Michiru Yamane - Castlevania Original Soundtrack flac album

The third dimension. Just as gamers were growing accustomed to parallax scrolling and oversized sprites things were thrown askew by the almighty polygon. Whether that camera was in the fixed, first or third person view, 3D video games presented a new paradigm for an ever-expanding industry. However, as new and exciting as the technology was, not every franchise was able to adapt. As it become clearer and clearer that the innovation was here to stay, the race was on not to be the last horse out of the gate. As older enthusiasts will tell anyone willing to listen, some of the most beloved properties in the business made the transition look easy, but more than few showed us how painful the backwards slide into video game hell could be. Call it whatever you want: evolution, survival of the fittest, countless developers and characters experienced trials and tribulations in their effort to exploit that additional dimension of space. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. The endless stories abound, those watching these advancements unfold with controller in hand witnessed history.That was long ago. Well, not as long as my generation’s collective psyche would like to believe, but long enough. Obvious as it is to anyone alive, technology grows as time passes. As it advances previous breakthroughs become obsolete. While nothing can take away from the experiences we enjoyed in our youth, the sight of these earlier games on modern, high definition television sets has snapped quite a few of us back to reality. Some of the games that helped push the industry to we’re it’s now don’t look so good these days, especially those from the fifth generation of consoles. I’ll admit the amount of great games in the PS1’s library makes me forget this pain for a fraction of a second, but more often than not it reminds me that given enough time introspection will crash any party. When it comes to beloved franchises, their storied histories and their transition from 2D to 3D one of my favorite hotbeds of discussion has to be Konami’s Castlevania. Even though I could go on for hours about all the entries that have come out over the years it’s the fate of two particular games, Castlevania (64) and Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, and their relation to 2003’s Castlevania: Lament of Innocence that interests me.As most will gleam from my earlier reference, I purchased a PlayStation when the fifth generation of consoles started to gain the bulk of their traction. While I did want a Nintendo 64 the year it debuted, I decided to wait until the following holiday season before buying one since it was so scarce at launch. Little did I know when I made that decision I would be stepping away from Nintendo’s properties for the better part of a decade. In the time between this choice and getting that new console, I borrowed my cousin’s Sega Saturn, fell in love with the original Tomb Raider and played the Final Fantasy VII demo packaged with Tobal No.1. By the time the holiday season rolled around again I had changed my mind and wanted to go with Sony. Because of this I’m much more versed in what Sony was offering with the PS1 than what Nintendo was offering with the 64, but I did squeak in some time with Nintendo’s console due to my friends (go Goldeneye!) and exploring some of the more popular titles when I got older.What I played of Castlevania 64 back when it was released seemed solid enough (although I remember some of the platforming sections feeling insanely cheap) but being a PlayStation owner it was all about Metroid: Symphony of the Night. Err, I mean Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Being a huge fan of the Metroid series (especially Super Metroid which released a few years prior) when my friends and I came across a game that seemed to merge the two properties together we fell in love. I’m not so sure about my friends past experiences, but I wasn’t really versed in old-school Castlevania games at this point although I was familiar with the Ninja Gaiden games. In the years that followed I became more familiar with the classic style Castlevania games while I was enjoying the new ones. Unbeknownst to me at the time 2003’s Castlevania: Lament of Innocence would become more interesting than it probably ever had a right to be.Now, I won’t sit here and argue that Lament of Innocence is some kind of buried gem that time’s forgotten, but am I the only one that feels the game deserves a little more recognition than it seems to receive? When I tried to revisit the two Nintendo 64 titles it essentially became a lesson on how much the 3D platformer had evolved and I’m clearly not alone in thinking in that regard. When looked back upon retroactively by others many players seem to throw mud at these games for being so rough around the edges. With this in mind, I honestly can’t help but see Lament of Innocence being a vast improvement. Ah yes, the “game X is better than game Y so you should remember game X more!” argument! The last refuge of a fanboy that has no concrete evidence to back up his point of view! While I’m willing to admit that this is a flimsy argument, Lament of Innocence probably is the better game because of some of the things it doesn’t do that the Nintendo 64 games did. That said, when you start to think about it the lack of attention paid to Lament it may stem from a very identifiable source: 2010’s Lords of Shadow.This is another debate I don’t want to get too bogged down with so I’ll skip the theatrics and just state if you put both games in front of me I’d pick Lament of Innocence over Lords of Shadow. It’s more of a personal choice but one of the biggest (and strangest) factors is Lords of Shadow is way too long. Anyway, when you look at these games side by side there are a lot of parallels but the similarity people are going to point out is how both emulate God of War’s gameplay. The catch here is Lament of Innocence actually came out before God of War and didn’t copy it; it copied the game God of War copied. When you consider that Symphony of the Night borrowed heavily from other games Konami appropriating ideas from other franchises is no surprise, but when you look at these two games in the vacuum of time only one is a God of War clone. The other, older one is just called that retroactively. This short history lesson over, there’s only last thing to say about Lament of Innocence as a game: I curse the game’s real time window with every fiber of my being!Like many other Castlevania scores following 1994’s Castlevania: Bloodlines, the music of Castlevania: Lament of Innocence was composed by Michiru Yamane. Unlike the music for many of the franchise’s handheld games released around this time, Yamane wasn’t assisted by any co-composers. Striking out on her own, there are three different ways to enjoy the music in Lament of Innocence: the original soundtrack, the limited edition music sampler and disc 10 of the Akumajo Dracula Best Music Collections Box. With so many options, how can one make a decision on which version is right for them? Rest assured we’re going to explore what makes each take good and bad but I also want to touch on what Konami could have done to improve the original soundtrack. Crazy as it sounds, I have more to say about the layout of the music than the music itself.While not released on the same day as the Castlevania: Curse of Darkness Original Soundtrack as I erroneously believed at one point, the idea of delaying the release of a Lament of Innocence Original Soundtrack was an interesting decision because when you look what the two, sixth generation Castlevania console games offer they’re polar opposites. This doesn’t just apply to the gameplay but the music as well. However, as interesting as the contrasts between the titles are, I don’t want to focus on that as the differences are more important to the Curse of Darkness side of the discussion. That said, the core of the Lament of Innocence soundtrack (area and battle themes) is very concise. However, once you look beyond the core the content is divided upon itself because we have more than the core here. This makes the original soundtrack bloated and no one will be at a loss as to why.Even though some people will fail to see the reference right away, Lament of Innocence is probably the closest we’ll ever get to a Mega Man-styled Castlevania game. Well, that’s not entirely true. The stage layout used in Lament was also employed in Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge on the GameBoy in 1991. A relationship like this couldn’t be more appropriate because whereas Belmont’s Revenge had an excellent array of stage themes so does Lament. The main difference is the area themes are on more even ground with one another in Innocence than they were on the GameBoy where certain tracks creeped ahead of others when it comes to the accolades placed upon them. One can make a case that “Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab” (track 1-06) stands out because of its techno edge but I’m talking more about quality, not the catchiness of the style. I have no qualms with the seven main area themes (two areas in the game have two themes instead of one) but at the same time none of them make me pick my jaw up off the ground.Again, the overall consistency reminds me of a quality Mega Man title, but there’s an important element buried here within the duration of these tracks. Most of these area themes double loop yet the longer ones (“House of Sacred Remains” [track 1-14] and “Dark Palace of Waterfalls” [track 1-18]) don’t. This may appear to be inconsequential, yet this becomes a key point in not only deciding which version of the score you want to purchase, it’s also plays into how one could make the Lament of Innocence soundtrack better than it currently is. Beyond making allusions that don’t make a whole lot of sense without their accompanying context, I love the development within “House of Sacred Remains.” The composition has a few distinct phases yet they’re linked together so well that they don’t feel strange or benign. Also of note is the fan favorite “Rinaldo's Cabin” (track 1-08) and “Prologue to the Black Abyss” (track 1-05) which are themes used for smaller areas; they also became key players to the various ins-and-outs of the various soundtracks.Rounding out the stage themes are the mighty threesome “Pagoda of the Misty Moon” (track 2-04), “Lament of Innocence ~Leon's Theme~” (track 2-05) and “Statue Enchanted By the Darkness (track 1-16).” “Lament of Innocence ~Leon's Theme~” is pretty much the modern equivalent of “Simon’s Theme” (the reference being the guiding element behind its direction) yet how it interacts with “Pagoda of the Misty Moon,” which plays in the area of the castle before “~Leon’s Theme~,” creates an excellent sense of contrast. However, “Pagoda of the Misty Moon” shares it’s lumbering, freight train movement with “Statue Enchanted By the Darkness (track 1-16)” only it’s more craven and much less haunting. I absolutely love tracks that contain a sense of forward, abstract motion and these numbers are no exception.Like the stage themes above I can’t say that I was ever blown away by Yamane’s boss themes save for “Melancholy Joachim” (track 1-20). The reason for this is simple. You don’t need to hear “Melancholy Joachim” in context to appreciate its gothic flair so it’s the exact opposite of the others. Schmaltzy as it sounds the remaining battle themes all excel at driving home a defining element about each foe. For example, the lumbering motif in “Stone King Golem” (track 1-07) describes that boss in perfect detail while “Traces of Malevolent Souls” (track 1-04) and “Resonance of Malevolent Souls” (track 1-10) play off the exact same premise. Unfortunately, the catch for the tunes in the Malevolent Souls series is they’re not always paired up with bumbling adversaries that visually advertise the track’s strengths in the game. The appropriateness of “Resonance of Malevolent Souls” is shown off rather early in Leon’s adventure yet never recaptures its glory after that one, brief encounter.Another fan favorite that’s always been a little lost on me is “Death Flower Succubus” (track 1-12). Like the boss themes tackled above it certainly encapsulates the hectic, wreck loose battle it plays in but I typically only appreciate its positives when I compare it to the piece used in Symphony of the Night for its own Succubus battle. That said, it doesn’t take much to beat out the boss themes from that game in my opinion. On the more positive end of the spectrum are “Elemental Tactician” (track 1-15) with its dreadful, tug-of-war tenacity and “Dark Night Toccata ~Walter's Theme~” (track 2-07) which does an excellent job at misleading the player into thinking they’re partaking in the game’s final battle. While both are more than appreciated at their appropriate junctures, the latter is absolutely crucial for the story line twists that follow. Lastly there’s “Demonic Symphony Poem ~Death's Theme~ which has never done anything for me much like the confrontation it plays in. Personally it’s fine in context but reminds me how I find the end of the game to be a little anti-climactic.However, what I lament more than the game’s final battle is Michiru Yamane struggles with cut scenes. I can’t even begin to convey how problematic this is let alone comprehend how this wasn’t telegraphed with past soundtracks. The three part “Metamorphosis” trilogy in Symphony of the Night was pretty damn solid yet those cut scenes were limited in scope. Some of Lament of Innocence’s cut scenes can be lengthy in comparison and Yamane’s fight to fill these gaps with something of use is painful. There’s more to be said about these pieces but let’s skip ahead to the arranged Aria trilogy and campy sounding “Another Tale from Castlevania” selections that round out the soundtrack.The three track Aria aside is a section of the Lament of Innocence Original Soundtrack that I was initially wrong about. When first I owned this soundtrack back when I bought it alongside the Curse of Darkness soundtrack I didn’t think highly of these arranged tracks but a lot of that had to do with the fact I wasn’t overly familiar with Aria of Sorrow itself. Between that point in time and now, I’ve played the game multiple times, feel it’s one of the strongest games in the series, and own the soundtrack. That’s a pretty significant one-eighty. As of this writing, I’m still a little confused as to what piece “The Cross of Fate” (track 2-12) is based on but the remaining two tracks strike gold with “Holy Cross Obsessed By the Moon” (track 2-13) being a remix of “Demon Castle Top Floor” (a personal favorite) and “Requiem for the Dark Souls” (track 2-14) tackling Aria’s chapel theme. I’m not really sure what thought process lead to these tracks being added to this soundtrack but I’m happy with the addition. The same can’t be said of the nine track “Another Tale from Castlevania” subsection were the tracks just seem to be here for the sake of being there. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “sloppy seconds” uttered in conversation you’ll have an inkling as to what you’re in store for here. These pieces are not very welcome and their exclusion would have only made the soundtrack better. But of course we need to justify using that second disc!While it may appear we have reached the conclusion of our journey, rest assured we’ve just begun. Now that we’ve covered the main course we need to examine some curious side dishes and how they challenge what you think you know about the Lament on Innocence soundtrack. First up is the Limited Edition Music Sampler. Originally released at Lament of Innocence press conferences, there really isn’t anything overly rare about this release. Despite the claim that its limited it’s very common and easy to procure; however, why is it so important in the scheme of things? Lament of Innocence’s soundtrack wasn’t released until November 30, 2005. This means there was a substantial gap between the game’s release and the soundtrack and during that time this sampler was all there was for those who wanted Lament of Innocence’s music on disc. Now that we’re past that point in terms of time, some may believe this incomplete sampler has no legs to stand on. Not quite.It’s true that the Lament of Innocence Limited Edition Music Sampler doesn’t contain every track from the game. Some of the biggest blows come from the omission of tracks like “Rinaldo's Cabin” and “Prologue to the Black Abyss” yet the area themes that are included have something curious to impart. Excluding “House of Sacred Remains” and “Dark Palace of Waterfalls” most of themes on the disc have been edited for time and do not make the standard double loop. Initially, this may seem to be a bad thing but if you sit down and give this sampler a listen you might realize, like myself, that the Yamane’s themes don’t benefit from being looped. Considering how bombastic some of these pieces are (and their natural girth) I can’t help but feel shorter and more concise experiences are the better option. I mean think about it. When you look at the track times on the original soundtrack does anyone really need five minutes and twenty-five seconds of “Fog-enshrouded Nightscape” (track 1-11)? The tracks that are naturally longer benefit from their longer length but the others don’t and when you start to analyze the benefits and negatives there’s a sharp divide between the looped and unlooped renditions.But we’re not done! The Lament of Innocence sampler comes packed with an even more surprising benefit. Continuing on with the idea of omitting content, the sampler’s biggest draw is the lack of cut scene material. One of the biggest missteps of the full soundtrack is its inability to go to area theme to area theme or area theme to boss theme when this disc can. This leads us to the major change that could have made the original soundtrack much more enjoyable: leaving the scene themes on the cutting room floor. Now, I don’t want to act like a cultural authoritarian and pretend everything I say is gospel but when you get down to it what are people going to remember the Lament of Innocence soundtrack for? Area and boss themes or a bunch of empty, cut scene themes? The answer is obvious but in making such a bold recommendation I have to address what “Castlevania Reincarnation” (track 2-10) offers. There’s a part me that feels some would object to the removal of this track from what I’d like a one disc version of the original soundtrack to consist of. Unfortunately for them I don’t see a point of saving it.“Castlevania Reincarnation” is without a doubt one of my most wanted tracks on the soundtrack, and when I say ‘most wanted’ I don’t mean I want access to it. What I mean is if the track were human, I would want to incarcerate it for crimes against humanity. This piece is a horrible amalgamation of two reprises from a previous Castlevania game and it’s only here in a pathetic attempt to get brownie points out of nostalgic players. I see this track for what it is: a nostalgia parasite that’s trying to make the case that there’s at least one good cut scene piece included on the soundtrack. But it fails and it fails hard. The track also brings up an odd tidbit I can’t help but recall about Yamane not wanting to employ electric guitars in the game’s area themes because it didn’t exist in the game’s time period yet this piece proves it’s okay to use in a pandering scene theme that’s trying to be a centerpiece? Again, I don’t know if there is any truth in that fragment of into I can’t help but remember, but the whole idea of not using instrument A because it didn’t exist at point B was thrown out the window the minute “Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab” came across my speakers.Had enough yet? No? Good. Before we can wrap this up we need to talk about the latest Lament of Innocence release, disc ten of Akumajo Dracula Best Music Collections Box. We don’t need to go too deep into this one as we’ve already hit the key talking points. The cut of the soundtrack in this box just reinforces those points. Out of the twenty tracks that were included nineteen of them are boss and area themes so Konami seems to have learned their lesson from the sampler but regrettably the tracks are still too long for their own good. Because of this there’s no room for the shorter area themes which are important in my opinion. That negative aside this is a solid cut and probably the closest we’ll ever get to get to the ideal Lament of Innocence soundtrack. A few tweaks here and there and this disc would have been perfect.Unlike its unofficial sister soundtrack people (including myself) will be much more decisive on whether or not they like the music in Lament of Innocence. Because listeners will be able to make the decision with little prodding this is why I didn’t spend as much time on the music in review as I do in others; the more pressing issue is deciding which version of the soundtrack you want. Hopefully someone will find the above useful. Outside the cut scene themes and pointless extras I’m comfortable with how Yamane’s music works in the game. It’s not her best effort but is a worthwhile listen in my opinion. That aside, if you’re interested in the standalone Lament of Innocence soundtrack I wouldn’t doddle as supplies of new and sealed copies seem to be drying up. I was able to find it new at a reasonable price but most storefronts have burned through most of their stock. In contrast, the Curse of Darkness soundtrack is the harder to find of the two and has climbed up a little when it comes to value. Regardless, whether or not Lament of Innocence is an underrated or somewhat forgotten game the interesting history of its physical soundtrack releases is sure to puzzle and frustrate collectors for years to come.

Hey there, good review, with a lof of informations, you did a great job. I have a simple question, you mention the Akumajo Dracula Box Set in your review, do you know if if has ever been listed here on Discogs ? I can't find the release page anywhere even with catalogue numbers so I doubt it has been submitted but that's pretty curious considering how important it is. Thanks.