"The reason why I love the Castlevania series."

When a problem comes along.
You must whip it.
Before the cream sits out too long.
You must whip it.
When some thing's going wrong.
You must whip it. - Devo

It's was a pleasure waiting for and playing through Dawn of Sorrow, but it was this game that reinvented my feelings for the Castlevania series, just like Symphony of the Night, Portrait is an instant classic.

Gameplay

Portrait it's different form other Castlevania games because it gives you the fun of controlling two characters in the game, you can switch out from Jonathan Morris, to magician Charlotte Aulin any time. This, along with many awesome techniques and abilities (such as using your partner's magic/sub weapon while you are controlling the other) makes the game feel more enjoyable and practical to the gamer.

There's now also a huge amount of places to explore (hence the percentage rate of all maps is 1000%). The castle all alone, is extremely big compared to the previous portable Castlevania's. Instead of dungeons or special areas, the portraits serve you as "worlds" for you to beat (each one has it's own boss) and to unlock new material to help you go through the long, long game.

The game still uses the so called "Metroidvania", that bases of more exploration, then being stage-based. Controls are really easy to master, both characters have their own controls to use their different attacks or magic spells. The menu, where you can equip and use items it's easy to use and very practical. Best of all, everything is cataloged. That means you can see info on enemies, quests, items, and pretty much everything you do. Very cool.

The AI, both friendly and enemy, is on the top. Your partner will aid you in battle and your enemies will destroy you if you are not quick-minded. The only downside is that your partner can not use his/her special abilities while in battle, but you can do that with a button anyways.

Difficulty bases off on what level are you on and your mastering on the controls. It ranges on the Medium level. That's great since it's not too easy for veterans, and not too hard for newcomers. The only hard part is exploring all of the maps.

Graphics

The combination of clean, crisp 2-D sprites, and the fact that some enemies, like the Peeping Eye, are in Mario Kart DS 3-D quality, is pure genius . Sure, some of the sprites have been recycled from Dawn of Sorrow, but why change what looks good right?? Environments live up to the creepy feeling of the areas with terrific backgrounds like rain or thunderstorms. Enemies are creatively done, and also move, look, and act with quality never seen in a 2-D game. The game doesn't have any graphic glitches, or bugs, Making it a graphically-perfect game.

Story

1944. Dracula has chosen the best to be resurrected, during the hateful WWII. Along with Brauner, a deadly Vampire and to Vampire sisters, Stella and Loretta, Death will do the impossible to resurrect the classic yet deadly foe.

You fall in the shoes of Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin. Your quest: Stop the resurrection of Dracula or prepare to eliminate him. During the course of the story you will unfold new characters and interesting plots that make this game story-wise.

In Portrait, instead of exploring only the whole castle, you also have the portraits, or "worlds" which I explained. Each one has a "story" be it a Egyptian Emperor, or a suffering knight. This not only helps improving the feel of the game, but helps in the character development.

Sounds

Portrait is one of the only Castlevania games that features English Voice overs, and what a great job it does! The sounds are high quality, they use all the sound capability of the DS, and and overall awesome. The enemies sounds, when they die or cast a spell match perfectly with the action. Some of the bosses use voices when they attack, die, or introduce themselves, when they do that you'll realize how god does it sound. Lighting, rain, a cold breeze, everything sounds just like it should.

Music

If all the Castlevania games were in a wrestling match, on who has the best match, Portrait would knock them out instantly. As soon as the game starts, you'll realize Portrait just kicks ass at soundtrack. Each track matches the area you are. Wand Sandy Grave's Egyptian tones? You got it. Wanna feel Nation of Fool's foolishness, there, just hear the music. Even the boss battles make you nervous just because of the music. The best part is, after you meet some requirements, you can listen to the soundtrack of the game.

After all, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is a game that will last you forever. There is 5 unlockable game modes, 3 Bosh Rush Stages, tons of secrets, and a Wi-Fi option that, even though I have yet to experience, has been critically acclaimed, needless to say, Portrait is definitely one of the best DS games ever.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/23/07