Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

North American box art
Developer(s) Konami
Publisher(s) Konami
Producer(s) Koji Igarashi
Artist(s) Ayami Kojima
Writer(s) Koji Igarashi
Composer(s) Michiru Yamane
Series Castlevania
Platform(s) PlayStation 2
Release date(s)
  • NA October 21, 2003
  • JP November 27, 2003
  • EU February 13, 2004
  • AUS February 20, 2004
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player
Rating(s)

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, released as Castlevania (キャッスルヴァニア Kyassuruvania?) in Japan, Europe, and Australia, is an action-adventure video game developed by Konami for the PlayStation 2 console. Belonging to Konami's Castlevania video game series, it is the first installment of the series on the PlayStation 2 and the third to make use of a 3D style of gameplay. It was released in Japan and North America in late 2003 and Europe and Australia in early 2004.

Lament of Innocence takes place in the fictional universe of the Castlevania series. Set in 1094, it focuses on the origins of the series' premise—the eternal conflict between the vampire hunters of the Belmont clan and the immortal vampire Dracula. Lament of Innocence follows Leon Belmont as he searches a vampire's castle in search of his kidnapped betrothed.

Contents

Gameplay

The objective of Lament of Innocence is to lead the primary player character and protagonist Leon Belmont through the monster-filled castle as he searches for his kidnapped beloved.[1] Exploring the castle is an open-ended task, with puzzles, concealed items and rooms, and bosses.[2] A room near the castle's entrance contains portals to the five main areas, all of which are accessible from the beginning.[3] After Leon defeats each area's boss, the final area becomes unlocked.[3] Health restoratives and items to improve gaming statistics such as strength and defense can be purchased with in-game money from a shop on the castle grounds.[4]

For his primary weapon, Leon makes use of the Whip of Alchemy given to him by Rinaldo, the shopkeeper.[5] Later on, Leon can acquire three more whips, each guarded by an elemental boss: the Ice, Lightning, and Fire Elemental Whips.[4] Near the end of the game, his Whip of Alchemy turns into the more destructive Vampire Killer.[4] In addition, Leon can combine one of five sub-weapons—a knife, an axe, a cross, a crystal, and holy water—with one of seven orbs to form a special attack.[4] Over the course of the game, he will learn special techniques and magic attacks as well.[1]

Two additional player characters can be unlocked: the new character Pumpkin and Joachim, a vampire who appeared earlier in the game as a boss.[6] Pumpkin makes use of Leon's whip as the primary weapon and only one sub-weapon, has all whip and defensive skills prelearned, and does more damage than Leon.[6] In contrast, Joachim uses five flying swords as his primary weapons; he lacks an inventory and the ability to use relics and purchase items from Rinaldo's shop. However, Joachim has access to two magic attacks in the place of sub-weapons.[6]

Plot

Lament of Innocence is set in the fictional universe of the Castlevania series. Set in 1094, it focuses on the origins of the series' premise—the eternal conflict between the vampire hunters of the Belmont clan and the immortal vampire Dracula.[7] The protagonist and primary player character of Lament of Innocence is Leon Belmont, a former baron[8] and member of the Belmont clan. His close friend, Mathias Cronqvist, tells him that Sara is being held captive by the vampire Walter Bernhard.[9][10] During the game, he encounters Rinaldo Gandolfi, an alchemist and resident of the forest outside Walter’s castle.[11]

Arriving on the castle grounds, Leon meets Rinaldo, who gives him a whip crafted by alchemy to assist in killing the monsters and enchants his gauntlet so he is able to use magic relics within the castle.[12][13] Before leaving for the castle, Leon learns that he must defeat five monsters to gain access to Walter's throne room.[14] Arriving at the castle, Leon proceeds to enter the castle and defeat a Golem, an Undead Parasite, a Succubus, Medusa, and Joachim, a vampire kept prisoner in the castle by Walter.[15][16] Before dying, Joachim mentions the Ebony and Crimson Stones, both of which are created from alchemy,[17] and explains to Leon that the Ebony Stone can produce darkness.[18] From Rinaldo, Leon learns that the Crimson Stone converts the souls of vampires into power for its master.[17]

After Leon reaches Walter’s quarters, he rescues Sara and attempts to slay him with the whip. It has no effect on Walter, and Leon flees with Sara. At Rinaldo's cottage, it is revealed that Sara is slowly becoming a vampire[19] To make the whip effective against Walter, Rinaldo reveals that Leon must sacrifice Sara.[19] Sara overhears their conversation, and begs Leon to kill her and use her soul to save others from suffering her fate.[20] Leon reluctantly completes the ritual, and the Vampire Killer is created.

Leon confronts Walter in the castle and fights him. After Leon defeats Walter, Death takes Walter's soul and offers it up to Mathias; Mathias appears and reveals he had orchestrated everything to obtain Walter's soul and convert it into power for himself using the Crimson Stone.[21] Mathias explains that he chose immortality as a vampire so he could curse God for taking away his beloved wife. He offers Leon the same, but Leon refuses.[22][23] Mathias orders Death to kill Leon, but Leon defeats Death, vowing that the Belmonts will hunt down Mathias and destroy him one day.[24] Leon escapes the castle as it begins to fall apart, and leaves the forest. The game ends with an epilogue, explaining that Mathias became Dracula, the series' main antagonist.

Development

Directed by Koji Igarashi, Lament of Innocence was unveiled at the 2003 Los Angeles Electronic Entertainment Expo, from May 14–16.[25] Michiru Yamane, a longtime composer for the Castlevania series, worked on the soundtrack for Lament of Innocence;[26] Yamane made use of a wide range of styles, from piano to industrial rock.[1] It was released on October 21, 2003 in North America, on November 27, 2003 in Japan, and on February 13, 2004 in Europe.[27] A Japanese limited edition was released simultaneously and contained bonus content: a painting by Ayami Kojima, a calendar, and a music CD.[28] In Japan, Lament of Innocence saw a re-release under the Konami Dendou Collection label on March 2, 2006.[27]

Audio

Reception

 Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
GameRankings 78.72%[29]
Metacritic 79 / 100[30]
GameStats 8.0 / 10[31]
Review scores
Publication Score
1UP.com B+[32]
Computer and Video Games 8 / 10[33]
Edge 8 / 10[33]
Eurogamer 7 / 10[5]
Game Informer 8 / 10[33]
GamePro [2]
GamesMaster 83%[33]
GameSpot 7.7 / 10[3]
GameSpy
GameZone 9 / 10[34]
IGN 9.0 / 10[1]
Official PlayStation Magazine (US) [33]
Play Magazine B+[33]
PSM 9 / 10[33]
X-Play
Awards
Entity Award
IGN Editors' Choice[1]

On GameRankings, the game has an average score of 78.72%, based on 59 reviews.[29] On Metacritic, the game has an average score of 79 out of 100, based on 45 reviews.[30]

Overall, the developers' attempt to re-transition the series from a 2D side-scrolling style of gameplay to a 3D one with Lament of Innocence was positively received by English-language critics.[32][3][1] Reviewers praised it for the gothic atmosphere,[1][3][2] detailed graphics,[1][2][5] enjoyable, though not complex, gameplay,[1][3] and a fitting soundtrack.[1][32][3] Reviewers compared the system of pairing orbs with a sub-weapon to strengthen it to the 2002 Game Boy Advance title Harmony of Dissonance's magic system.[1][3]

Criticism focused on repetitive hallways and rooms,[1][3][5] unhelpful camera angles when platforming,[1] the difficulty of uncovering the secret items,[32] a relatively short length of gameplay,[2][5] and that the player had to search for and use inventory items as a battle was occurring.[2] Eurogamer wrote that the absence of a map for the overall castle and an "overall feeling of being in one huge coherent structure", and less emphasis on exploring of the castle weakened the game since those elements were crucial to previous Castlevania titles.[5]

The game's hack and slash gameplay drew comparisons to the 2001 release Devil May Cry, though Lament of Innocence introduced several unique features to set itself apart from Capcom's title.[35] The game has also drawn comparisons to the 2002 release Rygar: The Legendary Adventure and 2005 release God of War, both of which use similar chained-blade weapons, while the latter also used similarly flashy and smooth attacks that could change direction in the middle of a combo.[36]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Dunham, Jeremy (2003-10-20). "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence". IGN. pp. 1–4. http://ps2.ign.com/articles/455/455583p1.html. Retrieved 2008-02-08. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f MAJORMIKE (2006-05-02). "Review: Castlevania: Lament of Innocence". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. http://web.archive.org/web/20110607103555/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/31435.shtml. Retrieved 2008-02-08. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence Review for PlayStation 2". GameSpot. pp. 1–3. http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/castlevaniatentativetitle/review.html. Retrieved 2010-10-07. 
  4. ^ a b c d "Goodies — Castlevania: Lament of Innocence guide". IGN. http://guides.ign.com/guides/499657/page_3.html. Retrieved 2010-10-06. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f Fahey, Rob (2004-03-05). "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence PlayStation 2 Review". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_castlevanialom_ps2. Retrieved 2010-10-10. 
  6. ^ a b c "Secrets — Castlevania: Lament of Innocence guide". IGN. http://guides.ign.com/guides/499657/page_15.html. Retrieved 2010-10-05. 
  7. ^ Bozon, Mark. "Castlevania: The Retrospective – Page 7". IGN. http://xbox.ign.com/articles/756/756729p7.html. Retrieved 2010-10-07. 
  8. ^ Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Rinaldo: Leon... You're not Baron Leon Belmont? / Leon: Just Leon Belmont. I have given up my title."
  9. ^ Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Narrator: One night Mathias struggles from his sickbed and tells Leon that the appearance of the monsters is tied to a vampire, who has a castle in the Forest called Eternal Night, and that Leon's betrothed, Sara, has been kidnapped and brought to the castle."
  10. ^ Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Narrator: Leon Belmont, a courageous man who feared nothing and whose combat abilities were second to none, and Mathias Cronqvist, a genius tactician, whose learning made him an exception in a largely illiterate society. They trusted each other completely and they were bound by an old friendship."
  11. ^ Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Leon: Why are you living in a place like this? / Rinaldo: I have unfinished business with Walter Bernhard, the master of this forest."
  12. ^ Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Rinaldo: Take this with you. It will help you against the monsters. / Leon: What is this? / Rinaldo: A whip made with alchemy."
  13. ^ Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Rinaldo: The gauntlet is enchanted now. / Leon: A spell? / Rinaldo: Some enemies' attacks release a special power. If you block them with the gauntlet, you can gather that power. / Leon: What can I do with that gathered power? / Rinaldo: You will be able to use the magical relics by releasing that power."
  14. ^ Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Rinaldo: The door leading to his throne is guarded by five monsters / Leon: So I will need to defeat them first."
  15. ^ "Baddies – Castlevania: Lament of Innocence Guide". IGN. http://guides.ign.com/guides/499657/page_4.html. Retrieved 2010-10-10. 
  16. ^ Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Leon: Why is a vampire locked away here? / Joachim: Shut up! Damn Walter. I would have won, were it not for his Ebony Stone."
  17. ^ a b Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Rinaldo: Have you ever heard of the Philosopher's Stone? / Leon: No, I haven't. / Rinaldo: Making the Philosopher's Stone is the ultimate goal of alchemy. It provides eternal youth. The two other stones were apparently created accidentally. No details of how they were made remain now. / Leon: I see. I know about the Ebony Stone, but what kind of power does the Crimson Stone have? / Rinaldo: I don't know the details. It turns the souls of vampires into power for its master."
  18. ^ Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Leon: You promised, answer me. What is the Ebony Stone? / Joachim: A stone created from alchemy. It creates never ending darkness."
  19. ^ a b Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Rinaldo: She is not a vampire yet to be precise, she would be aware of it... but as time passes, she will gradually lose her humanity. Like my daughter. / Leon: Is there anything I can do? / Rinaldo: The only thing would be to defeat Walter immediately. [...] Let me ask you this. Can you kill that girl? / Leon: What are you saying? / Rinaldo: If you make the whip complete, you can destroy him. But in order to do that, you need a tainted soul... one that trusts you and one that you can trust."
  20. ^ Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Sara: If my soul can save others, then I will not die in vain. I do not want anyone else to suffer my fate."
  21. ^ Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Death: I shall take your soul! This power... I offer to the king who wields the Crimson Stone! / Mathias: Excellent... I never spent a better night. [...] You didn't disappoint me, Leon. I knew without a doubt you would accomplish this. / Leon: What is the meaning of this? / Mathias: I needed a powerful vampire's soul. That is all. / Leon: Are you saying you used me?! / Mathias: Not just you. Your betrothed, Sara, Rinaldo, and Walter... I used all of you. I never thought it would go so well, though. / Leon: Is that- that stone the Crimson Stone?"
  22. ^ Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Leon: I sense a rage from this whip... Mathias! You abandoned humanity?! / Mathias: That's right! By becoming a vampire, I obtained eternal life. That was my goal. It was my revenge against God! / Leon: Revenge against God?! / Mathias: We have risked our lives and fought for the sake of God... But God mercilessly stole away the one I loved most... When all I ever wished for was Elisabetha's safety!! If limited life is God's decree, then I shall defy it!! And within that eternity, I shall curse Him forevermore!"
  23. ^ Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Mathias: Then come with me. I will give you eternity, too. / Leon: You wretched fool."
  24. ^ Konami. Lament of Innocence. (Konami). PlayStation 2. (2003-10-23) "Death: To think that I would be... / Leon: I now have the power to destroy all related to the vampires. Though you have divine powers, you are no exception. / Death: Unfortunately for you, as long as my master survives, I will rise from the dead... / Leon: I see. Give him this message: You now have become a cursed being and I will never forgive you. This whip and my kinsmen will destroy you someday. From this day on, the Belmont clan will hunt the night."
  25. ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (2003-02-23). "Castlevania coming to the PS2 this fall". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/castlevaniatentativetitle/news.html?sid=2911429&mode=news. Retrieved 2010-10-09. 
  26. ^ Bozon, Mark. "Castlevania: The Retrospective". IGN. http://xbox.ign.com/articles/756/756729p9.html. Retrieved 2010-10-10. 
  27. ^ a b "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence For PlayStation 2". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/castlevaniatentativetitle/similar.html?mode=versions. Retrieved 2010-10-06. 
  28. ^ "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence limited edition". GameSpot. 2003-09-16. http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/castlevaniatentativetitle/news.html?sid=6075201&mode=news. Retrieved 2010-10-09. 
  29. ^ a b "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence - PS2". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/589680.asp. Retrieved 2008-02-08. 
  30. ^ a b "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence For PlayStation 2 Reviews, Rating, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/castlevania-lament-of-innocence. Retrieved 2008-02-09. 
  31. ^ http://www.gamestats.com/objects/499/499657/
  32. ^ a b c d "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (PS2)". 1up.com. 2004-05-09. http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3110244&sec=REVIEWS. Retrieved 2008-02-09. 
  33. ^ a b c d e f g http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/589680-castlevania-lament-of-innocence/articles.html
  34. ^ http://ps2.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r21676.htm
  35. ^ Kurt Kalata and William Cain, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (2003), Castlevania Dungeon, accessed 2011-02-27
  36. ^ God of War (PS2), 1UP.com, accessed 2011-02-27

External links

Main series
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  • List of media
  • Book:Castlevania series
  • Book:Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow