Joachim Mode is one of the two first alternate modes unlocked in Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, along with Crazy mode. In this mode, the player controls Joachim Armster.
After finishing the game as Leon, Joachim can be played by entering @JOACHIM in the Name Entry screen.
Gameplay
Like the other Alternate Modes of several games, Joachim has no access to weapons, items or equipment, making his overall gameplay harder than Leon. However, to compensate for the lack of key items, all secret doors are already unlocked from the start.
He is only limited to using several floating Symbiotic Swords for his attacks. First of all, his attacks can reach a longer range compared to Leon. However up to five swords can only be used at a time, and the player has to wait for a few seconds to ready up the swords for the next attack. Each sword can also be "charged" by holding down the square button. Charging a sword grows it in size with increased damage.
Joachim has two fighting "stances" which can be toggled using the Triangle button:
- Swords circling around Joachim: Deals lesser damage but can hit more enemies by employing a barrage of slashes.
- Swords behind Joachim: Deals more damage but has lesser accuracy.
Joachim also has Special Attacks that consume MP, which are usable once he reaches certain MP thresholds (signified by a purple aura around him) and vary depending on the current stance. Joachim becomes completely invulnerable during these Special Attacks, and since he does not have a Guard ability, the MP regenerates every time his sword hit enemies or destructible candle stands.
Several floating blocks also appear in this mode, in order to compensate for his lack of the Whip-Jump ability of Leon. This also applies to areas that require specific relics, like the Wolf's Foot.
Joachim is immune to the Paralyze, Poison and Curse status effects, and the Rosario item has been replaced with the Bloody Skull which has the same effect of instantly killing all enemies in the room. Potions and Wine can be found in certain rooms that will restore a portion of Joachim's HP and MP respectively. But once, they are picked up, these will no longer respawn.
Joachim can become stronger by collecting various parameter-increasing items, which are mostly found inside secret rooms and some areas where Leon's Key Items and Equipment used to be. Most of these can increase his HP and MP bars. There are also Armor pick-ups which permanently increase his defense, but these are rarer than the two aforementioned items. Lastly, a Knife pick-up increases his overall attack power. These can be found in harder-to-reach areas, or dropped by bonus bosses.
Item Data
| Item Data: Joachim Mode (edit) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name - Game Description | Type / Users | Attributes / Consume | Statistics / Sell | Found | Notes | ||
| ||||||||
| Destroys all enemies on screen. | Item Joachim Armster | |||||||
| ||||||||
| Increase HP Max. | Item Joachim Armster | Find: Throughout castle (all) | ||||||
| ||||||||
| Increase MP Max. | Item Joachim Armster | Find: Throughout castle (all) | ||||||
| ||||||||
| Attack increased. | Item Joachim Armster | Find: Throughout castle (all) | ||||||
| ||||||||
| Defense increased. | Item Joachim Armster | Find: Throughout castle (all) | ||||||
Gallery
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References
| Castlevania: Lament of Innocence |
|---|
| Characters |
| Protagonist |
| Leon Belmont |
| Supporting cast |
| Sara Trantoul • Rinaldo Gandolfi • Mathias Cronqvist |
| Antagonists |
| Joachim Armster • Walter Bernhard • Death |
| Lesser roles |
| Elisabetha Cronqvist • Pumpkin |
| Bosses |
| Main bosses |
| Undead Parasite • Golem • Succubus • Medusa • Joachim • Walter • Death |
| Minor/optional bosses |
| Flame Elemental • Frost Elemental • Thunder Elemental • Doppelganger • Forgotten One |
| Areas |
| Forest of Eternal Night • Castle Entrance • House of Sacred Remains • Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab • Ghostly Theatre • Dark Palace of Waterfalls Garden Forgotten by Time • Pagoda of the Misty Moon • Prison of Eternal Torture |
| Music |
| Castlevania: Lament of Innocence Original Soundtrack |
| Guides |
| Futabasha Guide • NTT Pub Guide • Shinkigensha Guide • BradyGames Guide |
| Archives |
| Bestiary • Inventory • Joachim Mode • Pumpkin Mode |
