An excellent debut for the Castlevania series on the DS.
Gameplay: The classic Castleroid that we know and love. It still feels as good as it did back in Symphony of the Night. The soul system from AoS returns without major changes, not that it needed improvement. The only new thing here is that you can prepare two different sets of equipment and souls, and by pressing the X button you change between the two sets.
This may seem to be a minor change, but it greatly improves the flow of the game now that you don't have to open the start menu to arrange your souls as often. It is also possible to forge souls into weapons to get upgraded versions. This is also the only way to get the best weapons in the game. Great boss fights, multiple endings as usual with a huge final boss.
Also a lot of replay value with an improved Julius mode returning from AoS. Now you can change between Julius, Yoko and Alucard when fighting through the castle. Julius mode actually has a story, with a different final boss.
Graphics: Beautiful 2D sprites and backgrounds proves that 2D can be just as good, if not better than 3D. The sprites move smoothly, and the use of several layers in the backgrounds give the feeling of depth when you move. A big drawback was the new, ugly anime designs for the characters. They replaced Kojima's beautiful, gothic art with this? I hope they return to the old art, because this looks like a bad anime.
Sound: As all Castlevania games, the soundtrack is awesome. The occasional grunts, screams and evil laughter, while not awesome, sound okay.
Story: The games has a story, but you don't think of it. Castlevania games don't actually need stories, as they are just excuses to hack away at Dracula's minions yet again.
All in all, this is an excellent game that is definitely worth playing. Sure, it's just AoS with a few improvements, but that's exactly why it's so good. Whether you're a fan of Castlevania or just looking for a good game for your DS, this is definitely worth the money.