"Picture-perfect Castlevania."

After twenty years, many would have expected a series to sell out or die off, but Castlevania stands to this day as one of the elite few that has barely drifted from its original formula, and yet never fails to inspire awe in fans. Portrait of Ruin, the newest iteration, does not disappoint either.

Before all the good stuff I'm about to write on this game, I'm going to get the negatives out of the way. The first thing I noticed, and probably the most bothersome thing about this game is that there are many recycled animations and character models. This wouldn't be such a problem if Dawn of Sorrow (the previous title in the series) hadn't already recycled sprites from Symphony of the Night (or even earlier titles, like Rondo of Blood). This will only bother you as long as you let it, however, and really, the enemy design in the series has never been really flawed, so it's excusable that they would do something like this. The only other flaw I could find with this game is that some of the side-quests boil down to grind-fests and that the abilities take a really long time to level up. This too, is okay, as the combat is enthralling and generally challenging, and there's always something new to do. This game could entertain you for a very long time.

Well, now that that's all out of the way, let's get to the goods. The graphics in this game are phenomenal. There's no real way to state the beauty of this game, if only to compare it to perhaps the best-looking 2D scrollers of SNK fame. Every character is vividly animated, and while not everything looks realistic, it's all very cool to watch. There are some seriously large and detailed sprites in this game, just as in Dawn of Sorrow, but I think the new anime art style is coming into its own with this title. New enemies look great, and the oldies still look just as neat, if only slightly less original than before. The real star of the show are the tag-team attacks, which occur when your two characters (more on that later) team up to unleash a devastating screen-filling attack. All of these look great, whether your characters are summoning a volcano to spew lava on all on-screen foes or unleashing a classic barrage of throwing knives as with Rondo of Blood's item crush. There are honestly no drawbacks to the way this game looks.

In the audio area, this game shines as well, but that's to be expected. One thing that has always been constant in the Castlevania series is the great musical tracks, and this game delivers plenty of those. These are all upbeat songs and they all set the atmosphere, although that's not hard, since really, there's not much of anything but combat to be had with this title. However, they do their job very well and should be commended. The sound effects are typical of the last few 2D 'vanias, and are for the most part better than sufficient. Some of the voice samples are a little corny, but are typical of anime and really don't detract from the entire mood of the game.

Gameplay is where Portrait really shines. It doesn't really break away from the newer Castlevania formula. You explore a castle, mostly fighting enemies and collecting items, until you get to a spot you can't get past, then you go elsewhere and acquire an item (think Metroid) so you can further your progress. New to this title (in a way, at least) is the partner system, where you switch off between the two characters to make progress, or call the other in for tag team purposes. It works quite well, and the AI on your partner when they are in play is really quite good. The core of the gameplay has aged extremely well. The bosses pose the most challenge, though I found myself not being able to just run right through enemies quite as much in this game as in last games. Challenge is no longer a concern in this Castlevania.

This game is a continuation of the Genesis Castlevania, Bloodlines, and thus features a storyline that takes place after that. It's still the general "go forth and slay evil" deal, but there are a few twists and turns and it's enough to keep you involved. The plot is mostly just a vehicle for you to kick ass, so it does it job fairly well, but don't expect anything too epic.

As far as replay value is concerned, this game has many things to do well after you've played through you first time. Unlockable characters, boss rush modes, online co-op play and massive amounts of item collection all await. I, however, found myself playing through again just for the hell of it. This game is fun enough to warrant many plays and you'll probably pick it up several years after the next iteration comes out.

Everything else aside, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is more than just a good game. It's one of the must-own titles of the DS, just as its predecessor was. If you're a fan at all of action and platforming games, and you haven't played any of the more recent Castlevanias, then let this one be your first. You'll be hooked within the first minute.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/13/06