Resurrecting Dracula just did everyone a favour; it has exhumed what is quite possibly one of the greatest side-scrolling adventure/RPG’s to grace a modern handheld.

Ever get the feeling things just aren’t going your way? For Soma Cruz, its pretty much obvious. Not only has the 19 year-old student discovered he happens to be the reincarnated form of Dracula, but an unscrupulous cult are inexorably drawn to the power that resides in his body, which they then hope to utilize to bring about the evil count's rebirth into the modern world.

Dawn of Sorrow harkens back to the classic side scrolling outings of previous Castlevania games, after a lacklustre advance into 3D back on the PS2; and it’s just as rewardingly captivating as always, despite its simplicity. The game is a direct sequel to the events in Aria of Sorrow, taking place in the year 2036. Soma is faced with the arduous task of making his way through the cult's base in order to destroy any hopes of revealing his inner demons, taking him through an underground maze, laboratory, clock tower, village and more.



The touch screen acts as your main view of the action, while the top screen presents you with a map of the overall area, tracking your progress, which can also be changed to a view of your stats at the press of a button. As with past titles, Soma can level up after defeating enough foes, increasing his strength, dexterity, attack power and more, which is advised considering your opponents also increase in strength as you venture deeper into the base.

But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Dawn of Sorrow (and precursor to its overall lasting appeal) is the soul-harvesting feature, which allows Soma to extract the souls of his enemies and utilize them for his own needs. The game also ties this in with progression, as certain souls will be needed to create a path to the next area. For example, the Puppet Master soul bestows Soma with the ability to throw a small doll and switch places with it, thus gaining access to previously unreachable areas. Other souls, meanwhile, allow players to wield a variety of weapons, such as axes, spears or even summon creatures to deal major damage to any enemies caught in their path.