Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (Second Opinion) Review

Dawn of Sorrow also has a very impressive sets of musical scores. It sort of blends the gothic/evil feel of many of the songs from AoS while bringing in some more modern sounding themes that help drive the futuristic time period feel of the game. Now granted some of the scores are just plain odd in terms of the actual area of the “dark lord’s” castle that you’re navigating, but they work well for the most part. Some are very suspenseful and slow playing themes that may send a chill down your spine. But many have a nice upbeat and action-oriented tuning to them so what’s taking place will constantly be exciting. The boss battle music is especially well-done in DoS, as each score will have you know you’re in for something fierce.

Boss battles are also a huge part of the game, just like they were in AoS. There are also even more, which really makes the game a bit more challenging, almost moreso than it should be. Some of the fights can be downright ridiculous in terms of frustration, but they all generally have an equal balance of difficulty. But one thing’s for sure, don’t count on going into this game and not dying on any boss fights. Let’s just say some can tend to take up the whole screen, not leaving you with too many options for cover. So if you either don’t have a lot of potions on hand and/or can’t avoid them well enough, you will face defeat many a time.

However, the most easily frustrating part of the game can be getting lost. If you don’t remember specific details about every room you visit, you may find yourself wondering where in the world you have to go next. Many of the game’s areas require a soul of some sort for you to gain access to them, and if you don’t know what exact area and soul are connected to each other, you can easily be lost for an hour or two. This game is hardly linear so you will have your own choices at certain points. It’s generally not like that for most of the game thankfully, but the castle is downright huge. So obviously in a place that big, you’re bound to get lost every now and then. It’s an evil of the game, but almost a necessary evil because of what was desired to be accomplished through the game.

That brings us to the actual story that drives the plot of Dawn of Sorrow. Some of you may have been slightly disappointed with the story of AoS and how it really wasn’t the most important aspect of the game until the ending. But from the very start of you playing the game until the very end (if you get the best one), the story is fairly well developed. A few years after the events of AoS, Soma and his “friend” Mina encounter a lady priestess by the name of Celia. She apparently knows about Soma’s ability to dominate souls and how he could still be the next dark lord. She is actually a part of a cult that wishes to resurrect the spirit of the dark lord, as she has two likely candidates under her wing. These men are Dario and Dimitri. Each has a unique power that could be easily used for the dark lord position, and it’s up to Soma to stop that from happening. But with Celia knowing Soma could do such a thing, she tries to kill him at the very beginning of the game. But with massive failure, Arikado and Yoko come into the picture, along with Julius Belmont soon after. You find the castle where the rituals may be taking place, and off you go to stop this from occurring.

So if you actually want to achieve 100% completion in the game, you need to cover the entire map and collect every last soul in the game. The soul collection system works exactly the same as it did in AoS. You kill an enemy, and each carries a rating of one to three stars in terms of the rarity of getting that soul, with three being the hardest. So whether you are or aren’t completely focusing on collecting them, that’s how it works. Some souls of the game are incredibly useful and entertaining to utilize. This helps make up for the lack of variety that is evidently seen in the weapons category. The fireball soul from the Flame Demon is extra fun to use, considering how huge that thing is. But in terms of the weapons and trying to make up for the lack of variety, Konami chose to implement a Soul Synthesis system. Your friend Yoko in DoS has this ability, and that basically has you using a weapon that was previously not as strong by combining it with a soul you have captured already. This is pretty much how you get your best weapons in the game, as you won’t simply find them like you may have in AoS.

So will you enjoy Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow? Well if you liked Aria of Sorrow, by all means yes. But of course dealing with individuals the game isn’t for everyone. It does have its few frustrations, and there is a chance that’ll turn some away from it. But in reality, they are so few in comparison to the high quality points of the title that it shouldn’t really matter. The whole presentation is just awesome and has very good replay value. There isn’t too much that would be considered repetitive, as there are so many different areas of the castle to go to. The save points and teleportation portals (taken from AoS) are spread out nice and evenly, so regenerating yourself when you desperately need it probably won’t be the most difficult thing to do. Some areas are a pain in terms of the number of enemies yes, but generally you’ll be doing all the kicking butt and taking names. You are Soma Cruz, and while your adventure may not really be a cruise, the fun you get from taking on his role may very well seem like it.