"A graveyard smash"

If you are reading this, then welcome to my first review. If you are not, then please stop distorting the complex possibilities of reality and quit not reading this. Or, more plausibly, wake up, you've fallen asleep at the keyboard. Go to bed. You're too tired to be up reading. This review is for the game Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, for the Nintendo DS, a nifty device with two-screens, and a connector that will break if you get mad enough at it.

The story of this game takes place briefly after the events of the Sega Genesis game Castlevania: Bloodlines. Exactly one year briefly after. It stars protagonists, anime stereotype Jonathan Belmont (who is easily angered, and a bit stupid) and anime stereotype Charlotte (who is intelligent, and sarcastic (though unfortunately, not very funny)). They end up in Dracula's castle in some shoddy plot device far short of good, because Castlevania games are not about story, and only Iga, the director, seems to think differently. They then learn that the person behind the castle's rising is not Dracula, but a painter named Brauner (and kudos to Konami for referencing an actual painter). He is reinforcing the castles dark power by making paintings. So they have to stop him, and without the help of a college art-teacher to shatter his spirit.

The game runs on the formula that has been used since Symphony of the Night, which is pretty much Metroid with level-ups. That is to say, a huge side-scrolling castle, divided into small areas which are not technically different levels. Though to freshen it up a bit, different levels have been thrown in, in the form of paintings which can be entered (like Super Mario 64, or your local museum!). It's refreshing, because after exploring so many variations of Dracula's castle, you begin to yearn for a change of scenery. There is a town level, that goes from the streets, to a bakery, to a train station, to a church. There's a desert level, which contains traps and mummies. There's an overly creepy circus level, that flips upside down, sideways, and occasionally, right-side up. And there's my favorite kind of level, the dark, foreboding forest (which goes into dark, foreboding buildings). The levels are structurally reminiscent of the older, more straight forward and frantic Castlevania games. And there are two of each level type, not to mention a pretty big castle hub, and an extra secret arena location.

The game controls fluidly, as all recent Castlevania's have, due to the Belmont clans ever-increasing stair-climbing abilities. You control the game's protagonists as a pair, which is easier than it sounds; and if you don't think so, one member can be retracted into thin air at any time. Jonathan's weaponry is a win-win situation for fans of the old games' whip wielders, and the new games' arsenal of stabby cutty things; obviously, this means that the game contains both. Charlotte fights with magic, and hits things with her book as a short-range attack. Menu navigation couldn't be easier (which is just an expression; it could be easier, but it's really quite easy enough). And there's none of that seal-the-boss-away-with-the-stylus junk that plagued the last game. There are also two more character teams, un-lockable upon proper completion of the game. Not to mention the un-lockable difficulty settings and level-caps. And that statement, of course, negates my statement about not mentioning difficulty settings and level-caps.

The game's sound effects are standard game sound effects; if you're impressed by that sort of thing, you'll probably like these. The soundtrack is lovely, much like previous entries, my favorite track being Jail of Jewels.

The game, graphics-wise is a mixed bag. On one hand, the background sprites are almost entirely new, and this is impressive due to the introduction of several new level types (or at least level types the series hasn't seen for about a decade). These are very well done. The main characters are nice and fluid (Charlotte even has this cute broom-riding animation after double jumping), as well as the supporting cast. However, if you've played Rondo of Blood, Symphony of the Night, and Dawn of Sorrow, you will recognise most of these enemies; they are no less fun to kill, as consolation.

There are a few neat little odds and ends strewn about the game as well; the game's got a nice looking animated intro scene, which, although unnecessary, is still cool looking. And it puts Dawn of Sorrow's to shame. The game, like Dawn of Sorrow, lets you draw your own emblem, which, unlike the previous game's emblems, can be edited. And it lets you name your file this time, in case you can't make a cool enough emblem. The game contains a bestiary, and a library of terminology, which contains background info on Bloodlines. You can trade items with other players, via wi-fi, fight enemies in a stupid mini-dungeon which will rank you upon completion, and traverse through a mini-dungeon with others online, which is sadly lacking. You can't even play as the un-lockable characters, one of whom is my best character (hint: her name starts with 'M').

The game is easily re-playable, due to the un-lockable characters, and un-lockable difficulty settings and level-caps, as previously mentioned. And the game is just fun. The difficulty is initially average, as most Castlevania's of late have been; overall, this game is not groundbreaking, but it's innovative enough to freshen up the priorly dying series. And the game is just fun.

8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/23/07