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Great Game to Play

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

My son is an avid Castlevania game player. I bought this game for his birthday. I asked him how he liked the game and these are a few of his comments:
He likes how it offers the use of the touch screen to shatter blocks that are in the way and also to draw symbols that open doors and help defeat certain boss monsters. Some monsters have abilities that you can equip while others can be summoned to help you battle. The game provides a good variety of weapons and armor. There are hidden items and the challenge of getting all types of monster souls that makes the game more interesting. He was planning on buying this game for himself and was very pleased to get it as a gift.

Castlevania mania! I don't know what that means!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: March 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Dawn of sorrow is amazing game. I could go into all of the details of the good and bad etc. But I'll keep this simple, are you a Castlevania Fan or a fan of side scrolling action games? no? then avoid this game it's not your style! YES? THEN GET THIS GAME. Don't think about it, don't save up for it either, go into your parents room and steal the money our of the little box in the closet you need and BUY THIS GAME. It will drain precious hours from your life you could have used in infinitely more productive ways and you will love every second.

Move Over Belmont, Cruz is the MAN!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: October 06, 2005
Author: Amazon User

What a great game! I am a 24 year old gamer and have withstood many horrible sequels, but this one ROCKS! The graphics flow very smoothly and the controls are great. A is special attack, B is jump, Y is normal attack, X is change ability, L is special move, R is magic, and of course up and Y is throw bone, zombie, cat, etc. All this to say, the controls are intuitive.

There is a role-playing aspect of the game as well. You can purchase new weapons (short sword, claymore, long sword, knuckles, boomerrang, spear, and more). These weapons can be upgrade by collecting the spirits of slain enemies. Take the souls to a soul grafting chick and she will infuse the souls to create a new weapon (sort of similar to materia in FF7). You can also purchase armor and items (potions, maps, etc.). You can level up by slaying enemies - your attack, defense, and other stats increase as you progress. Your abilities also increase (similar to Metroid games).

After playing every Castlevania sequel, I have found this one to have the best controls and design. Save spots are adequately placed, and there are warp spots to take you to different parts of the castle (no much time spent back-tracking).

From a DS perspective, the game does not frivolously use the stylus. In fact, I have not even used the stylus - I just use my finger for casting magic seals and busting ice. While the graphical capabilities of the DS are not fully used, it maintains appropriate graphics with gorgeous, fluid sprites. The graphics are not distracting - the are condusive to the gothic/vampire feel of the game.

Most importantly, the game is FUN! It was hard to put it down last night and go to bed. It is addicting, the music is engaging, the gameplay is superb, and the level of difficulty is right where it should be - not overly frustrating (nor too easy).

PROS:
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- Great sounds, graphics, and gameplay
- Intuitive design, smart monsters, excellent RPG element
- FUN

Cons:
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- $35 (wish it was $30)
- Hard to find

Second screen is an enormous help

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: October 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have thought that the Castlevania franchise peaked with Castlevania 4 on the SNES. Even now 14 years after its release I think the graphics, main character animation, and music were excellent. After that game the 2D releases never felt right, and I actually thought the much-hated 3D adventures on the N64 were more in the spirit of the franchise than the much-loved GBA games. The newer games felt like Metroid wannabes with an excessive number of useless features. I kept buying the 2D Castlevania games anyway because, well, I'm a sucker and always hoped for a game as fun as an old NES or SNES Castlevania but was always disappointed, until now.

I'm not even the entire way through the game, but "Dawn of Sorrow" has so far been very entertaining. I think I've finally figured out why I've hated the new crop of 2D games; the constant toggling between the map and the game screen just interfered with gameplay too much. The old games tended to be very linear, and without having to worry about your place on a map you could concentrate on gameplay. The newer games removed that linear layout to increase game complexity, but the map/game toggling apparently destroyed the best characteristic of Castlevania and made gameplay a chore. With this game, toggling from the action is nowhere near as common. First of all, the main map is always on the top of the screen. Second, the extra buttons on the DS require fewer trips to the submenus for option swapping. In short, "Dawn of Sorrow" successfully merges the fast action of the old games with the advanced RPG elements of the new games.

The game is not without its drawbacks:
1) Navigating the menu system is far too difficult. You will often find yourself randomly hitting buttons to navigate to different sections of the menu system and accidently deactivating features in the process.
2) It takes too long to get back to the game after your character's death. Instead of asking the user whether or not they want to try again you are dumped on the logo screens that come before the main menu. (I think the game's predecessor did this too)
3) The music hasn't been that impressive. It's better than what we've heard on the GBA, and better than most other games I've played, but it's apparent that the quality of the classy and catchy tunes of the earlier games are gone from the Castlevania series.
4) The opening animation and inscreen cut scenes are done in that cheap and ugly anime style. Fortunately in-game animation of your character and enemies tends to be smooth. (And why is Soma the same creepy gray tone of Micheal Jackson?)
5) You'll find numerous upgrade items, and many require a special upgrade in order to obtain. Once you get it, you'll often discover it doesn't grant you anything you don't already have. You can also modify the clothing Soma wears, but doing so never affects his appearance in the game.
6) Most of the touchscreen features haven't been that compelling, but the game doesn't really need them. Anyway, the use of the second screen for a map more than makes up for this.
7) More info displayed on the map screen would have been nice.

In short, this is a fun 2D game with only minor drawbacks.

get it

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: November 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

the game is great and well detailed, only complaint is the music. whoever did it must be running out of ideas because only two of the new scores were interesting. the recuts of the classics sound great though. combat is good, soul system is good. and it's great to play as alucard again...even if he isn't the strongest of the group.

A very good side-scroller

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: March 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is the game that convinced me to buy a Nintendo DS. The first time I played this was on my friend's system. It is a very solid adventure, with RPG elements (level, stats, equipment). The soul system is well thought-out and balanced. The enemy mobs are very animated and unique. You have the choice of viewing the map or your character status on the top screen, so the days of pausing 100 times are now over. This game was much more enjoyable than the Megaman X + series. If you don't have the patience for games like Tales of Phantasia or Golden Sun, this action/adventure is for you.-

Don't order this version!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 43
Date: March 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game has the dreaded "Konami's BEST" red bar of doom on it. Don't support a reprint that ruins the original box art. Buy somewhere else.

Way beyond virtual dogs and cooking minigames

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Another killer exclusive on the DS, Castlevania Dawn Of Sorrow impresses with great visuals, great tunes (crank up the score!), and alot more. I would give a shoutout to Konami for not making another gimmicky game that is fun for about 2 weeks, then fall flat. This game has more than enough to keep you busy for a while. It's a great game for the DS, and works very well on the DS as well. The magic seal mechanic is great, and with two screens, the top screen never has been more unique. You can finally see the map or stats right there! That may not sound like a very cool asset, but for the people who have been playing Castlevania since ever will find that so useful. Since Castlevania's dungeons are easy to get lost in, it's alot easier to get around and the fact that you can see what exactly the stats are without pasuing is a great thing. And besides, the lower screen is no longer flawed by anything taking up the beautiful scenery.

I'll first start with the graphics. One of the designers said that they chose to stick with the 2-D graphics because they felt that the DS is a great portable for expressing 2-D visuals. The DS is WAY more powerful than the GBA, so with the power of the DS, they were able to create a lush, colorful, and eye intruging adventure. Castlevania never looked so good. Simply some of the best graphics I have seen on the system (for 2-D, anyway). 3-D visuals just wouldn't do justice, expecially with the blurry, stark, and blocky Castlevania game for PS1 (please excuse my lack for a name).

Like I mentioned before, the sound is simply an audiogasm (grow up). Great, and I mean GREAT, music for a handheld. This game has a great soundtrack, and it's a soundtrack that I really enjoy along with Lumines and Sonic The Hedgehog. Can't say much else. The sound effects are good too. Everything so far is sharp, and the presentation delivers.

Castlevania has been renowed for it's presentation, but also because the game is very fun and addicting. It's just fun to explore the castle and kill the many enemies around. The enemies are not run of the mill, and the bosses are a sight to see. A stone hulk with a giant arm and laser beam eye, a massive floating suit of armor, and a puppet master that attacks with magic instead of attacks. IT's creepy stuff, but the bossea re unique (the puppet master does not look anything that you porbally imagined before). The core gameplay itself is snazzy. Addicting hack n' slash and fast tactics, marred with totally awesome weapons and lot's of other gameplay goodies. Addicting as a game on the console, Castlevania has enough fun with it to last you for at least a month. It's solid, simple, but fun gameplay, littered with traps and a healthy dose of pure, jumping and sliding action.

Any cons? The fact that you can't save anywhere is annoying like Darth Kommisar said. A thing that kind of wasn't cool is that there wasn't any real touch screen features besides the magic seal, but it's not so bad, because the game is so solid enough, and the two screens alone are very great. IT's also a 100 new game in the series, so it will be a whole new game. Cons or not? You decide.

Castevania Dawn of Sorrow Review....A+

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Easily one of the best castlevania games,right under symphony of the night.The bosses are excellent,the weapon synthesis and soul release system give it just the right amount of rpg elements.The touch screen features, such as breaking crystal blocks with the stylus while on a moving platform,or drawing magic seals to finish off a boss add a whole new element to the franchise..My only minor complaint is the anime art style cutscenes..Hey konami,lose them!!....Still a must buy for castlevania fans if you can find a copy!

Good game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Castlevania was a great game. It made a couple plane trips and car rides much easier. The graphics are good and gameplay is fun. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because after beating it i really have no desire to play it again.

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