"dawn of sorrow" is set in the fictional universe of the "castlevania" series. the primary premise of the series is the struggle of the vampire hunters of the belmont clan against the vampire dracula and his legacy. before the events of "", dracula was permanently defeated and his castle sealed within a solar eclipse. with dracula dead, a prophecy relating to who would inherit his powers drove the events of "aria of sorrow", with the protagonist, soma cruz, realizing that he was dracula's reincarnation. soma manages to escape his fate of becoming the new dark lord with the help of his allies. "dawn of sorrow" takes place one year after the events of "aria of sorrow", when soma believes that his inherited powers have been lost. most of the game is played inside a copy of dracula's castle, which is subdivided into several areas through which the player must venture over the course of the game. the future setting of both "aria of sorrow" and "dawn of sorrow", as well as a storyline beginning after dracula's defeat, reflects koji igarashi's desire to take a "different route" with "aria of sorrow".