Image: Konami
A new dawn of Castlevania started 20 years ago, as Dawn of Sorrow first launched on the Nintendo DS in Japan on 25th August 2025.
Following on directly from the final Castlevania GBA title, Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow had big shoes to fill; a shift in art direction and the implementation of the touch screen meant that it’s wasn’t as well loved as its predecessor, but the game ultimately kick-started another handheld trio that, arguably, is the finest era for the series.
Besides the Magic Seal system — where you had to memorise and draw a seal after beating a boss to defeat them — this is all very familiar Castlevania stuff. The Tactical Soul system from Aria makes its return here, but the real draw is the ability to show the castle map on the top screen so you can track your progress as you go.
Images: Nintendo Life / Konami
Taking place in the year 2036, Soma Cruz returns as the protagonist, and once again he attempts to stop the resurrection of Dracula. Now, if you’ve played Aria, you know the big twist, so we’ll keep that under wraps.
But this is otherwise more solid Castlevania RPG action, with a variety of weapons and enemies to tackle. Oh, and some excellent sprite work. Soul and item drop rates are absolutely busted though… oh well!
The game was included in last year’s excellent Castlevania Dominus Collection, which also brings Portrait of Ruin, Order of Ecclesia, and a full remake of Haunted Castle (alongside the original arcade release). That version also mostly fixes the Magic Seal system — as in, you can use button prompts or just rewind if you mess up. We totally didn’t do the latter. Nope.
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Anyway, come celebrate the Dawn of Sorrow (the game, not the actual dawn of sorrow… we hope you’re all happy) in the comments, and share your memories with the game down below. Is it your favourite DS entry? Tell us!
Have you played Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow? (136 votes)
Yep, I played it on the DS!67%Yes, via the Dominus Collection on Switch12%Not yet, I own it though8%Never, but I want to11%Wait, Aria of Sorrow got a sequel?2%
Is Dawn of Sorrow your favourite DS Castlevania? (108 votes)
It’s my favourite Castlevania, PERIOD19%It’s the best of the trio, yes27%Nope, mine is Portrait of Ruin25%Order of Ecclesia for life26%No way, it’s the worst one3%
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Alana has been with Nintendo Life since 2022, and while RPGs are her first love, Nintendo is a close second. She enjoys nothing more than overthinking battle strategies, characters, and stories. She also wishes she was a Sega air pirate.