Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow Critic Reviews

Controls are dead on, giving the gamer the feeling of knowing that any mistakes made in the game are the fault of the gamer themselves, not the controls.

Dawn of Sorrow has everything that makes the Castlevania series great: excellent platforming, exquisite level and puzzle design, gorgeous 2D graphics, and fantastic sound.

Though more touch screen functionality would have been preferable, or maybe even a bit of microphone-influenced play, at least there are options to connect to other players wirelessly for some trading or versus play.

The game is extremely rewarding, and would be for anyone – whether they’ve played Aria or Sorrow or not, or even if they have never played a Castlevania title previously. This is a must-own title for any Nintendo DS owner.

Dawn of Sorrow matches and in some cases exceeds the quality of "Symphony of the Night" in almost every way. Yet the two games have their own styles and features, so the newest addition to the series is in no way redundant with its legendary forebear.

This is the kind of game worth buying a DS for.

Bigger, tougher, meaner, and more next-gen. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow fills every part of the Nintendo DS's two-inch screen with new bosses, levels, and dozens of backdrops that are drop-dead gorgeous.

Perhaps the finest game in the Castlevania canon and the unique use of the Nintendo DS touch screen, while certainly something of a gimmick, is an entertaining twist to an already entertaining series.

The modernized graphics, outstanding sound package, solid gameplay, and cute use of the Nintendo DS makes for a very compelling game.

Dawn of Sorrow is easily the killer app of the system’s short existence. If you own a DS, you must go out and buy this game. It’s more than worth your money.

Clearly one of the best Castlevania games in the series, and an absolutely top-notch, beautiful, and most importantly, fun DS game that doesn't try to push a lot of unnecessary touch-screen "gimmicks."

Offers the same classic style of previous Castlevania titles, replete with the outrageous bosses, fitting game areas, puzzle solving and platforming aspects which are perfectly harmonious with the new soul-gathering and returning level-gaining aspects of the series.

Its sublime mix of puzzles, great bosses, perfectly paced exploration, and enormous variety make this an utterly amazing adventure.

To my surprise, Dawn of Sorrow struck all the right chords and never hit a sour note. It's deep, it's gorgeous, but most of all, it's a fun excuse to smack the tar out of stuff.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is easily one of the greatest the series has to offer, building on the excellence of the GBA outings while maintaining the level of quality expected since the series' first debut 20 years ago.

Not only did it bring back memories of the fun I had playing the original Castlevania games on my NES, but the inclusion of so much extra content past the game’s story mode really makes this one of the stronger titles available.

The game has a strong storyline and screams play me.

Whether you’ve repeatedly played through the Castlevania catalogue since the first game, or never before, Dawn of Sorrow is both a fabulous series ambassador and also one of the best Nintendo DS titles available.

Instead of "Dawn of Sorrow" the subtitle could have been "A Good Reason to Buy DS."

The most complete 2D Castlevania game to date. Gorgeous graphics and compelling music combine with exciting exploration and combat to form a great action experience on the Nintendo DS.