Video games - Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

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	Video games - Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

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 Castlevania: 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 Sorrows main gameplay, including the "Enemy Soul system" (Soma's ability to absorb enemies' souls and use their powers), which is a nice touch to the game, as this was a very interesting mechanic in aria of sorrow. 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 Castlevania III: 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: 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 Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
is in the DS' GBA cartridge slot, such as the Rare Ring.
Characters
Heroes

Soma Cruz

Mina Hakuba

Genya Arikado

Julius Belmont

Yoko Belnades

Hammer

Villains (Human)

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.

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.

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