Lament of Innocence is one of several Castlevania games that attempts to give the series an "origin story." This retconned Legends, and was later retconned by Lords of Shadow. This one makes Leon the patriarch of the Belmont clan, explains the origin of Dracula, and also defines the conflict between the two.
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This game kind of owns actually. I was ready for jank (and there was some here and there, this is a pretty early PS2 game after all), but not nearly as much as I'd expected.
We're so used to the right stick controlling the camera in third person games like this now, but I honestly think Lament of Innocence makes a solid argument for letting it do other things sometimes. The directed camera did a perfectly good job 99% of the time and using the stick to navigate items and equipment mid combat instead added some fun friction to an otherwise fairly repetitive (though still enjoyable) combat system. Exploration is fun and will be familiar to players who have seen Castlevania map screens before, but can suffer at times from a slow movement speed with little to speed up traversal through larger sections.
The plot is mostly pretty silly, but had at least a couple of interesting twists and turns, and honestly a series taking inspiration from classic monster movies like Castlevania does can stand to be a bit silly, so it's a welcome vibe. The bigger problem is the larger twist at the end that seemed to come almost completely out of nowhere, and since this twist has massive consequences for the entirety of the series, it's disappointing how little weight it carries for the player in the moment with how little was done to set it up.
Overall though, this game shines as an early example of 3D combat that games like Devil May Cry would go on to refine and has plenty going for it as a transition into 3D exploration as well.
We're so used to the right stick controlling the camera in third person games like this now, but I honestly think Lament of Innocence makes a solid argument for letting it do other things sometimes. The directed camera did a perfectly good job 99% of the time and using the stick to navigate items and equipment mid combat instead added some fun friction to an otherwise fairly repetitive (though still enjoyable) combat system. Exploration is fun and will be familiar to players who have seen Castlevania map screens before, but can suffer at times from a slow movement speed with little to speed up traversal through larger sections.
The plot is mostly pretty silly, but had at least a couple of interesting twists and turns, and honestly a series taking inspiration from classic monster movies like Castlevania does can stand to be a bit silly, so it's a welcome vibe. The bigger problem is the larger twist at the end that seemed to come almost completely out of nowhere, and since this twist has massive consequences for the entirety of the series, it's disappointing how little weight it carries for the player in the moment with how little was done to set it up.
Overall though, this game shines as an early example of 3D combat that games like Devil May Cry would go on to refine and has plenty going for it as a transition into 3D exploration as well.
o primeiro da linha cronológica, e também meu primeiro contato com a franquia.
amei cada segundo dentro dele por inúmeros motivos, leon belmont virou meu xodózinho e dificilmente acho que alguém vai superar ele (quem sabe o ritcher quando eu chegar no rondo of blood).
amei cada segundo dentro dele por inúmeros motivos, leon belmont virou meu xodózinho e dificilmente acho que alguém vai superar ele (quem sabe o ritcher quando eu chegar no rondo of blood).
"(...) the Belmont Clan will hunt the night."
How much I loved this game is beyond words; it's been so long since a game captivated me like this. Its art direction is marvelous. I downloaded a pack that enhances the game's textures to HD, and I spent time analyzing the retopology of some things, and I couldn't help but notice how fabulous they are. The interiors of the rooms are stunning. House of Sacred Remain, Ghostly Theatre, and Pagoda Of The Mist Moon have the most beautiful level aesthetics I've ever seen. The story is really cool; it tells about the origin of Dracula, the Belmont Clan, and their endless battle. There are some really good moments, and the cutscenes are quite cinematic. Leon Belmont is literally the most lawful good badass character of all time; I love this guy. The soundtrack is also very good; I wouldn't say it's the strongest point of the game, but it's still amazing (Leon's Theme is literally a banger). Now, the level structure is not very good, which is curious because aesthetically they are beautiful, but in terms of structure, I have to agree with the general criticism that they are indeed quite poor and tiresome. But yeah, that doesn't diminish my appreciation for Lament of Innocence.
https://prnt.sc/SEPAvnnRhpUU
Im playing with Joachim right now, its kinda cool, but ew...
How much I loved this game is beyond words; it's been so long since a game captivated me like this. Its art direction is marvelous. I downloaded a pack that enhances the game's textures to HD, and I spent time analyzing the retopology of some things, and I couldn't help but notice how fabulous they are. The interiors of the rooms are stunning. House of Sacred Remain, Ghostly Theatre, and Pagoda Of The Mist Moon have the most beautiful level aesthetics I've ever seen. The story is really cool; it tells about the origin of Dracula, the Belmont Clan, and their endless battle. There are some really good moments, and the cutscenes are quite cinematic. Leon Belmont is literally the most lawful good badass character of all time; I love this guy. The soundtrack is also very good; I wouldn't say it's the strongest point of the game, but it's still amazing (Leon's Theme is literally a banger). Now, the level structure is not very good, which is curious because aesthetically they are beautiful, but in terms of structure, I have to agree with the general criticism that they are indeed quite poor and tiresome. But yeah, that doesn't diminish my appreciation for Lament of Innocence.
https://prnt.sc/SEPAvnnRhpUU
Im playing with Joachim right now, its kinda cool, but ew...
Lament of Innocence é um jogo que eu não esperava nada honestamente. É um dos Castlevanias que eu nunca tive o interesse de jogar direito mas PRINCIPALMENTE nunca tive uma maquina que pudesse rodar esse cara. Agora finalmente tentei e estou mais surpreso do que nunca.
Ele tem seus problemas graves de level design mas tirando isso, a gameplay é uma das melhores da franquia, conseguiram transmitir bem o estilo metroidvania para algo com um combate mais elaborado, o que ficou sensacional. As músicas, gráficos, histórias também tão incríveis então é um prato cheio.
A exploração é o mais paia, a navegação não é muito boa e é isso que impede esse jogo de entrar no panteão dos melhores da franquia pra mim, mas mesmo com isso, ele tá bem alto na lista hein!
Ele tem seus problemas graves de level design mas tirando isso, a gameplay é uma das melhores da franquia, conseguiram transmitir bem o estilo metroidvania para algo com um combate mais elaborado, o que ficou sensacional. As músicas, gráficos, histórias também tão incríveis então é um prato cheio.
A exploração é o mais paia, a navegação não é muito boa e é isso que impede esse jogo de entrar no panteão dos melhores da franquia pra mim, mas mesmo com isso, ele tá bem alto na lista hein!
Corredorvania
a falta de conectividade entre os mapas dentro do castelo deixou a exploração muito fraca nesse jogo. o que é uma pena pois eu acho que é possível um castlevania 3D existir de uma forma melhor mas lament of innoncence me desapontou um pouco. tem pontos bons como as batalhas de chefes (pelo menos as que eu joguei) e trilha sonora eclética mas é meio que isso mesmo.