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Soma Returns in another Castlevania Adventure!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: October 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Castlevania is one of those staples of gaming that after over a decade of titles has yet to get old. In fact, it seems as if this series (which exists in GBA/DS form as 2D games and on the PS2 in 3D) has had a recent rebirth. The last three GBA titles were excellent, taking the Metroid/RPG feel of Symphony of the Night for the Playstation and utilizing it in their own unique ways.

Dawn of Sorrow takes this even further, and I believe in some ways outdoes the masterpiece SotN. This story is the continued adventure of Soma Cruz, high school student who found himself in Castlevania in the Aria of Sorrow. Now, he returns to thwart a cult that would resurrect the evil of Dracula, heading into their castle to battle the undead and save the world.

Sounds kind of cheesy, yes? Well, Castlevania games aren't bought for their plot. What they are bought for: a massive castle, solid platforming, great gameplay, and tons of atmosphere... all of this is present here like never before. The sprites on the DS are beautiful and large, of similar quality to the Playstation sprites (indeed some of the more famous Playstation sprites make an appearance here).

The music is haunting, and the atmosphere is gorgeous as you begin your trek through the long and winding castle. Soma has the ability to gather the souls of enemies to gain their abilities, and this 'magic' system has become more sophisticated and useful even than it was in Aria of Sorrow. In fact, souls can now be fused with weapons to create new equipment to battle the hordes of evil.

There are a few DS features (drawing to seal bosses and break ice blocks) but really this game doesn't make too much use of the touch screen, which is fine. This is an old-school game at heart, a mix of the exploration of Metroid, RPG experience and levels and equipment, and the action and attitude of classic castlevania.

This is a game for the ages, and given how quickly Aria of Sorrow fell out of availability, I can't encourage you to get this fast enough. Buy this game, and experience brilliance of a sort rarely anymore. Amazing, wonderful game!

Must Own Title for Platformer Loving Gamers

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First of all I'm 25, so I grew up with platformers as a staple of my video game history.

Sadly platformers get very little attention today, but Dawn of Sorrow provides a much needed shot in the arm.

Any platformer fan with a DS needs to pick this title up.

Now.

I mean it!

Best Game on DS: Portrait of Ruin will be better

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: November 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is excellent. I have beaten it three times and each time I beat it I find out cooler things. You can Upgrade weapons using monsters souls that you get when you kill things. My favorite weapon is the Golden Axe. It takes a while to get though. To go farther in the game you have to wear that one talesmen that girl gives you or else you just turn into a monster and lose. Once you get that far you get to battle the grim reaper(extremely hard to beat). This game is very fun and I love the hand painted backrounds. Portrait of Ruin(the sequel to Dawn of Sorrow)has tons of new monsters and many different bosses. It looks awesome. I'm buying it the day it comes out because I loved the first one so much. Buy this game! You'll love it! I bought a Nintendo DS just to play this game and it was so worth it!

This is the best Castlevania, hands down.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: March 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Dawn of Sorrow is wonderful. The level design is great, the artistic style is right on, and the tried-and-true formula still works. The bosses are intense and creative as well. There's tons to do, what with a million different weapons to get and souls to collect, and it's all great fun. The real problem is it's not much different from past Castlevania titles. It's polished and perfected in many ways, but it's largely the same thing as the Game Boy Advance games. Still great, though.

One of the Best DS games out there

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: October 17, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you like 2-D side-scrolling classic adventure games, you've gotta check this game out. I'm personally a big fan of 2-D animated sprite games... especially now that they're getting more and more rare as they are converting everything to 3D. Don't get me wrong, I love 3D games too ...in fact I majored in 3D animation... but 2-D games are what I grew up with, and this one is definately a winner. If you like any of the old or newer castlevania games, you will love this game. It has everything you've come to expect and loved about the genre. You'll also love it if you're into games like 2-D metroid, mario, zelda, megaman, and the like. The graphics are amazing in this game and you can tell they spent plenty of time illustrating the subtle graphics and music for this game. The backgrounds are gorgeous with rich detail too. The game has a good balance of complexity and easy game play. It's just complex enough to keep you interested and not overly complicated as to stress you out and spoil the fun. This game may be too complex for kids 10 and under though. There's lots of dialogue and lots of menu's and submenu's that may be too complex for kids under 10... unless your kid loves RPG games like final fantasy, then this would be a breeze.

Pros:

Beautiful graphics, rich detail, fun game play, lots of weapons and powers to absorb, intuitive game design and menus, huge world to explore and interesting big boss creatures... did I mention the graphics are awesome?

Cons:

The top screen is used only to display map of world... seems like they could've integrated it more with the game. Other than that, I can't think of anything else.

Conclusion: If you like 2-D or 3-D side-scrolling adventure genre, this is a must buy! This may well be the best adventure game for the DS ever. This game is especially hard to put down after you start playing it.

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The DS Game Everyone Should Own!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: October 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

If you loved Castlevania Aria of Sorrow, then it should be made a national law that you must pick up this game! It takes off a year from where the former one ended, but it has been upgraded for the better, and unlike most other DS games, actually utilizes the touch screen to it's full advantage.

Soma Cruz, from Aria of Sorrow, has been keeping his power of Dracula sustained for a year now. When having a friendly chat with Mina, he is suddenly attacked by a derranged woman named Celia Fortner, a member of a cult that seeks to unleash Dracula's power and the only way she and her cult can be successful is by taking down Soma Cruz. A fairly basic plot, but it has it's surprises.

This is a pretty standard Castlevania game. You control Soma, using his abilities and several weapons to take on the forces of evil in a sadistic village hideout where this cult resides. As you go through you'll find new weapons, collect more souls and rise above your enemies.

You'll start off with basic items and weapons. Throughout each area Soma can use weapons such as a sword, a mace, a spear and plenty other to thwart his enemies. Like Aria of Sorrow, Soma can absorb different souls from enemies. Each soul has it's own priority. Souls are also divided into four categories: Bullet, Guardian, Enchant and Ability.

Bullet Souls are the souls which you'll use to vanquish your enemies. They're your offensive souls, mainly. Guardian Souls are souls Soma will use to transform into monsters and summon other monster. Enchanted souls are souls that automatically take effect without you having to use them, such as increasing your strength and giving you the ability to absorb HP from other monsters. And the ability souls are the souls Soma will HAVE to use in order to accomplish certain task. Each time Soma uses a soul he'll consume MP. Like all Castlevania games (with the exception of Lament of Innocnce) your MP automatically restores itself over time.

The really great thing about the DS is how the dual screens are used. The game is played entirely on the touch screen. The top screen displays the map at all times (something that makes the game flow A LOT faster), while you make all your movements on the bottom screen. Along the way you'll obtain Magic Seals. When activiated a shape is drawn on screen and you are to draw that shape as shown in order to unlock certain doors, and vanquish boss enemies. Needless to say, you'll actually need your stylus in order to fully experience the game. Not only that but in certain rooms you'll have to destroy crystals, this also requires the use of the stylus.

As Soma defeats enemies he'll gain money and also level up. Much like your classic action/adventure RPG. Each time Soma levels up he'll need more and more experience. He'll need to use money to buy more weapons, healing potions and other items needed along his journey. However, it may not always be best to buy weapons. Soma can synthesize weapons using souls. In other words, if you have too many of a certain soul, you can use it to customize and create better weapons.

Another really great trick is if you have Aria of Sorrow. Before booting up your DS, put Aria of Sorrow in the GBA slot, and put Dawn of Souls in and start up your game. Starting a new game with Aria of Sorrow inserted nets you extra items at the beginning of your journey and more story points.

Graphically there is perhaps no better looking side-scroller Castlevania. The movements are smooth, and the color is vibrant. Each enemy moves at consistent rate, and there's hardly any slow down.

Likewise, the music is incredible! Castlevania doesn't usually disappoint with music, and Dawn of Sorrow is no different. The music always fits with an area, and is powerful. Soma's voice acting is also great. Each time Soma swings a weapon, or sometimes when he jumps, he'll make a grunt or something. It isn't overused (like in say... Super Mario Advanced) and it's the same voice used in Aria of Sorrow.

The game doesn't present too much difficulty. It starts off easy and gets increasingly harder. Just what you'd expect from any game. At some parts it is perhaps too easy, but we can deal.

It was worth the wait for this game. It plays smoothly, and finishes with incredible awe. It's full of secrets and has a ton of replay value. Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow does not disappoint. Every Castlevania fan should get it.

Must Buy for the DS!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: January 31, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Great old school game Its a must buy for Castlevania fans. Not quite Symphony of the Night but its gonna be hard to ever top that.

Best game for DS so far?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

So far, there haven't been too many good games out for the Nintendo DS. But this game really changes that. This is and excellent game that is difficult to a certain level, but fun at the same time. This is my first Castlevania game ever, so I can't compare it to any other games in this franchise (Symphony of Night, Aria of Sorrow, etc.) but I must say, this game is a perfect way to get me to become a fan of this franchise for sure. Now I just got it today, and have been playing it for a little over an hour. It is frustrating at times, but that does not take away from the fun factor. The sprites in this game are just beautiful. The graphics are nothing very special but give it a classic feel. The sound is nice and crisp (despite not having voice-overs). The controls are easy to learn and get used to. You actually have to use the DS stylus for this game (not as much as some of us would've hoped), but more than some other DS titles. The bosses are a nice touch too, being what would get any casual gamer (such as myself) frustrated, yet bring a great amount of fun and strategy into the game. And the maps are very extensive making the game very long, so you don't have to spend just five hours to beat it, it actually takes more work than that. The weapons and equipment are very diverse and quite intriguing, there are many combinations you can make and discover. The magic/soul system is probably the hardest concept of the game to get used to/understand, but after a while, it just clicks. The plot is awfully wierd, but that doesn't matter, because you quickly forget about that and get engulfed in gameplay, which is what really counts. This is a very good game and I would reccomend it to anyone. It has motivated me to play/buy/rent other castlevania titles.

The best CV since Symphony of the Night.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 23, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is the best entry of the series since Symphony of thhe Night. It's not as epic and sprawling, and it is not flawless, but it is very very close to Symphony in its greatness. This direct sequel to Aria utilizes the basic soul system of that title, and has many new innovations, one of the most enjoyable being the ability to forge new weapons by combining souls and existing weapons. All the familiar faces from Aria return, and a number of new enemies show up, giving this Castlevania the largest supporting cast of the series. Familiar features from the previous title return, such as new game+, boss rush, and Julius mode. A new feature involves a pre-made course where you can place any enemies you want in the course. The DS wireless feature offers some degree of multiplayer, a first for the Castlevania series. Hidden enemies, amazingly detailed environments, breathatking 3d backgrounds that compliment the 2d foreground, and many classic enemies, as well as new ones, and even some hidden ones,, make this a Castlevania title well worth buying a DS just to play.

The game is also a bit more story heavy than other CV titles, which is good. Cutscenes, dialogue, and conversations with Hammer and Yoko add to the overall plot, which is far beyond the usual "find Dracula and kill him."

The less than perfect aspects; these are not terribly bad, and don't detract much from the game, but they also keep it from completely living up to Symphony.

Compared to Symphony, the game is a bit shorter, which is not bad in and of itself, but there are not enough secrets in the game. More weapons and more secret moves and combos of armor and other skills would have made it more satisfying.

Soma can only transform in to a bat, which is a little irritating, but not too big a deal.

But where the game really falls short is the soundtrack. There are a few good tracks, such as the Lost Village, Wizardy Lab, and Subterreanean Hell, and Julius mode has some nice remixes of classic Castlevania tracks. However, much of the music is forgetteable and just fades away in to the background.

All in all, if you don't have a DS, get one for this title alone.

Let's cut straight to the chase.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

If you haven't bought DoS yet, there's absolutely no reason to miss out. The gameplay in DoS is a direct port of the AoS control scheme, which is overwhelmingly similar to the layout of SotN: equip several types of armor, weapons, accessories, and gain stats by killing enemies. DoS is the culmination of the RPG-like system found in the modern Castleroids and the AoS "Soul System," which provides little more than exceptional replay value.

Contrary to popular hype, DoS isn't necessarily the best Castlevania game. The soundtrack is so painfully mediocre that you may prefer playing with the sound off in some areas. The difficulty is greatly toned down, making it one of the easiest Castleroids next to SotN and HoD. Bosses, for all their creativity, provide little to no challenge, especially if the player does a bit of power-leveling beforehand. As a rule of thumb, 30 minutes of mindlessly slicing up baddies will usually result in a dead boss. Because of this, combined with the endless backtracking and tedious nature of collecting souls, DoS can seem very repetitive at times, and becomes very stale very quickly if played for long stretches of time. Considering the amount of stylized characters and plotlines introduced to the player in DoS, the story itself is underwhelming and seems too much like a half-assed rehash of AoS to be enjoyed. DoS is not perfect. Like any game, it has its flaws, but be aware that DoS is not necessarily the greatest game to ever grace a console.

I'd rather not restate what nearly every other reviewer has said concerning the good points of DoS, but the unlockables in DoS are worth repeating. Unlockables is where DoS truly shines. Along with the standard "super-powerful equipment" quests tied to gathering souls and punishing bosses via Boss Rush mode (after a heavy, heavy session of power-leveling, of course, or the fan-favorite Succubus Glitch), Konami has bundled Julius Mode into DoS as a reward for obtaining a "good" or "best" game ending.

Julius Mode is, in essence, Castlevania III in a different castle with updated graphics. Julius Belmont functions as Trevor Belmont, Alucard returns as... *drum roll* ... Alucard, and Yoko Belnades serves the role of Sypha Belnades. Along with all the amusing potential Castlevania canon arguments these characters provide (oh IGA, where would us gamers be without your cleverly convoluted plotlines and family trees?), Julius Mode is almost worth the purchase price of DoS alone. Unlike the main game of DoS, Julius Mode is challenging, fast-paced, and requires almost no back-tracking. The player can literally skip over half of the bosses in DoS if he so desires, go to any area he pleases, and unlock every castle section in a matter of minutes. The freedom, challenge, and genuine fun of Julius Mode should be reason enough to buy DoS and plow through its somewhat lackluster main storyline.

Conclusion: If you have the cash, go ahead and buy DoS. It's not the greatest game out there, but it certainly won't disappoint.

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