Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (Java)

Play one of the greatest Castlevania adventures ever!

JP release: 2009
NA release: 2009
EU release: 2009
Developer: The Mighty Troglodytes
Publisher: Konami
Pocket Gamer Review: 3.5/5
Platforms: Java
Version Played: Java

It’s 2009 and Java games are still being made, even though smartphones are now fully set in. This time, it’s The Mighty Troglodytes’ turn to transform Dawn of Sorrow – a DS game – into a mobile game. And they seem to have done a better job than the Aria of Sorrow port, working better with the limitations of the platform while doing more with what it can do.

Like Aria, this is another condensed version of the main game, but still a metroivania with an explorable map. The controls feel better and the enemies actually move slower and are better spaced out, making the game not just easier, but working with the bad controls to make something actually playable. You’ve got a bit more room to actually avoid attacks.

The inventory has also been simplified, with fewer items and souls to collect, which works so much better for a mobile conversion as you’re not faffing about with the menus all the time. Consumable items have also been removed, replaced by rare “soul jars” which fill your health when you die. I think they still should have kept health items, just automatically apply them when you’re low on health.

In terms of style, it looks like a GBA game and ends up looking rather nice, certainly a good job of turning the 3D assets of the DS game into sprites. It’s by far the best Castlevania java game – but still not something I would recommend to anyone, other than a curiosity.

Fine

With a good editor and a proper localisation, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow could have been a genre leader on the mobile platform. As it is, this is still a vaguely damaged, yet very playable platformer.
Spanner Spencer, Pocket Gamer

Remake or remaster?

It’s just a basic version of the original.

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to get this version of Dawn of Sorrow.