Product ReviewsCastlevania: Lament of Innocence (Sony PlayStation 2, 2003)

Castlevania Lament Of Innocence

Konami puts out yet another title to the acclaimed Castlevania series. This one, Lament of Innocence has beautifully done graphics and the gameplay is quite flush. The simple controls for the game make the game easy to master the moves and the alchemy mixed in with your subweapons puts quite a nice touch to the game.

Particular items that I did not like about the game are that there is no way whatsoever to adjust the camera angle while traversing the castle, and that a lot of times requires little to no skill in finding quite a bit of the items in the game.

For the real die-hard Castlevania fans out there, you could find yourself completing this game in 8 to 10 hours (I did it in 8 1/2 hours myself)
and the game can become addicting in a very quick time.

For those that like the Castlevania series and just bought a PS-2, this one is a good one to buy.

Overall, I rate this game 4 out of 5.Read full review...

...and so it begins.

This is the first Castlevania for the PS2.

The graphics are nice although some rooms and corridors are reused which can get repetative.

STORY:
The story details the origins of the famous 'Vampire Killer' and how it was created.
We learn a little of Dracula's origins like his true name (before he became known as Dracula).
The game's voice acting is done rather well which really does help carry the story. If you own the American version you can change the voices to Japanese.

GAMEPLAY:
The game takes place in Lord Dracula's Castle and is divided into areas or levels which are entered via teleporters.
Leon, the main character fights with a whip known as the Vampire Killer and by pressing a combination of the Square and Triangle buttons you can pull off some cool looking attack combos which more of them are unlocked as you progress.
In addition, Leon can use Sub weapons which are like throwing weapons for example bottles of holy water, axes etc. These consume 'hearts' every time you use them. Finding and equiping 'Orbs' will alter each sub weapon in the way Leon uses it.
Leon also uses 'Relics' which consumes Magic Power (you can fill your magic power back up by using the mana prism item or perfect guarding).
Relics range from replenishing Health to making Leon invisible.

MUSIC:
I thought that the music in this game was the best in the Castlevania series.
Imagine classical mixed with dance music and you get a rough idea.
Leon's Theme is typical of this.

EXTRAS:
To get the most out of this game, you will need to find colour coded keys which are found in each level. These keys will open doors in other levels, so expect to to revisit the same level 2 or 3 times if you want to find all the relics.
There are a nubmber of hidden elemental bosses in some of the levels which if you are good enough to find and beat them will drop other whips for you to use.
There is one other awesome hidden boss deep within the castle called the Forgotten One. If you want lots of blood, gore and intestines, then you'll find them all here.

Finishing the game will let you play as one of the bosses (won't spoil which one). The game play with this boss is much different than Leon. This boss has a new attack scheme.
Then there is one last character to play as which you get by finishing the game with the boss. This new character (again I won't spoil who it is, but think of the Halloween theme)is one of the cutest designed characters I've ever seen...
There is also 'Crazy Mode' which once you have finished the game can be played again with a much harder difficulty setting.

Overall this is a simple pick up and play type game. Enjoyable and worth buying.Read full review...

could have been better

To me this game is very similar to Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance. Like HoD this game is fun and all but not perfect. The graphics and gameplay are superb. As is the music. When you’re exploring the castle, the awesome graphics and organ heavy music really sets the mood. The main character Leon controls smoothly and his whip strikes look and feel powerful. Plus the boss battles are tough but not overly difficult. And the camera does not seem to blind me as much as in Devil May Cry. Though Lament of Innocence has plenty of short comings: 1) The enemies and level design are reused way too much. Too many of the corridors and enemies look and act exactly the same. 2) The magic system is 'dumbed' down. This games magic system is based around your subweapons, much like Harmony of Dissonance. Why they could not have implemented the awesome magic of Symphony of the Night or Dawn of Sorrow, I don’t know. 3) Too many things are overly simplified like the combos and armors. There are no 'secret' armors or combos. You get them all as you gradually progress through the game. In the end this is a great game and i enjoyed it much more than Devil May Cry. But when it stands next to some of the other Castlevania games it is far from perfect.Read full review...

Fun and very good, but not perfect

This is the first good 3D Castlevania game (the first 2 were for the N64 and they were TERRIBLE).

It's a prequel to the Castlevania series, and you get to play as a whip-wielding Belmont like the classic games in the series.

It has some great action and boss fights, and although it does have some platforming and puzzles, it wasn't enough.

The biggest problem with the game is that each area has a lot of walls and rooms that are copied and reused over and over, so it looks repetitive.
I was willing to get over the problem so I could see the next boss fight and puzzle areas.

POSITIVES:
+ Very fast loading
+ Excellent music
+ Good platforming and puzzles
+ Great boss fights
+ Detailed graphics
+ Lots of unlockables

NEGATIVES:
- Not enough puzzles / platforming
- Reused rooms and hallways
- Too many cutscenes near the end ruin the pacing

OVERALL:
Still a really good game, especially if you're a fan of the Castlevania series.Read full review...

IMHO

I would liken this game to the first devil may cry. It has nice graphics, great action, and is very "playable". the moves are easy to master, almost intuitive. Therin lies the dark side: because it is so playable and also addictive, you will likely finish this game in a weekend. On the up side, you will have a very fun weekend. Oh, one final bit of advice, save often. It is very frustrating having to repeat a whole section of the castle just because you died foolishly.Read full review...

. * . A nice addition to the Series . * .

I am a die hard Castlevania fan. I like this game, though it does seem to lack some of the nostalgia when converted into more of a 3-D format.

The graphics are great and the music is wonderful.

The battles aren't too easy, but does become somewhat repetitive from room to room.

The controls can be tricky like when jumping from pole to pole.

Overall, I enjoy the game. It is fun. It has a nice pace to it and I think if you like the Castlevania storyline you will like Lament of Innocence.Read full review...

Castlevania: Fun but Easy

Fun game in the Castle history, but a bit to easy (except "Death") and there is no way to affectivly adjust the camera angle. If your any good at gaming expect to spend 10Hrs of play. If you have to obtain everything then expect to be playing 20Hrs. (Some of the items can only be obtained by spending a long time repeating the same room killing the bad guys until finally one of them "drops" the item. The other cool thing is after your first complete run you can repeat the game under two different characters with different goals (same maps though).Read full review...

Always loved Castlevania and Lament.

I've always loved the Castlevania series of games. One of my very first action quest type games and Lament of Innocence (while it was the last I was able to get), it was my favorite because the storyline was great and there was battles galore! I bought another copy to get my daughter as hooked on it as I used to be. I don't regret it one bit! I hope someday they come out with a Castlevania MMORPG but I doubt it! :) Just have to cut the game a bit of slack graphically as it ISNT as up to date and enhanced as all the new games.Read full review...

hackin' and slashin'

Frankly, I bought this game on a whim. I've never played a castlevania game before, and didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, for a game that has the same 20 button combos (all using two buttons), this game was challenging and fun. The enemies were diverse, and i thoroughly enjoyed killing them.
It was not an exceptionally original game, but good for what it was. After all, you can only have so many blond, angsty boys looking to save the helpless female in a gothic setting. Oooo... they'll eat your flesh and suck your blood...Read full review...

First good 3D Castlevania

The overall presentation is done well. Gameplay is simple and enjoyable and the soundtrack is amazing. I still love playing this game and part of my top 5 in the series.

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Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: video-game-traders