Castlevania: Lament of Innocence - Gameplay

Gameplay

The objective of Lament of Innocence is to lead the primary player character and protagonist Leon Belmont through the monster-filled castle as he searches for his kidnapped beloved. Exploring the castle is an open-ended task, with puzzles, concealed items and rooms, and bosses. A room near the castle's entrance contains portals to the five main areas, all of which are accessible from the beginning. After Leon defeats each area's boss, the final area becomes unlocked. Health restoratives and items to improve gaming statistics such as strength and defense can be purchased with in-game money from a shop on the castle grounds.

For his primary weapon, Leon makes use of the Whip of Alchemy given to him by Rinaldo, the shopkeeper. Later on, Leon can acquire three more whips, each guarded by an elemental boss: the Ice, Lightning, and Fire Elemental Whips. Near the end of the game, his Whip of Alchemy turns into the more destructive Vampire Killer. In addition, Leon can combine one of five sub-weapons—a knife, an axe, a cross, a crystal, and holy water—with one of seven orbs to form a special attack. Over the course of the game, he will learn special techniques and magic attacks as well.

Two additional player characters can be unlocked: the new character Pumpkin and Joachim, a vampire who appeared earlier in the game as a boss. Pumpkin makes use of Leon's whip as the primary weapon and only one sub-weapon, has all whip and defensive skills prelearned, and does more damage than Leon. In contrast, Joachim uses five flying swords as his primary weapons; he lacks an inventory and the ability to use relics and purchase items from Rinaldo's shop. However, Joachim has access to two magic attacks in the place of sub-weapons.