Teeth-to-teeth against Dracula’s cult

When it comes to Castlevania, the clue is in the title - it’s about vampires, Dracula and blood and is set in dungeons and castles. Even the subtitle of this game, Dawn of Sorrow, has a meaning - it’s taken from the initials DS; for a long time the game was just known as Castlevania DS.

So a sad game set in a castle about bad vampires! And it won’t surprise you to find out that the game has a horrific, even demonic undertone - certainly not the sort of thing you’d expect on a Nintendo console.

According to producer Koji Igarashi, the plot concerns the attack of a twisted cult on the longterm hero of the Castlevania series, the excellently named Soma Cruz. Unfortunately however, the cult members believe that by killing Soma, they can release the spirit of the Dark Lord Dracula, who Soma defeated in previous versions of the game.

“The story starts with the cult attacking the people in the town where Soma lives,” Igarashi explains. “Therefore Soma decides to go to the place where the cult lives to try and stop them once and for all. Although he’d rather solve the situation peacefully, you know, by having a good discussion perhaps [laughs]… these people won’t listen, so he has no choice but to fight” (check out the full interview at www.nintendo-europe.com - registration required).

And this is where the main castle bit happens as Soma must fight his way through Dracula’s dwelling. The way the game works is you move Soma with the directional pad and then use the four action buttons for jumping, special moves and attacks, while the DS’ two shoulder buttons are for special abilities, which you build up by collecting the souls of the dark forces you’ll defeat in the castle. Examples include bullet souls, which unleash bolts of magic, and guardian souls, which create defensive shields and helper demons that the player can use to win the battle.

The touchscreen is also used during boss attacks. When you’ve reduce the bad guy’s health to zero, you have to seal him in by connecting a series of symbols in the proper order using the stylus. Another promised touchscreen element are crystal block puzzles, which you have to solve to create steps and passages in order to progress through the levels.

Igarashi reckons there will be around 10 levels (plus bonus ones), which should add up to over 10 hours of play. There will be eight main characters including Celia Fortner, an evil magical shadow priest, and the fire-wielding Dario Bossi; all of whom are determined to resurrect Dracula by killing Soma. Other playable character are promised too.

The game will use DS’s wi-fi connectivity by letting you trade the souls you gain during the game with other players to improve your character. Konami is also testing a system where you can place enemies in special maps and then send them to other players so you can see who can clear the level the fastest.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is due for release in the autumn.