"Soma Cruz returns to the Castle in the greatest CV game since SoTN"

This game was one of the main reasons I got a DS, now that it's finally here, the wait was WELL worth it.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (CV:DoS) is the next in the long running series, and the latest in the chronological events of the castlevania storyline. Following on from Aria of Sorrow (CV:AoS) Soma, the hero, is once again called into action to stop the resurrection of the Dark Lord Dracula from new foes. Returning characters include Soma, Mina, Yoko, Hammer, Julius and Genya. Including a secret character fans of another popular game will know and love.

Graphics: 10/10

The graphics are spot on, done brilliantly. The artwork for the characters is now more anime style than previously, and they now show the emotions of the characters as they speak (Soma and Yoko's conversations become a hell of a lot cuter). Soma himself now has a far higher level of detail when playing so you don't need to worry about his sprite getting boring, he even does unique animations for some souls and weapons. Enemies are what you'd expect if Symphony of the Night (SoTN) did a sequel on the PS1. Same with the background, the same 3d style effects appear as Soma moves through the map. Lovely

Sound 8/10

Some of the old classic music is back to listen to, like Vampire Killer. But the game also brings some nice new tunes into the mix, like the opening map's one, one or two may seem a bit boring or dull. Soma now yells some cries when using some soul powers now, abiet japanese, it adds to the feel of the game. Enemies have their own sounds and cries. You might feel some enemy death sounds are a bit repetitive but then again you might like hearing yourself cut through so many enemies.

Gameplay 10/10

What can I say, I love it. The soul system has been largely upgraded. Capturing multiple souls has more of a purpose. First of all capturing multiple souls can level up the soul skill in most cases. Like getting a higher level Skeleton soul will cause Soma to throw bigger bones, higher level Golem grants more strength and so on. The other genius thing the souls can do is upgrade your weapons. Yoko will now merge a soul with a weapon you have to upgrade it to the next level (needs a specific soul to prevent it being too easy). On the weapon front, the weapons now deal a clear type of different damage, which enemies can be strong or weak against, and you can see this on the top screen in Stat View (shows soma and enemies' stats). The other view that can come on the top screen is the map, VERY handy as stopping gameplay to see it can be annoying, even better is that they can be switched at will with the Select button.

One thing people were getting a bit fussy about was the seal system. The whole magic seal thing has been nicely fit into the story giving it a reason to be there, and it's not a fussy thing at all to do. Prior to entering a boss area, you are shown the seal needed to be drawn to kill it. Once the boss is out of HP, the seal appears and you need to draw it (not perfectly, just hit the right connecting points and you are fine), you don't need to do it INSTANTLY, so you can calmly take the stylus out and draw. Failing to do it correctly means the boss will regain some HP and the fight goes on, otherwise you defeat it. You can practice sealing at any time.

Finally, a certain soul in game adds to the ability to switch between 2 sets of weapons at any time with a simple button press. Very handy for when a monster is resistant to your chosen weapon

Story 9/10

Continues on from Aria of Sorrow, most characters from it are back. The relationships between the characters have gotten a bit deeper. Yoko is more like a sister to Soma and seems to look up to him alot. Hammer is drooling even more over Yoko (just try talking to him). Julius hasn't forgotten his promise. Genya is still as "business" like has he was before. Course I can't say too much about the story as that'll spoil it. But it's good if you have been reading some of the many story guides that detail the events in chronological order in the Castlevania series.

Conclusion 10/10

DoS is truely a game on or even OVER the level that SoTN was at. Anyone who has played SoTN would die to get a chance to play this, infact anyone with a DS would be silly not to have it. If you have AoS in your GBA slot when you start your game, it will give you a rare ring at the start, a nice little bonus for you.

Dawn of Sorrow delivers. No questions asked

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/03/05