[gumyaho]

Having never played a Castlevania game before, I didn't know what to expect. The thing that attracted me to this game was it's legacy. I'd heard good things about the Castlevania series before, so I decided to give this game a shot.

Upon turning my DS on, I was greeted by a dark, mysterious castle, and in the opening moments, there was a brief introduction to the game. In Castlevania: Dawn of sorrow, you play as Soma Cruz, a Vampire hunter-And the re-incarnation of the dark lord Dracula.
Soma arrives at the Castle to investigate rumors of a cult at work, and finds that they are trying to find a way to harness the power of Dracula.

Well, On to the game.

Here is a short taste of what the game is like.



Castlevania is a side-scrolling action game with RPG elements. This may sound strange, but it is quite simple. You can equip pick-ups and weapons to Soma to enhance his ass-kicking ability. This is essential to the game, as enemies grow stronger with each level. You also level up with experience gained. Upon defeating your enemies, you will sometimes gain their souls and be able to harness their special abilities. (For example, use a bow) This, however takes time and can be a difficult task as you will only get a soul from a monster occasionally.
This game is a perfect fusion of two genres and cleans up very well.



Anyway, On to the review.



The Graphics

Dawn of Sorrow features many brilliant animations and plays very smoothly. One of the games with the best graphics in a side scroller on the DS. The game still flows even if there is ten or twenty enemies on the screen.

8/10




The Gameplay

This is where Dawn of Sorrow really shines through. I enjoyed every minute of playing this game. There are great bosses and enemies, clever touch screen integration and challenging puzzles. The gameplay is on the touch screen, and there is a map for navigation of the castle on the top screen, which is really needed as it would be confusing without it.
10/10





The Sounds

Castlevania has some of the best music on the DS. The music is catchy, and the tunes are brilliantly composed. From the moment you enter the castle, the music surrounds you. Excellent.

9/10

Replayability

Very High. I'm replaying the game right now. There is always other things to do after you've finished Dawn of Sorrow. After you finish the game, Boss Rush Mode gets unlocked. This is basically a run through of all the bosses in the game.

10/10


OVERALL:

Cstlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is without a doubt an excellent game, and one of the best titles available on the DS. I highly recommend it because Dawn of Sorrow excels in all areas.

Overall Score: 37/40

A+

[SockPuppet]

Thou forgot the storyline since some people love stories.

Getting some of the souls of certain monsters is arduous at times. I recall spending over 3 hrs trying to get an Iron Golem's soul.

[Schifty911]

i played this game and loved it i liked all the cool things that u could buy at the store like the handgun and after playing this game i bought Castlevania Portrait Of Ruin which also kicked ass plus it has WI-FI