Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow review

Following on from the excellent Aria of Sorrow comes the next imaginatively-named chapter in the Castlevania legacy. It continues the tale of high school student Soma Cruz as he is drawn to a mysterious village to try and prevent an evil cult from resurrecting Dracula. The story may not be overly original but this is Castlevania, and as the plot has never strayed too far from its 8-bit roots, it would seem a shame to break from tradition now. Aria of Sorrow took a number of small steps away from the 'classic' Castlevania mould, and these departures are continued here; once again Soma can use any number of weapons to defeat the hordes of beasts (instead of being restricted to the vampire-slaying whip of the Belmont clan - incidentally, a member of the Belmont family is also investigating the village). Another departure is the gradual change in both musical and graphical style from previous titles. Aria started it with hints of 'Neo-punk' overtures; here the look is a little more integrated with the game's structure. Most noticeably, with Soma himself portrayed in a long white coat (and during dialogue sections looking like your standard Anime hero). The music has taken on a more synthesised Japanese feel which, while isn't unpleasant and is expertly-composed, fails to conjure up the atmosphere inspired by the elegant chords of something like Castlevania IV. Dawn of Sorrow may not be 'classic' Castlevania in the truest sense of the word, but that doesn't mean it's anything less than remarkable. After crying out loud for Konami to offer something more than just another castle to explore for the hundredth time, Gamestyle was pleased to see a fresher approach to the game area. For instance, Soma starts on the outskirts of a village and only a few screens in do we reach the 'castle' - but even its interior becomes a much more varied place to explore than the last few iterations of the series. It may not be the 'full' world used in Castlevania II, but at least it's a step in the right direction to keep players interested. Soma himself handles like a dream: there is a certain grace and smoothness about movement in the game (a good thing too, as enemies do their best to come at you from awkward heights). After three games on the GBA, and Symphony of the Night on PSone, it seems the control system has been refined to near-perfection. As superlative as it was, Symphony of the Night proved a little sluggish and awkward to control when players needed to react quickly to something darting onto the screen. In Dawn of Sorrow, Soma is far more flexible and agile - meaning quick reactions should save you from harm. Making a welcome return from Aria of Sorrow is the soul-capturing ability; any enemy that Soma defeats has the potential to release a soul orb that will grant him an extra power - which ranges from throwable weapons, stat enhancements or the ability to summon monsters - and allows the player to find a balance that suits them. The only problem is that collecting souls is all down to chance; this means that while one player may pick up powerful souls early on, someone less lucky may have to struggle through without them. In Gamestyle's experience, this wasn't too much of an imposition - because any souls needed to reach other areas of the game were given automatically upon defeating a boss creature. Boss battles themselves are suitably grand and imaginative affairs. Creatures are huge and foreboding, and provide a sense of achievement when they bite the dust. They also effect the somewhat pointless use of the DS stylus - players need to quickly draw a magic seal once the monster has been pounded to the brink of death. Failure to draw the seal in time leads to the boss creature gaining a small amount of health back and the battle continuing. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow falls into a very strange category: there is very little to fault here and there is certainly nothing you could describe as bad design. However, that said, this is the fifth version of the non-linear Castlevania series and there is only so much wandering around a map you can do before you start to rely on instinct and memory (rather than find yourself experiencing anything truly new and exhilarating). Dawn of Sorrow is a great title, but represents the same idea gradually improved and refined through each of its incarnations; Gamestyle can't help but wonder how many more times players can be sent around castles before they start to permanently reside in a state of Dj Vu. In spite of its castles, there's no question that this is the best handheld version of the series yet (and arguably the best of the non-linear games - yes, even better than Symphony). The concept as a whole may be heading ever closer to the clichd but once you actually start playing, it is nigh on impossible to not feel the Castlevania magic taking you over. A must for fans, and one of the DS's most accomplished titles to date - even if it does lack that certain something that would assure it of all-time 'classic' status.