I remember playing the original Castlevania when I was younger (around age 10 or 11), and I always remember how punishingly difficult the game seemed. Years later I played the game on an emulator and was surprised that it was still pretty punishingly difficult. But the old Castlevania games (1 - 4) really upped the challenge with ledges and pits that if you fell off you died. Occasionally there would be a touch enemy or tough boss, but really the pain was in timing jumps and such. Especially with flying Medusa heads coming at you!
So the latest Castlevania games have a different style of play and difficulty. Instead of the finite lives and continues (as in 1, 3, and 4), the games have a save feature. You grow your character by gathering experience slaying demons. Since there are very few 'bottomless pits' to die in (or none at all!), the challenge is focused on battling demons and bosses.
So the challenge is not as high as previous games, but not as frustrating as those earlier versions.
Now onto this game! I played this for the first time recently, after completing Order of Ecclesia, and after playing a bit of Portrait of Ruin. I didn't play the previous Game Boy Advance titles. But comparing this to the other 2-d Castlevania titles, I would place this in the top three.
I still rate Symphony of the Night and Order of Ecclesia higher, but Dawn of Sorrow could make a case for being ranked in the top, though the amazing glyph system of Ecclesia pretty much locks it in at #1 in my opinion.
In this version you have a very good story, with some interesting characters. The story continues from the previous game (which I didn't play), but they do a pretty good job of summing up the events of the previous game.
Most of the game is spent trying to just 'beat the game'. As opposed to Ecclesia with all of the various side quests, most of the time in this game will be spent advancing farther into Dracula's Castle while backtracking to gather the occasional item that was previously unattainable without a new ability. You might also backtrack to fight demons to gain souls.
And that takes me to the point here. If I hadn't played Ecclesia first, I would have been very pleased with the soul gathering aspect. You gather souls to learn abilities, the more of each soul, the higher the level of the ability. You can also use souls to upgrade weapons in town. Though the upgrades are basically the next stronger item, which is usually available for purchase at the weapon shop next door, though at a steep price. Some of the abilities take MP, like bone toss or using Lightning, and others are static abilities. It's pretty fun to customize Soma, and you eventually find an item to allow you to set his abilities and equipment into two slots and quick change them with the X button. But again, Ecclesia's glyph system was near flawless, so I can't really say I love the soul system. (You can read my Ecclesia review for more info).
The challenge is decent, though not as tough as Ecclesia. The reason is that most boss battles are pretty easy to figure out. And often the boss will hesitate and allow you to just start ripping multiple hits on them. Later bosses get more challenging of course, but the early bosses in Ecclesia were as tough as some of the middle bosses in this game. I remember dying three times fighting Malphas (bird lady), twice fighting Dario, and once fighting Balore (big fist guy early on). But that's nothing compared to dying 10 times trying to figure out the first boss in Ecclesia!
Pros:
+ Very large area to explore.
+ Wide variety of weapons and armor.
+ Great music and sound effects.
+ Decent challenge.
+ Very good DS graphics.
Cons:
- Soul system good, but not perfect.
- 99% of the game is in one of two areas, no wilderness areas (like Ecclesia).
- Only two quick set options for abilities (could have used a third).
- Not a lot of hidden items/chests.
- Having to use the stylus to 'seal' boss monsters. It's pretty lame...
The reason I compare this to Ecclesia is because many other players might be looking to buy one of these two games, since they are both on the DS, and both very well made. I recommend playing through this one first, just because going back to this game after Ecclesia is bittersweet. You know how good it is, but you can't help thinking of the improvements and tougher challenge of Ecclesia while playing this. Granted, Ecclesia was made 4 years later.
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Reviews with images
A whole new trilogy begins with this excellent DS game
Just like the Game Boy Advance saw three Castlevania games throughout its life cycle, the Nintendo DS bore witness to a whole new trilogy of Castlevania games. It began with this game, Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow released in 2005.For many Castlevania fans, it was the tried and true formula with new game play twists and 2 player Vs. support rolled into one excellent experience. If you were never a fan of Castlevania or prefer the old school experience over the "Metroid-vania" layouts and leveling up of character that has been a staple since Symphony of the Night, you won't like this game one bit. But for the rest of us, this game started a new trilogy for the DS and it's a good thing.The story is short and sweet this time: You control Soma Cruz, a young man who possess the spirit of Dracula. As soon as he realizes this, a cult is on the hunt for him to release the spirit to resurrect Dracula. Thus, you start out in front of a huge castle to explore. Along the way, you can collect a variety of weapons, accessories and souls. The souls can be combined for special attacks and abilities to help you on your quest. Just like the previous games, your character can level up and become stronger. Beat the game and you unlock bonus content/modes alongside the story mode, wireless mode and options. Save your progress anytime you walk into a room marked red on the map.The PROS: Konami did not mess with the formula as much and it plays exactly like the GBA Castlevania games. With the DS, you can look at the map or status screen on the top screen while the action takes place on the bottom screen and with new hardware comes with the graphical and audio upgrades. It looks, sounds and plays great so you will feel right at home. While you don't use the touch screen aspect too much, you now have to draw "seals" on the screen every time you are about to defeat a boss and on certain sections of the game, you need the stylus to clear the way for you. Beating the game opens up new modes and a so there is some incentive to go above and beyond.The CONS: Since it's the first Castlevania game to grace the DS, there isn't much they added that takes advantage of the DS other than the limited use of the stylus. When it comes to drawing the correct seal before the boss is defeated, the boss fight continues if you don't draw the correct seal and it gains some health. Thankfully, there is a mode during the game where you can practice how to draw the seals that you uncover. Also, there is no online connectivity because the game came out shortly after the DS made its debut. The Wi Fi Connection service hasn't been set up yet but the later games in the series took advantage of it.It's a great start for the trilogy of Castlevania DS games and while it doesn't add a lot of new things to the gam, it's still fun to play and just warms you up for the next two games to follow. You can get this used if money is an issue for you and if you're a fan of the series, especially from the GBA days, give this one a try if you haven't done so already.
Top reviews from other countries
Matt Radman
Un capitolo della saga Castlevania da non farsi sfuggire
Reviewed in Italy on August 3, 2017