"Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow"

Early review by Sam Mills - 8/26/05

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (Akumajou Dracula: Crucifix of the Blue Moon is the official Japanese version is titled) is a direct follow-up to Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. That GBA game was a favorite among fans and new comers alike, and this sequel follows the events of what happened to our hero, Soma Cruz, one year after the events of that game.

This early review is based on the Japanese release. As I write this, no other version has been released yet. Since I am not too good at reading Kanji, I can’t really say much about the story at this point. Apparently, Dracula’s follows are out to get Soma, but I’m lost on some of the details. What I can tell you about is how this game plays, how it looks and sounds, and how much fun it is.

Let me start by saying one thing, which may get me into trouble: This follow-up to Aria of Sorrow is a masterpiece, embracing both traditional and new elements alike. There are a lot of traditional elements to this game, from taking level idea’s from past games to the non-linear format adopted from Symphony of the Night. But this game takes all those familiar elements, makes them it’s own and used the capabilities of the Nintendo DS to breath new life (and in some cases, convenience) into them.

There is a fully animated into before the game (you may have seen it online) that by seeing, indicates the DS is being utilized to its full potential. I wasn’t really surprised the DS could render full animation, since even the GBA has tons of fully animated cartoon cartridges. But it makes one wonder if the DS may be up to providing film titles to compete with the PSP’s UMD videos. However, that’s another story all together.

The actual game starts with Soma and Mina in the city, talking about something in Japanese. The game has no voice-overs (or else I may have been able to follow), minus a few scattered voice clips, so I can’t say what they were talking about for sure. Then, a mystery villain shows up to confront Soma when Arikado shows up to give new powers to Soma. Soma takes out a few baddies then heads for the old castle on an offensive front to counter his enemies. The rest of the story and surprises, I’ll not reveal here. Let just say they are plentiful.

The main action starts in a snowy field just outside the castle. Right away, the game draws you in with a catchy theme. The game has more fun mixing it’s time period (its 2036) with the gothic nature of the castle and the supernatural. This time, there are even a few cars and vans parked in and around the outside of the castle, though the game hardly goes overboard with those kind of elements.

The game is surprisingly gothic, thanks in part to a somewhat darker art design, despite its anime inspirations. The music is in the same vein as Aria of Sorrow, only now, with full orchestration for a more satisfying audio experience. The music is very much in the league of Castlevania, and should please fans that disliked the more sweeping score of Lament of Innocence.

The graphics are on par with those seen on the PS1’s Symphony of the Night. I may very well be wrong, but many of the sprites looked as if they were directly inspired or even ripped from the PS1 game, and perhaps from Aria of Sorrow. But there are some great original baddies, like killer pigs that shoot fire through their snout. There are neat effects, such as pictures with eyes that follow, mirrors and other graphical eye candies. Several layers of multi-scrolling backgrounds give a deep layer of dimension, especially in the garden area. The graphics take on a life of their own, combining bright, colorful anime with an edgy, gothic darkness. The character sprites are well done and there are enemies here that are both colorful and creepy at the same time.

The only graphical problem for me was Soma’s sprite. It’s not bad, but it seemed a little incomplete, as if it needed more details. His animation is smooth and his appearance adequate. But compared to every other character, he looks a little plain. Soma himself illuminates an echo-shadow image as he moves, though it’s wisely done lightly and less noticeable than with Alucard in SOTN.

Controls are tight and effortless, as they should be in any game. The games main developer, Koji, stated once that feeling the character and controlling them should feel fun and easy, and I would say that was successfully done here. It’s not the kind of think a player thinks about on a conscience level, but the fact it’s not noticed is actually a compliment.

So what exactly is contributed by the fact that this is a Nintendo DS title? Well, for starters, the systems specs aid in making the game more convenient rather than adding anything revolutionary. Little things, such as a map or stats that can be seen without having to pause the action, which make navigating through this game more convenient than in past games. This may not seem like much, but it’s a very welcome element.

Another DS quirk involves the touch screen. You basically “name” your file by handwriting your name, symbol, picture or whatever you want instead of typing your name. The touch-screen is also the means for pulling off certain powers, such as touching-and-breaking through ice barriers or casting spells. This may seem like more an inconvenience than anything. But keep in mind, these abilities are powers earned by defeating bosses, making them a privilege, not a right, and should be appreciated.

Dawn of Sorrow is not exactly a difficult game, but it gives a fair challenge. Building experience come naturally through making your way past a slew of enemies. Unless you go out and purposely slaughter tons of baddies for long periods of time, your gain of experience level seems balance with the level of challenge posed by each stage. There are of course the Hammer’s shops to buy potions and supplies (if you are willing to pay the price) and a feature to update your weapons and spells in a shop ran by Yoko Belnades. I’m not quite sure how all the works of, since again, I can’t read much Kanji, but it seems like a great idea.

Overall, I must say this is a great and worthy installment to the Castlevania series. It makes sense, since Aria of Sorrow was the best of the three GBA installments, that its successor could only be better. If you liked Aria of Sorrow, chances are you’ll like (if not love) Dawn of Sorrow. It may not be completely original as it borrows many elements from the rest of the series. But somehow, it reworks all the familiar elements in ways that make the whole affair seem fresh. It goes beyond being just another “solid” title, and gives us many simple delights. The formula isn’t exactly new, but it’s been a very, very long time since it’s been done this well.

Only time will say how this will rank in the Castlevania lineage as far as opinions go, but I’d have to say whatever list it’s on, it will be very close to, if not on the top of, the best of the best Castlevania games. It’s the best Castlevania since 1997’s Symphony of the Night, and that’s really saying something.

 

The Scores

Graphics: 5.0 The presentation is nearly flawless. The combination of bright but gothic gives the game a unique quality.

Sound: 4.5 Voice overs would have been nice, but the music is fully orchestrated and well composed. Nearly perfect, but not a knockout.

Control: 5.0 Flawless. Easy to control, and even fun when you think about it. So smooth, you won't even notice it.

Challenge: 4.0 Fair challenge, not too hard but it's not a walk in the park. You won't get stuck, but you'll have to work at it.

OVERALL: 5.0 Castlevania's best installment in years. Not just solid, it provides a great gaming experience.

Back