Castlevania Dawn of sorrow is a good, but flawed game. It's the usual free roam 2D adventure we are used to with Castlevania. Lots of exploration and fun combat make for a satisfying experience. But here's the flaw : every time you defeat a boss you basically get a new ability that allows you to progress further in the castle. But I found the lack of directions frustrating, making me lose a lot of time trying to get back to old locations were I was blocked to see if now I could go further. I came to the conclusion there were 2 ways of playing Dawn of Sorrow efficiently :
1. writing a map by hand with specific notes, which is a chore (I didn't do it).
2. using a walkthroug, which is a shame as a good game should never expect that from a player.
I chose 2., finished the game, but was disappointed I had to seek help.
7/10