GENRE
	Platformer
	DEVELOPER
	Konami
	PUBLISHER
	Konami
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	Yes
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	No
	MICROPHONE
	No
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Castlevania fans know in their hearts that the series belongs in 2D. True, we may never see another 2D console version of the series, but the DS is able to carry the torch. A direct sequel to the GBA's Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, you again follow the story of Soma Cruz, heir to the dark lord Dracula’s powers.

It’s clear with the success of the last title that the soul-acquiring formula was a good thing, and Konami chose to keep it intact for the sequel. This game looks better, sounds better, and in many other ways is better than its predecessor; however, it also doesn't address the issues with the previous title and adds some rather questionable touch screen gimmicks.

visuals

Truly one of the best 2D titles in terms of graphics. Subtle 3D work in places and large sprites give the game an immersive and consistent feel. Most enemies have been redrawn and given new animations with only a few stragglers that look ported.

Soma benefits the most from the graphical overhaul, as his attacking animations vary from the polearms to the longswords to the giant axes. There’s also a lot of cool new ability and bullet souls that add some extra graphical flare. In particular, the Succubus soul is one of my personal favorites. To round out the graphics, the bosses are huge and grotesque.

audio

Excellent audio. Some songs are superb, and a few remixes that are pleasing, not just for their nostalgia value. Voicework is minimal, but when uttered is effective, one boss aside. Overall, there’s no reason to mute your speakers unless the people around you care little for the sounds of the cleaving undead.

gameplay

Soma works his way through a large replica of Dracula’s castle, acquiring the souls of fallen enemies to continue his quest. Many of your favorite souls are still here, and others are upgraded. In fact, even the weakest of souls can be improved upon by collecting multiple instances of the soul to improve its effectiveness. For example, a bat soul will net you a bat companion, but many bat souls will give you a threesome of bats that will attack your foes. This is a welcome improvement, and most souls remain useful throughout the game.

Most of the action takes place on the touch screen. The top screen displays a map, allowing you to go about your business without having to continually pause. Also, early on you gain the ability to switch between two sets of souls on the fly, so you might have a close-up and long-range set to switch between, or a combat/exploration set. This keeps the game from bogging down in a way that Castlevania hasn’t done since the map was necessary.

The touch screen is used to draw magic seals to defeat bosses. You must quickly trace a pattern or the boss will regain life and revive. While I don’t think the idea is a bad one, the fact remains that you’ll need both hands to defeat the boss, so holding the stylus during the boss fights makes it unnecessarily difficult. Another stylus ability is to break ice blocks, which comes off as extremely forced. The best use of the stylus is signing your name to create your file.

The stage designs are improved from Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, featuring several different ways to progress through the castle at different points in the game. Occasionally, I even found myself scratching my head as to where I should go next.

Lastly, the complaints many had about the last game still stand. Souls are often difficult to come by, and getting nine of your favorite soul can be a pain if the soul is a rare one. Perfectionists are going to go crazy trying to collect all of the souls, let alone powering them up to maximum effectiveness.

multiplayer

In a first for Castlevania, the multiplayer mode allows you to race another DoS owner through a castle selection of your own design. You are not able to impede one another’s progress, but it isn’t a bad idea. Maybe this is the first step towards a co-op Castlevania?

overall

Despite the harsh words above, 2D gaming fans of all sorts will enjoy Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow immensely. Unlockables, such as a Julius Mode, and a plus game mode increase the replay value and add a significant nostalgia factor. It exudes polish enough to cover the trivial additions and weaknesses carried over from its predecessor. Dawn of Sorrow stands as proof that not all DS games need to have a wacky control scheme to be fun.

8.8/10