Re-release Information

(1) 2006: Re-released in Japan under the Konami Dendo Selection series

Manual Story Description

In an era long past, as monarchies weakened, local feudal lords grew in power.

The first knights simply protected their lords' domains.

However, with the reforms of the late 11th century, knights became the protectors of the peace.

They valued courage and honor, fighting heretics and heathens in God's name.

In this age, one company of knights was said to be invincible due to two men:

Leon Belmont, a courageous man who feared nothing and whose combat abilities were second to none, and Mathias Cronqvist, a genius tactician, whose learning made him an exception in a largely illiterate society. They trusted each other completely, and they were bound by an old friendship.

However, sorrow awaited Mathias upon his return from a victorious campaign.

It was news of the sudden death of his beloved wife, Elisabetha.

Mathias' grief was profound and he became bedridden.

A year has passed since then.

Thanks to Leon's efforts, their company remains proudly undefeated.

However, a mysterious army of monsters suddenly appears in Leon's domain.

The Crusades are raging in the East, and since the Church is focusing on fighting heathens rather than monsters, it has forbidden unauthorized battles. Leon wants permission to sortie, but the Church has no intention of granting it.

One night, Mathias struggles from his sickbed and tells Leon that the appearance of the monsters is tied to a vampire, who has a castle in the Forest, called Eternal Night, and that Leon's betrothed, Sara, has been kidnapped and brought to that castle.

Leon realizes that he must renounce his title to rescue his beloved.

The forest is swollen with darkness, as if it would rob away everything, and only moonlight provides a ray of hope. A great legend is about to begin.

Objective/Overview

After a four-year absence, the series returns to the realm of 3D in the form of Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. The team from KCET, fresh off the release of two rapid-fire GBA titles, tries its hand at tackling three dimensions where the last group of developers fell short. Due to its experience in the creation of side-scrolling adventure-RPGs, the Dracula X team attempts to bring this style of play into a fully realized 3D world with little in the way of casualties.

Your objective is to take control of Leon, the first Belmont of legend, and clear five initial castle section, in any order, by exploring their entailed terrain and by destroying their boss guardians; thereafter, you can enter the highest point of the castle and work your way toward the game's final battle. (There are hidden areas castle-wide where you can battle special bosses, but traveling these paths is optional.) While the action isn't as free-roaming as the genre would suggest, you can return to cleared castle sections to tie up any loose ends. Leon starts with the Whip of Alchemy, with which he can execute combo attacks, but if he hopes to survive, he must enhance his overall ability using the game's simplified RPG system: He doesn't gain levels, but he will learn new attack and defensive maneuvers as he engages in subsequent battle scenarios; he'll don armor and accessories for increased statistics; and he'll lengthen his meters by finding max-up symbols.

After finishing the game with Leon, more options will become available: (1) You can access the "Boss Rush" mode for a marathon boss battle (assuming you've beaten all of the game's bosses). (2) You can play in the "Crazy Mode," which is the game's "hard" difficulty. (3) You can buy an item at Rinaldo's shop that opens up a sound test on the title screen. And (4) you can play as once-a-boss Joachim Armster through a similar-but-undeterred mission; he, too, can access the "Boss Rush" mode after defeating the final boss. Additionally, by finishing the game with Joachim, you can unlock a third character called Pumpkin, who plays similarly to Leon.

Japanese/European Differences

As it has come to pass, the series is now known as "Castlevania" both here and in Japan, a trend that started with the release of Castlevania Chronicles in 2001. In effect, the Japanese version is simply titled "Castlevania," with no subtitles. The Japanese text beneath the typical Castlevania logo reads "castle in the woods," which is just another way of saying "Castlevania," or "Kyassuruvania" as it's translated using katakana (thanks to Kurt Kalata for this information). This is most likely done to convey to Japanese audiences that this is the first relevant tale in the series' lineage. There are two versions of this package in Japan: (1) The regular version, which is just the normal package of the game, the manual and the CD, and (2) the Limited Edition, which comes with special pack-ins such as the music CD, the calendar and some artwork. In either case, the Japanese version has the usual character-name deviations, starting with Leon, who's known there as "Leon Belmondo." Also, there's an option that allows for subtitles to show during the chatty cut-scenes (thanks to Sam for this snippet).

In Europe, the game is also simply titled "Castlevania." The major difference between this version and its western and Japanese counterparts is that the option of playing the original Japanese audio has been removed. Also, it's here where Konami released a limited edition promotional version of Lament. (Thanks to Carl for some of this information.)

Soundtrack and Credits

Soundtrack
Opening and Ending Themes: 1 - Prologue | 2 - Forbidden Fate | 3 - Cursed Memories | 4 - Admiration of a Clan
Area Themes: 1 - Prison of Eternal Torture | 2 - Bizarre Room | 3 - Prelude to the Black Abyss | 4 - Ghostly Theatre | 5 - Aria of Nightmare | 6 - Anti-Souls Mysteries Lab | 7 - Misty Moon Pagoda of the Demon Realm | 8 - Lament of Innocence | 9 - Dark Palace of Waterfalls | 10 - Garden Forgotten by Time | 11 - Fog-enshrouded Nightscape | 12 - House of Sacred Realms | 13 - Statues Born of Darkness
Battle Themes: 1 - Bizarre Room | 2 - Elemental Tactician | 3 - Stone King Golem | 4 - Death Flower Succubus | 5 - Snakeheaded Medusa | 6 - Melancholy Joachim | 7 - Dark Night Toccata (Walter's Theme) | 8 - Evil's Symphonic Poem (Death's Theme) | 9 - Castlevania Reincarnation | 10 - Traces of Malevolent Souls | 11 - Resonance of Malevolent Souls
Miscellaneous Themes: 1 - Old Man's Cottage | 2 - Water Prison | 3 - Nightmare | 4 - Despair | 5 - Darkness | 6 - Mathias Appears | 7 - Blood-Stained Demise

Links
Music Files: MP3
Soundtrack Release: Official Soundtrack, Sample CD and Castlevania Best Music Collections Box
Game Credits: Available

Other Characters

Lesser Enemies: Golden Knight, Bat, Zombie, Skeleton, Axe Armor, Evil Sword, Vassago, Peeping Eye, Mad Diver, Spirit, Skeleton Swordman, Hellhound, Ghost Soldier, Flame Zombie, Flame Sword, Flame Demon, Red Skeleton, Shadow Wolf, Astral Fighter, Ghost Knight, Skeleton Archer, Flea Man, Ghost Warrior, Gargoyle, Lizard Man, Rune Spirit, Astral Knight, Armor Knight, Skeleton Knight, Poison Zombie, Mist, Man-Eating Plant, Buckbaird, Skeleton Soldier, Poison Lizard, Wolf Skeleton, Astral Warrior, Fish Man, Frost Sword, Frost Demon, Frost Zombie, Merman, Ghost, Skeleton Flower, Heavy Armor, Skeleton Warrior, Thunder Sword, Thunder Demon, Storm Skeleton, Cyclops, Chaos Sword, Skeleton Hunter, Executioner, Hanged Man, Red Ogre, Spartacus, Lesser Demon, Evil Stabber, Death Reaper, Mirage Skeleton, Gaap, Lizard Knight, Axe Knight, Phantom, Dullahan, Soulless, Soulless (2) and Maggot
Bosses: Flame Elemental, Frost Elemental, Thunder Elemental, Doppelganger, Doppelganger (2), Forgotten One, Undead Parasite, Golem, Succubus, Medusa, Joachim, Walter and Death
Supporting Cast: Sara Trantoul, Mathias Cronqvist, Elisabetha, Rinaldo Gandolfi, Walter Bernhard and Death

Character Lists

Lesser Enemies | Bosses | Supporting Cast