Damn, I wanted to like this one so much more...

Heading into Lament of Innocence I didn't really know what to expect. All I knew was that the game dove into the origins of the Belmont family which piqued my interest and in terms of the story, I'd say the game does a good job, it answers some questions regarding the Vampire Killer and how it got the name as well as establishing the conflict between Leon and Dracula while also giving Dracula some backstory. What's there in terms of the plot is great, my only gripe is, I just wish we got more of it, maybe explain why Death is Dracula's right hand man or give a better reason why Dracula keeps reappearing rather than the vague "The people want him back because they're all dumbasses ig" the others games go with. Maybe I was expecting too much, plot's still good though.

Since I went in almost completely blind, I was surprised to see the game play like a 3D Metroidvania. It's all there, non-linearity which allows you to pick what level to play through in what order, optional bosses and plenty of hidden goodies you can find ranging from accessories, elemental whips, HP and MP upgrades and extra item slots. On paper, it sounds great, I adore the igavania titles in the series, so why don't I like this one? Well it's down to the gameplay. It's way too barebones. It plays like the most basic hack n' slasher you can find. You've got some basic combos and special moves, of which there are a ton if you go try out all the various attacks you can make by combining orbs with sub-weapons and that's about it. The entire gameplay just boils down to you using subweapons followed by mashing the square and triangle buttons for every stage. It got really monotonous and the stages all looking like an identical set of hallways only made the gameplay feel more dull. Because of this, I didn't really bother with exploring the game to find all the hidden items like I would with any other Metroidvania and that's really disappointing to me. The game is pretty short though, I beat it in under 6 hours. Also, the bossfights are fun, Doppelganger being my favourite since it's basically a war of attrition on whether you can get your attacks out before he does.

Despite how negative I sound when talking about the gameplay, I never felt extremely bored and that's because I was too busy adoring the OST. Most of what plays here is pure Castlevania gold. Some highlights for me being House of the Sacred Remains, Anti Soul Mysteries Lab, Leon's theme and this game's Cross of Fate.

Overall, I feel the game is best played in short bursts, and if I took my time with it I probably would've enjoyed it a lot more. As it stands though, the combat is way too lacklustre for me to say I've really enjoyed the game as a whole despite all the things the game has going for it.

very decent gameplay and great presentation notably the character designs and soundtrack.

unfortunely the rest is just full of problems mainly the level-design which is pratically non-existent thanks to the large number of copy-pasted rooms.

the game is also fulled with meaningless backtracking through most of the areas Leon traverse and this combined with the already repetitive level-design and enviroments and you will encounter the most bland and tiring progression ever done in an game.

the narrative is fine and serves well to an origin story for the franchise though the dialogue is often bad but it has a charm that I like it.

at least the game is short enough to do an quick playthrough if you are lucky in getting to the right rooms in each area.

overall it is an good game if played in short bursts and if you can hold the repetition that come early in the game.

I wasn't expecting it to be good at all, to be frank... The OST is more than decent, the graphics look cool and dear god I love Leon Belmont!

The game is pretty much a 3D Metroidvania with DMC-like fighting but not as in-depth (Mostly just button mashing with a few unlockable combos)

The story is a pretty cool prequel and the characters are decent, and Leon also has some cool one-liners that I love even though this is not Resident Evil 4.

The controls feel a bit stiff, especially the platforming section (You know that part in the garden and the weird laser puzzle in the theatre)

last note, the final boss is stupidly hard I hate it

It's overall a decent game and worth playing if you love Castlevania! The Belmont Clan will hunt the night!

+ Transition from 2D Metroidvania to 3D works
+ Story / Characters don't feel forced / silly
+ Secrets are hidden well
+ Sub weapon / Orb combination is fun to experiment
+ Soundtrack is stellar
+ Bosses are easy to deal with yet challenging
~ Mega Man stage Select
- Some areas suffer from dark aesthetics
- The Transition from Rinaldo's house to castle is so confusing and constantly a thing that shouldnt be
- Doppleganger boss fight is not warned
- Backtracking is a hassle
- Money / relic drops are too scarce
- Walter is a dumb name for a vampire

This game was a bit of an enigma for me as a kid. I remember playing it because of my brother getting it. The intriguing box art and awesome music had me so entranced but the gameplay I just did not understand at the time. Fast Forward 18 years later and I've finally finished the game, and boy this game design has aged beautifully.

I'll start off with a confession, aside from a few attempts at a Castlevania gameboy game and this game, I've never really played a Castlevania game before. While they looked cool and intriguing, the 2D side scrolling open ended game design did turn me off. I found it a little overwhelming for my small little mind growing up. Playing this game as my first may have probably spoiled me since its in 3D rather than your traditional 2D, but I think starting with this game really gave me a better appreciation to the open ended game design Castlevania is known for. I found it near addicting exploring the castle's various rooms and dungeons, finding hidden stat boosts and weapons and the option bosses that give me additional loot.

The combat itself is very tactile albeit a little slippery here and there, but overall holds up VERY well to today's standards. It's gameplay reminds me of Devil May Cry which knowing its influence in the industry at the time I would not be so surprised if they took some notes from that game. I don't know if Lament of Innocence was designed with newcomers in mind, but the way the game felt as I progressed made me want to try out the other games because of how much I enjoyed this one.

Coincidentally enough, this game also happens to take place at the very beginning of the entire series, so I want to say that "beginner friendly" game design may be more intentional than coincidental. Speaking of story though, this game's story is... probably it's weaker aspect. Its in no way horrible. I understood the hero's journey and his end goal, but it all just felt like an afterthought to the game's development. I will say the voice acting for this game is phenomenal though! I was playing it in Japanese (very rare for a western release of a Japanese PS2 game) and the performances were very well read. So much so that I couldn't be bothered to go back to English cuz if it ain't broke don't fix it!

If there were ever a game that was in need of a port/remaster, Lament of Innocence deserves one for sure. I know with Konami's... questionable business conduct we shouldn't hold our breaths for this game to receive an HD Remaster treatment, not after what happened with Silent Hill (may ye Rest In Peace), but I do think this game would sell very well were it to receive such treatment. There's practically nothing to fix in regards to game design. Just a bump in res and we're pretty much solid. If you have a PS2/PS3 or a PC I highly implore you to check it out. This game is a treasure amongst the massive PS2 catalogue.

I highly recommend this game to the following:
-Castlevania Fans (duh)
-Platforming enthusiasts. This game has some rewarding platform exploration game design. You'll never know what's hiding from you until you truly explore all three dimensions of the game.
-Fans of Devil May Cry. This kind of feels like a given, but in regards to the newer more younger DMC fans, this game will definitely scratch that old school DMC itch if you have one. Its combat isn't as diverse as DMC, but its SUPER fluid and fun to master.

A pretty solid attempt at 3D Castlevania, but not without some flaws and jank.

I think it's pretty cool that they attempted to make a 3D metroidvania here, but it doesn't feel like a true metroidvania, I would've liked more side content like in Symphony of the night. But the level design is still solid, it's just not as good as the masterpiece that is Symphony of the night.

The combat is decent and can be pretty fun at times, but my main issue is that it's too repetitive and gets old before the game ends. The bossfights are pretty good though, I have no complaints about them.

I also love the music, it's great even by Castlevania standards.

The game's story was also better than I expected, although I had low expectations on this front. There is a good deal of emotion carried across by the actors in certain scenes which I really liked. Although some scenes seemed to me to have no background noise, not music or even ambience, which is very strange and makes them feel a little more awkward.

One little thing I greatly appreciated was the super quick loading times, this is something that many people won't notice that improves the experience drastically.

Overall, I really enjoyed this game and think it lays down a solid foundation for a sequel, but it gives a medium budget feel with some jank and repetition. It is a worthwhile game for fans of Iga's Castlevania games as long as you can get it for a decent price.

un titulo corto, simple, que narra el comienzo de la saga Castlevania.
es un juego hecho con un presupuesto ajustado y se nota, a lo que si se ve que le pusieron mucha guita es al soundrack, que es espectacular.
el gameplay flojito, por suerte lo carrea mucho las sub-weapons. el látigo tiene pocos movimientos, que encima tardas mucho en desbloquear, mecánicas como el targeting o la posibilidad cancelar animaciones brillan por su ausencia y la camara no se puede controlar, quedando siempre en un ángulo extraño que además de molestar a la hora de navegar el mapa, no te permite disfrutar de los (pocos) entornos en 3D del juego.

aún con todas estas fallas no me pareció terrible, me entretuvo unas horitas y pude aprender al fin, entre tanta actuación exagerada, los orígenes del conflicto entre el linaje Belmont y el señor de la noocheee

Esse é um que estava há vários anos em meu backlog. Sou apaixonado por Castlevania, mas o fato de eu não ter tido um PS2 na época fez com que eu acabasse passando batido por esse que era uma das minhas maiores curiosidades por ser o primeiro jogo da linha do tempo, dando o pontapé na milenar luta entre os Belmont e Drácula.

Visualmente é um jogo bem bonito e bem caprichado, além de que tem toda uma história cinemática que eu acho sempre divertido, ainda mais nesse jogo que se passa num ponto tão importante da mitologia da série. A forma como a história é contada é bem brega, mas é um brega que eu gosto muito kk. Só achei que o lance do Drácula poderia ter sido melhor trabalhado até porque Symphony of The Night, que veio antes, conta uma história muito mais competente para explicar o ódio do vampirão pela humanidade.

As primeiras horas de jogo são muito gostosas com a exploração e as batalhas que são bem divertidas. No entanto, chega uma hora em que o jogo começa a ficar extremamente cansativo quando você percebe que os cenários são grandes demais, repetidos demais e com um personagem que anda bem devagar. Isso é um metroidvania, haverá bastante backtracking, e a soma desses fatores citados anteriormente faz com que o progresso seja bem chatinho e te desencoraja de fazer 100% já que os itens secretos nem são tão úteis assim para valer a pena esse vai e volta todo.

Lament of Innocence é um jogo bom, um feijão com arroz gostoso, mas é meio que só isso, mesmo. Valeu a pena por ter matado essa minha curiosidade do jogo.