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Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (commonly abbreviated DoS) is the title of a video game for the Nintendo DS handheld game console, part of Konami's popular Castlevania franchise. The game was first released in August 2005 in Japan. It should be noted that "Dawn of Sorrow" is a play on "DS", the system that this game has been released on, (a subtitling structure that has been used for other games released for the system). This game is known in Japan as Demon Castle Dracula: Cross of the Blue Moon (悪魔城ドラキュラ 蒼月の十字架 Akumajō Dracula: Sōgetsu no Jūjika). The subtitle is also based on "Aria of Sorrow", known as "Minuet of Dawn" in Japan.

The game is a direct sequel to Aria of Sorrow, with Soma Cruz as its protagonist; other characters from Aria of Sorrow also appear in the game, including Genya Arikado and Julius Belmont. It takes place one year after Aria of Sorrow and deals with an enigmatic cult (unrelated to the cult led by Aria of Sorrow antagonist Graham Jones) who seeks to kill Soma and revive the dark power of Dracula sleeping inside him, as a sort of retribution for Soma 'denying his destiny' in becoming the Dark Lord incarnate in the previous game. In the cult's mind, Dracula represents the ultimate evil that must exist for there to be an ultimate good, and with the Dark Lord sealed, that cannot happen. Instead of running from this new threat, however, Soma decides to take the initiative and confront his foes head-on, eventually discovering a castle and monsters similar to those owned by Dracula, supposedly constructed by the cult as the scene for the ritual required to sacrifice Soma and revive the vampire lord.

The game also features most of Aria of Sorrow's main gameplay, including the "Enemy Soul system" (Soma's ability to absorb enemies' souls and use their powers). This time Soma can upgrade most abilities by acquiring multiple copies of the same soul. New to the series is the "Magic Seal" system, which makes use of the system's touch screen. Using a finger or stylus, the player must draw an intricate symbol or "seal" on the touch screen to trap defeated boss enemies. If the seal is not drawn correctly, the boss can regenerate energy and continue to fight. The touch screen can also be used to break certain blocks, navigate menus, and control certain familiars.

The game also has a multiplayer vs. mode, where one player creates a section of the castle, complete with enemies, and both players race to defeat the enemies and reach the end of the level; players are also able to trade souls they've found in the game. In addition, there is a Julius mode where you can play as Julius Belmont, armed with the Vampire Killer and subweapons. In this mode there is a tribute to Dracula's Curse in the sense that you can gain two allies to your task and switch between them at any time: Yoko Belnades, a witch who fights like her ancestor Sypha Belnades with a staff and fire, ice, and lightning spells, and Alucard returning from Castlevania III as well as Symphony of the Night with a sword, Hellfire spell, and the ablity to turn into a bat.

Miscellaneous

With the release of this game, the series will be going back to the "Akumajou Dracula" name in Japan. The series had used the Castlevania name in Japan since the release of "White Night Concerto" (known as Harmony of Dissonance in North America).

A few special items will appear in the item menu if Aria of Sorrow is in the DS' GBA cartridge slot, such as the Rare Ring.

Characters

Protagonists

Antagonists

  • Celia Fortner - Celia is the founder of a cult (With Light) bent on orchestrating the coming of the next Dark Lord. The loss of Dracula made Celia worry that her powers might wane. She plans to plunge Soma's mind into darkness in order to seize the power of the Dark Lord. The player never fights Celia. For more information about Celia and her cult, see Celia's Cult.
  • Dario Bossi - One of Dracula's potential successors, Dario has the ability to manipulate fire. He has possessed this ability ever since he absorbed some of Dracula's powers during his resurrection in 2035. His fiery personality and impulsive tendencies push him to immediate action. Dario is fought in the Garden of Madness and again at the Pinnacle, at which point the player must use the Paranoia soul to enter a mirror and fight the source of Dario's increased powers, the demon Aguni. If the player does not do so, the game ends with an ambiguous ending. He rivals with Dmitrii to become the Dark Lord.
  • Dmitrii Blinov - Dracula's other potential successor, Dmitrii has the ability to mirror magical powers gaining him the title, The Mirror. Although he seems irresponsible, Dmitrii will stop at nothing to accomplish his goal of discovering the purpose behind his abilities. Dmitrii is fought in the Dark Chapel. He rivals with Dario to become the Dark Lord. After being defeated by Soma, he is apparently absorbed by Soma's power of Domination, but in reality, he has used his Mirror power to copy Soma's Domination. Afterwards, he will reincarnate using the body of a Doppleganger and becomes the new Dark Lord. He awaits Soma in the Abyss and there, he is seen fighting Arikado. Luckily for him, he was able to stop him by sacrificing Celia to reverse Alucard's dark powers. However Dmitrii's soul could not withstand the power of dominance and it overcomes him in which the demon Menace bursts out of his body.

Bosses

  • Flying Armor- A rather simple boss, simply floats in midair, constantly moving. Attacks with a pair of levitating swords.
  • Balore (Balor)- The mythical king of giants, only his upper part is fought. He attacks with his enchanted eye, and constantly pounding the arena with his massive fists.
  • Malphas- A demon who has the ability to fly, he summons waves of crows or orbs of dark power to attack.
  • Puppet Master- A monstrous puppet-like demon, it summons dolls as a lesser attack, and generates substitute dolls in each of its four arms that switch places with Soma as they are thrown into a spiked Iron Maiden.
  • Rahab- A subaquatic, demonic fish, it constantle moves around the battlefield, and either jumps to the other side of the arena (releasing in the process a flurry of droplets which cause damage), emerges to purposelessly spin above the water level, or to fire an icy blast.
  • Gergoth- A bestial enemy living in the top of the Condemned Tower, it can attack with a crushing pounce, an attack where it draws breath, reeling Soma towards it to inflict damage, or a superpowered laser beam. Eventually it will shatter the blocks that keep it in the top level, crushing all levels down to the first level of the Tower.
  • Zephyr- A demon with powers above time, it can temporarily freeze time to attack, and it can jump to the ceiling and dash with clawed fingers, throw daggers, or dash without jumping to the ceiling.
  • Bat Company- A massive group of bats that amass themselves to adopt different shapes: those of a giant hand that can inflict heavy damage in close quarters, a giant mouth that shoots out damaging sonar waves, a massive sphere of disembodied bats, or a massive bat.
  • Paranoia- A monster that is actually fought twice- a miniature Paranoia that's the size of Soma, and a great Paranoia. The small one attacks with a small weapon, while the great one hovers above Soma and charges. Both can disappear within the grand mirrors set in their respective rooms, and fire reflective energy beams that rebound in four hand mirrors that float in the arena.
  • Aguni (Agni)- The demon posessing Dario, it's a horned skull set in a flaming skeletal torso. It has the ability to claw its victim, fly to the ceiling and fall, causing a ripple of flame, throw fire projectiles that ripple along the ground and rapidly fly around.
  • Death- The grim reaper, it has two forms: one in which it wears a closed robe and a hat, and a second one in which the robe is open and has no hat. Among its wide array of attack patterns are: vanishing into thin air, then hacking with its scythe from behind, spinning its scythe to conjure a circle of small sickles, summoning three copies of itself to attack, casting a spell that brings great skulls to the arena, which inflict heavy damage, and dashing to attack at ground level by brandishing its scythe.
  • Abaddon- Fought in The Abyss, this half-man, half-cricket uses its wand to summon its main attack: swarms of locusts. The movement of its wand determines the path the locusts will follow. Other than that, it just hops mindlessly across the arena.
  • Menace- A humungous combination of the demons Dmitrii absorbed, it is fought in two shapes: an unmoving assembly of distorted human and other parts, and a massive demon with two weak faces. In the first round, its horned head must be destroyed, and it attacks by summoning spears from below, above and a poison mist from below the horned head. In the second, it can attack by punching, kicking, or with the mis-shapen miniature monsters it generaties, which explode on contact, causing massive damage. In this form, both of the weak faces must be attacked: one on its knee, the another shielded within its skull, which periodically opens its jaw to reveal the face.
  • Dracula- Actually, The New Reincarnation of Dracula, which is none other than Soma Cruz.

Castle Areas

Like the other Castlevania games, the castle is divided into many areas. They are as follows:
  • The Lost Village - A snow covered village in front of the castle. The different buildings are accessible by rope and wood bridges. Unlike other areas, this one is modern-day, sporting vehicles and streetlamps. In this place you can advance in the roofs and the streets.You can go to the Wizardry Lab from here, though this place also connects to Demon Guest House.
  • Wizardry Lab - An area where experiments are done in secret. It has many shelves for books housing dark recipes and tables for chemistry equipment. The lab is located under the castle, and is the most modern looking of the castle's environments, with power generators taking up a good deal of space.You can find all kind of experimements and an aquatic area.
  • Garden of Madness - This is a stony, dank area, overrun with ivy, trees, roots, and gloom. The upper rooms, however, seem to lack the sustinence to maintain the plantlife.
  • The Dark Chapel - The Dark Chapel is comprised of the inner halls and chambers, as well as an outside complex built over a lake, and a dungeon that apparently houses no living prisoners.
  • Demon Guest House - One of the biggest area in the castle. It contains many vertical passage-ways and brightly wallpapered rooms. There are seven guest rooms that have either items, enemies, or both. Also, it rightfully earns the name Guest House because, if the player are to enter the main castle from Lost Village, they will enter this first.
  • Condemned Tower - A tall tower, enveloped by clouds and moonlight, whose multiple floors collapse during the fight with Gergoth. The outer sides of the tower have many ramps and platforms for climbing purposes. Under the tower is the Mine of Judgement.
  • Cursed Clock Tower - The next incarnation of the well-known and oft-hated Castlevania area. Not much has changed here, though the spikes can cause much more of a problem than usual. If one reaches the top, they will be treated to a full view of the clock's face and a light snowfall.
  • Subterranean Hell - A mostly dark series of caverns, illuminated only by holes in the rocky walls and ceilings. It initially begins above ground, where the moon and lake are exposed.
  • Silenced Ruins - Time has mysteriously stopped in the first room of this area. The environment as a whole mimics the look of the Entrance Hallway in the first Castlevania, but as the name implies, it has been neglected, and many pillars and walls are broken. It is also located underground.
  • The Pinnacle - The climax of the castle's areas. Snow may fall here as it does in the Lost Village, and there are grand views of multiple towers and a mountain range. At the top is the throne room which has been prepared for Dracula's return.
  • The Mine of Judgement - The opposite end of the Condemned Tower. It holds a pair of familiar bosses to many Castlevania games and connects The Abyss to the rest of the game.
  • The Abyss - Hell. The map consists of six separated areas that are magically linked: A flaming area filled an Arc Demon, with giant fire pillars coming from the ground; A sandy area where you acquire the hippogryph soul; An icy aura part filled with Malachis and Frozen Shades; An blood red area with moving shadows in the background; A space area (complete with aurora), filled with a Stolas and Black Panthers; And, finally a spike filled area. One should note that when all areas of The Abyss are linked, a hexagram-like shape is formed on the map. This the game's finishing point, with some of the hardest enemies/enemy combinations in the game (Stolas who summons Erinys constantly is a great danger in small rooms, for example).

Awards

Trivia

  • The Silenced Ruins area is a direct tribute to the first Akumajou Dracula/Vampire Killer game for the MSX—in addition to similar visual designs, the background music is a remix of the background music for the first stages of this title that started the series, "Vampire Killer." Also, the boss in this area, the Bat Company, is a reference to the original Castlevania, where the first boss was a giant bat.

  • Mine of Judgment also houses a tribute to a past Castlevania game; in this case, Super Castlevania IV. Back in Super Castlevania IV, as the player traveled up to the keep, Slogra was the first of the four final bosses they would meet, followed by Gaibon on the next floor, and then by Death just before the keep. In Dawn of Sorrow, as the player travels down the mine, they encounter Slogra and Gaibon as minor (although numerous) enemies, followed by Death as the boss of the area.

  • Julius Mode is a large scale homage to Dracula's Curse. The party members are Julius Belmont (descendant of Trevor Belmont), Yoko Belnades (descendant of Sypha Belnades), and Genya Arikado in his Alucard form. There is no character analogous to Grant DaNasty in this mode. However, an analysis of the game's ROM revealed unused dialogue that hinted that Hammer was once planned to be playable in this mode. Julius Mode seems to be a sequel to the bad ending of Aria of Sorrow, the opening dialogue for the final boss (provided you are playing as Julius at the time) is identical to that of the bad ending. It may also be a continuation of the bad ending of Dawn of Sorrow, provided that Soma succumbed to his evil side.

  • Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is one of several Nintendo DS games that feature a subtitle with the initials 'DS', for fairly obvious reasons. Others include Dark Shadow, Deadly Silence, and Dragon Song.

  • Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow contains three items, the Crown, the Bell, and the Konami Man, as homages to the original NES Castlevania. The Crown can be found by sitting on one of the chairs in one of the most eastern rooms of the Demon Guest House, the Bell can be found by using the Hippogryph Spell and flying into one of the bells in the Dark Chapel, and the Konami Man is found by crouching on a platform surrounded by spikes in the Cursed Clock Tower. Each of these items has the description simply stating the number of "points" they are worth. They have no effect on gameplay (although they can be sold to Hammer) but interestingly enough, they can be collected in Julius Mode, whereas all other items (besides magic hearts) cannot be picked up. It is unknown what their effects are in Julius Mode.

  • By inserting Aria of Sorrow in the Gameboy Advance slot, a doll resembling Mina appears in Yoko's shop. You'll also recieve the rare ring from the start of the game.

  • Just like in Aria of Sorrow, the Lilith and Succubus enemies use the same graphic with palette swap. Interestingly, in Aria, the Lilith is colored red while the Succubus is colored grey, while in Dawn, it is the succubus which is colored red, while the Lilith, while not grey, is of near black color.

See also

References

External links

2005 computer and video games | Castlevania games | Nintendo DS games

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow | Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

 

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