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Posted on October 27th, 2005 - 4117 Reads

Rated Teen Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow Nintendo DS Review Silver Award

-- Written by Marc-Andre Sarrazin



 Casltevania is a game that shows 2D gaming should never die. It ranks high up there with the Mario Brothers, the Mega Mans, the Ghouls and Ghosts, or any other legendary 2D side scrollers. These games can offer new and innovative gameplay ideas while still keeping the same look they had 15 or even 20 years ago. Side scrolling games are also some of the most challenging games available as most of them are really fast paced with lots of stuff happening on screen at the same time. They push gamers to the limit, forcing them to figure out ways to get through each enemy-filled screen, one after the other without making any mistakes. These games are so nerve-racking they make you go crazy at times, they make you swear, they make you want to throw your controller (or handheld) on the floor and quit gaming... but when you succeed, they are the most satisfying gaming experiences ever.

That is, for me, the true definition of 2D gaming: fast paced and challenging! It is one of the reasons why I still play games and why I think it shouldn't die. I think games are becoming much too easy and that hardcore gamers like me are not offered enough alternatives. But since 2D games are mostly targeted towards hardcore gamers, we at least have those to look forward to.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is the latest 2D game in the series. 3D Castlevania titles have been available on the N64 and PS2, and while the PS2 titles are good and closer to the 2D games than the N64 offerings, they are still not as good. Dawn of Sorrow takes Castlevania to the next level. It keeps what made Casltevania games good in the first place and adds new elements to it so that it feels fresh and new.

This game follows the story of the last GBA Castlevania game, Arria of Sorrow. You still play as Soma, and after defeating the bad guys and thinking it was all over, you find out that Dracula can still be resurrected. You have him in you, and a group of people called the Cults want to make him come back. They've set the trap and you of course walk right into it. Once you get into their castle though, you'll have to find a way to stop their plan and come out alive.

Old friends are there to help you, since Soma couldn't do it by himself. I won't give out any details but the other characters are crucial to your success and the way everything unfolds through cutscenes is really cool! It isn't the most story intensive game I've seen, but for a 2D game I think it does offer a lot. There is a little bit of dialog here and there (mostly before boss fights) but when you go to the stores the characters there will often say different things, some of which are really funny, so that in a way you get to know the other characters more. It makes for a nicer experience all around as it gives some sense to what you are doing. It would be incredibly stupid if you'd start at the beginning of the castle and had to kill everyone without any good reason, so the backstory and character development in this game makes it all meaningful.

Now, since Dawn of Sorrow is a sequel to another game, it means that the same gameplay elements are back. You can still absorb enemy souls to learn new techniques, which was one of main elements in Arria of Sorrow and the best addition to a Castlevania game ever. It makes for so much variety in the game and you are always thinking about new strategies to beat monsters or bosses because of that. I spent a lot of time collecting enemy souls and trying to see what each one of them did and I'd then use them on bosses to see which one was the most effective. Since some souls are more difficult to find it gives a good incentive to play through the game more than once and collect them all.

You can also buy weapons and accessories from the store to make your character stronger and you can then take them to the customization shop where you can upgrade them. Upgrading your weapons is one of the most important aspects of the game as it will make your characters stronger. And since the game can be difficult at times, you will have a hard time advancing without those upgrades.

While Dawn of Sorrow is a side scrolling action/adventure game, you gain experience points when defeating enemies and level up much like an RPG. So whether you want more challenge or not, you can blast through the game or take your time and have more power and health points, making the game a tad easier. I say that because even if you are at a high level you might have difficulty. This game is tough and you'll need some skills to finish it.

The castle itself is also huge! You would normally get lost in it, but the good guys at Konami decided to use the second screen as a map so that you know where you are going! Isn't that great? Still, this is only one of the things that use the DS' two screens. The touch screen is also used to remove blocks from your way and to cast spells. When you defeat a boss, you need to draw a magic seal to really defeat it. Drawing needs to be done fast and as accurately as you can or else it won't work. If you fail the boss will regain some life. The game is forgiving on this, though, and I rarely missed. You do have the ability to practice when you get new magic seals so that you succeed in boss battles.

There are a few puzzles here and there but they're not really complicated. Most of the time, there is some place you can't go, so you defeat a boss, get a new ability, and with it you can now solve that puzzle to advance further in the game. Copy and paste and you've got a good idea of what most of the game looks like. Each time you want to get to a new area there is a small puzzle like that and while it doesn't offer that much of a challenge it does help make the game flow better and offers a little bit of variety. And while I agree that this game would still be great without that, more variety is still always better.

This game has often been compared to Symphony of the Night on the PS1 graphically. I have to admit that this game does indeed look great, but personally I still think that the PS1 game looks better. But for a handheld game, Dawn of Sorrow looks superb! The backgrounds are incredible, very detailed, with characters moving in the background, dark tones that really fit the game, and a great art style. There are also 3D elements thrown in to make things more spectacular as some backgrounds are entirely 3D and are breath taking! A few other elements use 3D, like doors or even enemies. There is a huge shadow knight in the game who fights with a sword, and his sword is entirely rendered in 3D and it makes for a nice little touch which really surprised me. Character animation is also really smooth and Soma looks very nice performing all of his moves. He always moves in a cool way when he has to dodge attacks or when fighting with different weapons and I thought it was great for a 2D character. Enemies all have different attacks that are pleasant to look at and their dying animations can be quite good. There is also an animated intro video which is anime inspired. Some think it looks a little bit too "kiddy" for a Castlevania game, but I dig it!

The game's mood is created not only through visuals, but also with the great music that's featured. From relaxing music to something that has more punch to it, this game covers a lot of grounds and offers a lot of variety, all the while staying true to what is on screen. The songs that had more of a techno feel to them were my favorite, but other tracks also had a more horror feel to them that is also needed from time to time. One part of the castle looked like a ball room of some sort with people dancing around so you had some kind of opera-like music playing. In another place you'll be in a cavern filled with water so you've got a music that's slower paced and mysterious. And when you're fighting a boss you have that big dramatic song playing.

There are multiple endings, with only one being good of course, but the others are important too and it is possible to see them all with 1 save file, so if you haven't done the right thing you can try again. By acquiring all endings you unlock new play modes. There is also a hard difficulty setting as well as the possibility to start the game over but keeping what you had already collected in your previous run. So those who want to finish the game more than once and really collect everything can start again and again as much as they want to.

This game doesn't have really have any obvious negative aspect to it. It does everything other games before it had done right and adds new elements specific to the DS hardware. It offers a lot of challenge to any gamer and lots of unlockables to keep you coming back for more. Friends can also join in on the fun as the game offers a multiplayer mode! Really, there isn't any reason why you shouldn't get it. If you own a DS, this game is a must buy.

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