While often called a "Castlevania clone," this DSiWare title introduced an exclusive interactive mechanic that used the physical DS camera to impact the game:
Throughout the game, you can enter "Bonus Tents" where the camera is activated to help refill your health (HP), magic (MP), or provide extra Soul Shards used for upgrades.
: On the Nintendo DS, the bottom screen typically displays a map—a major quality-of-life improvement over the original mobile versions. Unique DS Features
When you boot up Soul of Darkness on the Nintendo DS, you are immediately struck by a sense of ambition. Here is a game that desperately wants to be Castlevania: Symphony of the Night . It wears its inspirations on its sleeve, offering a gothic atmosphere, a brooding protagonist, and a map ripe for exploration. However, ambition alone does not make a classic. While Soul of Darkness offers a surprising amount of polish for a title often found in bargain bins, it is ultimately held back by repetitive design and a perplexing control scheme.
