Game:

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (2003)

Duration: 2:57:25

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Originally recorded: October 26, 2022
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Well, at least I won't have to feel guilty about starting that extra Castlevania game I have planned in November. I'm still not exactly happy about the fact that my Halloween plans are going to be seeping into next month though. It just feels like a bit hypocritical on my part, given just how angry I used to get when various Halloween specials would get pushed into November -- The Simpsons being the main one coming to mind. Regardless, I'll definitely take the blame for this one. I *was* the one who teased my regular audience with an extra game, so I can't exactly renege on that promise.

Honestly, what I probably find the most funny about this is the comparative complexity between the last of the initial five areas, when compared with the final one. Granted, the "final area" in most Metroidvanias tend to be a relatively straightforward path to the final boss... and this was no exception. I guess it just feels like I was messing around the entire time I was in the Waterfalls area. Granted, I did want to complete that set of elemental whips, so I guess it was more my fault than anything else. But that weird warp segment might've been the most trippy part in the entire game. I kind of wish that more of the game had that kind of aesthetic. The boss fight with Joachim was also pretty interesting... once I figured out what to do. The fact that I managed to get a hit on him during one of my earlier attempts gave me false hope that I'd discovered the correct strategy on my own, but I was WAAAAAAY off. Hell, even when I knew *what* to do, I had to literally run around the entire arena to find the three statues. LoI's shoddy camerawork strikes again.

I kind of wish that Konami would've given me the chance to save between the two final boss fights, but I understand why they didn't. Honestly, the fight with Walter felt pretty much how I'd expect a fight with Dracula to go in 3D. He even used some of Drac's signature techniques. The fight with Death, on the other hand, was a little more annoying. I was really surprised that he seemed to be completely immune to the cross, especially because that was the sub-weapon that essentially carried me through the entire game. It's funny, I tend to have more trouble with Death in most Castlevania games than I do with the head vampire himself, so it really felt fitting that they made him the final boss of LoI.

Honestly, aside from a few major problems, I think Lament of Innocence turned out pretty well. Sure, the platforming was garbage and I will always hate the use of fixed camera angles in any 3D action game, but considering the dearth of material Konami would've had to crib from when developing a "DMC-like", I think they figured out the formula relatively well. I definitely want to check out Curse of Darkness at some point down the line, but honestly, there are other 3D Castlevania games I'm more curious about right now. Considering I've got a copy of the game as my sole remaining "original Xbox" game, I definitely know which version I'd rather play. Hopefully, that'll be feasible when I finally get around to it...

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