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General Information
Date Released: 2005
Heroes: Soma Cruz | Secret: Julius Belmont, Yoko Belnades and Alucard
Stage Number: 12 Castle Sections
Size: 64MB
Original System(s)
Nintendo DS
Ported To
Cell Phones
............................Alternate Names/Systems
Akumajou Dracula: Sougetsu no Juujika -- translation: Demon Castle Dracula: Cross of the Blue Moon (Japan)

Re-release Information

(1) 2006: The DS title is re-released in Japan under the Konami the Best series
(2) 2007: The game is re-released in North America under the Konami's Best series
(3) 2009: The Nintendo DS classic is ported over to European cell phones
(4) 2009: It's again re-released in Japan under the Konami Dendou Selection line

Manual Story Description

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow's instruction manual does not feature a story introduction--it hits mostly on game mechanics. Though, its final pages list the main characters and provide short biographies, which you can see here.

Objective/Overview

Dawn of Sorrow is the direct storyline follow-up to 2003's Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, the final of three GBA titles. It's on the DS where the developers, the famed Dracula X team, have finally found what they seek: Hardware powerful enough to at least match the original Playstation, where they exhibited their best work. Predictably so, Dawn of Sorrow is another in the line of RPG-adventures, cut mostly from Aria's mold.

You'll again take control of Soma Cruz, within whom the Dark Lord's true power lay dormant, and guide him through the mysterious cult's twelve-section castle, where he'll (a) battle a large assortment of enemy characters, old and new alike, (b) negotiate some twisted obstacles, and (c) battle the obligatory boss creatures. With at the start only his fists and a weak knife, Soma will have to increase his potency via the RPG system, which entails the equipping of more and more powerful armament, the gaining of levels, and the usage of special item types. Too, Soma will again utilize the soul system, which provides him four types of power: Bullet (sub-weapons); Guardian (helpers); Enchanted (body enhancers); and Ability (relic-like powers such as sliding, double jumping and dashing). Depending upon how much attention you pay during the course of this adventure, you'll earn Soma one of three endings.

Included is the "Enemy Set Mode," where you can create a short gauntlet challenge using enemies encountered in the main mode; therein, you can use the DS' wireless capability to send this data to your DS-owning friends, who can then take on your enemy-onslaught challenge. As you satisfy certain conditions, you'll unlock newer modes: (1) You can play through the game on a "hard" mode. (2) You can play in "Julius Mode," where you'll in Dracula's Curse-like fashion take control of a Belmont and his allies (Yoko Belnades and Alucard) for an unrelated story mission. (3) The "Boss Rush" mode is back yet again. And (4) you can access the always-favorite sound test.

Japanese/European Differences

All versions of Dawn of Sorrow are identical to each other in mechanics, in palette, in play control, and in extras. A main difference, as usual, is the deviations in the names--this mostly in the case of the enemies. Notable changes: Oujia Table is "Turnate Table." Warg is "Fenrir." Student Witch is "Witch Apprentice." Slaughterer is "Fat Slaughterer." Mollusca is "Monumonu." Cave Troll is "Chupacabra." Yorick is "Soccer Boy." The Creature is "Franken." Corpseweed is "Man-Faced Plant." Tombstone is "Grave." Waiter Skeleton is "Skeleton Boy." Persephone is "Proserpina." Skelerang is "Boomerang Skeleton." Guillotiner is "Guillotine Devil." Malachi is "Evil." Bugbear is "Buckbaird." Bone Ark is "Mobile Bone Pillar." Mushussu is "Mushufushu." Dead Warrior is "Dead Trooper." Slogra is "Berigan." Aguni is "Agni." Celia Fortner is instead "Seria." Soma Cruz is "Kurusu Souma." And, as usual, Julius Belmont's last name is instead "Belmondo."

There's another deviation in terms of voice samples, which are more numerous in the Japanese version. For example: When you enter Hammer's shop, he says "welcome" ("Irrashi") along with a few other comments after you buy and sell items ("Is that all?", e.g.). The same goes for bosses. In our version, they simply took out the voice samples that have no suitable English substitutions. (Thanks to Sam Mills for this information.)

Again, surprisingly, localization has seen to it that many of the returning enemies now officially take their original Japanese names. For instance: The enemy always known in the western-game versions as Thornweed is now called "Une." You can see the slow homogenization taking place--at least here; on the other side of the coin, the series is once again in Japan known as "Akumajou Dracula," since Japanese gamers apparently didn't take too well to the name-change that saw it become "Castlevania" universally. Also, as it was in Aria of Sorrow, Kurusu Souma is again referenced as a Japanese man rather than an "exchange student," which was done in localization for the purposes of better acclimating the character to western audiences. Of lesser importance is that you can't skip past cut-scenes, which you can do in the other versions by hitting "Start."

Soundtrack and Credits

Soundtrack
Opening and Ending Themes: 1 - Cross of the Bluue Meen | 2 - A Fleeting Respite | 3 - Gloomy Memories | 4 - Echoes of Darkness | 5 - After Battle - Blue Memories - | 6 - Momentary Moonlight
Area Themes: 1 - Pitch Black Intrusion | 2 - Dracula's Tears | 3 - Platinum Moonlight | 4 - After Confession | 5 - Demon Guest House | 6 -Condemned Tower | 7 - Cursed Clock Tower | 8 - Subterranean Hell | 9 - Vampire Killer | 10 - The Pinnacle | 11 - Underground Melodies | 12 - The Abyss | 13 - Beginning | 14 - Bloody Tears
Battle Themes: 1 - Evil Invitation | 2 - Into the Dark Night | 3 - Scarlet Battle Soul | 4 - Portal to Dark Bravery | 5 - Piercing Battle Fury | 6 - Illusionary Song
Miscellaneous Themes: 1 - Game Over | 2 - Black Shudder | 3 - Equipment's Tale | 4 - Dark Clouds

Links
Music Files: MP3
Soundtrack Release: Official Soundtrack and
Castlevania Best Music Collections Box
Game Credits: Available

Other Characters

Lesser Enemies: Zombie, Bat, Ghost, Skeleton, Ouija Table, Peeping Eye, Axe Armor, Skull Archer, Warg, Spin Devil, Armor Knight, Student Witch, Slaughterer, Bomber Armor, Golem, Slime, Une, Skeleton Ape, Manticore, Mollusca, Rycuda, Mandragora, Yorick, Skeleton Farmer, The Creature, Catoblepas, Ghoul, Corpseweed, Yeti, Tombstone, Ghost Dancer, Flying Humanoid, Mini Devil, Quetzalcoatl, Treant, Amalaric Sniper, Valkyrie, Great Armor, Killer Doll, Waiter Skeleton, Persephone, Witch, Buer, Lilith, Killer Clown, Skelerang, Fleaman, Devil, Guillotiner, Draghignazzo, Needles, Hell Boar, Bone Pillar, White Dragon, Wakwak Tree, Imp, Harpy, Barbariccia, Malachi, Cave Troll, Larva, Heart Eater, Merman, Fish Head, Medusa Head, Ukoback, Killer Fish, Mimic, Dead Pirate, Frozen Shade, Homunculus, Disc Armor, Decarabia, Dead Mate, Bugbear, Procel, Bone Ark, Gorgon, Alura Une, Great Axe Armor, Moth Man, Mushussu, Dead Crusader, Dead Warrior, Erinys, Succubus, Ripper, Black Panther, Mud Demon, Giant Slug, Werewolf, Flame Demon, Tanjelly, Arc Demon, Gaibon, Slogra, Stolas, Final Guard, Malacoda, Alastor and Iron Golem
Bosses: Flying Armor, Balore, Malphas, Dmitrii, Dario, Puppet Master, Rahab, Gergoth, Zephyr, Bat Company, Paranoia, Aguni, Death, Abaddon and Menace
Dracula Forms: Soma Cruz and Dracula's Ghost (both in "Julius Mode" only
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Supporting Cast: Mina Hakuba, Hammer, Yoko Belnades, Julius Belmont, Genya Arikado, Celia Fortner, Dario Bossi and Dmitrii Blinov

Character Lists

Lesser Enemies | Bosses | Dracula Forms | Supporting Cast

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Hero Image
Statistics
Full Name: Soma Cruz
Main Weapon: Fists and a Knife
Weapon Power-Up: Click here for Soma's comprehensive list
Alternate Weapons: Click here for Soma's comprehensive list
Sub-Weapon Power-Up: Click here to see Soma's bullet souls
Special Abilities: Can double jump; jump kick; slide; back dash; super jump; uppercut (with no weapon equipped); and add a special power to each hand weapon. He can also transform/gain powers via his collected souls
Armor: Click here for Soma's comprehensive list
Limitations: Soma is your standard adventure-RPG hero: He moves quickly and he jumps gracefully, able to control each jump till its very end. His starting weapon is a short knife, and he has immediate slide- and jump-kick abilities, which should allow him to survive in the early going. However, Soma will need increased ability to fully navigate the castle and deal with its tougher foes; he'll do this by collecting more convenient weaponry and by using his absorbing power to collect Ability Souls, which supply him the all-encompassing accessibility moves like the double jump, slide and later the not-as-useful super jump. Soma will also have to gain experience, naturally, in order to gain levels, which will up his stats accordingly. The three other category of soul powers aid this process by supplying to him multiple sub-weapons, guardian helpers, transformation propensity, and different enhancers. Really--it's up to you to decide how powerful Soma becomes.

Hero Image
Statistics
Full Name: Julius Belmont
Main Weapon: Vampire Killer Whip
Weapon Power-Up: None
Alternate Weapons: None
Sub-Weapon Power-Up: None
Special Abilities: Can double jump, back-dash, slide, jump kick, brandish the whip, and throw a midair uppercut (which can act as a third jump)
Armor: None
Limitations: Julius is one of three characters you can control in "Julius Mode," which has its own rules but is certainly reminiscent of the usual secret-character missions. Julius can go anywhere almost without restriction, and his is of course the more traditional arsenal: (1) He utilizes the Vampire Killer whip, which he can swing left and right and thus brandish; for a typical whip-swing, he can score two hits at one time. And (2) Julius can switch between four available sub-weapons--an axe, holy water, a boomerang and a special cross--that are powered by the magic meter. He also has the standard special moves (back dash, slide, double jump and jump kick), with the midair uppercut--an attack and a third jump--as a new addition. In comparison to the two other secret characters, Julius is medium strength but the best long-range fighter thanks to the lengthy whip and more secondary options (the magic-draining sub-weapons). It should be noted that Julius and his allies share an unseen status-tracker, which allows the trio to gain levels through repeated combat.

Hero Image
Statistics
Full Name: Yoko Belnades
Main Weapons: Magic Staff and High Kick (while crouching)
Weapon Power-Up: None
Alternate Weapons: None
Sub-Weapon Power-Up: None
Special Abilities: Can double jump, slide, and back-dash with a flip
Armor: None
Limitations: Yoko is the first ally to be met in "Julius Mode." While Yoko is clearly lacking in the area of special moves, she makes up for it in spades thanks to her superior magical ability. He staff and her crouching kick are very weak offensive options, yes, but they both share an important quirk: Each time she strikes an enemy, she'll sap some of its energy (depending on the group level) and use it to replenish her own. This is very useful during boss battles because the group has no means for normal energy replenishment. Otherwise, Yoko commands the three magical spells once utilized by her ancestor Sypha; the three spells--fire, ice and lightning, between which she can cycle--are so powerful that she can overwhelm minor enemies and most bosses alike. Compared to the other secret characters, Yoko is physically the weakest and least durable, but by her very on-screen presence, the group's magic meter will replenish more rapidly.

Hero Image
Statistics
Full Name: Alucard (real name: Adrian Farenheights Tepes)
Main Weapon: Alucard Sword
Weapon Power-Up: None
Alternate Weapons: None
Sub-Weapon Power-Up: None
Special Abilities: Can double jump, super jump, back-dash, jump kick, turn into a bat, release three-directional fireballs, and use the Alucard Sword for a special quick transport-and-return attack (as in Symphony)
Armor: None
Limitations: The half-breed son of Count Dracula will join the group as its last member. As his appearance suggests, Alucard has been ripped directly from Symphony of the Night, though his abilities are this time controlled. Available to him are all of the special moves you'll remember from Symphony, but he's confined, equipment-wise, to only his quick-hitting Alucard Sword (which again has a magic-draining special attribute). Otherwise, he has at his command two sort-of sub-weapons that you'll also recognize: You can switch between the Soul of Bat, which allows him to transform into a pesky bat, and Hellfire, the spell that allows him to spew three-directional fireballs. Each drains the magic meter in a specific way. Compared to the other secret characters, Alucard is the strongest, the quickest--both in movement and on the draw--and the most durable. Even so, his overall usefulness isn't that much greater.

Weapon Name
Weapon Image
Description
Fists
Without a weapon equipped, Soma will rely on short jabs
Knife
Soma begins the game with a short knife used for quick stabs
Vampire Killer
Ancient steel-enhanced whip of the Belmont clan
Alucard Sword
His mother's family heirloom; Alucard uses it for quick sword-swipes
High Kick
From a crouching position, Yoko throws upward high kicks
Magic Staff
Short, weak magical staff used for quick downward slashes

Magical Items
Item Name
Image
Found In
Usage
Heart
Candle, Structure
Restores Magic Power
Big Heart
Structure
Restores Magic Power
Coin
Candle, Enemy, Structure
Currency
Money Bag
Laying Around
Currency
Crystal
Boss Creature
Clears Room/Restores Stats

Sub-Weapons
Weapon Name
Image
Magic Consumption
Comments
Holy Water
4MP
Julius Only
Boomerang
5MP
Julius Only
Axe
5MP
Julius Only
Cross
17MP
Julius Only
Holy Flame
4MP
Yoko Only
Ice
5MP
Yoko Only
Lightning
17MP
Yoko Only
Soul of Bat
1MP Per Half-Second
Alucard Only
Hellfire
6MP
Alucard Only

Screenshots/Media

Local Title Screens

U.S. Title Screen
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Japanese Title Screen

Action Shots

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

Quick-Reference Links
Category
Availability
What's Inside
Stages:
Dawn of Sorrow's twelve stage areas dissected and explained
Review:
The first DS entry: The series reinvented or more of the same?
Codes:
"Julius Mode" in detail | Fun with Souls | Hidden Treasures

Magazine Coverage
Item Name
Description
Shown are the front and back magazine covers plus select page samples
The official U.S. guide provides the usual coverage plus an IGA interview

Text Documents and Help Files
Walkthroughs
FAQs
Other Files
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Scenes, Packaging Scans and More
American Version
Japanese Version
European Version
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