Castlevania makes its way to Nintendo's newest handheld and unsurprisingly, this game is as great as people expected it to be. Of course, the game is expected to be good because of its namesake and the fact that its 2D run on the GBA have been done so well. The newest Castlevania is very similar to its GBA predecessors yet it contains new features thanks to the DS's capabilities. But what do these new features mean for the game and are they any good?
Without delving too deeply into new gameplay features, let's go over the unique features making use of the DS hardware. The most notable one is using the top screen to display a map and status. This works rather well as now you have two useful pieces of information viewable to you at all times. The game also makes use of the touch screen… in some rather tacky ways. One is used to 'seal' bosses by following a pattern on screen after you defeat it. If you fail, the boss comes back with a small part of his health restored. The other use of the touch screen is to clear away the path. Neither of the touch screen mechanics are very intuitive and the game would've been just as good without them.
As for the rest of the game, it feels exactly like the previous games besides a few minor additions. The level design is fantastic as always and the bosses are fun to fight. But like the previous games, the game is fairly easy and somewhat short lasting about 10 hours. There are plenty of areas and secrets to extend the play time a bit though.
One area that's somewhat disappointing is the graphics. While the visuals are a bit sharper and the art style is amazing, the graphical jump is miniscule. That's not to shun the visuals because they have been improved and do indeed look better. The audio quality is once again decent through the speakers and best heard using headphones. The soundtrack is marvelously suited for the game, just as in the past few Castlevanias.
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow continues the trend of fantastic 2D portable action adventures on the Nintendo DS. Though the touch screen mechanics are substandard, they're not terrible and do not hurt the game at all. The game it self is excellent and very enjoyable. It's another Castlevania game that fans should not miss.
Final words: Konami is on fire with these 2D Castlevania games.
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