Castlevania DS - Dawn of Sorrow

[Turrican]

As far as Aria and Harmony being linked to CV 3, it wasn't the items I was referring to. Did you notice anything about the last names of a few of the characters? It's confirmed that they are decendents of characters from CVIII.

Yes but, you see, before the recent PS2 release CV3 was the truly first chapter in the saga... So you know, pretty much any other castlevania game has those kind of ties to CV3. For example Carrie is another descendant of Sypha, and so on.

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

**Now Shipping**

Call every damn shop tomorrow! Some of 'em will have it.

[Herr Schatten]

I was. But I was a bit turned down by the solution. The puzzle looked as if could be solved using the Puppetmaster's soul, so I was quite a bit disappointed when the solution turned out to be quite different. IMO it's just wrong when you can access a whole area only with the help of a soul you can only get at random. I think every area should be reachable with only the abilities you get from the souls of bosses, as it is guaranteed that you obtain those. Ah well, nevermind, it's not that I would've missed a whole lot if I hadn't gotten through that passage.

Be more creative that you have been: that passage can be solved with Puppetmaster, if you combine it with the use of another soul, that is

So I guess there's a soul that makes you throw the puppet farther? If so, I haven't collected one of those, but in this light the puzzle would make a whole lot more sense and actually be quite cool. But my gripes with needing a random soul to do it remains. (BTW, I used the "skeleton express" to access that passage, just in case you wonder.)

Anyone able to answer my other questions?

And maybe a hint on how to avoid Death's "summon giant wolf heads"-attack?

[system11]

Got this game Friday - I'm at 70-something percent now, taking my time and trying to do -everything-, even collect a full set of souls (the soul capture ring is expensive but does help a little). Fantastic game, makes good use of the twin screens, and it's nice to see you don't have to use the stylus to get the magic seals to work. That boss in the condemned tower gave me a -lot- of trouble.

[Turrican]

And maybe a hint on how to avoid Death's "summon giant wolf heads"-attack?

Here's how I did it. Minor spoilers ahead of course:

I used a powered up axearmor soul, throwing axes at death all the time. plus, I had a soul that makes MP recovery faster.

When it gets to the second incarnation, be sure to always have at least 1/4 of your MP bar, and when it uses the giant wolf heads, all you have to do is morph into a bat and fly high on the screen.

btw, a weapon with a decent range, like a spear, is recommended.

[Turrican]

and it's nice to see you don't have to use the stylus to get the magic seals to work. That boss in the condemned tower gave me a -lot- of trouble.

What? Explain me this. Do you mean, you use your finger instead of the stylus? Or perhaps the seal works with the dpad too? That would be awesome for all the LEFT-HANDED like me, I had some trouble leaving the dpad and picking up the stylus each time. (I had to play the game with the stylus in my mouth. I was so glad to put the thing away in Julius mode! )

[ST Dragon]

So how does CastleVania DS, compare to SOTN in the gameplay, atmosphere & most importantly, music department?!

@Bal-Sagoth

Here are the classic Pre-Ayami Kojima Gothic Covers:

CastleVania





CastleVania II



CastleVania III



CastleVania IV



CastleVania Bloodlines



I find the CastleVania IV cover to be the best of the classic Gothic covers


And here are some of Ayami Kojima's covers:



CastleVania SOTN (PSX) (JPN)





CastleVania SOTN (PSX) (EURO)



CastleVania SOTN (Saturn) (JPN)





CastlaVania Chronicles (PSX) (EURO)






CastlaVania Chronicles (PSX) (US)



CastlaVania Chronicles (PSX) (JPN)





CastleVania LOI (PS-2) (US Cover)



CastleVania LOI (JPN Cover)



Personally I find Ayamis Kojima's art superior to the Classic Gothic Covers. They have a more dramatic/evil theme/feel, which is very suitable for the series, especially for SOTN.

The JPN & EURO PSX covers of SOTN, are the best of the series imo.

[Moogs]

The older covers look like they belong on some torrid romance novels, not games about a family of vampire hunters.

[ST Dragon]

You mean the classic Gothic (NES/SNES/Genesis/X68000) covers, or the newer Kojima covers?

[Klatrymadon]

Thanks ST Dragon, but I already own those!

When I said I wasn't sure if the new character in the poster was in fact Trevor, I wasn't implying that I'm unfamiliar with the series!

Kojima's style draws few parallels with the older style, which is why characters like Simon (and now Trevor) tend to look reinvented and starkly different. The steely determination is gone from their eyes, replaced by this cool and almost cocky gaze. Again, it's a small point, and the thing that really needs to return is the gameplay, but while I think both styles are fantastic and have clearly had a lot of heart poured into them, I'm always weary of the motives behind such large changes and I tend to be quite cynical about them. My apologies!

PS - I definitely agree with you on Castlevania IV, too. Not only is the art the richest and most suggestive out of the older crop, but the game itself is still in my mind the highlight of the series.

[Herr Schatten]

and it's nice to see you don't have to use the stylus to get the magic seals to work. That boss in the condemned tower gave me a -lot- of trouble.

What? Explain me this. Do you mean, you use your finger instead of the stylus? Or perhaps the seal works with the dpad too? That would be awesome for all the LEFT-HANDED like me, I had some trouble leaving the dpad and picking up the stylus each time. (I had to play the game with the stylus in my mouth. I was so glad to put the thing away in Julius mode! )

I always just used my finger to draw the seals. Works like a charm. Although if you happen to have really fat fingers, the fourth seal can get a bit difficult, I guess, because it has to be drawn more precisely than the others, or at least that's the impression I got. Fortunately, the fifth seal is a lot easier than the fourth one.

@bloodflowers: Wait till you meet Paranoia. I had more trouble with his second form than with every other boss in the game so far, including the condemned tower boss (which, admittedly, was indeed quite difficult).

[ST Dragon]

Thanks ST Dragon, but I already own those!

When I said I wasn't sure if the new character in the poster was in fact Trevor, I wasn't implying that I'm unfamiliar with the series!

Kojima's style draws few parallels with the older style, which is why characters like Simon (and now Trevor) tend to look reinvented and starkly different. The steely determination is gone from their eyes, replaced by this cool and almost cocky gaze. Again, it's a small point, and the thing that really needs to return is the gameplay, but while I think both styles are fantastic and have clearly had a lot of heart poured into them, I'm always weary of the motives behind such large changes and I tend to be quite cynical about them. My apologies!

PS - I definitely agree with you on Castlevania IV, too. Not only is the art the richest and most suggestive out of the older crop, but the game itself is still in my mind the highlight of the series.

No, I wasn't implying that... I could tell you were familiar with the series, I just thought it was a good excuse to post some of the gorgeous CastleVania Covers.

You own all of these!?
Lucky guy.

I only have SOTN & Chronicles.

I haven’t bought LOI for the PS-2 yet, because the box cover of the EURO version that is being sold here sucks in comparison to the gorgeous US & JPN covers.

[Klatrymadon]

Yeah, it's a real shame! Oh well, there's some nice artwork in the manual.

I guess it was just their apology to the American fans for the SoTN cover!

[ST Dragon]

Yeah, but that doesn't mean they should screw us this time round!

Any ways, it's kind of a tradition that JPN box covers are usually superior to the western covers (Especially the US covers which usually suck most of the times.)

Take Strider Hiryu for instance:

JPN Box Cover:



US Box Cover

I swear! This guy looks like Flash Gordon drunk!



Western artists tend to be heavier handed compared to Asian.

[captain ahar]

i love the new style. my only problem with it is, when i think vampires i think europe.

also, i just played HoD for the first time after putting much time into AoS. its weird how much the look and general flow changed.

[PFG 9000]

i just played HoD for the first time after putting much time into AoS. its weird how much the look and general flow changed.

I actually prefer HoD to AoS and CotM. Granted AoS is a bit more polished and more Symphony of the Night -ish, but HoD has such a weird vibe throughout the whole game. It's considerably longer than AoS and CotM, and the graphics are top-notch. Plus the dash feature makes it really fast, moreso than AoS and tons more than CotM.

Of course, it's no Super Castlevania IV.

[Turrican]

i just played HoD for the first time after putting much time into AoS. its weird how much the look and general flow changed.

I actually prefer HoD to AoS and CotM. Granted AoS is a bit more polished and more Symphony of the Night -ish, but HoD has such a weird vibe throughout the whole game.

Me too! HoD has better atmosphere and an awesome, creepy soundtrack.

[captain ahar]

oddly enough CotM is my favorite of the portables, but i would rather play the other two. i also like AoS a heck of a lot more than HoD. however, i should really have another run through HoD, before picking sides.

p.s. Chaos on hard sucks ass.

[Klatrymadon]

Western artists tend to be heavier handed compared to Asian.

Yeah, definitely. Although I can think of one exception to this rule, hehe...



http://www.vgmuseum.com/scans/snes/superaku01.jpg (Linked because it's too big. )

The Japanese one actually looks more lazy and typically Western in style than the Western versions!

i love the new style. my only problem with it is, when i think vampires i think europe.

I'm no vampire buff, but vampires are generally associated with Europe, and Romania in particular.

Do you not like Europe?

[captain ahar]

i love the new style. my only problem with it is, when i think vampires i think europe.

I'm no vampire buff, but vampires are generally associated with Europe, and Romania in particular.

Do you not like Europe?

missed the point, unless you're deftly flexing your sarcasm muscles.

i just mean that the new art in no way gets me thinking of european folklore.

just check out this romanian mug
</sarcasm>

edit: just found this. ugh, just ugh http://www.classicgaming.com/castlevani ... x-cv3j.jpg

[Herr Schatten]

Ok. Now I'm through it. Good advice, kids: Don't try to fight Death on your bus ride back home from work like I did. I drew the seal wrongly 4 times and finished the battle with 6 HP left. I found the final fight a bit anticlimactic. It wasn't the hardest in the game.

I'm still missing enemies numbers 29, 32 and 81. I wonder if they are only in hard mode.

[Klatrymadon]

just check out this romanian mug

Haha, yeah. I've heard people say that the old characters look like they "eat steroids for breakfast", but I think the newer characters look just as idealized and romanticized - which is a bit worrying considering Kid Dracula has Nazi references in it.

[Specineff]

edit: just found this. ugh, just ugh http://www.classicgaming.com/castlevani ... x-cv3j.jpg

OW! MY EYES!!11!!

It's freaking Gollum and a bloated He-man and Noah from PS-I VS Dracula. The crossover to end all crossovers!

Regarding the Kojima covers, I'm tired of seeing all CV characters as androginous sleep-deprived metrosexuals. Keep the old gothic style or make it anime-ish.

[sethsez]

Regarding the Kojima covers, I'm tired of seeing all CV characters as androginous sleep-deprived metrosexuals. Keep the old gothic style or make it anime-ish.

I'd rather they keep going the way they have been since the Japanese release of SotN. They may be repetitive, but they're also distinctive. Everything is a variation on a style of anime these days.

[Specineff]

I know. It's just that it's what, 8 years with the same design? And why does Richter look like some sort of depressed, cheap joint-smoking addict? Change is good. Look at Xenosaga 1 and 2. The first one almost scared me with the childish design. Maybe fan service for pedophiles?

[Moogs]

edit: just found this. ugh, just ugh http://www.classicgaming.com/castlevani ... x-cv3j.jpg

OW! MY EYES!!11!!

It's freaking Gollum and a bloated He-man and Noah from PS-I VS Dracula. The crossover to end all crossovers!

Regarding the Kojima covers, I'm tired of seeing all CV characters as androginous sleep-deprived metrosexuals. Keep the old gothic style or make it anime-ish.

They did that for Dawn of Sorrow. Looks like something that should air right after Pokemon.

[system11]

For those playing the game - I've been trying to collect all the souls. Has anyone managed to get a soul from the Tombstone (enemy type 30)? I'm starting to think it's not actually possible.

[ST Dragon]

The cover isn't showing...

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

I got it today and already blew through 30% of the game. Geezuz, I'm playing this one wayyyyy too fast. It's a pretty good game but could've been better.

Stuff to be done for the next game: stop recycling sprites, animate enemies better, increase difficulty, and go back to the old art-style.

Edit: You may want to pick this one up ASAP. It seems retailers ain't stocking well on it 'cause it's a 2D game. My copy was the last one in the store I went to, and I got there at freakin' 3 o' clock (shippings usually get to stores around that time.) I highly doubt they sold half a dozen in a couple of hours, so they probably stocked like 2 games.

[Herr Schatten]

For those playing the game - I've been trying to collect all the souls. Has anyone managed to get a soul from the Tombstone (enemy type 30)? I'm starting to think it's not actually possible.

Does it have one? If I remember correctly, not all the enemies actually have souls you can collect. Look at the data in the monsterlist. Is the soul shown as "0" or as "-"?