14 DAY TRIAL // 
I wouldn't want to be a Konami producer, because I can bet that those guys have tons of nightmares when they go to bed, seeing all the games they've produced so far. The Silent Hill series and the Castlevania series speak for themselves and the fans surely know what I'm talking about. It's pure undisguised horror with neat graphics and divine plots.
The first Castlevania title appeared in 1997 and it was a beautiful 2D game with a fascinating storyline that exploited the whole hype about vampires and the other hellish creatures. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is one of the many sequels of this never-ending story, the first to appear on the PS2 console and one of the first to feature a 3D graphical engine. Things have changed in the many years and not only have the vampire-based movies doubled their number, but new legends and characters have surfaced. However, Leon's world remains the same...Who's Leon? It's surely not the hero from Resident Evil 4 and you should really read below to find out who this blond fellow is.
Story What's the deal with this name, Leon? There's one in Capcom's Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 2, there's also one in Kingdom Hearts and last but not least that's also the name of the main character in Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. The whole action takes place in the Middle Ages at the time when all the knights from Europe were gone to fight in the crusades. They left their domains and...wives alone, which proved to be a fatal mistake, specially when we're talking about the ladies.
Leon Belmont is one of those noblemen and his beloved fianc? was kidnapped by the vampires that took her to Castlevania, a fortress where all the dark creatures dwell, lurk around or...play ball. The main evil critter is a guy called Mathias and we suspect that he is in fact, Dracula, the one and only vampire god. The brave Leon renounced his title and ran from the army of crusaders heading towards Castlevania. Armed with a dagger and a whip received from an alchemist, our hero enters the creepy realm to find out that it's the kind of place where the sun never shines (it's a realm, remember!). By the time the whole story unfolds, you'll be waiting for plot twists, but the whole thing is pretty predictable, except for the ending that reminded me of an anime called Vampire Hunter D. Want spoilers? There are none here, so play the game to find out if Sara makes it alive or not.
Concept At a first glance, three things come to my mind, three games to be more precise: Onimusha, Devil May Cry and Indiana Jones. Our brave Leon Belmont got Onimusha's moves and camera angle, Devil May Cry's combat style and environments and Indiana Jones' whip and whipping techniques. Such a cocktail would be meant for failure if it didn't have a pretty decent background. The die-hard Castlevania fans will never forget the thrills that the original games provided in the nineties when 2D was twice as more fun as 3D is today. Castlevania is divided into 5 zones: the Cathedral, the Theatre, the Garden, the Alchemist Laboratory and The Dungeon. While these areas may seem like a walk in the park, please remember that you'll have to pass through hundreds of rooms packed with some of the fiercest monsters you can see in Konami's games.
I can bet that you'll get lost at least once in the gigantic locations and that will be a pain, specially because the enemies have the bad habit of respawning in the same room once you exit it. In case you're using the map and have trouble finding a door, keep in mind that they are pinpointed by blue arrows that turn to green if you're near enough to enter them. Running around is a hobby of Leon's, perhaps that's why he is so fit. You'll also be able to move vertically by climbing, jumping or hanging on ledges. The whip will come in handy when you need to reach a certain ledge or jump from pole to pole in an attempt to reach a balcony that's too far.
I mentioned monsters earlier and you should know that there are about 35 creatures to fight in this medieval adventure. It's not much, but some of them can really give the most resilient gamer a headache. There's also an Encyclopedia in the options menu where you can view all the beasts that you have vanquished and check out their weaknesses and the items they drop. Aside from the magical whip, Leon also has 5 sub-weapons: holy water, daggers, crosses, axes and crystals. Pushing the circle button makes you throw the secondary weapon and usually, it's more efficient against a group of enemies rather than one single foe. As you might have noticed, they seem taken from Van Helsing's arsenal and they fit the game thematic. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence has some RPG elements, like the special attacks you create by combining orbs with action relics or the combos you unlock by gaining experience points.
Some of the rooms in Castlevania have no monsters to trouble you, but beware, because traps can be more deadly than any other foe. Spikes, traps, invisible creatures that bite you, walls that crush you... no it's not Indiana Jones, but a regular "day at the office" for Leon. What would a vampire hunter be without some potions and serums to cure the bites and wounds? Use curing potion, uncure vials, serums, magical tickets, heart repairs and many other items that will help you replenish full health. The whip may be the default weapon and thereby infinite, but you can't say the same about the sub-weapon, as it's counted as hearts on the left side of the screen. During the game, you'll come across various pickups and you'll have to choose between sub-weapons, considering that you can't carry two at the same time.
I really don't know what this Castlevania installment would have been without a map and it pains me to even think about it. Bring the map up with the Select button and place marker stones on it to remind you where the exits, treasures and save points are. If you want to check out the game's menu, you can push the Start button or use the D-pad or right analog stick to bring up a quick menu that lets you equip weapons or use items. Keep your eye on the relic list, as most of those things will be useful only when equipped, triggering a couple of superb attacks. I guess that 5 or 6 hours of gameplay with two-button-mashing sequences can turn into a reason to go to bed earlier, but don't worry as there are enough combos to start warming up your fingers.
Leon's stats are displayed in the main options menu and they're typical for an RPG: hit points, magic points, hearts, attack, defense, counter, intelligence and status. You can have status ailments like curse, stone or poison so be sure to buy some serum or uncurse when you have the chance. There are only two types of standard collectibles: the coins and the hearts, making this game seem like an oldie arcade. Am I playing a modern vampire-hunting game or a Pac-Man? I mean, collecting hearts is so... Mario and it would be OK if this game really was Mario, but it's more of a kitsch in Castlevania.
Gameplay Corridors here, corridors there, that's all you'll be seeing while playing Lament of Innocence and it's OK for the first one or two hours, but in the long run, it tires your mind and eyes. You'll be pleased by a horrific atmosphere and some aggressive enemies, if their constant respawning doesn't get you killed. That makes the game a bit difficult to play, but if you've played similar games before, it might not be such an ordeal.
Bosses bring a breath of fresh air during the gameplay with their original attacks and well-done AI. Speaking of which, I must say that the monsters are clever enough to get you cornered, but stupid enough to miss you when Leon is a few inches away. Also, I'm not quite a fan of the idea of a vampire slayer with a whip...a sword is more manly or at least an axe or a mace. Slaying undead folks is not the only thing that you'll be doing as there are platforms to climb, puzzles to solve, blocks to push and traps to avoid. Each area has different types of "warm welcome" methods with groups of ghouls attacking you or ghosts appearing out of nowhere. When will producers ever get tired of having numbers show the damage taken or done to the foes?
I've seen this so many times that it's almost like an allergic reaction each time a number appears above my character's head. It's not just losing hit points and reaching the game over screen... It kind of spoils the fun, the fact that the whole screen is filled with numbers. I'm playing not doing Math! Castlevania can brag about one thing: it's not a frustrating game. I never got stuck to the point of cursing the game or the producers. There is a way out of any situation even if it seems critical in the beginning. Konami could have implemented some checkpoints here and there, because it's a long way between save points and if you're dead, you'll have to load your save game all over again.
One useful feature is that the save points are also healing points that give you maximum hit points. Leon can jump and double jump as part of his combos of just to avoid a mass of angry skeletons, maybe even reach some faraway ledge. Konami have gone the analog way, since most of the games on the PS2 have the same control system. It's pretty intuitive and you don't need to be an expert to start chaining beautiful combos creating the eye candy you need from this sort of game.
Video The initial cutscenes don't promise much, but the game looks pretty good despite its fixed camera and weird angles at some points. Leon's moves and looks remind me of Dante from Devil May Cry, but a Dante with a funkier hairstyle. Konami are keen on Gothic architecture and they must have been to Transylvania since they created such a convincing horror atmosphere. The universe of Castlevania looks nice, but it gets repetitive since it's all corridors, square rooms, blocks and dark colors.
Shades of mauve and blue, candles and huge libraries could make a blood-sucking prince feel like home. Leon prefers to smithe the locals instead of watching the scenery and the combat animations will please the fans. Those 35 monsters couldn't scare me nor could their looks, but the bosses sure deserve a part in the next Dracula movie. It's worth learning combos as their graphical representation can make your day: see sparks flying around, watch the splash damage and be disappointed by the fact that enemies melt after they die.
Sound I can say that I listened to Castlevania before playing Castlevania, because the game seemed to be popular among rock stars, many bands having cover versions of the theme song. Piano and organ to be heard everywhere and a growl and howl to spice things up...that's the atmosphere created by Konami and it's no wonder since they pulled Silent Hill from the hat. You'll feel like wondering through a church at times with all that organ music, but it's as creepy as it gets when the sound of the whip alternates with a wolf howl. Characters are pretty convincing during dialogs, but there are no memorable lines to mention. The bad guys have more "punch" in the audio section, with their creepy voices and hellish noises.
Multiplayer Konami is not the kind of company that produces multiplayer games and a classic like Castlevania couldn't become the exception. Maybe next time!
Conclusion If you want to be scared, play Resident Evil 4 or Silent Hill 4! If you want chills up your spine with a romantic twist of plot play Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. It may not be top notch with the graphics and all, but it provides some good hours of fun gameplay and well-dosed action. It's not the best installment in the series, but it's certainly one of the top 3 titles. Fans will love it, the curios gamers will embrace it without having too much to criticize.
