The Pied Piper[2] (笛吹き, Fue Fuki?) is a character in Castlevania Chronicles. He is a mysterious cloaked merchant who seems to possess at least some magical powers.
Description
The Pied Piper only appears once in the game, behind a breakable wall past a White Dragon in the Underground Aqueduct. He comes out of his hiding place to play his flute and offer Simon Belmont one of four items. He will magically rotate them above him, with the player only requiring to jump and attempt to strike the one they want. The Pied Piper won't charge the player for this service in any way.
If none of the items offered is satisfactory, the player can strike the Pied Piper instead, which will then make him display four new items. This process can be repeated until the player sees something they want or when they hit the Pied Piper for the eighth time, moment when he will finally leave and return to his hiding place.
Wares
The items the Pied Piper displays after each whip strike are the following:
| Number of strikes | Item 1 | Item 2 | Item 3 | Item 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Dagger |
 Big Heart |
 Heart |
 Red Bag |
| 2 |  Axe |
 Double Shot |
Big Heart |
 Blue Bag |
| 3 |  Boomerang |
 Holy Water |
 Cross |
 White Bag |
| 4 |  Pocket Watch |
 Meat |
 Invisibility Ointment |
Big Heart |
| 5 | Dagger |
 Triple Shot |
Cross |
Heart |
| 6 |  Herb |
Holy Water |
Big Heart |
White Bag |
| 7 | Holy Water |
Boomerang |
Pocket Watch |
Axe |
| 8 | Heart |
Heart |
Heart |
Heart |
Notes
- If the player already possesses one of the items the Pied Piper would have offered, a Small Heart will appear in its place.
Trivia
- The Pied Piper's overall appearance resembles the Gypsies from Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.
- Due to the particular way the player interacts with the Pied Piper, he shares some similarities with the Old Crone from Vampire Killer. Likewise, both characters will disappear once they have been struck exactly eight times.
- Soon after meeting the Pied Piper comes an area which involves a rising raft with several Mermen jumping out of the water, and then the area boss fight against the Skull Dragon at the top. The player should have this in mind when selecting the item they want.
See also
References
- ↑ According to the X68000 floppy disk original data, the Pied Piper is a male character (じじい Jijii (Old Man)).
- ↑ Konami Official Guide, pages 28 and 29.