Honestly a really impressive game especially taking into account how little people talk about it, the combat is fun, the rpg elements are good, the exploration is surprisingly good and captures the feel of a metroidvania, the bosses are good especially the secret ones and the music and atmosphere are insanely good.
Give this one a try if you haven't and are a fan of the 2D games or metroidvanias in general, with a focus on the vania part of the word.
Give this one a try if you haven't and are a fan of the 2D games or metroidvanias in general, with a focus on the vania part of the word.
"Dans müziklerinin bu tür bir oyuna, bu tür bir seriye yakışabileceğini kim tahmin edebilirdi?"
En başta dediğim gibi, oyunun müzikleri çokça başarılıydı. "Legacy of Darkness ve 64" oyununu saymazsakta seride asıl gerçek üç boyutlu oyun budur, tartışmaya da kapalı. Mekan tasarımları da bildiğimiz o devasa kale mi bu? Diye sordursa da bazen gerçekten "Ha evet gerçekten ben kaledeyim!" dedirttiği gerçeği var.
Oynanışa bakacak olursak, üç boyutlu bir metroidvania yapılmaya çalışılmış. Anahtar kelimelerimiz yapılmaya çalışmış olmaları... Bunu rahatça söyleyebilirim, oyun sizi kaleyi keşfetmeye itmiyor, itemiyor, çünkü ne keşfedecek çok fazla yer var, ne de kamerayı doğru düzgün bir şekilde kontrol edebiliyorsunuz, en önemlisi de, keşfetmek, sizi yeteri kadar ödüllendirmiyor.
Oyun dövüş mekaniklerine daha fazla odaklanmış, ben bu mekanikleri de beğendim, şu an günümüzde var olan bazı oyunlarda dahi bulunmayan çok önemli bir özelliğe sahip. Aksiyon esnasında ekipman değiştirebiliyor, bin bir türlü eşyaları ard arda kullanabiliyor, özel güçler verecek iki eşya türlerinin içinde bir sürü seçenekleri içerisinde savaşı fazlaca çeşitlendirebiliyorsunuz. Ulan bu harika bir şey! "2018 God of War" oyununda dahi savaşı çeşitlendirmek için oyunu durdurmak ve menü üzerinde aşağılara ya da yukarılara in çık bilmeden rün seçmek gerekiyor. Ama bu Castlevania oyununda savaşırken zırh bile değiştirebiliyorsunuz, ZIRH!
Önceki paragraflardan anlayacağınız üzere, oyun biraz fazlaca dövüşe önem veriyor, bu da oyunun metroidvania havasını kısmaya yetmiyor tabi ki, ancak bir odaya ilk defa girdiyseniz, arenaya girmişsiniz gibi kapıları kilitleyerek düşmanlarla dövüşmek zorunda kalıyorsunuz. Keşfetmek isteyecek olsanız dahi, bu oyunda bir yerden bir yerlere gitmek fazlaca uzun sürüyor, iki boyutlu oyunlarında dahi bu kadar uzun sürdüğünü hissetmiyordunuz, ben tamamen oynamayı başardım, bunun sebebi kesinlikle aksiyon anında yapabildiklerim ve güzel yazılmış müziklerdi.
Oyunun da bir hikayesi var, bu hikaye daha önce çıkmış oyunlara göre kendisini çok daha fazla ciddiye alıyor. Bu da hoş olmuş, insanların merak ettikleri, Belmont'ların vampir avcılığına nasıl başladığını açıklayan bir hikayeyle balığı tutuyorlar. Ancak oyunun bu hikayeyi nasıl işlediğine gelecek olursam... İşte orası çok mutlu etmiyor, oyunu oynama süreniz ve ara sahnelerin ortaya çıkışı, yani hikayenin anlatımının olduğu yerler, sadece ara sahnelerde hikaye ilerleyecek, bunlar çok dengesiz, bir anda birisi çok uzun, bir anda birisi çok uzun. Ama bunlara rağmen zamanına göre kötü yazılmamış bir oyun hikayesi, hatta dönemine göre iyi hikayelerden sayılabilir.
Son olarak spoiler vermeden oyunun sonuyla ilgili düşüncelerimi paylaşmak istiyorum. Bu oyunun sonunda tam olarak aradığımızı alamıyoruz, ancak önceden oynadığımız oyunlarla sağlam anlamlar kazandırıyoruz. En komik olanı da "2018 God of War" oyunun finalinden daha etkileyici bir son baş düşman dövüşüne sahip. Siz geceyi avlarken size bol şans diliyorum...
En başta dediğim gibi, oyunun müzikleri çokça başarılıydı. "Legacy of Darkness ve 64" oyununu saymazsakta seride asıl gerçek üç boyutlu oyun budur, tartışmaya da kapalı. Mekan tasarımları da bildiğimiz o devasa kale mi bu? Diye sordursa da bazen gerçekten "Ha evet gerçekten ben kaledeyim!" dedirttiği gerçeği var.
Oynanışa bakacak olursak, üç boyutlu bir metroidvania yapılmaya çalışılmış. Anahtar kelimelerimiz yapılmaya çalışmış olmaları... Bunu rahatça söyleyebilirim, oyun sizi kaleyi keşfetmeye itmiyor, itemiyor, çünkü ne keşfedecek çok fazla yer var, ne de kamerayı doğru düzgün bir şekilde kontrol edebiliyorsunuz, en önemlisi de, keşfetmek, sizi yeteri kadar ödüllendirmiyor.
Oyun dövüş mekaniklerine daha fazla odaklanmış, ben bu mekanikleri de beğendim, şu an günümüzde var olan bazı oyunlarda dahi bulunmayan çok önemli bir özelliğe sahip. Aksiyon esnasında ekipman değiştirebiliyor, bin bir türlü eşyaları ard arda kullanabiliyor, özel güçler verecek iki eşya türlerinin içinde bir sürü seçenekleri içerisinde savaşı fazlaca çeşitlendirebiliyorsunuz. Ulan bu harika bir şey! "2018 God of War" oyununda dahi savaşı çeşitlendirmek için oyunu durdurmak ve menü üzerinde aşağılara ya da yukarılara in çık bilmeden rün seçmek gerekiyor. Ama bu Castlevania oyununda savaşırken zırh bile değiştirebiliyorsunuz, ZIRH!
Önceki paragraflardan anlayacağınız üzere, oyun biraz fazlaca dövüşe önem veriyor, bu da oyunun metroidvania havasını kısmaya yetmiyor tabi ki, ancak bir odaya ilk defa girdiyseniz, arenaya girmişsiniz gibi kapıları kilitleyerek düşmanlarla dövüşmek zorunda kalıyorsunuz. Keşfetmek isteyecek olsanız dahi, bu oyunda bir yerden bir yerlere gitmek fazlaca uzun sürüyor, iki boyutlu oyunlarında dahi bu kadar uzun sürdüğünü hissetmiyordunuz, ben tamamen oynamayı başardım, bunun sebebi kesinlikle aksiyon anında yapabildiklerim ve güzel yazılmış müziklerdi.
Oyunun da bir hikayesi var, bu hikaye daha önce çıkmış oyunlara göre kendisini çok daha fazla ciddiye alıyor. Bu da hoş olmuş, insanların merak ettikleri, Belmont'ların vampir avcılığına nasıl başladığını açıklayan bir hikayeyle balığı tutuyorlar. Ancak oyunun bu hikayeyi nasıl işlediğine gelecek olursam... İşte orası çok mutlu etmiyor, oyunu oynama süreniz ve ara sahnelerin ortaya çıkışı, yani hikayenin anlatımının olduğu yerler, sadece ara sahnelerde hikaye ilerleyecek, bunlar çok dengesiz, bir anda birisi çok uzun, bir anda birisi çok uzun. Ama bunlara rağmen zamanına göre kötü yazılmamış bir oyun hikayesi, hatta dönemine göre iyi hikayelerden sayılabilir.
Son olarak spoiler vermeden oyunun sonuyla ilgili düşüncelerimi paylaşmak istiyorum. Bu oyunun sonunda tam olarak aradığımızı alamıyoruz, ancak önceden oynadığımız oyunlarla sağlam anlamlar kazandırıyoruz. En komik olanı da "2018 God of War" oyunun finalinden daha etkileyici bir son baş düşman dövüşüne sahip. Siz geceyi avlarken size bol şans diliyorum...
I've played all castlevanias, this is my favorite and so is a stand in for all of them here :D
Castlevania Lament of Innocence is one of many examples I give when I want to show how not to do an exploration game.
This game is way too focused on the combat, you get locked into arenas, forced to fight, and to stop exploring. And that just isn't fun.
It's worse because this game has more indepth combat which slows everything down even more.
This game is way too focused on the combat, you get locked into arenas, forced to fight, and to stop exploring. And that just isn't fun.
It's worse because this game has more indepth combat which slows everything down even more.
"I'LL KILL YOU AND THE NIGHT!" 🔥 Much better attempt at a 3D Castlevania than the previous but series def still works better in 2D. Gameplay wasn't the best even for the era was released but it was fine enough. Has a fine origin story to the franchise.
It's fine
A beautiful Castlevania game, while in some aspects the gameplay and it's details feels simplistic and easy, I consider it a comfortable kind of easy. I quite enjoy the story, the acting was pure theatrics as it should be and voice acting was above my expectations, without spoilers, the origin of Vampire Killer made me tear up and I never had trouble believing Leon's determination. Only character I say was kind of a wasted potential was Joachim, I expected to see more of him or him to be explored more but no, he's just there, beat him and bam. I guess they had to put someone in their own mode as per series tradition and didn't have anyone better, I also imagine he was picked on how fun to play as they felt, which is fair. Music is great, especially Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab is straight up fire, Dracula got the best damn gay club raves in town! Overall it's a great origin story that I'm glad they got to explore. I also really gotta admire how well they transitioned the gameplay and atmosphere into 3D this time, all that experience with the N64 titles payed off. I really like how they reinvented and changed the sub-weapons to work in this enviroment, Cross is easily the best one tho, very OP....now that's some good Christian propaganda huh? lol
Bosses are pretty fun, I expected a more variety to the two health bars thing, maybe some having just one or three but nope, same throughout...this is what I meant earlier, I expect this game to have a biiit more detail, mix it up a little but it doesn't..making me go, huh alright I guess. A bit underwhelming but also not the worst in the world. Tho the game can feel a bit formulaic once you figure it out.
And holy shit, The Forgotten One is terrifying. His presence alone is what gave this game an M rating, that's awesome!
I do not regret doing his boss battle! Oh yeah he did have three phases, so that's some mixing up!
Now for the bad quickly besides Joachim, camera is...not always very flattering and because it has to be locked to an angle, almost every room feels like it has an unused square dedicated to it cuz of it, not sure how I feel about that...platforming, especially the ones where you gotta do a whip swing was easily the hardest part of the game for me and sometimes just landing on a platform period, luckily we don't have the instant death situations of the N64 games anymore but good god, it's hard enough to line these things up with this camera angle (there's a whole right stick there guys, which you didn't even use) but who's bright idea was it to have those dark rooms on top of it?! Heh...bright...good thing these bottomless pits (tho sometimes you see Leon land on the bottom with the scream triggering anyway) just spawn you back up and again, not do it the N64 way. I am aware of it's DMC inspiration but I realized this game is technically not unlike an isometric game, if this thing was on a GBA I'd drop it so quickly and so hard I tell you lol.
I dunno how to feel about only equipping in real time...it's pretty weird but at the same time I don't mind it too much, it's no Silent Hill 4 that's for sure.
Game runs excellent at 60FPS 1080p on PCSX2, I used a widescreen patch which looks much better than I expected, pretty damn native feel. Tho it kinda stretched the HUD where atleast the healthbars look longer than they realy are and it caused the other minor issue of the HUD being over Leon's model in the menu and the rotating items when you examine them overlapping a bit on the text cuz they're a bit to the center instead of left.
I went for 100% Map, which means all optional bosses, upgrades and items too...what I didn't do is go for all the relics or item drops or whatever and...frankly I'm not insane lol. I also really appreciate us not having to cover every single square of a room or something, that'd be a nightmare and I'm glad developers had the insight, pretty sure they'd hate that themselves.
I also wanna say, this game basically feels like the early framework of it's type for me, and that has some parallels with other parts of Castlevania for me. If the N64 games were Castlevania Legends, I guess then this is Circle of the Moon and would that make Curse of Darkness the Aria of Sorrow? (I prefer Harmony of Dissonance among the GBA titles tbh but nobody will get it if I use that game as the parallel, I also haven't played CoD yet so we will see). Another parallel I see is that both this game and Circle are missing a key component that would make them much better if they had it...Circle lacked a Shop, while Lament lack an XP system, which is odd cuz it really feels like both games should have these features, oh well...
From this day on, the Belmont Clan will HUNT the NIGHT!
Bosses are pretty fun, I expected a more variety to the two health bars thing, maybe some having just one or three but nope, same throughout...this is what I meant earlier, I expect this game to have a biiit more detail, mix it up a little but it doesn't..making me go, huh alright I guess. A bit underwhelming but also not the worst in the world. Tho the game can feel a bit formulaic once you figure it out.
And holy shit, The Forgotten One is terrifying. His presence alone is what gave this game an M rating, that's awesome!
I do not regret doing his boss battle! Oh yeah he did have three phases, so that's some mixing up!
Now for the bad quickly besides Joachim, camera is...not always very flattering and because it has to be locked to an angle, almost every room feels like it has an unused square dedicated to it cuz of it, not sure how I feel about that...platforming, especially the ones where you gotta do a whip swing was easily the hardest part of the game for me and sometimes just landing on a platform period, luckily we don't have the instant death situations of the N64 games anymore but good god, it's hard enough to line these things up with this camera angle (there's a whole right stick there guys, which you didn't even use) but who's bright idea was it to have those dark rooms on top of it?! Heh...bright...good thing these bottomless pits (tho sometimes you see Leon land on the bottom with the scream triggering anyway) just spawn you back up and again, not do it the N64 way. I am aware of it's DMC inspiration but I realized this game is technically not unlike an isometric game, if this thing was on a GBA I'd drop it so quickly and so hard I tell you lol.
I dunno how to feel about only equipping in real time...it's pretty weird but at the same time I don't mind it too much, it's no Silent Hill 4 that's for sure.
Game runs excellent at 60FPS 1080p on PCSX2, I used a widescreen patch which looks much better than I expected, pretty damn native feel. Tho it kinda stretched the HUD where atleast the healthbars look longer than they realy are and it caused the other minor issue of the HUD being over Leon's model in the menu and the rotating items when you examine them overlapping a bit on the text cuz they're a bit to the center instead of left.
I went for 100% Map, which means all optional bosses, upgrades and items too...what I didn't do is go for all the relics or item drops or whatever and...frankly I'm not insane lol. I also really appreciate us not having to cover every single square of a room or something, that'd be a nightmare and I'm glad developers had the insight, pretty sure they'd hate that themselves.
I also wanna say, this game basically feels like the early framework of it's type for me, and that has some parallels with other parts of Castlevania for me. If the N64 games were Castlevania Legends, I guess then this is Circle of the Moon and would that make Curse of Darkness the Aria of Sorrow? (I prefer Harmony of Dissonance among the GBA titles tbh but nobody will get it if I use that game as the parallel, I also haven't played CoD yet so we will see). Another parallel I see is that both this game and Circle are missing a key component that would make them much better if they had it...Circle lacked a Shop, while Lament lack an XP system, which is odd cuz it really feels like both games should have these features, oh well...
From this day on, the Belmont Clan will HUNT the NIGHT!
Lament of Innocence is the franchise's first attempt at a 3D metroidvania game. Was it a successful one? Eh, kinda.
Let's get the bad out of the way — this game is much worse at being a metroidvania than any of its 2D siblings. To me, one of the biggest strengths of the genre is the ability to explore and reach new areas whenever a new ability or movement option is obtained. It's a core element of the gameplay loop, and getting to move around and become familiar with said abilities is what makes it a favorite of mine. Unfortunately, this game does not have much in the way of that. Most of the time, progressing will be done by unlocking doors, usually by hitting a few switches scattered around whatever area the door is found in. Secrets are sometimes found by acquiring a key in another area, and there's less than a handful of secrets that can be accessed thanks to elemental whips.
In the same vein, exploring the castle often feels tedious. Leon is lacking in movement options, and there's so many long, often empty corridors. Some have enemies, but most are devoid of anything to do except break candles to replenish Leon's hearts. It's possible to use a Relic to sprint through these rooms, or use a variation of the Axe subweapon to dash through them, but they're hardly interesting to traverse in any capacity.
The game's other aspects are actually pretty good— the combat is satisfying, boss design is fun and rewarding. The pace at which new combos are unlocked is just right, and there's just enough time to get acquainted with new options without getting bored of them. The atmosphere, of course, remains a highlight: immersive environments, cool enemy designs, and a quality soundtrack, as is par for the course for Castlevania.
As a 3D action-adventure game, or as a hack and slash, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is competent and even quite good, but its metroidvania elements hold it back a lot of the time. It's still good fun, but not for the reasons I usually like a metroidvania.
Let's get the bad out of the way — this game is much worse at being a metroidvania than any of its 2D siblings. To me, one of the biggest strengths of the genre is the ability to explore and reach new areas whenever a new ability or movement option is obtained. It's a core element of the gameplay loop, and getting to move around and become familiar with said abilities is what makes it a favorite of mine. Unfortunately, this game does not have much in the way of that. Most of the time, progressing will be done by unlocking doors, usually by hitting a few switches scattered around whatever area the door is found in. Secrets are sometimes found by acquiring a key in another area, and there's less than a handful of secrets that can be accessed thanks to elemental whips.
In the same vein, exploring the castle often feels tedious. Leon is lacking in movement options, and there's so many long, often empty corridors. Some have enemies, but most are devoid of anything to do except break candles to replenish Leon's hearts. It's possible to use a Relic to sprint through these rooms, or use a variation of the Axe subweapon to dash through them, but they're hardly interesting to traverse in any capacity.
The game's other aspects are actually pretty good— the combat is satisfying, boss design is fun and rewarding. The pace at which new combos are unlocked is just right, and there's just enough time to get acquainted with new options without getting bored of them. The atmosphere, of course, remains a highlight: immersive environments, cool enemy designs, and a quality soundtrack, as is par for the course for Castlevania.
As a 3D action-adventure game, or as a hack and slash, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is competent and even quite good, but its metroidvania elements hold it back a lot of the time. It's still good fun, but not for the reasons I usually like a metroidvania.
A pretty fun and simple hack n' slash Castlevania game that incorporates Search Action elements into the mix that were established in Symphony of the Night. My biggest gripe with the game is that there are frequently repeating rooms and long treks throughout the levels that make it seem very tedious, the game could have honestly used some better level design. The biggest highlight for me would def be the music though, what a fire soundtrack that continues the Castlevania vibe!
Decent if at times limited 3D hack n slash. I still did everything I could in this game, which it isn't much.
idk what to say, it was boring.
-mama podemos coger devil may cry de camino a casa?
-tenemos devil may cry en casa
el devil may cry en casa:
-tenemos devil may cry en casa
el devil may cry en casa:
A atmosfera melancólica e trevosa de Lament é algo que eu sinto falta em Dark's Fantasy nos dias de hoje, sendo um piloto da saga ele consiste com uma bela direção de roteiro em sua trama, nos apresentando e adentrando na jornada dos Belmont, as soundtracks são incríveis e nos trazem um sentimento a mais de imersão dentre o castelo, diversos personagens interessantes e bem apresentados, deixando um ar misterioso para cada um deles, o único ponto negativo de Lament é seu maçante Backtracking, é totalmente chato e irritante perambular pelo castelo com seu Level Design patético e repetitivo.
gameplay medio poronga donde lo mejor son las sub weapons si no seria un embole, la camara es una cagada con angulos feos donde no podes ver bien los escenarios, lo mejor claramente es el soundtrack, igual lo disfrute, recomendado si sos un gordo castlevania
Definitely flawed, but a solid 3D Classicvania
I've seen a lot of people compare this directly to Symphony of the Night, and that's fair, it is the next Big Boy console release in the franchise after that game, and when looking at them next to each other it's plain to see where Lament of Innocence lacks lamentably. It's apparent to me though that this is a followup to Circle of the Moon more than anything. Both are attempts at bringing the metroivania style of vania to new console paradigms, and both adopt a bit of a back to basics approach to the aesthetics of the franchise. But whereas Circle of the Moon's dedication to that basic look made the game turn into complete visual mush, the 6th gen 3D look of LoI is beautiful. This is just a phenomenal looking game with so much atmosphere. Each area of the castle has its own distinct look, but they're all drenched in fog and claustrophobic due to the fixed camera angles, and that combined with the immaculate soundtrack makes for a game that I just love walking around in. Yes, the actual layout of the castle is very uninteresting and many, many rooms are repeated over and over with minor variations, but occupying this castle puts me in such a particular state of mind that I just don't care that the rest of the game is pretty mid. The one non-aesthetic thing that really activated my monkey brain was the Orb system. Much like the DSS system from CotM you get to mix and match orbs that drop from bosses with the traditional array of Castlevania items, which leads to all sorts of ridiculous attacks that clear rooms of enemies in a snap. It's definitely not as deep as the DSS, but you get so many stupid animations that it evens out.
Played this game a while back, so my memory is a tad fuzzy, but I'm pretty sure I liked it... with some slight annoyances.
Let's start with the negatives, though. If there are some things I'd criticize this game over, it would have to be a trifecta of stiff controls, awkward camera control, and the questionable platforming. In regards to the camera, normally it can be controlled, but the movement feels slow and restrictive. However, there are times when the camera is in a fixed position, which can cause its own problems in combat and exploration, just with how it's normally angled. Combat, though a little bit nuanced and classic feeling with heavier emphasis on sub-weapon use, also feels somewhat restricted, which is strange because it almost feels like this game is TRYING to take Ps and Qs from Devil May Cry (it's then gothic action competitor), but never really reaching those heights in style or dynamics. This isn't even getting into the fact that Leon, the player character, feels like he moves a tad slow, even if his animation portrays him running at a brisk pace. The platforming, while good on paper and makes sense with "Indiana Jones" style whip use, feels a bit too rough to be any fun, and doesn't even look that good when performed. Jumping also can be a bit dodgy, which isn't a good thing when dealing with platforming, and just as irksome when used in combat. I mean, sure, I got USED to how it works, but it didn't really make me enjoy it any better. These three issues hurt the gameplay in some way, with it being the norm that any given room would have 2 of the 3 problems happening at the same time in different combinations.
You'd think with a brick like the above would have me be rather sour towards the game, but honestly? While the gameplay is marred slightly, it's never to the detriment of killing the fun. It's still very much a Castlevania game, through and through, with a colorful and well realized assortment of demons and monsters to smack up with strategic swings of the whip and liberal use of sub-weapons. Exploration among gothic locations is fun, even if certain environments get a bit too repetitive (such as the underground waterways) and the platforming being annoying at it's worst. Boss fights are fun enough, though not exemplary. Also, the soundtrack is great, but that is a MUST for Castlevania games, honestly.
In regards to the story, it's a simple rescue/revenge story, and maps out the origin of the long standing war between Dracula and the Belmonts, before Dracula himself was a presence, as well as the origin of the holy whip, the Vampire Killer. It's fun, if a bit flat, and characters are over-the-top in a fun way. It's no high art, for sure, and I doubt people would write essays about it, but there's enough of a foundation here that could be expanded upon in the future, like how Castlevania 3 eventually got expanded upon via the anime.
All in all, it's a fun 3D Castlevania game that a fan wouldn't have a bad time playing now and then. I might even come back to it one day in the future, if only for the general gameplay and gothic aesthetic vibes.
Let's start with the negatives, though. If there are some things I'd criticize this game over, it would have to be a trifecta of stiff controls, awkward camera control, and the questionable platforming. In regards to the camera, normally it can be controlled, but the movement feels slow and restrictive. However, there are times when the camera is in a fixed position, which can cause its own problems in combat and exploration, just with how it's normally angled. Combat, though a little bit nuanced and classic feeling with heavier emphasis on sub-weapon use, also feels somewhat restricted, which is strange because it almost feels like this game is TRYING to take Ps and Qs from Devil May Cry (it's then gothic action competitor), but never really reaching those heights in style or dynamics. This isn't even getting into the fact that Leon, the player character, feels like he moves a tad slow, even if his animation portrays him running at a brisk pace. The platforming, while good on paper and makes sense with "Indiana Jones" style whip use, feels a bit too rough to be any fun, and doesn't even look that good when performed. Jumping also can be a bit dodgy, which isn't a good thing when dealing with platforming, and just as irksome when used in combat. I mean, sure, I got USED to how it works, but it didn't really make me enjoy it any better. These three issues hurt the gameplay in some way, with it being the norm that any given room would have 2 of the 3 problems happening at the same time in different combinations.
You'd think with a brick like the above would have me be rather sour towards the game, but honestly? While the gameplay is marred slightly, it's never to the detriment of killing the fun. It's still very much a Castlevania game, through and through, with a colorful and well realized assortment of demons and monsters to smack up with strategic swings of the whip and liberal use of sub-weapons. Exploration among gothic locations is fun, even if certain environments get a bit too repetitive (such as the underground waterways) and the platforming being annoying at it's worst. Boss fights are fun enough, though not exemplary. Also, the soundtrack is great, but that is a MUST for Castlevania games, honestly.
In regards to the story, it's a simple rescue/revenge story, and maps out the origin of the long standing war between Dracula and the Belmonts, before Dracula himself was a presence, as well as the origin of the holy whip, the Vampire Killer. It's fun, if a bit flat, and characters are over-the-top in a fun way. It's no high art, for sure, and I doubt people would write essays about it, but there's enough of a foundation here that could be expanded upon in the future, like how Castlevania 3 eventually got expanded upon via the anime.
All in all, it's a fun 3D Castlevania game that a fan wouldn't have a bad time playing now and then. I might even come back to it one day in the future, if only for the general gameplay and gothic aesthetic vibes.
Went into this one wanting to like it but the core is just decrepit. The initial sensation of 'ooo this is some great PS2 texture work. And a fixed camera? Interesting choice, we might be in for a hidden treat here' turns to mush. You'll become numb to the visual design as you slowly amble through endless identikit hallways, and that fixed camera serves no real artistic purpose, only antagonising you with offscreen attacks and wonky platforming. Some of the bosses are solid enough but the majority of normal enemies have enraging timing on their movesets, with slow animations but little downtime between attacks meaning that - when combined with your incredibly slow recovery after your own attacks before you can block and how the enemies always appear in groups - you're spending a lot of time waiting, getting in a couple of hits, waiting, rinse repeat. Which would be fine if this were that type of game but it isn't. It's Devil May Cry not Dark Souls and the enemy health pools, your attacks and everything else are tuned as such.
The exploration aspects make a gesture towards some OK ideas, having you go back and forth between the different levels in the SOTN style. Yet you move way too slowly and clumsilty for that time spent travelling to be enjoyable and a lot of the goodies to find are hidden behind secrets that are either bizarrely obtuse or the game just tells you them outright.
There is some respite to be found in places. The cutscenes and their unintentional awkwardness are good for a chuckle during the downtime. And of course there is the eternal bright star in the darkness that is Michiru Yamane's work on the soundtrack which is varied, packed with thick synth pads and hard, hard carrying the atmosphere on this one. Her work deserved a better home
The exploration aspects make a gesture towards some OK ideas, having you go back and forth between the different levels in the SOTN style. Yet you move way too slowly and clumsilty for that time spent travelling to be enjoyable and a lot of the goodies to find are hidden behind secrets that are either bizarrely obtuse or the game just tells you them outright.
There is some respite to be found in places. The cutscenes and their unintentional awkwardness are good for a chuckle during the downtime. And of course there is the eternal bright star in the darkness that is Michiru Yamane's work on the soundtrack which is varied, packed with thick synth pads and hard, hard carrying the atmosphere on this one. Her work deserved a better home
It alright for Castlevania. The Soundtrack is pretty sweet though.
Games pretty cool. Its like a bare bones dmc with some castlevania flair. You wont be doing any crazy combos here. That said the gameplay is pretty enjoyable. My biggest complaints being that level design is really tedious, lack of collectibles, combat being lacking. The boss fights were pretty fun and good, none of them were bad. The worm boss is boring but not bad. If this is the weaker one of the ps2 castlevania game then i think ill like curse of shadows a lot more.
ILL KILL YOU AND THE NIGHT!
Has a great soundtrack and pretty cool combat. It definitely copied DMC1 a bit with the camera.
Overall pretty good, the only things I dislike are the horrible backtracking and really repetitive room layouts (2D Castlevania does that as well but it's way more noticeable in 3D)
Overall pretty good, the only things I dislike are the horrible backtracking and really repetitive room layouts (2D Castlevania does that as well but it's way more noticeable in 3D)
Caminas, matas, una que otra vez haces un puzzle y ya.
Aquí termina mi reseña totalmente objetiva chicos, denle like, suscríbanse y deposítenme a mi BCP o conchetumare, que me están estafando pipipippi dracula me quiere estafar causa.
El Lamento de Inocencia "Peca" de mas o menos ser lo mismo durante todo el juego: Entrar a una zona, buscar la puerta del jefe y matarlo. a veces hay puzzles, a veces plataformeo.
Y pues me gusto, al pendejo que abandona cosas por nimiedades termino gustándole, deberá ser por que lo hizo bien.
Ahora juéguenlo o Moriré :(
Aquí termina mi reseña totalmente objetiva chicos, denle like, suscríbanse y deposítenme a mi BCP o conchetumare, que me están estafando pipipippi dracula me quiere estafar causa.
El Lamento de Inocencia "Peca" de mas o menos ser lo mismo durante todo el juego: Entrar a una zona, buscar la puerta del jefe y matarlo. a veces hay puzzles, a veces plataformeo.
Y pues me gusto, al pendejo que abandona cosas por nimiedades termino gustándole, deberá ser por que lo hizo bien.
Ahora juéguenlo o Moriré :(
Any game with an Item Duplication glitch is an immediate 10/10, so yeah. That's the review.
Ok, for real though. It's fun! And a nice origin story for the Belmont clan.
We're back in 3D land, and in a post Symphony of the Night world, it's only natural they would try to replicate the search-action formula in the third dimension.
It obviously doesn't work as well as it did for SotN. This is one area in which I feel Castlevania 64 actually one-ups this game, the level-to-level structure and platform-heavy design of CV64 just worked for me. Lament's approach to exploration isn't exactly bad, but I'd be lying if the multiple repeated rooms in each area and the long corridors with fuck all in them didn't have me thinking of Reinhardt and Carrie's adventure instead.
That said, in all other aspects, Lament comes out on top compared to its 3D predecessors. It obviously looks better, both in terms of 3D models and character design, the music has Michiru Yamane's fingerprints all over it, and the combat is far more elaborate than the 1-hit max slapfest of CV64. It's not Devil May Cry 3 levels of intricate, but considering it's their first attempt at something like this, it does a fine job.
Lament serves as an origin point for the Castlevania timeline, so there's more emphasis on story this time around, meaning lots of voice acting and cutscenes after each boss.
The voice performance is... Alright. It's clear that the voice cast is talented, and the script is much better than SotN's, but the voice direction is a little stilted. Since most of the cutscenes are pre-rendered, I assume the voice actors had no choice but to talk as fast as the cutscene runtime demanded. That doesn't mean it lacks cool lines though; Leon's speech to Death at the end comes to mind, very badass.
Overall, a very accessible entry in the series. It really doesn't ask a lot from the player and it's not very long either, which might be a downside to some, but as someone who's marathoning a whole bunch of Castlevania games in one go and also appreciates short games a lot more nowadays, I like that about it.
Ok, for real though. It's fun! And a nice origin story for the Belmont clan.
We're back in 3D land, and in a post Symphony of the Night world, it's only natural they would try to replicate the search-action formula in the third dimension.
It obviously doesn't work as well as it did for SotN. This is one area in which I feel Castlevania 64 actually one-ups this game, the level-to-level structure and platform-heavy design of CV64 just worked for me. Lament's approach to exploration isn't exactly bad, but I'd be lying if the multiple repeated rooms in each area and the long corridors with fuck all in them didn't have me thinking of Reinhardt and Carrie's adventure instead.
That said, in all other aspects, Lament comes out on top compared to its 3D predecessors. It obviously looks better, both in terms of 3D models and character design, the music has Michiru Yamane's fingerprints all over it, and the combat is far more elaborate than the 1-hit max slapfest of CV64. It's not Devil May Cry 3 levels of intricate, but considering it's their first attempt at something like this, it does a fine job.
Lament serves as an origin point for the Castlevania timeline, so there's more emphasis on story this time around, meaning lots of voice acting and cutscenes after each boss.
The voice performance is... Alright. It's clear that the voice cast is talented, and the script is much better than SotN's, but the voice direction is a little stilted. Since most of the cutscenes are pre-rendered, I assume the voice actors had no choice but to talk as fast as the cutscene runtime demanded. That doesn't mean it lacks cool lines though; Leon's speech to Death at the end comes to mind, very badass.
Overall, a very accessible entry in the series. It really doesn't ask a lot from the player and it's not very long either, which might be a downside to some, but as someone who's marathoning a whole bunch of Castlevania games in one go and also appreciates short games a lot more nowadays, I like that about it.
This review contains spoilers
Castlevania is one of my favorite game series. Not only do I love the linear stage-based game style, but I love the castleroid style as well. However, there is a third game style that Castlevania never seemed to really get right. No, not a fighting game with art by the creator of Death Note. No, the 3D style of game.
Adapting to 3D can be hard. I started taking Calculus III recently and have had a bit of trouble adapting to the third dimension. However, I think Lament of Innocence just barely gets a thumbs up from me. It's a faithful adaptation of the castleroid style of the series, but it definitely stumbles a bit. I'd honestly sell the game as Harmony of Dissonance in 3D. I'm not a huge fan of that game, but I think this game does enough to improve upon that one.
For example, my biggest gripe with Harmony of Dissonance is that to actually play optimally, you have to enter the menu a lot. Let's say I wanted to use a spellbook once in that game. I go into the menu, activate the book, go out of the menu, use it, go back into the menu, turn it off, then leave the menu. It's dumb, and despite being a GBA game they could've easily done better. Ironically, you still have to menu a lot in Lament of Innocence, but it's all in real time. Want to use a potion? Real time menu. Want to turn a relic on or off? Real time menu. Want to use a ticket to get out when your health is low? You better be quick in that menu! It makes fights tense, and it's something that even the most critically acclaimed game this year got wrong, so I have to give Lament of Innocence credit.
The combat isn't particularly great aside from that though. It's usually pretty button mashy. If you've played PS2 God of War, you have a good idea of how this game is with its combat. However, a few elements elevate it. First is the subweapons. They're all well-balanced, and using orbs changes their utility. There's also relics, which upgrade you for the cost of MP. To get MP back, you have to time blocks well. Dodging is less risky, but also less rewarding. It's a very simple but effective system.
However, I think a lot of the other series staples weren't adapted very well. It's extremely apparent that Igarashi had a comically small amount of resources to work with when it came to this game. This was probably true of the handheld games, but those are obviously gonna be cheaper than this kind of game. One way this shows is the exploration. Most areas do have unique theming visually, but the areas themselves are pretty repetitive when it comes to layout. Most rooms are flat arenas, and the ones that aren't are dedicated platforming areas. There's no blend of action and platforming, or at the very least interesting level design for battle arenas. Thankfully, the enemies themselves are pretty varied though.
This issue also extends to the actual exploration. I like that you can choose the order in which you play each stage, but actual exploration in each stage is super dull. You go somewhere, do a thing that opens a door far away, go to that door, repeat. There are some optional areas, which is neat, but an actual sense of exploration between levels just isn't there because the room visuals and layouts are just so repetitive.
Another issue is that the game doesn't really have much you can actually buy in the shop. Unlike many of the Castlevania games at the time, you can only use the whip here, so no buying alternate weapons. Subweapons are obtained in-stage. Orbs are obtained by defeating bosses. You can buy a few relics, but only a few. The rest is consumables, but most of those will be potions to heal and tickets to teleport. There should've been much more to obtain here, because after a point I had tons of money and little to spend it on.
Another area where the lack of resources is apparent is the visuals. Not just the environments, but the character models and animations. Our protagonist looks like a dope. Walter looks dumb too. The main villain looks kinda like Takumi from the Shoujo classic Nana. Spoilers from her on (For Nana as well). Honestly, I could see Takumi becoming an evil vampire. It seems he's characteristically two-timing Hachiko with some girl named Elizabetha, which is the dumbest name I've ever heard. Elizabetha dies though, and Takumi is so pissed that he becomes a vampire to get revenge on God. Actually, this is nothing like Takumi, he would just shrug if his wife died.
Uh... Anyway, Our hero Leon Belmont has to save his wife Maria from a vampire named Walter. He does so, but Walter bit Maria, so Maria is becoming a vampire. Apparently though, killing a willing vampire with a whip makes it a super whip. It like imbues the vampire's soul into the whip. So, Maria offers herself to upgrade Leon's whip because it's the only way to defeat Walter. This is like a step above the wife arm from Bionic Commando. Anyway, Leon defeats Walter, but then Takumi comes in and takes Walter's soul to power himself up or something. Apparently, he planned all of this. So, he planned for Walter to kidnap Maria, bite her so that she would start to become a vampire, then Leon would come and save her without dying, she is becoming a vampire but isn't one quite yet, she consents to becoming a powerful whip, then Leon would defeat Walter so that he could take his soul. Wait, Leon only knew about the whip thing because his buddy Rinaldo told him, and Rinaldo was only around because Walter killed his family and vampirized his daughter. Did Takumi plan that? Was Walter working with him? It doesn't seem like it. What if Walter killed Rinaldo? How would Leon know about the whip thing? What if Leon died, or took too long to rescue Maria? I dunno, whatever. Weirdly enough though, the final encounter here is Death, not Takumi. I mean, it's fine, but it was a bit surprising. Such ends one of like, three Castlevania origin stories.
Anyway, while the visuals aren't great, just look at that box art. Even among Castlevania box art it stands out. The same goes for the music. It's really, really good.
So, the game is good overall, but just barely. I'm definitely gonna try Curse of Darkness soon. 6/10.
Adapting to 3D can be hard. I started taking Calculus III recently and have had a bit of trouble adapting to the third dimension. However, I think Lament of Innocence just barely gets a thumbs up from me. It's a faithful adaptation of the castleroid style of the series, but it definitely stumbles a bit. I'd honestly sell the game as Harmony of Dissonance in 3D. I'm not a huge fan of that game, but I think this game does enough to improve upon that one.
For example, my biggest gripe with Harmony of Dissonance is that to actually play optimally, you have to enter the menu a lot. Let's say I wanted to use a spellbook once in that game. I go into the menu, activate the book, go out of the menu, use it, go back into the menu, turn it off, then leave the menu. It's dumb, and despite being a GBA game they could've easily done better. Ironically, you still have to menu a lot in Lament of Innocence, but it's all in real time. Want to use a potion? Real time menu. Want to turn a relic on or off? Real time menu. Want to use a ticket to get out when your health is low? You better be quick in that menu! It makes fights tense, and it's something that even the most critically acclaimed game this year got wrong, so I have to give Lament of Innocence credit.
The combat isn't particularly great aside from that though. It's usually pretty button mashy. If you've played PS2 God of War, you have a good idea of how this game is with its combat. However, a few elements elevate it. First is the subweapons. They're all well-balanced, and using orbs changes their utility. There's also relics, which upgrade you for the cost of MP. To get MP back, you have to time blocks well. Dodging is less risky, but also less rewarding. It's a very simple but effective system.
However, I think a lot of the other series staples weren't adapted very well. It's extremely apparent that Igarashi had a comically small amount of resources to work with when it came to this game. This was probably true of the handheld games, but those are obviously gonna be cheaper than this kind of game. One way this shows is the exploration. Most areas do have unique theming visually, but the areas themselves are pretty repetitive when it comes to layout. Most rooms are flat arenas, and the ones that aren't are dedicated platforming areas. There's no blend of action and platforming, or at the very least interesting level design for battle arenas. Thankfully, the enemies themselves are pretty varied though.
This issue also extends to the actual exploration. I like that you can choose the order in which you play each stage, but actual exploration in each stage is super dull. You go somewhere, do a thing that opens a door far away, go to that door, repeat. There are some optional areas, which is neat, but an actual sense of exploration between levels just isn't there because the room visuals and layouts are just so repetitive.
Another issue is that the game doesn't really have much you can actually buy in the shop. Unlike many of the Castlevania games at the time, you can only use the whip here, so no buying alternate weapons. Subweapons are obtained in-stage. Orbs are obtained by defeating bosses. You can buy a few relics, but only a few. The rest is consumables, but most of those will be potions to heal and tickets to teleport. There should've been much more to obtain here, because after a point I had tons of money and little to spend it on.
Another area where the lack of resources is apparent is the visuals. Not just the environments, but the character models and animations. Our protagonist looks like a dope. Walter looks dumb too. The main villain looks kinda like Takumi from the Shoujo classic Nana. Spoilers from her on (For Nana as well). Honestly, I could see Takumi becoming an evil vampire. It seems he's characteristically two-timing Hachiko with some girl named Elizabetha, which is the dumbest name I've ever heard. Elizabetha dies though, and Takumi is so pissed that he becomes a vampire to get revenge on God. Actually, this is nothing like Takumi, he would just shrug if his wife died.
Uh... Anyway, Our hero Leon Belmont has to save his wife Maria from a vampire named Walter. He does so, but Walter bit Maria, so Maria is becoming a vampire. Apparently though, killing a willing vampire with a whip makes it a super whip. It like imbues the vampire's soul into the whip. So, Maria offers herself to upgrade Leon's whip because it's the only way to defeat Walter. This is like a step above the wife arm from Bionic Commando. Anyway, Leon defeats Walter, but then Takumi comes in and takes Walter's soul to power himself up or something. Apparently, he planned all of this. So, he planned for Walter to kidnap Maria, bite her so that she would start to become a vampire, then Leon would come and save her without dying, she is becoming a vampire but isn't one quite yet, she consents to becoming a powerful whip, then Leon would defeat Walter so that he could take his soul. Wait, Leon only knew about the whip thing because his buddy Rinaldo told him, and Rinaldo was only around because Walter killed his family and vampirized his daughter. Did Takumi plan that? Was Walter working with him? It doesn't seem like it. What if Walter killed Rinaldo? How would Leon know about the whip thing? What if Leon died, or took too long to rescue Maria? I dunno, whatever. Weirdly enough though, the final encounter here is Death, not Takumi. I mean, it's fine, but it was a bit surprising. Such ends one of like, three Castlevania origin stories.
Anyway, while the visuals aren't great, just look at that box art. Even among Castlevania box art it stands out. The same goes for the music. It's really, really good.
So, the game is good overall, but just barely. I'm definitely gonna try Curse of Darkness soon. 6/10.
No game has bored me to the point of agony like Lament of Innocence has. If any Castlevania game deserves the dishonorable title of walking simulator, it's this one.
Foda :)
nunca tinha jogado algum Castlevania antes e resolvi começar por esse e seguir jogando em ordem cronológica. eu gostei apesar de ter suas falhas, depois de um tempo o design dos níveis se tornou cansativo e a exploração também MAS A TRILHA SONORA É MUITO BOA e achei legal o combate contra os chefes (tomei uma surra do Doppelganger), vou jogar os próximos
Sólido. A gameplay é legalzinha e a progressão é satisfatória, a história é legal mas a exploração é mt ruim, bixo pq n botaram um teleporte?
Muita OST pedrada btw.
Muita OST pedrada btw.
Not that too bad for an origin.
The flaws of the game are just basically the flaws I had with PS2 games in general.
The flaws of the game are just basically the flaws I had with PS2 games in general.