Monster Vial

The Monster Vial (called Capsule Monster in Japanese versions) is a consumable item and projectile in the Castlevania series. It summons a monster ally.
==Game specific information==
===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night===
Monster Vials can be used once to summon a low-level monster to come to Alucard's aid. They are usually dropped from the kind of monster they summon, although they can be found elsewhere as well. In the Catacombs, there is a room with several standing coffins; when destroyed, either a Monster Vial 3 or a Blood Skeleton will come out of them.
There are three types of Monster Vials in the game:
*Monster Vial 1 summons a Merman which shoots 3 fireballs forward.
*Monster Vial 2 summons a Bat which swoops forward slowly.
*Monster Vial 3 summons a Skeleton which throws 3 bones in different angles.
Monster allies summoned by the vials have a halo over their heads that allows them to be told apart from their enemy counterparts. Even though the Merman ally, summoned by the Monster Vial 1, shoots fireballs, it still deals Hit damage, like the other vials.
The vials also suffer from a bug due to which their listed ATT values are not actually added to Alucard's total ATT, so their actual damage output ends up being equal to Alucard's unarmed ATT value. There are, however, a few instances where they "unbug" for a while and deal the damage they're supposed to, but this doesn't happen very often and lasts only a few seconds.
In the menu, the Monster Vial 1 is a blue capsule, the Monster Vial 2 is a red capsule, and the Monster Vial 3 is a green capsule. However, when actually thrown, their colors don't match their menu sprites, with the exception of the Monster Vial 2. The Monster Vial 1 when thrown is green with an orange stripe on top, and the Monster Vial 3 is gray with a red stripe in the middle. They actually match the colors of the monsters they summon, as the Merman is orange with a few green areas, the Bat has wings with red undersides, and the Skeleton is gray with red eyes.
In the Saturn version of Symphony of the Night, Alucard always starts the game with a Monster Vial 1 in his inventory.
===Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow===
A Bullet Soul called Capsule Monster #4 allows Soma to summon a lesser Homunculus by gaining dominance over a Homunculus.
==Item Data==
==Gallery==
===Screenshots===
Belmont stuff 5.png|The Monster Vials (on the shelf) of Symphony of the Night in "Shadow Battles" from the Castlevania animated series.
===Animations===
SOTN Monster Vial.gif|Monster Vial 1 from Symphony of the Night
SOTN Monster Vial 2.gif|Monster Vial 2 from Symphony of the Night
SOTN Monster Vial 3.gif|Monster Vial 3 from Symphony of the Night
DOS Homunculus.gif|Capsule Monster #4 soul from Dawn of Sorrow
==Trivia==
*"Capsule Monsters" is the name of an early design concept for the Pokémon franchise. The original Japanese name for this item "Capsule Monster", is probably a reference to it.
Category:Bullet Souls
Category:Pop Culture
Category:Projectiles
Category:Strike Damage
Category:The Dracula X Chronicles Items
Category:Symphony of the Night Items