Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse features two Isaacs. The figure encountered on Notre-Dame Bridge is an impostor; the genuine Isaac is stationed in the Clock Tower’s Heart of the Clock, high above. The giant clock on the Clock Tower Bridge won’t lead to him until you obtain a particular Arcana later in the game.
Quick answer: Defeat Death for the second time in Notre-Dame and equip his Arcana, The Shadow. At the green-sealed clock on the Clock Tower Bridge, use INTERACT [R1], then climb through the clock rooms to find Isaac.
Isaac’s clue and why the clock needs Death’s Arcana
A hooded statue in Mechanic’s Ascent, inside the Clock Tower, recites a rhyme. The card that follows is titled “ISAAC WAITS IN THE CLOCK TOWER.” and gives you “NEW CLUE ABOUT THE ZEALOT”. The verse reads:
“The Zealot waits behind the trap, / Where only Death may go. / A victory there he hopes will give / Redemption from his woe.”
The words “Where only Death may go” indicate Death’s Arcana. On your first visit, activating the clock on the Clock Tower Bridge sends you to a throne room instead. This is Death’s trap and a false ending, not the route to Isaac; see Death’s trap is a false ending, not a game over.
Requirement: equip The Shadow (Soul Harvest)
You need The Shadow, which grants the Soul Harvest spell. Defeat Death a second time in the Transept of Notre-Dame to obtain it; the fight is in our Death boss guide, and the route out of Notre-Dame in where to go after both Death fights.
In the Equipment menu, select your equipped Arcana and replace it with The Shadow. Once it’s active, its scythe icon appears in the screen’s top-left corner.
Route from the Main Hall to the Clock Tower Bridge
Mirrors and the Ferryman cut down the walk to the bridge if you’ve already unlocked them; see our fast travel guide.
Clock rooms leading to the Heart of the Clock
Inside the clock, you climb through five rooms in this order:
- Clock Keeper’s Atrium
- Bridge of Haste
- Eastern Runway
- The Gauntlet
- Steps of Time
Work the red, circular clock switches to make your way through these rooms. Press INTERACT [R1] at a switch to slow the machinery briefly, giving you time to pass its moving parts. At the bottom of the Steps of Time staircase, activate the red clock; it holds off the collapse long enough for you to sprint upstairs. More on the switches: how to use the clock switches in the Clock Tower.
Isaac in the Heart of the Clock: Fight and rewards
The Heart of the Clock is a walkway in front of a huge clock face. Isaac greets you there and a cutscene plays. After that, a single red health bar labelled “ISAAC” appears and the fight starts.
Beating him gives you:
- The trophy “Finish Hector’s work”
- The Zealot Arcana card, which grants the Chronomantic Dive spell
- Chauve-Souris, the LEGENDARY spear he drops, collected using INTERACT [R1]
After the fight, your map shows “HEART OF THE CLOCK”. The Master’s Quarters Approach sits to the right of it, and that’s your path toward Dracula. How to win both Isaac fights is in our Isaac boss guide.
The Isaac on the Notre-Dame Bridge is an illusion
The first Isaac shows up on your way into Dracula’s castle, after the first Death fight, blocking the Notre-Dame Bridge. To reach him, cross the ruined piers using the whip rings and run right through the archway. His health bar also reads “ISAAC”. When that fight ends, a cutscene reveals he was an illusion and the bridge collapses. The real Isaac is the one in the Heart of the Clock.
