Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Regardless of difficult moments, it seems all worked out at the end.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami. It is part of Konami's Castlevania video game series and the first Castlevania game to be released on the Nintendo DS. Dawn of Sorrow continues the story of Aria of Sorrow, in which Dracula has been completely defeated, and his powers assumed by his reincarnation, Soma Cruz. With the help of his allies, Soma avoids becoming the new dark lord. A cult forms to bring forth a new dark lord by killing Soma.
Dawn of Sorrow incorporates many features from previous Castlevania games: the combination of elements from platform games and role-playing video games.
Many hardcore fans also call this type of Castlevania as Metroidvania since it is similar to another popular franchise called Metroid.
The "Tactical Soul" system featured in Aria of Sorrow has returned once again
Dawn of Sorrow introduces new gameplay elements using the touchscreen that the Nintendo DS. One example would be "Magic Seal" system, which requires the use of the DS stylus to draw a pattern in order to defeat powerful enemies, and a multiplayer mode, where two players compete for fastest times on a pre-rendered level.
Gameplay
Like previous Castlevania games, characters level up each time they earn a set number of experience points from defeating enemies. People can defeat multiple enemies to gain experience, and thus increasing their overall statistics.
Statistic examples include hit points, the amount of damage a character can receive; magic points, which determine the amount of times Soma can use magical attacks; strength, the power of a character's physical attacks; and intelligence, the power of a character's magical spells. Upon encountering an enemy, the player can use a variety of weapons to attack and defeat the enemy.
Weapons from the previous games return, including: swords, axes, spears, handguns and a rocket propelled grenades. These weapons differ in their damage output, the range of the weapon, and the speed of the attack.
Dawn of Sorrow is set in a castle, which is further subdivided into various areas. Areas of the castle differ in their composition, including monsters and terrain features. In addition, each area has its own theme music that plays while the player remains in that area. The player can go anywhere in this castle, however, the areas the character can move into are restricted based upon the items the player has, similar to most platform games. Progression, however, is not linear, as the player is free to explore the parts of the castle they have access to, and can backtrack or move forward as they see fit.
Tactical Soul
The primary method for the player to gain additional abilities in the game is the absorption of souls via the Tactical Soul system, which was originally featured in Aria of Sorrow. The soul system involves Soma defeating an enemy and obtaining that enemy’s soul with its special ability. The chance for absorbing a soul varies on the enemy, as certain enemies will release souls more regularly than others. The player can absorb multiple copies of the same soul and will increase in effectiveness depending on the number of the same soul a player possesses.
Souls provide a variety of effects, and are separated into four categories:
Bullet: souls are often projectiles, and consume a set amount of magic points upon use.
Guardian: Guardian souls provide continuous effects, including transforming into mythical creatures, defensive abilities, and the summoning of familiars. The movement and attacking of familiars can be directly controlled with the stylus. Guardian souls continually drain magic points so long as they are activated. Several Guardian souls can be used in conjunction with Bullet souls to execute special attacks called Tactical Soul combos.
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Enchant: Enchant souls offer statistical bonuses and resistance against several forms of attack. They are passive, and require no magic points to remain active.
Ability : Ability souls are souls that give Soma’s extra abilities like jumping really high, can walk underwater and so on. Most of these abilities are obtain once a boss is defeated. A player can be set on or off these abilities if the player thinks they do not need them.
The player can only have one type of Bullet, Guardian, and Enchant soul equipped at any given time. When the player acquires the "Dopplegänger" soul, the player can have two different weapon and soul setups, and switch between them at will.
Overall:
I did not care about the Castlevania series until I saw a trailer of this game. I found it interesting due to its design and how the characters look like they come right out of an anime. Once I got the game, I grab my DS and played the game. At first, I had no idea what to expect, given the fact this is the first Castlevania game I am playing. The game introduces the combat mechanics as well as the souls system. I thought it would be easy to capture souls, until I look at Soma’s status and realize there are role playing action elements implemented in the game. Once Soma heads out to Dracula's castle that is known for always changing in deisn and levels, the castle seems linear. Granted, it was there so new players would get the hang of the game before it decides to spread the places a person can go. Once the training wheels are gone, the game expands and I was on my own. Like any other platform game, a person must explore to find a solution that will help them advance to the castle. Patience is a must for this type of game. There are some parts that may feel that the player is being cheated, but it might mean the player must gain experience to make Soma stronger. If a player decides to hold on and enjoy exploring the castle for items, weapons, and secret, then they will enjoy the game. I recommend this game for those who like to explore the unknown that also has role playing action elements.
