Slide

Most modern Castlevania characters can perform a sliding maneuver. This action is mostly used to go through narrow areas that can't be reached otherwise. In 2D games, it is performed by pressing the jump button while crouching on a solid surface (otherwise the character will drop to the floor below). If the slide is performed feet first, the move will cause some damage to an opponent. Care must be taken to only slide into enemies with low-enough hit points, so they can be destroyed while sliding into them, lest they cause damage. This move can be used to evade certain attacks as well.
==Description==
The first character to be able to slide in the series was Maria Renard in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. This move was performed belly-first in a rather comical fashion and could only be used as an evade maneuver. An alternate version of her slide could be performed by pressing ↘ + [JUMP], in which Maria would roll forward instead of sliding. This move may have inspired or evolved into her rolling attack from later games. Her main slide returned in games where her child sprite set was used, as well as in Castlevania Judgment.
Richter Belmont was the first character with an attacking feet-first slide, which he could perform in Symphony of the Night. If the [JUMP] button is pressed shortly after starting a slide, Richter will then push himself from the ground into a forward leap and change the slide into a flying kick, which is known as a slide jump.
Some characters natively possess this ability, while some other needed to earn it by acquiring an object of some sort, such as the Lizard Tail or the Skeleton Blaze ability soul.
Characters in Castlevania (N64) and Legacy of Darkness can slide by pressing the crouch button while running.
In some games (like in Circle of the Moon or Harmony of Dissonance), a slide can deal the same amount of damage as the character's current weapon's attack power, such that it can be used to finish enemies off while moving forward. In later games (starting with Aria of Sorrow), however, slide does not gain weapon damage bonus, such that the slide damage is drastically reduced, leaving this move (even at higher levels) mostly useful for clearing rooms filled with low level enemies like skeletons or zombies, which could be killed with just one sliding kick. Depending on the game, some items can enhance the amount of damage dealt to an enemy when slid into, such as the Slick Boots or the Slide Boots.
An interesting usage was added to sliding in Dawn of Sorrow. If Soma Cruz throws a Yorick's skull and slide-kicks it before it touches the ground, the skull will be launched forward with great force, inflicting massive damage to any enemies it comes in contact with.
While Alucard cannot slide in Symphony of the Night or Dawn of Sorrow, in Harmony of Despair (which basically uses the same sprite set), he will perform his "slide" as a brief Wolf Form (that is, he has never had a sliding sprite).
==Item Data==
==Gallery==
Rondo of Blood - Slide - 01.gif|Maria's slide from Rondo of Blood.
Slide Richter.png|Richter's slide from Symphony of the Night.
Slide Maria SS.png|Maria's slide from the Sega Saturn version of Symphony of the Night.
COTM - Nathan Slide.png|Nathan's slide from Circle of the Moon.
HOD - Juste Slide.png|Juste's slide from Harmony of Dissonance.
HOD - Maxim Slide.png|Maxim's slide from Harmony of Dissonance.
Skeletonblaze.png|Soma's slide from Aria of Sorrow.
AOS - Julius Slide.png|Julius's slide from Aria of Sorrow.
Portrait of Ruin - Entrance - 11.png|Lizard Tail from Portrait of Ruin.
DxC Maria Slide.png|Maria's slide from The Dracula X Chronicles.
Slide Maria DXC.png|Maria's slide from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
Slide(Alucard-Harmony of Despair).gif|Alucard's slide from Harmony of Despair.
==See also==
*Slide Jump
Category:Ability Souls
Category:Actions
Category:Kicks
Category:Martial Arts
Category:Relics
Category:Strike Damage
Category:Harmony of Dissonance Items
Category:Order of Ecclesia Items
Category:Portrait of Ruin Items