Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

The Castlevania series is one much beloved by fans, attaining a similar following to the Mario, Zelda, and (just for variety) Final Fantasy series. Each installment is met with much hype, and more importantly, expectation. Although it started as a side scrolling adventure game, it adopted a style of play similar to the Metroid, which Portrait of Ruin uses as well. This style gives the player a big open castle that may be explored nonlinearly, although certain areas may need skills found elsewhere to access.

Premise: This game does something different than its predecessors: it gives you an AI partner that will walk, jump, and attack with you on your quest to eradicate evil. Jonathan Morris, vampire-hunter son of John Morris (from the Sega Genesis game Castlevania: Bloodlines) and Charlotte Aulin, mage in training, team up to explore Dracula's castle and kill the big D himself. When your partner gets hit, however, it takes the damage out of your Mana, which is needed to cast spells and subweapons.

Story: All Castlevania games have a rich storyline, and this one is no exception. You are aided by a monk named Vincent, and a Ghost who introduces himself as Wind. While the latter will give you missions to do throughout the game, the (clearly insane) monk will buy and sell items in his humble little shop. I mention his mental health because, really, who in their right mind would stay in Dracula's castle out of the goodness of their heart? The baddies in this game are plentiful, as series regulars Death and Dracula show up along with newcomers Brauner (who curiously, draws his powers from paint and paintings), Stella, and Loretta. PoR's flaw comes from the fact that its plot is similar to most of the Castlevania games before it, and for some, playing it can yield a "been here, done that with a different character" feel.

Graphics: The graphics are a departure from other systems' renditions of Castlevania as it uses anime-inspired depictions of the characters in the game. While this may be disappointing to gamers who are used to the used to the previous Gothic design, they will be pleased to know that the sprites (player AND monster) have remained in the same style of its predecessors. The backgrounds during play are stylized and dreary, giving Dracula's castle a very creepy feel to it. Different weapons and spells are given original graphics depending on which one is used. I got a kick out of using the Chain Lightning spell and seeing it rebound off a dozen different Flagmen. I have not found any hint of slowdown while playing the game, which says something due to the amount of different sprites and animations which can be flying about chaotically on-screen.

Sound: The music in the Castlevania games has always meant to compliment the atmosphere of Dracula's castle and give it a certain creepy feel. Portrait of Ruin does this well. The only thing players may find a bit annoying is how the characters (specifically Charlotte) may announce certain actions, such as the casting of spells. (This, my fellow internet superheroes, is where "CHAR-LOT" and "JON-ATHON" came from)

Controls: The controls are sharp an intuitive in this game, and well laid out. They remain the same as many of the other 2D Castlevanias before it in the sense that the A button is jump, while the Y (or second) button is assigned to attack. Pressing the directional pad Up while attacking yields a sub-weapon attack that drains Mana in the case of Jonathan, or a chargeable magic spell in the case of Charlotte. Other "relics" may be discovered, which expand you abilities by giving you the powers of double jumping shape-shifting into animal forms. The X button switches characters, and the A button summons or sends away your partner. This feature is useful when you want to conserve Mana, as hits to your counterpart can severely drain your supply.

Replay Value: Without spoiling anything, there are two different endings, and multiple characters to play through the main game with after "Jonathan and Charlotte" mode has been completed. Along with the numerous spells to experiment with, sub-weapons to upgrade and items to collect, PoR gives the player reason to pick the game again after it is finished.

Online: Using the DS' WiFi service, players can earn money by putting items that they have found on their journey up for sale in shops. However, this experience is hampered by the need for the player to "open" his shop, and keep it open while people do their shopping. People cannot come and go, as the session must be re-launched after a customer departs. Prices cannot be edited, so competition between your shop and Alucard down the street's shop is limited to who has found the more rare items. Items sold in shops are not lost in the single player game, but the gold is gained. Items sold in-game may not always be able to be found again, and sometimes these items of little value are needed to complete missions given by Wind. This shop system is the only way to recover the lost items otherwise. Players may also team up to do a "Boss Rush" mini game, where they can complete a series of time trials against some seriously tough foes.

Verdict: All in all, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is a great action game. Hardcore fans of the series may feel a bit disappointed by the loss of the Gothic character design, but honestly, it's only the cover art and character portraits. Otherwise, the spirit of the Metroid-vanias before has been preserved amazingly. Online play is great, but to those who do not possess the means to use it, they may be out of luck if they sell certain items. It's a good action game, and an even better introduction to the Castlevania series, as it was for me.

4 star(s) out of 5

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