| Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow | |
|---|---|
 North American box art | |
| Developer(s) | Konami TYO |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Director(s) | Satoshi Kushibuchi |
| Producer(s) | Koji Igarashi |
| Programmer(s) | Shutaro Iida |
| Writer(s) | Koji Igarashi |
| Composer(s) | Masahiko Kimura Michiru Yamane |
| Series | Castlevania |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS, Mobile phone |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing, Metroidvania |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow[a] is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami. It is part of Konami's Castlevania video game series and the first Castlevania game released on the Nintendo DS. The game is the sequel to Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and incorporates many elements from its predecessor. Dawn of Sorrow was commercially successful. It sold more than 15,000 units in its first week in Japan and 164,000 units in the United States during the three months after its initial release.
Dawn of Sorrow continues the story of Aria of Sorrow: Dracula has been defeated, with his powers assumed by his reincarnation, Soma Cruz. With the help of his allies, Soma avoids becoming the new dark lord. A cult forms to bring forth a new one by killing Soma. Soma and his allies move to ensure that does not happen.
Dawn of Sorrow incorporates many features from earlier Castlevania games: the combination of elements from platform games and role-playing video games, the "Tactical Soul" system featured in Aria of Sorrow and a dark, gothic atmosphere. Dawn of Sorrow introduces gameplay elements, like the "Magic Seal" system, which requires the use of the DS stylus to draw a pattern to defeat powerful enemies, a distinctive anime character design, and a multiplayer mode, where two players compete for fastest times on a prerendered level. 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 in June 2006, and later in North America during 2007 as part of the "Konami the Best" line.
The game was re-released as part of the Castlevania Dominus Collection on August 27, 2024 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S alongside Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, and Haunted Castle Revisited.[3][4]
- ^ a b c "Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow – Release Summary". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 15, 2006. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
- ^ Konami (August 4, 2010). Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. Konami.
Japanese: 歴代の「悪魔城ドラキュラ」シリーズから選ばれた登場キャラクターを操作して、仲間たちと悪魔城に乗り込み、宿敵ドラキュラ伯爵に立ち向かおう。 English translation: Take control of past protagonists from the Castlevania series to brave the Demon Castle alongside friends and defeat the ancient enemy Count Dracula.
- ^ Webster, Andrew (August 27, 2024). "Castlevania's classic DS trilogy is coming to the Switch". The Verge. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
- ^ Nightingale, Ed (August 28, 2024). "The Castlevania Dominus Collection re-releases Nintendo DS classics". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
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