I’d never played a Castlevania game before, but I’d heard plenty about them, so I thought I’d see for myself what the fuss was about. Lament of Innocence<\/em> being chronologically the first episode in the series, that\u2019s where I decided to start. For those who are unfamiliar with Castlevania, it (mostly) chronicles a century-spanning feud between one family, the Belmonts, and none other than Dracula (it even integrates Bram Stoker\u2019s novel into its chronology). The gist, then, is killing vampires. With whips. Go figure.<\/p>\n In terms of defence, Leon has a magical gauntlet, which can be used for guarding against attacks. Furthermore, if guarding against a special attack or performing a perfect guard (guarding at the last possible moment before an attack hits), Leon will recover MP<\/abbr>. Unfortunately, this is the only way to do so, which can sometimes be aggravating. MP are used to power relics: various offensive or defensive magical objects (such as the Invincible Jar or the Crystal Skull) of which Leon can also only equip one at a time. A suit of armour and two accessories complete his outfit.<\/p>\n Apart from the engaging combat system, the game also does a good job in the setting department. Nestor\u2019s castle is enormous. I mean, it\u2019s the size of a town. The entrance lobby is a hub area, from which Leon can access various wings of the building. There ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/grafskaya.club\/mysst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/full-on-goth.jpg\" "\\"Full-on")
<\/a>Considering the subject matter, you may expect cheesiness. And you\u2019d be right. As is fitting when dealing with vampires (*throws bricks at Twilight<\/em>*), the games are steeped in Gothic and Baroque imagery, albeit with an anime twist. Expect looming castles filled with ominous statuary; rainy nights over dark forests; pale, virginal maidens who get abducted; demonic creatures and fiendish traps; hammy dialogue; long-limbed, sharp-featured virtuous heroes, and a (thankfully) non-sparkling Dracula waiting for them at the end. Although you have to wonder at the efficiency of it all\u2026I mean, if Dracula keeps coming back, maybe they should take a hint and start using stakes instead of whips? Just saying.<\/p>\n<\/a>Be that as it may, since Lament of Innocence<\/em> deals with the origins of Dracula, he\u2019s not actually the game\u2019s main antagonist. That title goes to another vampire, rather ludicrously named Walter. Don\u2019t know about you, but that says \u2018dignified English butler\u2019 rather than \u2018bloodthirsty fiend\u2019 to me. Anyway, the game takes place in 1094, and the hero is Leon Belmont, a blonde nobleman in a distinctly non-XIth<\/sup> century outfit, whose bride gets kidnapped by Jeeves. Obviously, he rushes to the rescue with help from an alchemist named Rinaldo who lives in a cabin near the vampire\u2019s castle (read: he will be Leon\u2019s go-to supplier throughout the game). It seems that Alfred gets a kick out of kidnapping brides and defeating the suitors who come to rescue them, and Rinaldo’s not exactly down with that.<\/p>\n<\/a>Leon is fairly reactive and easy to control, and the game guides you through a tutorial sequence at the beginning to get acquainted with his moves. He can run, jump, double-jump (i.e. gain an extra boost in midair) and latch onto things with the magical whip given to him by Rinaldo. The whip is also his main weapon, upgradable by facing three optional bosses. There are several combos Leon can perform with it, all of which are automatically learned and helpfully listed in the menu. He also has access to several sub-weapons, such as an axe or a vial of holy water, of which he can equip one at a time (you do have opportunities to swap them, however). Sub-weapons can be used to perform special attacks, but consume energy, measured in hearts. <\/a>These are sometimes dropped by enemies, but can also be found by breaking candle-stands. Sub-weapons can be further powered up by coloured orbs obtained after defeating the main storyline bosses, which lends a lot of variety to combat. Things tend to get a bit hairy when enemies attack in large groups, however, especially since opening the menu in combat doesn’t pause the action and<\/em> renders Leon unable to attack.<\/p>\n<\/a>are seven in total, each with its own general thematic, atmosphere and overdramatically pompous name. For example, the House of Sacred Remains looks like a sprawling cathedral, the Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab is a fiery forge, and the Ghostly Theatre looks like you\u2019ve stumbled backstage at the opera, while the Garden Forgotten by Time is an overgrown ruin and the Dark Palace of Waterfalls is just a poetic name for the sewers. These five areas are available from the beginning, and clearing each one will earn Leon one of the aforementioned coloured orbs, which will light up a corresponding globe in the lobby. Once all have been lit, he will gain access to the Pagoda of the Misty Moon, <\/a>which looks nothing like a pagoda, but leads up to the final confrontation with Jenkins. The seventh area is the Prison of Eternal Torture, containing a very difficult optional boss, if you\u2019re eager for a challenge and an extra coloured orb. Although it\u2019s definitely not for the squeamish. There\u2019s just one problem: the only indication as to the order in which to explore these areas is a hint on where to go first, but after that, you\u2019re on your own. Which means that you could pick wisely\u2026or wander into the Dark Palace of Waterfalls and tear your hair out. It doesn\u2019t help that each area features a locked door which usually leads to a nifty item, but requires a key found in a different part of the castle. That means backtracking through respawning enemies, which can get distinctly tedious. That being said, there are some ways to ease the pain. First of all, save points (situated in small rooms marked in red on the map) will always replenish Leon\u2019s HP<\/abbr>. Secondly, Magical Tickets will whisk him off to Rinaldo\u2019s shop from anywhere within the castle, while Memorial Tickets will take him back to the latest save point he used. Thirdly, he can use coloured Marker Stones to signal points of interest on the map.<\/p>\n<\/a>The one indisputably successfully aspect of this game is the music. Michiru Yamane\u2019s score is simply fantastic, featuring beautiful, haunting melodies, such as the theme of the House of Sacred Remains (my personal favourite), with its slow buildup, the measured lilt of the Garden Forgotten by Time or the dramatic flair of the Ghostly Theatre. Even the more surprisingly rhythmical Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab works well with its environment. This is a great bonus for the game\u2019s atmosphere, almost<\/em> counterbalancing all the backtracking, and probably what I enjoyed the most about it.<\/p>\n<\/a>The game also makes an effort in the replayability sector. Once Leon is done showing Poole who\u2019s boss \u2013 notably lambasting him with a ham of epic proportions (\u201cI\u2019ll defeat you AND the night!\u201d) \u2013, you have several new options. You can play in Crazy mode, which will significantly raise the difficulty level. You can also play the Boss Rush mode, which strings all the game\u2019s bosses together back-to-back, provided you\u2019ve beaten them in the course of the storyline (this includes all optional bosses). You can start a new game with all of Leon\u2019s skills learned, or, more interestingly, with a different protagonist. The first one available is Joachim, a vampire whom you may remember as a boss. He has a longstanding feud with Winston, and the story changes accordingly. There are a few crucial differences between him and Leon, namely that he uses magical swords which circle <\/a>around him instead of a whip and can\u2019t block enemy attacks. The lack of a whip also means that he can\u2019t perform acrobatics, but the game accommodates him by introducing moving blocks. Joachim also can\u2019t equip or carry any items (Rinaldo won\u2019t deal with him, and anything he finds is consumed immediately), although he can collect stat upgrades. All in all, it makes the game more challenging, especially if you decide to take on the optional bosses.<\/p>\n