The Route in One Screen
A spoiler-light outline of how recorded release-version playthroughs move through the game. It covers areas, abilities and ending gates; it does not cover story turns or puzzle solutions.
| Stage | Where | What you gain | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris streets, the cemetery (Cemetery of the Holy Innocents) and the catacombs | First weapons and upgrades | Fairly linear; many spots need later abilities |
| 2 | Dracula's castle — main hall | Optional exploration | The main-hall painting only opens with a later Arcana |
| 3 | Clock tower, mid-section | Smash (breaks cracked floors) | Solve the subarea puzzle, then defeat the encounter down there |
| 4 | The library | Aerial rush (air dash) + a key brush item | The brush is what makes the painting interactive |
| 5 | Main hall → the Notre-Dame painting | Artist's Arcana → the Notre-Dame sequence | The sequence holds a large piano clue and the shadow encounter |
| 6 | Notre-Dame sequence | Double jump (Shadow Arcana) | The Shadow Arcana is the prerequisite for the clock tower's top |
| 7 | Clock tower top → the area past it | Isaac, then the final boss | The final boss gives the normal ending while Arcana are incomplete |
| 8 | Hall of Mirrors | True-ending chain | Access opens after Notre-Dame is completed |
Optional backtracks worth knowing: the Miser and Whisperer Arcana come from special relics found in the streets and the cemetery that must be carried into the catacombs. Recorded footage flags the encounters on that detour as hard for their point in the game.
Movement Abilities and What They Open
The three unlocks form a chain — each one opens traversal for the next leg:
- Smash breaks cracked floors. It reopens marked spots in the streets, the cemetery and the catacombs, including upgrade routes and weapons.
- Aerial rush is the standard air movement. It opens return trips for relics and weapons across every earlier area.
- Double jump is the last of the chain, arrives as the Shadow Arcana, and is required before the clock tower can be pushed to its top.
A recorded guide comments that the double jump arrives late even by Metroidvania standards, so plan collection passes with that in mind.
Ending Gates
Bad ending. Pushing to the top of the clock tower and continuing toward Isaac on a first visit triggers the bad ending. Recorded footage shows it only returns you to your last save point and unlocks a new look for Rose — it is a preview, not a lockout.
Normal ending. Reaching the final boss without every Arcana gives the normal ending. You can resume from the save before the fight and keep working toward the full set.
True ending. The true chain involves the Hall of Mirrors, reached from a mirrored figure in the main hall once Notre-Dame is done. Recorded guides sequence the full route as its own pass; this outline stops at the door. For what is officially documented about these encounters, use the bosses guide.
Area Names and Source Notes
Area names in this outline (Notre-Dame, the catacombs, Hall of Mirrors and the rest) come from recorded playthroughs and their written chapter lists, cross-checked against KONAMI's own commentary — which names Notre-Dame and the skull-lined catacombs directly — while some sources spell the later areas differently. Treat any exact wording as a label to verify on your own map rather than an official place name.
Sources
- Gamer Guides — Game Progress Route — the ability chain, the optional Arcana detour, and the ending structure used above.
- CGInferno — 100% Full Game Walkthrough — chapter list used to cross-check area order and names.
- KONAMI — Gameplay & Commentary Trailer — official naming of Notre-Dame and the catacombs.
