"A good game, but it won't appeal to everyone"

PROS: Great selection of weapons, spells, and items; good weapon-upgrade system; variety of enemies; massive bosses

CONS: Can get a bit repetitive; controls are somewhat frustrating at first; graphics aren't the greatest for the DS; confusing story if you're new to the series

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow follows a guy named Soma throughout intriguing atmospheres to pursue some evil cult which is trying to resurrect Dracula… I think. Since I'd never played a Castlevania game until this one, I wasn't exactly sure what happened. Apparently Soma was born within seconds after Dracula's demise, he inherited some vampire blood. So were these other two thugs- a bully-type and a Russian guy. Whoever is the last one standing will become the next Dark Lord or something. I don't know. Basically, the storyline is hard to follow if you haven't played a Castlevania game before. If you have, you'll have no problem getting into this one. And those people won't be disappointed (I'm using my friend as an example).

This game allows for several different means of exterminating foes. The weapon selection is incredible- you can choose between massive axes, knives, swords, maces, and even more. The difference between them is the amount of damage caused and the time it takes to swing. There are plenty of weapons to choose from to suit your style, but you can get used to anything very quickly. Also, you can upgrade weapons by finding specific “souls” of monsters that you defeat. When you find the one you need, you need to return to a “shop” run by one of Soma's girlfriends, Yoko. Yoko will fuse the soul with the weapon to make it more powerful. That, and she's hot. If you choose not to do a weapon-soul fusion, you can use a special ability that the soul grants you. You can toss axes at enemies (you can't control exactly where- it goes in the same parabolic motion every time), plant bombs, summon minions, and even slow down your falls. This adds strategy to the game. Want to upgrade your weapon or choose to use the soul to your advantage? It's all up to you. There are several different souls to collect because there are so many enemies out there. Their attacks vary but they all pretty much fall the same way. Where the game shines is in its boss battles. These are what'll cause you head pains. Their attacks are powerful and the proper strategy is required to bring them down. You'll get to use the boss's soul after killing it, which is handy to progress in the game. Each boss requires a special seal drawn with the stylus in order to send it into Oblivion so you can take it out in Tamriel. Just kidding. This game has nothing to do with Elder Scrolls ecept that there are goblins in both of them.

On the downside, since the enemies are similar, the game can get repetitive… a bit. Also, the controls can be somewhat frustrating at first, but are easy to get down. You are looking at the bottom screen, but it works well here because you're not looking so close at the screen like in the abysmal Resident Evil: Deadly Silence. It works well here, and the map on the top screen is pretty well-done and easy to read. The controls, overall, are smooth once you get used to them, which'll take about 10 to 20 minutes. The graphics here aren't the greatest- it is a 2D sidescroller. With New Super Mario Bros., we can see what the DS is capable of. The graphics aren't bad- they are readable and it's clear who your friends are since they're all rendered differently than your enemies (some of which are human, but it's obvious enough). During cutscenes, if you want to call them that (they don't cut into the game), large close-up pictures of each character will come up when that character is speaking. There's no voice acting, but it is the DS. The story is easy to read, but can be hard to follow if you've never played a Castlevania game. Obviously, the letdowns are few here, and it's clear that we have a good game.

This game will appeal most to fans of the Castlevania series, and it's obvious that there are a lot of you after it beat Halo in the best.series.ever. contest. Also, anyone who likes the survival-horror genre will enjoy a 2D sidescroller of that nature. Anyone who doesn't like survival-horror-action games, don't bother. This isn't the easiest game to understand, but it's still worth playing if you like this kind of stuff. Don't get me wrong, it's a good game and requires enough thinking to make it challenging, yet still fun. Simply put: it's a good game for the DS, but it doesn't really appeal to everyone. If you don't know if you'll like it, rent it first. I give Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow an 8 out of 10. If you had the choice between Resident Evil: DS and this game, go for this one. It's the best action-horror game on a handheld, and definitely a lot better than that piece of filth.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/07/06