The Lowdown: In the latest DS Castlevania adventure, play as heroine Shanoa and use the power of Glyphs to defeat the forces of Dracula. Combine Glyphs to deadly effect with combos and potent magic spells. Follow the storyline or diverge into sidequests to collect new power-ups for your heroine. This time the action sprawls through all of Eastern Europe, allowing for forest and ocean levels, and there are multiple endings to discover. Compete with other players online via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, or buy and sell items you've found in-game.
The Hype: For the first time in basically forever, it looks like Konami's sprite artists have knuckled under and redrawn pretty much everything short of the bats. The result is the most completely gorgeous Castlevania seen in years, full of huge, mobile, and exceptionally detailed sprites.
The Snark: The Wi-Fi stuff is probably lame, aside from the item trading, but who cares?
Some deliciously wonderful 2D goodness in the screens behind the cut.
