We don't see too many actual sequels to Castlevania games these days, but Dawn of Sorrow breaks the mold. It's a follow-up to Aria of Sorrow, the last GBA title -- and, had Minish Cap not come along, my pick for best GBA game of all time. Once again, you're in the future as Soma Cruz. It's a year after Aria's conclusion, and a wacko cult is trying to resurrect Dracula (possibly to mate him with the ghost of Hitler). They're even holed up in a replica of his castle, which is where you'll be kicking ass and taking souls.
The soul aspect of Aria of Sorrow was really unique, and it's been greatly enhanced for the DS. Every enemy you run across has a soul that you can take and use to your advantage. Of course, whether you get the soul or not when you kill the baddies is random. Some souls are of the bullet persuasion, meaning they are offensive weapons and projectiles. Others are guardians, acting to protect Soma. The third type are enchantment souls, which act as power-ups and attribute boosts. Unlike Aria of Sorrow, collecting more of the same soul powers it up.
Adding more variety is the fact that there are a slew of weapons you'll come across. You even have two equipment sets, so you can quickly switch between your drone-wasting quick sword and heart-increasing armor to your long-sweeping, high-damage broadsword and higher def. armor for tougher enemies. It's a small enhancement, but it's cool nonetheless.
Speaking of changes, you know IGA and the rest of the dev team would show off the capabilities of the DS. The top screen always displays the map. Castlevania n00bs won't see the big deal in this, but you'll quickly realize how much time this saves, instead of hitting select every time you want to peep the map. More flashy is the ability to interact with objects onscreen with the stylus, to do things like clear blocks and make steps.
