"dawn of sorrow" incorporates many features from earlier "castlevania" games: the combination of elements from platform games and role-playing video games, the "tactical soul" system featured in "aria of sorrow" and a dark, gothic atmosphere. "dawn of sorrow" also introduces new gameplay elements, like the "magic seal" system, which requires the use of the ds stylus to draw a pattern to defeat powerful enemies, a distinctive anime character design, and a multiplayer mode, where two players compete for fastest times on a prerendered level. the game received high scores from many video game publications, and was considered one of the best games on the nintendo ds for 2005. the game was re-released in japan in june 2006, and later in north america during 2007 as part of the "konami the best" line.