"Perfect can be spelled in many different ways, this game is one of them"

Introduction: I've been a fan of the Castlevania series for quite some time now. I love all of them from the original for nes all the way to Curse of Darkness for the PS2. But out of a series of games, there will always be those couple of titles amongst them that will stand out above the rest. For me, Castlevania: Bloodlines was one of them, I absolutely love everything about that game. When I got wind of Portrait of Ruin, I said to myself, cool, another Castlevania game. But when I learned that it was a sequel to one of my favorites out of the series, a simple task of waiting became a desperate struggle not to die of anticipation. I watched the trailers for the longest time to quench my thirst for the game, and finally I went to go pick it up on the release day. So, did Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin live up to my expectations? Read on to find out!

Story 10/10: Not too much different from your usual Castlevania fanfare, but I'll explain it anyway. The game takes place in 1944, 27 years after the events of Bloodlines. World War II brings nothing but hate and chaos to all those around, and all this destruction and bloodshed calls forth Castlevania, the infamous lair of the all powerful Count Dracula. But this time, it's not Dracula at the helm; instead we have Brauner, a vampire who had his abilities awakened due to the summoning of Castlevania. Unfortunately this poor guy is a victim of the previous World War, and suffers from the loss of his daughters. Using the power of Castlevania, portraits of his own creation, and the aid of his reincarnated daughters Stella and Loretta, he seeks revenge against humanity. The only ones who can stop him are Jonathan Morris, current wielder of the legendary vampire killer and son of Bloodlines hero John Morris, and his childhood friend Charlotte Aulin, a witch that posses great magical power.

Graphics 10/10: These are definitely some of the best graphics the Nintendo DS has to offer. Everything is fluidly animated from enemy attacks to the flapping of Jonathan's coat as he walks. Areas are nicely detailed and always have neat little stuff going on in the background. For example, as soon as you go past a tree at the beginning of the Forest of Doom, flocks of crows scatter everywhere. Character sprites are colorful and lively looking, and the enemy designs are some of the best I've seen in a Castlevania game. Symphony of the Night fans, your in a for treat when you play this game as certain enemies make some shocking returns. All in all the graphics are just plain gorgeous. Just the quality I'd expect Konami to dish out, and I hope they keep on doing so in future installments.

Music/Sound 10/10: This is by far my favorite Castlevania soundtrack of all time! Once again our favorite composer Michiru Yamane makes another outstanding score along with guest composer Yuzo Koshiro. Each track fits beautifully with the scenery, Invitation of a Crazed Moon is an awesome entrance song only bested by Symphony's main hall. Piercing Silence is by far my favorite boss battle theme EVER! Iron Blue Intention, my favorite track from Bloodlines, also makes a pleasant return during one of the last Portraits. Another thing that makes this handheld adventure even more enjoyable is the inclusion of english voiceovers, and they were done pretty darn well. Everything from the battle grunts and spell names to the enemy phrases was done with absolute perfection. Just like the graphics, this was everything I expected it to be, and them some.

Gameplay 10/10: Ah yes, gameplay…perhaps the most important element in any videogame, and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin definitely rates high in this department. Castlevania veterans will feel right at home as soon as they pop in the game, but this time, Konami has added a few little twists to the basic formula that we all know and love. As usual, you go through the quest of fully exploring every square inch of Dracula's castle, but this time, throughout the castle you find portraits in various locations. You have the ability to enter these portraits, and when you do, you basically enter a whole other dungeon. You get a whole bunch of neat little worlds to explore along with the castle, making this game much longer than the previous game Dawn of Sorrow. Just when you think you've fully explored an area; think again, you've probably missed a breakable wall or two. The fighting system in this game is generally the same as its predecessors, but yet again Konami manages to keep it fresh by adding the element of teamwork to the arsenal. As your playing you'll be able to freely switch between Jonathan and Charlotte, and you'll have to do some pretty cool things to get past obstacles, like jumping on your partners head for instance. I'm sure everyone that's familiar with the series knows and loves the item crashes for all the sub weapons that was introduced in Dracula X, well fear not my friends, in this game we have something called the Dual Crash. It's a special move performed by our heroes combined might for super damage, and a lot of them are big eye candy. All in all, gameplay does not disappoint, newcomers and old time fans will love the fun that PoR has to offer.

Replayability 10/10: This is another thing the most Castlevanias are known for giving, and Portrait of Ruin certainly doesn't slouch here. When you complete the game, your given 3 new modes to try and the hard difficulty setting, along with Boss rush and sound test, and if that wasn't enough that also threw in a co-op mode and a shop mode where you can actually put up your acquired items for sale! Now isn't that cool or what?

Final Word: I cannot recommend this game enough; longtime fans and newbies alike will both enjoy this game. It's just something that any fan of 2D sidescrollers can pick up and play right away. I quickly christened this game as my favorite Castlevania upon completing it, and continuously thanked Konami for giving me such an awesome Christmas present. Castlevania's 20th anniversary couldn't have been celebrated in any way better than this.

Overall Score 10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/11/06