Boss Rush Mode

Boss Rush Mode, sometimes simply referred to as Boss Rush, is an alternate mode first introduced in Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance and then reused in some later games. It is accessible once the game is completed (some require the "best ending" to be received) or by killing all bosses.
In this special game mode, the player must defeat several bosses from the game, one after the other. The player is usually presented with three courses at the beginning, each having a different level of difficulty. Upon completion of each course and depending on if the player met certain criteria at the end (like finishing the course in a set amount of time), rare and powerful items can usually be obtained as a reward. The mode's progress differs from game to game.
==Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance==
Boss Rush Mode is unlocked once the game has been completed from any ending. Three Boss Rush difficulties are available to play, each one being more difficult and longer than the last. Initially, only the "Easy" difficulty is selectable, and clearing it will unlock Normal, which in turn unlocks Hard when cleared. The Normal road contains bosses from the Easy Road plus some additional ones, and the Hard difficulty contains all bosses from the game except Maxim. While playing, a time trial will be available but invisible to the player, only being seen at the mode's clear. In this game, the elapsed time only serves one purpose: for the leaderboard. The game cannot be paused during this mode. It is possible to collect Hearts between each boss room, but it's not possible to change the player's sub-weapon as it is chosen at the beginning of the Rush. This mode comes with three playable characters:
*Juste Belmont: he is always playable by default. Juste loses his access to the pause menu, inventory, and spell books, not even accessible by inputting the shortcuts of normal game.
*Maxim Kischine: he is playable by holding the L and R shoulder buttons when selecting the difficulty level. 
*Simon Belmont: to play as him, input the Konami Code (↑, ↑, ↓, ↓, ←, →, ←, →, B, A, SELECT) while the Konami logo is being shown. If succeeded, the title screen will revert to the blue version, instead of the red one that is displayed after the game has been cleared. Enter 'Boss Rush' mode and Simon will be automatically selected. He appears as his iconic 8-bit version from the Castlevania (NES), both visually and gameplay-wise, with minor changes. Upon entering the area, "VK2K2" (an arrangement of "Vampire Killer" and "Clockwork") can be heard throughout his entire gameplay. If Hard Mode is cleared as Simon, a special ending will be viewable at the end of the Boss Rush. For more information, see Simon Belmont/Harmony of Dissonance.
A unique feature in this mode, is that the player and enemy stats do not match the normal gameplay, but instead use a different value set, which is also used in Maxim Mode. Generally, Juste has average attack and defense, Maxim being the worst, and Simon being the best. This can be verified as the Giant Bat, the weakest boss, will take as many hits to defeat as many other bosses.
According to debug mode, the Boss Rush area is located in the top-left corner of the castle. It is unknown if this location is truly part of the castle as it is never explored during the main story gameplay.
===Easy Road===
*Giant Bat
*Living Armor
*Skull Knight
*Golem
*Minotaur	
===Normal Road===
*Devil
*Giant Merman
*Max Slimer
*Peeping Big
*Legion (saint)	
===Hard Road===
*Shadow (after Peeping Big)
*Legion (saint)
*Pazuzu
*Minotaur Lv2
*Legion (corpse)
*Talos
*Death (both forms)
*Cyclops
*Dracula Wraith (both forms)
==Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow==
Boss Rush can be unlocked if the player receives the best ending (by equipping the Flame Demon's, Giant Bat's and Succubus's souls when dealing the last blow to Graham's first form, and then entering the Chaotic Realm to destroy Chaos). Once achieved, the player may go to the starting screen and select "Extras", where Boss Rush Mode is available. Man-Eater is oddly a boss in this mode too, as it's normally just a regular enemy.
This mode can also be played as Julius Belmont, but can only be accessed after completing the Julius Mode first (beating Graham) and selecting that save file in the Boss Rush menu screen.
#Creaking Skull (1,200 HP/ 55 ATK)
#Manticore (1,440 HP/ 60 ATK)
#Great Armor (1,650 HP/ 60 ATK)
#Man-Eater
#Big Golem (2,200 HP/ 55 ATK)
#Headhunter (50 ATK)
#Death
#Legion
#Balore
#Graham Jones
Some of the bosses have more HP and attack power than their counterparts in the normal playthrough. Soma is set to level 40, with the same equipment and souls, but only a fixed set of consumable items are provided.
By finishing this mode in less than a certain number of minutes, the player can obtain new powerful weapons for Soma's current save file. Once a weapon has been obtained, the next prize will replace it. If all of the weapons have been obtained, a Potion will be awarded instead.
*Less than 4 minutes: Valmanway
*Between 4~5 minutes: Positron Rifle
*Between 5~6 minutes: Excalibur
*More than 6 minutes: Potion
In Julius' Boss Rush, the player can only acquire Potions regardless of the time they took to finish the mode. These Potions are not saved into the save file, which does not matter anyway, as the player cannot open the menu to use items (see Trivia).
==Castlevania: Lament of Innocence==
Boss Rush Mode is unlocked once all bosses are defeated (including the Elementals and the Forgotten One). It then appears in the Castle Entrance as a sixth portal. There is no reward for beating this mode, but the game does keep track of the player's best completion time.
#Flame Elemental
#Frost Elemental
#Thunder Elemental
#Doppelganger
#Doppelganger 2
#Undead Parasite
#Golem
#Succubus
#Medusa
#Joachim
#Forgotten One
#Walter Bernhard
#Death
==Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow==
Boss Rush Mode is unlocked after defeating Menace at the end of the main game, or defeating Soma at the end of Julius Mode (although in case of the latter it gets unlocked unannounced). Malphas and Menace are not fought in this mode.
It's actually possible to skip boss fights by using a glitch involving the Cutall and the Succubus soul.
#Flying Armor
#Balore
#Dmitrii
#Puppet Master
#Dario
#Rahab
#Gergoth
#Zephyr
#Bat Company
#Paranoia
#Aguni
#Abaddon
#Death
By finishing the mode in less than a certain number of minutes, the player can obtain new powerful items. Once the weapon has already been obtained, a Potion will replace it.
*5 minutes: RPG
*6 minutes: Death's Robe
*7 minutes: Nunchakus
*8 minutes: Terror Bear
*More than 8 minutes: Potion
==Castlevania: Curse of Darkness==
Boss Rush Mode is unlocked after all the bosses from the main game have been defeated (including Legion and Nuculais). Once done, Boss Rush Mode can be entered during the game via Warp Devices. It also allows the player to steal and obtain materials they weren't able to obtain in the main game. Note that while playing as Trevor Belmont, Boss Rush Mode gets more challenging, as Trevor cannot use restorative items.
Beating Boss Rush Mode unlocks the Music Box.
#Crazy Armor Lv.45
#Wyvern Lv.46
#Trevor
#Skeleton Diver Lv.48
#Minotaurus Lv.49
#Isaac Lv.50
#Saint Germain Lv.51
#Trevor Lv.52
#Dullahan Lv.53
#Isaac Lv.54
#Death Lv.55
#Legion Lv.56
#Nuculais Lv.57
#Dracula
#True Dracula
==Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin==
Boss Rush Mode contains three courses: the first course is already available when you start the game, but the two others require the good ending. This mode can also be played as Richter and Maria, Stella and Loretta, and Old Axe Armor, but requires a finished and saved game with those characters.
This mode contains normal enemies as well, but their rooms can be skipped.
===Course 1===
#Two skeletons and an Axe Armor
#Two Mermen and a Golem
#Balore
#Two Armor Knights and a Great Armor
#Dragon Zombie
#Gergoth	
===Course 2===
#Dullahan
#Behemoth
#Keremet
#Astarte
#Legion
#Dagon
#Stella and Loretta
#Brauner	
===Course 3===
#Dead Warrior and Demon Head
#The Creature
#Two Old Axe Armors and a Minotaur
#Medusa
#Heavy Armor and a Malachi
#Mummy Man
#Ruler's Sword
#Werewolf
#Two Cave Trolls
#Death
===Rewards===
As for rewards, a Potion will replace already-obtained items:
*Astral Ring - Beat Course 1 in under 1 minute.
*Invisible Cape - Beat Course 1 in under 3 minutes.
*Record 1 - Beat Course 2 in under 3 minutes.
*Illusion Fist - Beat Course 2 in under 5 minutes.
*Record 2 - Beat Course 3 in under 3 minutes.
*Scout Armor - Beat Course 3 in under 5 minutes.
==Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles==
This game's Boss Rush mode is different from the previous incarnations of the mode in the series - it is available from the start of the game, it can be played with the help of a friend via a cooperation mode, and it is split into four courses; Random Rush (the only course available from the start), Boss Rush Normal, Boss Rush Dash, and Full Boss Rush. The player can choose between Richter Belmont and Maria Renard after selecting the course. Maria Renard is available from the start of the game, even if she has not yet been rescued in the main story. This allows the player to test her even before starting the main story.
Before each boss fight, the player will find themself in a room filled with several candles, vases, and other breakable objects containing Hearts as well as various Sub-Weapons. Once the player is ready, they can enter the portal in the center of the room to proceed to the next boss fight.
===Boss Rush Normal===
This mode contains all of the normal bosses of the game. However, Dracula is not fought in this course, and Shaft doesn't summon any monsters.
#Wyvern
#Werewolf
#Minotaur
#Dullahan
#Death
#Shaft
#Lesser Vampire	
===Boss Rush Dash===
This mode contains all of the alternate bosses. Once again, neither Dracula nor any of the bosses Shaft summons in Level 6 are fought.
#Serpent
#Bone Golem
#Dogether
#Carmilla and Laura
#Hydra
#Shaft
#Shaft's Ghost
===Random Rush===
The player will have to face the four bosses of the first two levels in the game as well as all the bosses they have defeated so far in a random order. Because it is the only course available from the start, it is also the only course that doesn't give any reward for completing it.	
===Full Boss Rush===
As its name suggests, this mode contains all of the bosses in the game, this time including Dracula.
The last three courses give out three rewards each. With the exception of Akumajyo Dracula Peke (unlocked after completing Boss Rush Normal between 11:01 and 15:00), these rewards are always Sound Items.
==Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia==
This mode is unlocked after Dracula's defeat. You can play through it with either Shanoa or Albus. 
Two courses can be done: the first one contains every boss fought before getting into Dracula's Castle (an exception is the Giant Skeleton) and the second one that contains every boss fought inside Dracula's Castle (an exception is the Wallman).
===Course A===
#Arthroverta
#Brachyura
#Maneater
#Rusalka
#Goliath
#Gravedorcus
#Albus
#Barlowe	
===Course B===
#Blackmore
#Eligor
#Death
#Dracula
The rewards are the following:
*Less than 4 minutes: L. Eye of God or R. Eye of Devil.
*4 minutes or higher: Arrow Helm, Axe Helm, Hammer Helm, Knife Helm, Lance Helm, Rapier Helm, Shield Helm, Sickle Helm, or Sword Helm.
==Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate==
Boss Rush only appears in the HD remaster of the game. It is unlocked after the player finishes the game for the first time (a 100% run isn't mandatory). The player has access to all the unlocked techniques and upgrades from the Story Mode, even those obtained by defeating a specific boss (i.e. Alucard's Demonic Wings from the Daemon Lord). All bosses are fought, at the exception of the Daemon Lord with Trevor Belmont, as this boss is a quick-time-event sequence. If defeated, Dracula will make fun of the player's capacities.
#Night Watchman
#Necromancer
#Succubus
#Reaver
#Daemon Lord (resurrected)
#Dracula (Alucard and CPU Simon)
#Executioner (1)
#Lady of the Crypt (no quick-time-events)
#Executioner (2)
#Dracula (Trevor only)
==Trivia==
*The layout of the Boss Rush area in Harmony of Dissonance bears a strong resemblance to the Big Battle stage from Contra: Hard Corps. This may not be a coincidence, as multiple programmers from Hard Corps were hired to work on Harmony of Dissonance.Harmony of Dissonance – 2002 Developer Interview at shmuplations.
*Oddly, in both Aria and Dawn of Sorrow, Julius can get the items from the Boss Rush Mode despite not be able to use them.
==References==
Category:Alternate Modes
Category:Aria of Sorrow
Category:Curse of Darkness
Category:Dawn of Sorrow
Category:The Dracula X Chronicles
Category:Harmony of Dissonance
Category:Lament of Innocence
Category:Mirror of Fate
Category:Order of Ecclesia
Category:Portrait of Ruin