Super Castlevania IV Cheat Codes & Secrets

Password System

Super Castlevania IV does not use battery backup — progress is preserved through a password system. After a game over or stage clear, the game presents a password using its custom symbol alphabet. On the password entry screen, use the D-Pad to highlight symbols, A to confirm each character, and B to delete the last entry. Passwords are region-locked; NTSC-U codes will not function on PAL cartridges.

The following passwords apply to the North American (NTSC-U) version and start Simon at the beginning of the listed stage with default equipment:

Stage	Password	Starting Point
Stage 1	(no password — default start)	Entrance to Transylvania
Stage 2	BKXR	Simulation Forest
Stage 3	JXKX	The Waterway
Stage 4	HXGX	Cavern
Stage 5	FXBX	Clock Tower
Stage 6	DXDX	The Aqueduct
Stage 7	CXFX	Inner Halls
Stage 8	AXHX	The Floating Ruins
Stage 9	ZXJX	The Library
Stage 10	YXKX	Chapel Approach
Stage 11	XXLX	Dracula’s Tower

Note: Always write down the exact password the game displays during your own session — in-game passwords reflect your current health upgrades and sub-weapon state, which generic stage-start codes do not replicate.

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Sound Test

Super Castlevania IV’s full soundtrack by Masanori Adachi and Taro Kudo is accessible without completing the game. From the title screen, select Options. At the bottom of the Options menu is Sound Mode, which lets you browse and play every BGM and sound effect in the game using Left/Right on the D-Pad to cycle tracks and A to play.

This is one of the most complete in-game sound tests on the SNES, covering all 30+ musical tracks and every sound effect. No code or button sequence is required — it is a standard menu option.

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Hard Mode

Completing the game on Normal difficulty unlocks Hard Mode, which is accessible from the main menu after the credits roll. Hard Mode features:

• Enemies deal significantly more damage per hit
• Enemy projectile speed is increased
• Fewer heart containers are available throughout stages
• The difficulty flag persists on the save file, so subsequent playthroughs can be started on Hard from the title screen

There is no code to bypass the Normal completion requirement — you must finish the game legitimately to unlock this mode.

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Beneficial Glitches & Exploits

Staircase Invincibility Frames

Like all classic Castlevania titles, Super Castlevania IV grants Simon a brief window of invincibility when he transitions onto or off a staircase. Skilled players exploit this by timing staircase entries to absorb hits from bosses or densely packed enemy formations with no damage taken. This is especially useful in Stage 4’s cavern sequences and before the Stage 10 boss.

Whip Hook Cancel

Simon’s whip can latch onto grapple rings and chandeliers throughout the game. If you swing and immediately press B again at the apex of a swing arc, Simon releases and travels slightly farther horizontally than a standard jump allows. This lets players skip over certain enemy clusters and reach platforms slightly out of normal jumping range. The grapple rings in Stage 3 and Stage 8 offer the most consistent opportunities for this trick.

Sub-Weapon Freeze Abuse

The Cross (boomerang) sub-weapon travels in a wide arc and can hit enemies multiple times per throw. Many mid-game enemies, including the Stage 5 clock tower’s axe knights, can be locked into their hurt animation repeatedly by a single Cross throw, preventing them from attacking for several seconds. Stock up on hearts before entering the clock tower to sustain this strategy.

Boss Damage Abuse (Invincibility Cycling)

When Simon takes a hit from any source, he becomes invincible for roughly 2 seconds (indicated by his flashing sprite). On several boss fights — most notably Koranot and the Rowdy Fights — you can intentionally absorb a weak projectile hit to gain invincibility frames while the boss executes its most dangerous attack. This trades a small amount of health for guaranteed safety during peak-damage windows.

Medusa Head Stall

The Medusa Heads in Stage 9’s library section follow a fixed sine-wave flight path and respawn indefinitely. If you need to refill hearts without advancing, position Simon at the left edge of a screen, let a Medusa Head pass, and defeat it as it doubles back. Each kill drops hearts at a consistent rate. This is the most reliable heart-farming opportunity in the late game.

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Developer Secrets & Easter Eggs

Extended Credits Illustration

After defeating Dracula and watching the ending, the credit roll displays hand-drawn character art for each major enemy and the development team. Allowing the credits to run to completion without pressing any buttons reveals a final static screen crediting the Konami 1991 Staff that does not appear if you reset early. This screen is not interactive but is the intended ending to the credits sequence.

Hidden Konami Copyright Screen

On the Japanese Super Famicom version (released as Akumajo Dracula), holding L + R on controller 2 while pressing Start on controller 1 at the title screen causes the copyright screen to redisplay with an extended region code string visible in the lower portion of the screen — a leftover from localization QA testing. This behavior does not appear on the NTSC-U cartridge.

Sound Test Track 00

Cycling backward from Track 01 in the Sound Test brings you to Track 00, which plays a brief segment of silence followed by a low-amplitude tone. This is not a fully composed track — it is a null channel used internally during cutscene transitions. Accessing it requires wrapping around from the last track using the Right direction on the D-Pad.

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Sequence Skips & Stage Shortcuts

Stage 3 Waterway Skip

In Stage 3, there is a lower underwater corridor and an upper path. Taking the upper path and using the whip on the ceiling fixture near the mid-stage torch allows Simon to bypass a mandatory-looking combat corridor entirely, cutting roughly 45 seconds off the stage. The upper route is accessible immediately after the second outdoor section — look for the elevated platform to the right of the second torch cluster.

Stage 7 Wall Clip (Emulator Only)

A frame-precise input involving diagonal whip strikes against the inner-hall stonework in Stage 7 can cause Simon’s collision to briefly desync on certain emulators, allowing him to pass through a section of wall and skip directly to the mid-stage checkpoint. This does not replicate consistently on original hardware and is considered an emulation artifact rather than a true cartridge exploit.

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Quick Reference: Controller Notation

All inputs use the standard SNES controller layout:

Symbol	Button
A	A Button (right face)
B	B Button (bottom face)
X	X Button (top face)
Y	Y Button (left face)
Start	Start
Select	Select
D-Pad	Directional Pad
L	Left Shoulder
R	Right Shoulder