How did the Belmont family find themselves intertwined with monsters? The question was asked all through the Castlevania series. It took eighteen games, but how the Belmonts became mortal enemies of the creatures who walk in darkness was finally answered. In Castlemania: Lament of Innocence, Konami finally reveled the conflict that started it all.
Leon Belmont is not a hunter of vampires. His betrothed has been taken by one and he must find a way to gain access to it’s lair. Early in his travels, he will be given a whip that will pass down to each family member. In order to save his fiancee, he will have to go to five different realms and kill the monsters. Leon becomes more comfortable as the story goes on, but the final battle brings twists and turns and Leon will discover that his actions might not have been his own.
In regards to an origin story, Lament plays all the right notes. The scene of getting the whip is given the proper weight, as we know what it will become. The only problem is the absence of a certain character. This is the only misstep as we know this is how the central conflict started. The revel is handled in a post credit scene that I figured out during the final boss battle.
The gameplay puts you in a central location and allows you to choose your path. The monsters are a good mix of classic and new Castlevania enemies. The problem is that the difficulty starts ramping up, especially at the end. Fans of the series might miss some of the classic music tracks, but their omission was a deliberate choice. Lament was supposed to be the new beginning for the series.
Lament tried to answer questions about the series and for the most part it succeed. Leon would only be in this one game, but he was good enough to be the starting point of the Belmont history. The problem with prequels is that we know how the story is going to proceed. Lament tells us a story we never heard about and hits those moments we had come to expect from Castelvania.
