History YMMV / CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence

** Matthias also thinks enough of Leon to offer sharing eternal unlife with him (and you can interpret the entire business with Sarah as MurderTheHypotenuse).

** Matthias also thinks enough of Leon to offer sharing eternal unlife with him (and you can interpret the entire business with Sarah as KillingTheHypotenuse).

* HoYay: Lots. Just try listening to Leon and Walter's conversations and ''not'' pick up subtext.

* BrokenBase: The game's status as an OriginsEpisode has some divisive reception due to some of its elements. Some love the origin story for showing the origin of the Vampire Killer and giving a more tragic bent to [[FamilialFoe Dracula's generational conflict with the Belmonts]]. Others dislike it for introducing plot points that would never be revisited down the line (such as [[spoiler:[[PoweredByAForsakenChild Sara's soul powering the Vampire Killer]]]]), unnecessarily retreading plot points that were introduced in earlier games (such as [[spoiler:Mathias]] [[FaithHeelTurn declaring war on God]] due to [[TheLostLenore his wife's death]] when [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Dracula was already established to declare war on humanity and God due to another wife's death]]), and contradicting certain plot points established in later games (such as the game having no ties to the "avatar of Chaos" explanation for Dracula's power introduced in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow Aria of Sorrow]]'').

* EvilIsSexy:
** The succubus. A little bit more modestly dressed than [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight the "last" one]] (and a blonde as opposed to a redhead), but still very attractive. And evil.
** Walter and Joachim, continuing the long line of Ayami Kojima-designed {{Bishonen}}. This also extends to [[spoiler:Mathias]], to the point that there's the occasional debate on [[spoiler:whether he looked better pre- or post-vampirism]].

* BrokenBase: The game's status as an OriginsEpisode has some divisive reception due to some of its elements. Some love the origin story for showing the origin of the Vampire Killer and giving a more tragic bent to Dracula's generational conflict with the Belmonts. Others dislike it for introducing plot points that would never be revisited down the line (such as [[spoiler:Sara's soul powering the Vampire Killer]]), unnecessarily retreading plot points that were introduced in earlier games (such as [[spoiler:Mathias]] declaring war on God due to his wife's death when [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Dracula was already established to declare war on humanity and God due to another wife's death]]), and contradicting certain plot points established in later games (such as the game having no ties to the "avatar of Chaos" explanation for Dracula's power introduced in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow Aria of Sorrow]]'').

** Walter and Joachim, continuing the long line of Ayami Kojima-designed {{Bishonen}}. This also extends to [[spoiler:Mathias]], to the point that there's the occasional debate on whether [[spoiler:he looked better pre- or post-vampirism]].

* TheWoobie: Leon proves to be one of the biggest in ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' history. His girlfriend gets kidnapped and goes on a journey to rescue her, though at the cost of his rank. [[spoiler:It seems at the end that he'll be able to put everything behind him and live his life with Sara, but she ends up having been turned into a vampire and Leon has to fuse her with the whip to end her suffering. And as it turns out, this was all instigated by his friend Mathias. By the end of the game, he's a broken mess, leaving the castle with a silent and empty gaze.]]

** Rinaldo is established from the start to be your ally, but as you progress through the game, it becomes clear that he's keeping an ENORMOUS amount of info from Leon. While he claims a large amount of it is to prevent Leon from becoming "distracted," the bit that REALLY stands out is when Leon reveals to him that his attempt to strike Walter was brushed off, leaving Rinaldo to give an exasperated "So it didn't even work for YOU." This implies that Rinaldo had a pretty decent idea that the whip wasn't going to touch Walter and he simply didn't warn Leon of the possibility, likely hoping that Leon wielding the whip would somehow change that. Granted, Walter simply remained amused by the attempt and let Leon and Sara go, but this still feels a bit like a {{Jerkass}} move to keep such critical information hidden.

* BrokenBase: The game's status as an OriginsEpisode has some divisive reception due to some of its elements. Some love the origin story for showing the origin of the Vampire Killer and giving a more tragic bent to Dracula's generational conflict with the Belmonts. Others dislike it for introducing plot points that would never be revisited down the line (such as Sara's soul powering the Vampire Killer), unnecessarily retreading plot points that were introduced in earlier games (such as Mathias declaring war on God due to his wife's death when [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Dracula was already established to declare war on humanity and God due to another wife's death]]), and contradicting certain plot points established in later games (such as the game having no ties to the "avatar of Chaos" explanation for Dracula's power introduced in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow'').

** Walter and Joachim.

--> '''Walter:''' [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement That power]] ''is'' quite something.. But I am beloved by the night -- you will taste my powers!

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: [[spoiler:Yeah, try your best, writers, you are never going to make someone who goes genocidal after his love dies sound sympathetic. Especially if he is so consumed by revenge that he readily inflicts that same emotional damage on his best friend.]]
* TheWoobie: Leon proves to be one of the biggest in Castlevania history. His girlfriend gets kidnapped and goes on a journey to rescue her, though at the cost of his rank. [[spoiler: It seems at the end that he’ll be able to put everything behind him and live his life with Sara, but she ends up having been turned into a vampire and has to fuse her with the whip to end her suffering. And as it turns out, it was all instigated by his friend Matthias. By the end of the game, he’s a broken mess, leaving the castle with a silent and empty gaze.]]

* TheWoobie: Leon proves to be one of the biggest in Castlevania history. His girlfriend gets kidnapped and goes on a journey to rescue her, though at the cost of his rank. [[spoiler: It seems at the end that he’ll be able to live his life with Sara, but she ends up having been turned into a vampire and has to fuse her with the whip. And as it turns out, it was all instigated by his friend Matthias. By the end of the game, he’s a broken mess.]]

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: [[spoiler:Yeah, try your best, writers, you are never going to make someone who goes genocidal after his love dies sound sympathetic. Especially if he is instantly ready to inflict that same emotional damage on his best friend for more or less no reason.]]

* BrokenBase: The game's status as an OriginStory has some divisive reception due to some of its elements. Some love the origin story for showing the origin of the Vampire Killer and giving a more tragic bent to Dracula's generational conflict with the Belmonts. Others dislike it for introducing plot points that would never be revisited down the line (such as Sara's soul powering the Vampire Killer), unnecessarily retreading plot points that were introduced in earlier games (such as Mathias declaring war on God due to his wife's death when [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Dracula was already established to declare war on humanity and God due to another wife's death]]), and contradicting certain plot points established in later games (such as the game having no ties to the "avatar of Chaos" explanation for Dracula's power introduced in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow'').

* BrokenBase: The game's status as an OriginStory has some divisive reception due to some of its elements. Some love the origin story for showing the origin of the Vampire Killer and giving a more tragic bent to Dracula's generational conflict with the Belmonts. Others dislike it for introducing plot points that would never be revisited down the line (such as Sara's soul powering the Vampire Killer), unnecessarily retreading plot points that were introduced in earlier games (such as Mathias declaring war on God due to his wife's death when [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Dracula was already established to declare war on humanity and God due to another wife's death]]), and contradicting certain plot points established in later games (such as the game having no ties to the "avatar of Chaos" explanation for Dracula's power introduced in the ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow Sorrow]]'' [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow duology]]).

* BrokenBase: The game's status as an OriginStory has some divisive reception due to some of its elements. Some love the origin story for showing the origin of the Vampire Killer and giving a more tragic bent to Dracula's generational conflict with the Belmonts. Others dislike it for introducing plot points that would never be revisited down the line (such as Sara's soul powering the Vampire Killer), unnecessarily retreading plot points that were introduced in earlier games (such as Mathias declaring war on God due to his wife's death when [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Dracula was already established to declare war on humanity and God due to another wife's death]]), and contradicting certain plot points established in later games (such as the game having no ties to the "avatar of Chaos" explanation for Dracula's power introduced in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' duology).

* BrokenBase: The game's status as an OriginStory has some divisive reception due to some of its elements. Some love the origin story for showing the origin of the Vampire Killer and giving a more tragic bent to Dracula's generational conflict with the Belmonts. Others dislike it for introducing plot points that would never be revisited down the line (such as Sara's soul powering the Vampire Killer), unnecessarily retreading plot points that were introduced in earlier games (such as Mathias declaring war on God due to his wife's death when [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Dracula was already established to declare war on humanity and God due to another wife's death]]), and contradicting certain plot points established in later games (such as the game having no ties to the "avatar of Chaos" explanation for Dracula's power introduced in the ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Sorrow]]'' duology).

** Special note goes to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp0UTM-IzjM the background music]] for the Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab. (Listen to it back-to-back with "Dance of Gold," which plays in an analogous area of ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'', and Creator/MichiruYamane's stylistic range will be apparent!)

* BrokenBase: The game's status as an OriginStory has some divisive reception due to some of its element. Some love the origin story for showing the origin of the Vampire Killer and giving a more tragic bent to Dracula's generational conflict with the Belmonts. Others dislike it for introducing plot points that would never be revisited down the line (such as Sara's soul powering the Vampire Killer), unnecessarily retreading plot points that were introduced in earlier games (such as Mathias declaring war on God due to his wife's death when [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Dracula was already established to declare war on humanity and God due to another wife's death]]), and contradicting certain plot points established in later games (such as the game having no ties to the "avatar of Chaos" explanation for Dracula's power introduced in the ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Sorrow]]'' duology).

* UncannyValley: Sara's face on her 3D model. Yikes.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: [[spoiler:Yeah, try your best, writers, you are never going to make someone who goes genocidal after his love dies sound sympathetic. Especially if he is instantly ready to give that same emotional damage to his best friend for more or less no reason.]]

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter[=/=]TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic:
** [[spoiler:Yeah, try your best, writers, you are never going to make someone who goes genocidal after his love dies sound sympathetic. Especially if he is instantly ready to give that same emotional damage to his best friend for more or less no reason.]]
** [[spoiler:You mean the same best friend who basically manipulated the events of the game into fruition and thus was responsible for his love's death?]]
** [[spoiler:We never meet Mathias' now-dead wife in-game, so his conversion to evil doesn't have the weight it should. Not to mention it somewhat diminishes his marriage to Lisa [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight later in the series]], who fans ''have'' met and gotten attached to. Not to mention Lisa is the mother of Alucard, meaning she plays a way bigger part in the story. (Unless you accept [[{{Fanon}} the headcanon]] that Lisa is Elisabetha's {{reincarnation|Romance}}, which is implied but not confirmed.)]]

** The Undead Parasite rivals the aforementioned, since it's more or less a giant intestinal parasite living in the [[WombLevel one kind of place]] that it can reasonably inhabit. Said place resembling a mix of brain, eye and stomach tissue.

** The Forgotten One is easily one of the most disgusting bosses in the series, what with all the exposed bleeding organs and loads of giant maggots that fall off from them.