Review - Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow (NDS)
Title: Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
System: Nintendo DS
Developer: Konami
Overview: Finally we see a turn in the tide for the Nintendo DS. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is one of the first in a long string of very strong titles this season, and it certainly lives up to the franchise name. DoS is one of the "Metroid-vania" Castlevania games, which started with Symphony of the Night on the PlayStation, and is heavily influenced by Super Metroid. Basically it is a 2d adventure game where you collect items to become stronger, learn new abilities, and access new areas. You are Soma Cruz, Dracula reincarnated, and you must fight a spooky cult trying to turn you to the side of evil. You fight through their castle full of spooky creatures in order to save your own soul. DoS features dual screens (do I even have to say it?), a stunning soundtrack and impressive gameplay. Read on...
Shininess: One thing that I am really enjoying about developer's attitudes toward the Nintendo DS is that the system has a lot of power, but they aren't always tempted to use it to its fullest. Back in the days of the Nintendo 64, every developer just HAD to make a 3D version of something from their franchise just because they could. Now we see the DS, which, arguably, has more power than the 64, but we still see some amazing 2D games. Castlevania DoS is a beautiful sprite fest, with lovingly painted backgrounds and characters and huge arcade-sized monsters. It's the little details that get you. When you are outside in the snow, you can see little puffs of vapor coming from Soma's mouth. When you walk through some hallways, the background is moving along with your movement, just a very subtle 3D effect.
DoS, for all it's beautiful graphics, suffers from Anime-itis. For some odd reason the developers thought that they should make Castlevania into some sort of Robotech-Voltron style interactive manga, with incredibly generic anime style. It is painful to look at because it is just so plain. What happened to the brooding art of the older Castlevania games? I would love to see a Castlevania game done in the style of Amano, or Steven Gammell. Shoot, even Roman Dirge could do a better job than the dumb looking anime crap. It's been done. That said, I found the anime style to be generic, but hardly distracting from the experience. While it is annoying, it won't put you off for too long.
The music in the game is especially shiny. Of course, that is only if you wear headphones. For some odd reason, the DS has horrible speakers and just does not convey how melodic and intricate the soundtrack is. It's been at least since Katamari Damacy that I have found myself humming the tunes to a game after I play it. DoS is almost worth it just to get that old school NES melodic music feeling again.
Funness: As I stated earlier, this is a game heavily influenced by the Metroid series, you fight through a maze-like environment, gaining new abilities and accessing areas that previously you could not access. This basically makes this game instantly incredible. I have a special place in my heart for Super Metroid, and developers can do no wrong by trying to emulate that awesome experience. There are a few differences, of course, you have the ability to equip armor and weapons (not just a whip!) and even souls of creatures that you destroy. DoS has that Pokemon factor, where you gotta collect all the souls in the game or else you feel worthless as an individual. Every monster in the game has a chance to drop a soul, and each one does something unique. You kill a bat, and you might get the ability to summon a bat.
One thing about DoS that I appreciated was the developer's restraint in using the Nintendo DS's features. Unlike other games that have recently been released, it doesn't rely on every single little thing the DS can do. It doesn't make you yell "WHIP!" into the microphone to use your weapon, and the touch screen use is minimal and actually contributes to the gameplay. The top screen is used for your map, and that's it. That's all you need it to do.
Worthiness: This game is long, the story is great, and you can replay through it in different modes after you beat it. Collecting all the souls in the game is all the replay value you would even need, but there you have it. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is one of the first games I would seriously call a "must-have" game for the DS. It is challenging, unique, fun, and the music is excellent. If you are a fan of adventure games, 2d platformers, the Castlevania series, the Metroid series, or just fun in general, pick this game up.
---Frodo
Score: 3/5 Buy it!
What say you?!