An awesome platforming experience.
Now, though I am a bit late on the scene, I have committed myself to trying out the three Castlevania titles on the DS in chronological order. So, on with the Dawn of Sorrow review.
The story behind the Castlevania series is pretty standard from what I've heard, so I won't delve too much into that. In Dawn of Sorrow, the main character, Soma Cruz, ventures into the lair of a cult bent on resurrecting Dracula in order to thwart their efforts, risking his own relapse into darkness along the way. I may have just covered the bare minimum and left out essential details, mixed up some stuff, but the point is, Soma's there and he's got a knife.
In terms of gameplay, Castlevania has a very responsive control scheme that requires a level of skill on the player's part that's neither too difficult nor too easy. The death of every monster is immensely satisfying, and the death animations are varied and all equally enjoyable. There is even a soul collection system that further encourages the destruction of monsters in order to capture their remnants. The collection of souls complements the addicting combat, making for a very time-consuming and fun combination.
Character advancement is not overblown at all in this game. Personally, I am a fan of character customization, but there are times that I would rather not tinker with thousands of possibilities in distributing skills and stats. Fortunately, Castlevania promotes a simple system that runs entirely on experience points and does not allow for customized distribution of character points. However, equipment is still customizable; players are able to equip one weapon, one piece of armor, and one accessory, along with three souls that imbue various abilities upon Soma.
Dawn of Sorrow has a fitting, haunting soundtrack that is well-accompanied by excellent sound effects. The sound of steel upon flesh is really rewarding, and if it's even possible, playing with the sound on makes the game even more addicting than playing with the sound off. Very well done.
Though I have not yet completed the game, I would imagine that, if it is anything like Aria of Sorrow, it is relatively short if you choose to run through the game for the sake of beating it. However, if you take the time to complete your soul collection, item collection, and castle map among other things, you will find a very immersive and addicting experience in Dawn of Sorrow.