency, Hearts also increase Experience. Each time a Heart is collected, the EXP counter goes up (this can be consulted in the PAUSE menu). When it reaches a certain amount (depending on the player's current level), the player will level up, replenishing their HP pool and (for odd number levels only) increasing it at the same time.
Particular to this game, there are three variants of Hearts:
*Small Heart: Gives 2 Heart Points and 1 Experience Point.
*Half Heart: Gives 4 Heart Points and 3 Experience Points.
*Large Heart: Gives 6 Heart Points and 5 Experience Points.
===Castlevania: The Adventure===
*The "Heart" is an item found inside of candles in Castlevania: The Adventure. Unlike other Castlevania games, the Heart recovers Christopher's health.
*The "Flashing Heart" will completely refill Christopher's energy bar. They are more rare than regular Heart items, and they are usually found inside of hidden rooms, although some will appear out in the open.
===Castlevania: Bloodlines===
In Bloodlines, Hearts were replaced with Red and Blue Jewels, although serving the exact same purpose; to function as ammunition for sub-weapons. Red Jewels take the place of Small Hearts, adding 1 Jewel Point to the Jewel counter, whereas Blue Jewels work as Large Hearts, adding 5 Jewel Points.
===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (LCD handheld)===
Unlike the original game, Hearts are used to increase Alucard's health.
===Castlevania (N64)/Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness===
As in Castlevania: Bloodlines, Red Jewels once again replace Hearts in a Castlevania game. This time, instead of having Blue Jewels to denote a higher value of these items, Red Jewels are classified as "small" or "large", the same way as Hearts are usually classified in other games. Their values also change, with Small Red Jewels worth 5 Jewel Points, and Large Red Jewels worth 10.
===Castlevania: Circle of the Moon===
As usual, Small and Large Hearts can be collected from candles and enemies in Circle of the Moon. This time, however, if the player has already acquired a DSS card from an enemy drop, future "card" drops from that enemy will be replaced with a Large Heart instead. Enemies which have a high card drop rate (like Imps or Bone Heads) thus can become reliable sources of Hearts. This is especially useful since the Venus + Manticore combination can double the value of picked up Hearts.
Also, this game has the most types of Heart Potions, being four. Their recovery values are not affected by DSS combinations, however.
The Pluto + Manticore combination causes Nathan Graves to consume MP instead of Hearts.
===Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow===
In Aria of Sorrow, a Small Heart restores 3% MP and a Large Heart restores 15% MP. Breaking a random candle (not the special kind, like the $500 candle in the Underground Reservoir) either in Julius Mode or when Soma's MP isn't maxed, will grant the player one Small Heart. If the player gets neither soul, item, nor gold from an enemy with an item drop rate, there is a 3/512 chance of getting a Small Heart and a 1/512 chance of getting a Large Heart. Equipping the Heart Pendant will increase that chance to 8 times higher.
===Castlevania: Lament of Innocence===
In Lament of Innocence (and later Curse of Darkness), a successful Perfect Guard can restore some Hearts.
===Castlevania: Curse of Darkness===
In Curse of Darkness, Hearts are used to fuel the Innocent Devils. Hearts are consumed when they use abilities or take damage. Hearts are only dropped from defeated enemies if they didn't drop anything else.
===Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow===
In Dawn of Sorrow, there is an enemy called the Heart Eater; it is shaped in the form of a cartoonish evil heart with wings that swoops at great speed at the player, and leaves a large amount of small Hearts when killed. Gaining dominance over its soul grants Soma Cruz the Heart Up ability, which increases the regenerative value of Hearts collected from the field.
===Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia===
In Order of Ecclesia, Hearts are used as a resource to cast Glyph Unions. Additionally, absorbing each Glyph restores 10 Hearts, allowing the player to cast Glyph Unions more frequently while on the field, as well as in some boss fights, when the boss in question includes a unique glyph casting as part of their repertoire of attacks.
There are also many items related to Hearts:
*All beverages in the game exclusively restore Hearts.
*The Heart Earrings are an accessory that make only large Hearts (worth five Hearts) to drop from candles. Additionally, while wearing them, enemies will frequently drop small Hearts when killed. This item is rewarded by Anna for completing her second quest, "Mice Make for Good Eats".
*The Lovers Ring is an accessory that doubles the amount of Hearts collected (that is, two Hearts for each small Heart, and ten Hearts for each Large Heart).
Unique to this game, there are a couple of magical vases that contain an unlimited supply of Hearts from which the player can fully restock free of charge. One of these containers is found in Ecclesia, in the same room where the tutorial with Barlowe begins. The other vase is located in Wygol Village, from which the player will most likely return to restock throughout the course of the game. To use these containers, Shanoa must stand in front of the vase and crouch; this will make an unlimited supply of Large Hearts to drop from it and she'll immediately collect them as long as she keeps on crouching.
===Castlevania: The Arcade===
Other than candles, every 5 consecutive combo hits will restore 2 Hearts. The max heart capacity can be increased with bonus points at the end of each stage.
===Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls===
In Grimoire of Souls, Hearts are used to restore MP. They are obtained by breaking candles, and will fly directly to the player once they spawn instead of floating or dropping to the ground.
==Gallery==
===Small Heart===
Small Heart CV1.jpg|Castlevania
Heart - Simon's Quest - 01.png|Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Heart CV3.png|Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Small Heart Gb2.png|Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
Small Heart CV4.png|Super Castlevania IV
Small Heart CH.png|Castlevania Chronicles
Heart RoB.png|Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
===Large Heart===
Large Heart CV1.jpg|Castlevania
Large Heart Gb2.png|Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
Large Heart CV4.png|Super Castlevania IV
Large Heart CH.png|Castlevania Chronicles
==Trivia==
*It may be considered a bit unorthodox that in the Castlevania series, ammunition for sub-weapons comes in the form of classic stylized hearts. A theory to this could be that Hearts represent the love trail left by the hero's kidnapped sweetheart. Leftover data in the original Castlevania features a that were possibly intended to belong to someone significant to Simon Belmont for him to collect, but that this idea was eventually scrapped from the game. However, this concept could have been retaken for the arcade game, Haunted Castle, where Simon's newlywed bride, Selena, is kidnapped by Count Dracula and taken to his castle. The Hearts Simon finds along the way could thus represent the love trail left behind by Selena to guide him through his quest. However, this is unconfirmed.
*Hearts are historically seen as the representation of one's soul, with the Weighing of the Heart in Ancient Egypt serving as an example. With that in mind, in addition to how in certain games hearts are used to fuel spells and magic of any nature, it is possible to assume that hearts represent the souls of countless victims of Dracula, who are aiding the heroes in their quest to grant them eternal rest that they were denied of.
==See also==
*Candle
*Double Hearts
*Heart Earrings
*Heart Choker
*Heart Cuirass
*Heart Eater
*Heart Max Up
*Heart Repair
*Heart Up
*Lovers Ring
*Mind Points (MP)
*Red Jewel
==External links==
*Castlevania II: Simon's Quest Walkthrough by StarFighters76 at GameFAQs
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