"As the old saying goes, "A portrait is worth a thousand words.""

The Castlevania franchise keeps getting better and better. And what is a better way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Castlevania series than Portrait of Ruin? What more than a thousand words to describe how great the game is?

Story (8/10)

The year is 1944. The world is in turmoil due to the second global war. Many lives are lost and terror and destruction fills the land, just in time for Dracula's Castle to appear and wreak havoc. You play the game as Jonathan Morris, a young vampire hunter and a distant relative to the Belmont family, a legendary clan of vampire hunters together with his companion, Charlotte Aulin, a young sorceress who wields tremendous magical power. Jonathan starts out with the legendary Vampire Killer, a whip which is handed down through the Belmont family for generations. Unfortunately, since Jonathan is only a distant relative, he is unable to use the whip's true power until late in the game. The goal is to stop the evil vampire Brauner, who seeks the destruction of mankind by using magical portraits to build up his power together with his "so called daughters", Stella and Loretta.

The story itself isn't bad, but it seemed to lack something. In other words, they could have added more plot for a more enjoyable game play. The ending is practically the same for most Castlevania games. They really need to improve the endings more since they seem quite a bit dull. Aside from that the story is great. The game is also filled with a few humorous scenes. For instance, Charlotte's face will have a funny annoyed look whenever she is called a child, which she is being referred to by most characters throughout the course of the game. All in all, they could have done better, for the story at least. Hopefully they can improve on the endings for future games since "the castle is crumbling" scene is getting quite old. After all, the story isn't the only one that keeps the Castlevania franchise successful, even to this day.

Game Play (9/10)

One of the most important features added in this game was the Dual-Character system. You are able to summon your partner to aid you in battle. Both characters share the same health points so if one dies, it's Game Over. And what is a Castlevania game without puzzles? Unfortunately for this one, only a few make use of the dual system. For instance, you need to have one partner in a cart and have the other hit the switch to progress through the area. They could have improved on this too. You are also able to talk to your partner so that you can learn tips on how to easily go through the game. Another great addition to the game that makes use of the dual system are "Dual Crushes" which are powerful combined attacks performed with your partner.

Unlike other games, this one focuses more on areas outside the castle via portraits. You can say that the castle itself is a huge transport system leading to different worlds. Throughout the game you will come across the streets of London, the pyramids of Egypt, a fun-house type carnival which resembles the current global war, a mansion in the midst of a forest and more.

For your arsenal, Jonathan is able to use typical vampire killer subweapons and an array of whips, swords, spears, maces and the like. As for Charlotte, being a spell caster and all, she makes use of books for her weapons, one of those being able to summon the infamous Claimh Solais to deal holy damage to foes. She has a wide variety of spells from elemental magic to healing and status boosting spells. You will also come across Vincent, the merchant in the game who will supply you with items provided that you pay him, of course. Items will be scattered across the castle and will help the player advance in certain situations. You will also meet Wind, the mysterious ghost who offers items and skills when completing his tasks.

Another improvement in the series is the difficulty. This is by far the hardest of the hand-held Castlevanias in my opinion but still pretty easy. The status ailments in the game include being cursed which depletes your MP, Poison which slowly depletes your HP while having a slight drop to your stats and stone status, where in you will be petrified and you will have to shake the buttons to break free. Being petrified causes you to have twice the amount of damage you receive and it's much harder to break free in this game. Another ailment is charm, where Jonathan will lose control over himself and will attack Charlotte. The game is even more difficult in Hard mode. A lot of players (including me) prefer to have a challenge since previous games were way too easy. Thankfully, they improved the difficulty in this one.

Unfortunately, there are a few bugs in the game and even glitches that can be taken advantage of to ease game play. Sometimes I even wonder if they even gave this great game a beta testing.

Sound (10/10)

One of the highlights in the series that makes Castlevania so famous is the music and sound effects. This being one of them. The music is excellent and is suited for the environment that they are in. For example, one of the stages in the game includes an ancient pyramid complete with Egyptian-style music. A few monsters are even given dialogue. If you use a female character in front of a Succubus, she will call you a fat cow. The sound effects are great as well and perfectly fit the situation when certain conditions are met. They even added a bonus sound clip whenever you close and open the DS screen, resembling the sound a coffin makes. Keep up the good work, Konami.

Graphics (9/10)

For years, Castlevania has been famous for it's 2D graphics which were excellent and realistic. Many people even prefer Castlevania to stick with 2D graphics. For this one, you can expect the best out of Konami. People have been complaining that the graphics seemed quite dull but as for me, it gives the game that "gothic look" which makes the game even more realistic and enjoyable. The stages are neatly done and detailed. There are also a few 3D touches that give the surroundings that three-dimensional effect. Unfortunately many sprites (enemies for instance) have been reused in the game. Actually about a third of the monster sprites originated from Dawn of Sorrow. For added effect, a few areas had animations that trigger once you enter that area. For instance, in the beginning of the Forest of Doom portrait, what seems to be a leafy tree in the background turns out to be a dead tree full of black crows when approached. If you enter a certain room, a ghost disappears inside a cubicle. In a certain hallway, bloody hand prints will follow you on the walls. All these give great effects to the environment of the areas in the game. The graphics are awesome and is the reason why Castlevania still stands to this day.

Replay Value (10/10)

There a few side quests in the game which will probably keep you busy if you plan on getting the Magus Ring, which rapidly restores your MP. If certain conditions are met, you will be able to unlock extra modes after finishing the game. There are up to four modes you can play in the game. Not to mention hard mode for each one of them. In one, you get to play as Stella and Loretta which makes full-time use of the touch screen. Another mode is where you get to play as Richter and child Maria from both Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night. The last and final mode is where you play the game as Old Axe Armor. If you happen to finish Jonathan and Charlotte's mode in hard mode, you get to unlock bonus stats for your characters. There is even a boss rush mode where you will battle all the bosses in the game to win prizes if completed at a certain time. So yeah, this game will keep you busy for quite a long time. Being a perfectionist like me, after finishing the game seven times I enjoyed every bit of it and I hope you will as well.

Overall Score (9/10)

This game is a must for fans of the series and definitely the best among the hand-held Castlevanias. I really enjoyed playing this game and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. This may not be the best Castlevania (story-wise at least) and I agree that the developers could have done better. Still, it is a fun and great game which will make your time worthwhile.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/23/07