How do I get into the Inverse Castle?

Question

I have been to 781 rooms. Unexplored to me is a spiky area in the chapel blocked by a magic door which I can't open in either bat or mist form, and a one-way wooden panel in the caves with some nice powerups in it which leads from an unexplored room.

I can get the bad ending whenever I want by battling Richter but I feel I need to get Maria to smack some sense into him. I have tried using the gold ring and clock in various rooms, including in the clock room, and I tried various things in the Doppelganger room since its door has a design I recognize from Harmony of Dissonance.

What am I missing?

Answer 1

Skeleton Ape barrels can destroy wooden planks.

The wooden floor isn't an exit, but an entrance into a new area. Lure the DK impostor close to it and let it release its barrel.

It'll lead to Abandoned Mine and Catacombs, each with a boss. The rest should be straightforward as long as you have the Echo of Bat you get for beating Olrox.

Answer 2

You need beat Richter in Dracula's Throne Room (where Richter fought him at the start) by

beating Shaft.

To do this you first need to find two Rings

• The Silver Ring found in the Royal Chapel
• The Gold Ring found in the Underground Caverns guarded by a Succubus

with these you need to return to the Marble Gallery where you first met Maria with the 2 rings equipped

^ (the room Maria is first encounter)

you will meet Maria inside who will give you a pair of Holy Glasses which when equipped when fighting Ritcher you will see something else in the room, attack this and not Ritcher.

after the fight you will automatically find yourself in the Inverse Castle.