Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (悪魔城ドラキュラ 蒼月の十字架, Akumajō Dorakyura: Sogetsu no Jujika, lit. "Demon Castle Dracula: Cross of the Blue Moon") is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami. It is part of Konami's best-selling Castlevania video game series and the first Castlevania game to be released on the Nintendo DS. It is the sequel to Konami's Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and incorporates many elements from its predecessor. It has been highly successful, being prominently high in sales nearly a year after its initial release.^[2]

The game takes place in the fictional universe of the Castlevania series, where the vampire hunters of the Belmont clan wage an endless conflict against the immortal vampire Dracula. Dawn of Sorrow continues the storyline found in Aria of Sorrow, in which Dracula has been completely defeated, and his powers assumed by his reincarnation, Soma Cruz. With the help of his allies, Soma was able to avoid becoming the new dark lord. A cult forms to bring forth a new dark lord by killing Soma. Soma and his allies move to stop the cult's activities, and to ensure that a new dark lord is not created.

Dawn of Sorrow incorporates many features from previous Castlevania games: the combination of elements from platform games and console role-playing games, the "Tactical Soul" system featured in Aria of Sorrow, and a dark, gothic atmosphere.^[3][4] Dawn of Sorrow also introduces many new innovations, such as the "Magic Seal" system, which requires the use of the DS stylus to draw a pattern in order to defeat powerful enemies,^[3] a distinctive anime character design,^[5] and a multiplayer mode, where two players compete for fastest times on a prerendered level.^[4] The game received high scores from many video game publications, and was considered one of the best games on the Nintendo DS for 2005. The game was re-released in Japan on June 29, 2006 in the "Konami the Best" line.^[6]

During the game, the player controls the onscreen character from a third-person perspective to interact with people, objects, and enemies. The character moves around the environment based on the player's choices; however, the areas the character can move into are restricted based upon the items the player has, similar to most platform games.^[3] Like previous games in the series and most role-playing games, characters level up each time they earn a set number of experience points from defeating enemies; each "level" gained increases the character's statistics, thus improving their performance in battle.^[7] Statistics include, but are not limited to, hit points, the amount of damage a character can receive; magic points, which determine the amount of times a character can use magical attacks; strength, the power of a character's physical attacks; and magic, the power of a character's magical spells.^[8] Upon encountering an enemy, the player can use a variety of weapons to attack and defeat the enemy. Despite the game being set in 2036, the weapon choices are largely medieval, including but not limited to swords, axes, and spears, although handguns and a rocket propelled grenade are available.^[3] These weapons differ in their damage output, the range of the weapon, and the speed of the attack.^[9]

The primary method for the player to gain additional abilities in the game is the absorption of souls via the Tactical Soul system, which was originally featured in Aria of Sorrow.^[4] Except for human enemies and the game's final opponent, all enemies' souls can be absorbed by the player. The chances for absorbing a soul varies on the enemy, as some enemies will release souls more regularly than others.^[10] The player can absorb multiple copies of the same soul; many of these souls will increase in effectiveness depending on the number of the same soul a player possesses.^[9] These souls provide a variety of effects, and are separated into four categories: Bullet, Guardian, Enchant, and Ability souls. The player can only have one type of Bullet, Guardian, and Enchant soul equipped at any given time. However, when the player acquires the "Dopplegänger" soul, the player can have two different weapon and soul setups, and switch between them at will.^[4] Players can trade souls using two Dawn of Sorrow game cards.^[4]

Bullet souls are often projectiles, and consume a set amount of magic points upon use.^[11] Guardian souls provide continuous effects, including transforming into mythical creatures, defensive abilities, and the summoning of familiars.^[11] The movement and attacking of familiars can be directly controlled with the stylus.^[3] Guardian souls continually drain magic points so long as they are activated.^[11] Enchant souls are passive, require no magic points to remain active, and offer statistical bonuses and resistance against several forms of attack.^[12] Ability souls are not equipped, as they are always active, nor do they consumer magic points, and are required to move into certain areas of the castle.^[12] Some examples include the ability to break ice blocks with the stylus, and the ability to double-jump.^[12]

Souls can alternatively be used to strengthen a character's weapon.^[7] At Yoko Belnades' shop, the player can remove certain souls from their inventory in order to change their weapon into a stronger form.^[3] Certain weapons can only be acquired through using souls to strengthen a lesser form of the weapon.^[3] Souls are also used in the "Enemy Set" mode, where a player builds a custom scenario.^[13] The player can place monsters inside rooms if the player has acquired the monster's soul in the main game, but boss enemies cannot be added to any scenario, even if the player has the boss' soul.^[13] Two players, using the same Nintendo DS console in sequence, can compete in these scenarios, with the winner being the one with the fastest time in completing the course.^[7]

The Magic Seal system is a new feature introduced in Dawn of Sorrow, and makes use of the DS stylus.^[7] Once the player reduces the hit points of a "boss" enemy to zero, a circle will appear, and the game will automatically draw a pattern connecting any number of smaller circles on the circumference of the larger circle.^[14] After this, the player will be prompted to draw the same pattern using the DS stylus in a set amount of time.^[3] If the player fails to draw the pattern in time or correctly, then the boss will regain health and the battle will continue.^[15] If successful, the boss will be defeated.^[15] More powerful boss enemies require higher level Magic Seals, which have more intricate and complex patterns as the level increases and are found over the course of the game.

After the player completes the game, Julius Mode is unlocked, similar to the Julius Mode in Aria of Sorrow. Julius Mode, in storyline terms, follows the assumption that Soma succumbed to his dark power, and became the new dark lord.^[16] A new game can then be started from the main menu in Julius Mode.^[17] In Julius Mode, the playable characters include Julius Belmont, Yoko Belnades, and Alucard.^[18] Each character has a weapon and an assortment of abilities unique to them, and although these abilities remain static throughout the entire game, but the characters' statistics can improve by acquiring enough experience points to level up.^[18] The castle layout and enemies are the same, with the exception of the final battle, which is against Soma.^[19]

The primary playable character in Dawn of Sorrow is Soma Cruz, the reincarnation of Dracula, the longtime antagonist of the Castlevania series.^[20] He is supported in his quest by Mina Hakuba, the daughter of the priest of the Hakuba shrine; Genya Arikado, a mysterious government agent dealing primarily with the supernatural; Julius Belmont, the latest member of the Belmont clan of vampire hunters to be featured in the series; Yoko Belnades, a witch in the service of the Roman Catholic Church; and Hammer, a vendor of military material who retains a large information network.^[20]

A cult, dedicated to the resurrection of the dark lord, serves as the game's antagonists. Celia Fortner is a shadow priestess at the head of the cult, and seeks to revive the dark lord in order to prevent the loss of her magical powers.^[20] Dmitrii Blinov and Dario Bossi are Celia's primary lieutenants, the former a ruthless manipulator and the latter a vicious firebrand.^[20] They are the "dark lord's candidates," born on the day Dracula was slain, and thus can assume the mantle of dark lord by destroying Dracula's soul, which is present in Soma Cruz.^[21]

Unlike most recent Castlevania games, Ayami Kojima did not participate in the character designs for Dawn of Sorrow.^[5] Instead, the characters were drawn in a distinctive anime style. This was done due to influence from producer Koji Igarashi, who wanted to market the game to a younger audience.^[5] Kojima's hiatus was to allow her to concentrate upon her character designs for Castlevania: Curse of Darkness.^[5]

One year after the events in Aria of Sorrow, Soma is living peacefully, and believes that his powers have been lost.^[22] A woman appears, and identifies herself as Celia Fortner. She summons various monsters, intending to kill Soma. Arikado arrives and although Celia conjures a barrier to repel him, he manages to throw Soma a knife, which Soma uses to defeat the monsters. Celia retreats, proclaiming that she will destroy Soma. Soma expresses disbelief at the return of his powers, but Arikado reveals that he never lost them.^[23] He informs Soma that Celia is the head of a cult that seeks the resurrection of a dark lord.^[24] He leaves, instructing Soma not to pursue Celia.

Soma, however, uses information acquired from Hammer to locate the cult's base, a facsimile of Dracula's castle.^[25] Hammer arrives, and as he has left the military, agrees to be Soma's vendor.^[26] Soma enters the castle, and encounters Yoko and Julius. As Julius leaves, Soma escorts Yoko to a safe location. During this time, she instructs him in the use of a Magic Seal, which is necessary to defeat certain monsters in the castle.^[27] Shortly after their conversation, Soma uses the Magic Seal to complete his defeat of an animated flying armor.

As Soma travels farther into the castle, he meets Celia, who is flanked by two men, Dmitrii Blinov and Dario Bossi. They are the "dark lord's candidates," as they were born in 1999 on the day Dracula was destroyed. She reveals that if either of them killed Soma, then the dark lord would be reborn.^[21] Soma later encounters Dmitrii and is able to defeat him. Soma gains dominance over his soul, although he acquires no abilities.^[28] As Soma travels further, he comes upon Dario. Soma defeats him, and Celia teleports Dario away from harm.

Soma encounters Arikado, who is initially angered by Soma's presence, but accepts the situation. He gives Soma a letter and a talisman from Mina. Soma briefs Arikado on the current situation, and Arikado leaves to locate Dario. Soma comes upon Dario and Julius, with the latter defeated due to his inability to use a Magic Seal.^[29] Dario retreats, instructing Soma to fight him in the castle's throne room. Soma does so, lambasting Dario for only desiring power, and promising to defeat him.^[30] Before the battle begins, however, Soma uses one of his souls to transport himself into the mirror in the room, revealing Aguni, the fire demon sealed to Dario's soul. Soma defeats Aguni, leaving Dario powerless. As Dario flees, Celia arrives, and instructs Soma to come to the castle's center.

Upon arriving, Soma is forced to watch Celia kill Mina. Furious, Soma begins to succumb to his dark power.^[31] The talisman that Mina gave Soma is able to slow the transformation, enabling Arikado to arrive in time to inform Soma that the "Mina" that Celia killed was a dopplegänger.^[32] This aborts the transformation, but a soul exits Soma and enters the dopplegänger, which takes on the appearance of Dmitrii. Dmitrii reveals that he died as a gambit to copy Soma's power of dominance, and leaves with Celia to increase his strength by absorbing the souls of additional demons.^[33] Soma and Arikado chase after the two, and find them in the castle's basement. Dmitrii, using Celia as a sacrifice, seals Arikado's powers, and engages Soma. However, his soul is unable to bear the strain of maintaining the power of dominance, and the demons under his control erupt out of him, combining into a gargantuan creature. Soma manages to defeat the creature, but the souls that composed the demon begin to fall under Soma's dominance. Soma rejects them, and flees the castle with Arikado. Soma is conflicted over the present situation, as he believes it is fated that he will become the dark lord, but Arikado convinces him that his fate is not fixed.^[34] Soma then shares a tender moment with Mina, much to the amusement of the onlookers.

The production of Dawn of Sorrow was announced on January 6, 2005, directed by longtime Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi as the first Castlevania game to be featured on the Nintendo DS.^[35] In an interview, Igarashi commented that he felt that the storyline with Soma Cruz as well as the Tactical Soul system were a waste to only use in one game, playing into his desire to make a sequel.^[36] The original design team from Aria of Sorrow, as well as numerous new additions from Konami Tokyo were involved in the production of Dawn of Sorrow.^[5]

The use of the technical features of the Nintendo DS was one of the production team's principle concerns during development.^[36] The DS touch screen was a primary point of interest, and many functions were originally intended to be incorporated.^[36] Igarashi had planned for functionality such as picking up items on the screen and moving them, but scheduling problems forced the development team to abandon many of these ideas.^[36] Igarashi's primary concern with using the touch screen was that it would detract from "the Castlevania pure action gameplay," in which the player would have to stop in order to use the stylus.^[37] The DS microphone was looked at during development, but Igarashi noted that although he found humorous uses for it, it was never seriously considered for inclusion into the game.^[36]

The change from the traditional dark, gothic character design of many previous Castlevania games to a new anime style was a choice made by Igarashi, who wished to market the game to a younger audience.^[5] Igarashi believed that the Nintendo DS inherently attracted a younger audience, and he was working to court them with the anime style.^[38] Furthermore, Igarashi considered the anime style a litmus test for whether future Castlevania games would incorporate the style.^[39] Igarashi had additionally intended to include a white collar Japanese worker in the game.^[36] This worker would be a manager in a Japanese firm and have a family as well.^[36] However, the development team's opposition to this idea forced him to drop this prospect.^[36] For the graphical representations of the numerous enemies featured in the game, Igarashi had sprites from previous Castlevania games such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night reused, and the development team redesigned them for use on the Nintendo DS.^[5]

Dawn of Sorrow has received critical acclaim from many video game publications, with several hailing it as the best Nintendo DS game of 2005. Metacritic, a site that compiles scores from many video game publications, gave Dawn of Sorrow a composite score of 89/100 based on 52 reviews.^[40] Many reviewers noted that despite being highly similar to Aria of Sorrow, it managed to define itself as a standalone title. GameSpot commented that Dawn of Sorrow succeeded in continuing 2D games as a definite genre, and that it "keeps that flame burning as bright as ever."^[3] In addition, GameSpot considered it for the accolade of best Nintendo DS game of 2005, with the prize ultimately going to Mario Kart DS.^[41] Editors at IGN awarded Dawn of Sorrow the prize of best adventure game on the DS for 2005.^[42]

The gameplay, the Tactical Soul system in particular, received praise from reviewers. The sheer depth of abilities from the numerous souls found in the game was lauded, and IGN believed that the ability to have two customizable "profiles" of different abilities was "an extremely handy idea."^[3][4] The necessity of finding multiple souls in order to strengthen abilities was criticized, with G4's X-Play claiming it was "something more along the lines of Pokémon than Castlevania," and that "[the soul collecting system] is not for everyone."^[43] The relative difficulty of the game and its length was also brought into question, with GameSpot noting that the game could be finished in five hours and "is fairly easy as far as Castlevania games go."^[3]

The game's animation and graphics were a frequent subject of acclaim from reviewers. GameSpot described the backgrounds as "intricate and gorgeous" and the individual animation, especially of enemies, as one of the game's "highlights."^[3] IGN echoed this assessment, calling the animation "stunning and fluid," and especially noted the differences in graphics between Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow, stating that the latter was on a "broader and more impressive scale."^[4] The utilization of an anime style of drawing the characters, as versus the traditional gothic presentation of illustrator Ayami Kojima in previous Castlevania games, was criticized, with GameSpy deploring the "shallow, lifeless anime images" used for the characters and Kojima's absence from the production.^[7] IGN believed the new images were "down to the level of 'generic Saturday morning Anime' quality."^[4]

The functionality associated with the Nintendo DS, namely the use of the touch screen and the Magic Seal system, was subject to criticism from reviewers. GameSpot noted that it was difficult to use the stylus immediately after the game prompted the player to draw the Magic Seal, thus forcing the player to use their fingernail on the touch screen.^[3] Other functions using the touch screen, including clearing ice blocks, were viewed as trivial, with GameSpy labeling it as a "gimmick."^[7] However, IGN dismissed the lack of DS functionality as a major issue, claiming that it "doesn't hurt the product in the slightest."^[4]

• List of Castlevania titles
• Characters in Castlevania: Sorrow series
• Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

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• Official website Template:Ja icon
• Official Castlevania site
• The Dawn of Sorrow section on the official Konami site