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Soul of Darkness is the latest mobile to DSiWare port from Gameloft, which can most easily be described as a shameless Castlevania rip-off. If you spend a few minutes with the game, you will see that it features similar character art, gameplay, graphics, and sound to the famous Konami franchise. The game does incorporate some arbitrary use of the system's cameras, which sets the game apart to some degree.

Players assume the role of Kale, an adventurer who is determined to save the love of his life, Lydia, from a vampire named Ritter. Along the way, Kale must defeat all enemies and monsters that stand in his way.

Saying that Soul of Darkness resembles Castlevania is a bit ambiguous, more specifically the game is akin to pre-Symphony of the Night, 2D Castlevania games, though the controls are more similar to the modern 2D titles. Players will find themselves working through maze-like levels defeating enemies and moving towards an end boss fight.

There are two weapons in the game, a fire sword and an ice spear. Each weapon can be upgraded in various ways including weapon damage, chance of critical damage, consecutive combo attack count, and the spell that is tied to the weapon, can also be changed. This aspect of the game pulls more of the current Castlevania design back into the older style of the series. Gameloft takes this one step further by giving the two weapons unique abilities. I found it clever that the elemental weapons are more effective against enemies that are weak to it and that you can use the ice spear to both freeze certain enemies and reach new areas through use of platforms generated by the ice spear’s spell.

Though mostly similar, Soul of Darkness distinguishes itself by giving players the ability to morph into various creatures that are in the game. Unfortunately, this mechanic seems like it was forced, because it can only be used in very specific areas in the game and the only purpose the mechanic serves is to traverse specific portions of a level that are inaccessible as a human.

Unlike the older 2D Castlevania titles Soul of Darkness emulates, the level of difficulty is far lower and the game in general is far more forgiving thanks to the unlimited continues, very generous auto-save checkpoint locations, and easy to find items that increase your health and mana gauge.

Just like every DSiWare title that Gameloft has released, Soul of Darkness incorporates the use of the DSi's cameras. As you might expect, the camera feature is tacked on allowing players to merely take a picture of their face and use it as your character's portrait, which is most often seen during segments of dialog. There are also camera tents in the game, which allow you to take a picture of an object with a primary color of red, green, or blue. If you succeed you earn orbs that correspond to the primary color that is taken in the picture, which you can use to level up your weapon stats, restore health, or heal your mana. Failing to capture a color will allow you to move on, but you do have the opportunity to take another picture in hopes of succeeding.

Soul of Darkness is a rather short game and can easily be completed in less than five hours. Given the game's low difficulty level and forgiving checkpoint system, many players, especially Castlevania veterans, will blaze through the game's eleven levels without struggling at any point in the game. There is some replay value since hard mode is unlocked and you can transfer your leveled up stats when you start a new game.

Even though Soul of Darkness is a good game thanks to adhering to the old Castlevania formula so faithfully, it just doesn't feel as satisfying as a full-fledged Castlevania title. The lack of polish is evident and there is little incentive for replay. For $5, it's still a worthy experiencing particularly if you want a decent action-platformer for your DSi. Of course, it should go without saying that you would be better suited playing any of the three Castlevania titles that are already available for the DS, as all of them are superior to Soul of Darkness.