ShadowMarth rips up the carpet from this DS game to give us the full insight in how 2D games still have the power to impress and entertain the world of gamers!
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Every time I put a new card into my favorite handheld, I find a new experience. Genre by genre, the DS has revived my interest for gaming. First Meteos more or less initialized my faith in puzzles, then Advance Wars renewed my enthusiasm for strategy, but now it's time for a different genre. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow proves once and for all that 2D action/adventures still have a lot to offer, and that the DS is a perfect place for them to come to roost.
Sure, you've had Metroid Zero Mission, Gunstar Super Heroes, and games like that, but the latest sidescroller from Konami is something completely in its own league. The next game in the storyline of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, arguably one of the best of the entire series, is a great credit to its heritage, and expands it in every way.
The game pulls you in right from the start with a compelling story. You are dropped into the shoes of Soma Cruz, the reincarnation of Dracula himself, returned from the events of Aria. It's a full year after the last venture into old Drac's castle, and things have gotten nice and quiet. You mysteriously lost your "Power of Dominance", which allowed you to capture the souls of defeated demons and monsters and use them in battle, but more on that in a moment. Of course, things take a turn for the worse, as the leader of a cult bent on the return of a dark lord by any means pays you a visit in the middle of a romantic conversation with your "friend", Mina. Since Soma is the rightful heir of Dracula's powers, he must be destroyed before one of them can become the dark lord.
Of course, rather than allow the professionals (a mysterious character with dark powers, and a professional vampire slayer of the Belmont clan) to do their jobs, Soma decides to take it upon himself to do the job. After all, what kind of a hero would just sit around the house when there's demons to be slayed? Sure, he's risking the fate of the world with his presence, but at least it's for a noble cause.
The story ties in perfectly with the gameplay, as your aforementioned Power of Dominance is the center of your abilities. Whenever you kill a monster, you have a chance of gaining a monster's "Soul", which, when equiped, allows you to use some of its abilities, gain power ups, or even summon it as an ally. Every single monster has a unique soul, and some are even crucial to beating the game.
The game uses a strong RPG element, that allows you to contort stats like the best of RPGs to make your character a reflection of your strategy. You have all the basic statistical tracking you'd expect from any RPG, like Attack, Defence, and Intelligence, and you can quickly switch between an extremely helpful Metroid-style map and a very detailed stat screen on the upper screen of your DS.
The souls give the game even more depth than you'd think, as you can upgrade most souls by getting multiples, making them more powerful, less costly, or one of various other advantages they bring. This time around you can even fuse them with weapons to create potent new ones with much more power than their weaker forms. Your selection of weapons is quite diverse as well, with over a half-dozen types, including daggers, swords, handguns, spears, and plently more, most of which are upgradeable. Thanks to a helpful upgrade you get early on, you can even switch between weapon and soul sets at a tap of the X button.
The enemies themselves are some of the best I've seen, 2D or not. There's dozens and dozens to find and destroy, and some are more worthy adversaries than many bosses in lesser games. Each is chock full of character, making it shockingly easy to remember the name of each and every one. It's that much more rewarding when you manage to capture a soul that lets you summon one. Every enemy will stick in your memory for quite a while, especially with the characteristic sounds of each.
The bosses themselves are suprisingly diverse. Even though deep down you're just repeating a pattern or task to defeat them like any other game, it makes you feel like you're really fighting tooth-and-nail to take them down. Many are returns from old Castlevania games, but many are brand new enemies, with brand new attacks and souls. Even the old ones have been remade to make it a new experience. With such creative boss fights like the puppetmaster, you're sure to like them. Each boss has unique music that is suited for its own battle perfectly, and just like all the normal enemies, unique sounds as well.
Ah yes, the sound. Ever since the 8-bit era, Castlevania has been credited with amazing multi-channel sound, even with the most pitiful of capabilities. This remains true today, with a variety of music. In fact, there are nearly thirty beautiful tracks that are instantly recongnizable whenever you hear them, and are extremely atmospheric. On top of that there's the unique sounds for each enemy, many of which are very creepy or disturbing when you first hear them.
The graphics may not be anything groundbreaking, but they do their job, and they do it well. They well exceed the GBA graphics, and add some great effects to the mix. You'll never see a bit of lag in any part of the game, no matter the level of activity. The majority of the backgrounds are hand-drawn much like in the previous games, but most are multi-layered, and many have cool 3D affects to make them come to life. Every part of the sound and graphics is excellently done to create the classic Castlevania atmosphere.
How does it use the special features of the DS? Well I'm glad you asked. Of course, there's the extremely nifty top screen use for quick reference to maps and stats, but the coolest feature is in the touch screen. Once you weaken a boss, you must use the touch screen to draw a "Magic Seal", once and for all sealing the monstrosity away. Of course, if you fail to draw it correctly or quickly enough, the monster will come back with some health, so you'd better be quick on the "draw".
Multiplayer is not a major feature of the game of course, but it can be pretty fun. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow's multiplayer has two modes, both of which revolve somewhat around the Soul system. In the rather self-explanatory Soul Trading mode, you connect with a friend in order to trade up souls so that you can speed your soul collection, or add some power to your friend's lineup. The other is a more classic multiplayer experience, called Vs Mode. You can set up a five-room competitive gauntlet to subject your friends to. Simply use the touch screen to place them on the screen where you wish them to appear. Of course, you must have the soul of a monster to place it on the field, and you have a point limit for monsters per room. Once you boot it up with a friend, you each select one of your premade tracks, and you and your friend race to the finish. You won't actually see your opponent, but it will show his map location on the top screen. It's not an enormous addition, but it is an excellent one.
Even with all this, the game nearly doubles its replay value with several additions. First you have several alternate endings, and I don't want to spoil it for you, but they're well worth it. You've also got an entire secondary game mode that Aria fans will recognize, and probably forsee, which is an excellent touch. Collecting souls and exploring the large areas of the castle that aren't 100% required to beat the game are all great ways to add to the longevity of the game.
So, with all this great content, gameplay, and replay value, what could possibly stop this from being the game of the year for the DS? Well, there's really only one downside to the game, and that's the difficulty level. There are several conspiring factors that cause this, and suprisingly they are also the game's strongest points. The RPG system can be abused to make the game much quicker, since just like any RPG, you can spend time leveling up to make your progress much easier. The soul system is well balanced enough that it rarely contributes to the problem, but there are certain combinations that can ease your progress just a tad too much. The only real way to avoid this completely is to do a minimalist speed run if you're just that hardcore.
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Graphics - 8/10
They're not spectacular, but they do the job, and they have their moments.
Sound - 9/10
Spectacular. So much diversity in the tracks, and each is chock full of quality.
Gameplay - 9.5/10
It can't get much better than this. Classic Action/Adventure with lots of the new and old.
Lifespan - 8.5/10
The somewhat low difficulty level shortens it, but thanks to soul collecting and some very cool extras, it will last for a long while.
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Bottom line
Despite the slightly low difficulty level, any action fan would be in trouble if they missed this one. The RPG system is both concrete and skillfully implemented, as is the soul system (for the most part) well balanced and incredibly diverse. Don't let this one slide just because it's 2D, keep an open mind. After all, the DS is becoming the embodiment of both new ideas and the complete renewal of old ones. This is just one of those games that is far more than the sum of its parts, and you'd be giving yourself the short end of the stick by missing it.
ShadowMarth