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New Castlevania: DoS Info
Written by Scott Armstrong on Friday, July 22, 2005
The countdown to release seems all the more excruciating
In Nintendo of Europe's latest VIP interview, Koji Igarashi Producer of Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow for the Nintendo DS revealed a slew of new information about the forthcoming title.
On the subject of storyline, the Producer mentioned that, "Dawn of Sorrow takes place a year after the events in Aria of Sorrow." The main character, Soma, is now apparently living a relatively peaceful life after escaping his fate of becoming the Dark Lord.
But as we all know, a finite peace within the realm of video games is often an impossibility, and with that comes the eventual end to Soma's happy lifestyle. "...all of a sudden one of the members of the evil cult he fought appears in the town where Soma lives, and tries to kill him," Igarashi continues. "...by killing Soma they could release Dracula's soul from him so that they can use its power. It is their belief that, in order for there to be a God, there also has to be a Dark Lord."
When asked of the game's specific use of the Nintendo DS's touch screen functions, Igarashi replied, "...a boss doesn't die just because its HP reaches zero. You need to seal the boss character." As seen in previously released videos of the game, a special image is displayed on the touch screen where the player must follow a line pattern with the stylus based on the given shape of the image. Doing so will seal the enemy.
Furthermore, players will also be able to utilize the touch screen by breaking various crystal formations in order to build stairs and other pathways. As for the top screen, its main purpose is to act solely as a map or menu display.
The system's wireless capabilities will not go without use either, providing gamers with two primary functions: soul and map trading. By killing enemies, players can acquire their souls, which they can either send to their friends or add to a customized map. These special maps can be traded wirelessly and players can compete to see who can complete the level quickest.
Finally, the Producer revealed that the quest will come in at about 10 hours in length, with about 10 levels in all. As many as eight different characters will be seen throughout, and hints of being able to play as them were given. Multiple endings will also be present.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow for the Nintendo DS is currently on course for a North American release this September. You can check out the full VIP interview at Nintendo of Europe's website.
