Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow 2005

Is it still worth playing?

Konami's 2005 action game for the Nintendo DS, set one year after Aria of Sorrow, in which Soma Cruz, Dracula's reincarnation, enters a copy of Dracula's castle to stop a cult. The castle is divided into areas, items gate access to some, and progression is nonlinear, so you backtrack. You gain levels from experience points and use medieval weapons, plus handguns and a rocket launcher. In the Tactical Soul system you absorb enemy souls of four types, Bullet, Guardian, Enchant and Ability. You equip one Bullet, Guardian and Enchant soul at a time, with the Doppelgänger soul letting you switch between two setups. After defeating a boss you redraw a pattern on the touchscreen within a time limit, called the Magic Seal. Even now, souls you can swap and a castle that opens as you find items give you reasons to explore every room.