$20 Game of the Week: Castlevania – Portrait of Ruin (Nintendo DS)

Later this month, Konami will be bringing Dracula X to the US for the first time ever as a PSP remake of the original PC Engine game. The original version of the game, as well as Symphony of the Night, will both be available as hidden extras on the disc. No time like the present to look at the most recent entry in the series. This follow up to 2005’s Dawn of Sorrow, sticks closely to the franchise’s more recent “Metroidvania” style of gameplay while adding in some new twists of its own. Not the least of which is that you’ll be controlling two characters at once, each with their own skills and abilities. Features such as this help keep the formula as enjoyable as it has been in the past several entries in the series.

A follow up to the Genesis game Castlevania Bloodlines, you take control of Jonathan Morris (The son of Bloodlines hero John Morris) and his friend Charlotte Aulin (a mage who is a descendant of the Belnades clan). You can switch between the two at anytime, and you’ll have to take advantage of their unique skills to make it through the castle. Your mission is to investigate the reappearance of Dracula’s castle, and destroy its master. Surprisingly, this game takes place in a more ‘recent’ time: World War 2. While you won’t be fighting any vampire Nazis, you will once again explore Dracula’s castle as you unravel the secret behind its presence, its new owner, the two vampire girls that stalk you, and the mysterious ghost that appears to assist you.

As in previous post Symphony-of-the-Night Castlevania titles, the entire castle is open to you, but of course you’ll need to discover certain items and abilities in order to gain access different areas. This time however, along with the huge castle, you’ll also travel to alternate universes via paintings spread throughout the castle. These worlds range from an Egyptian pyramid to an old European-style village. Unfortunately some repetitiveness sets in as you’ll have to visit similar areas later on in the game, but this is only a small nuisance, as the alternate universes add something new to the formula. As in previous games, you’ll discover unlockable hidden characters and multiple endings. Players can connect using either wireless or Nintendo Wi-Fi to play a co-op Boss Rush mode, or trade items in the game’s shop. The game uses the touch screen even less than Dawn of Sorrow. This is perhaps for the better, as this game plays better without it anyway. However, without giving much away, it is used in one of the hidden features.

By now, people should be tired of the SOTN formula, but thankfully Konami continues to add enough new features to keep it as innovative and fresh as it was when we first booted up SOTN 10 years ago. Of course many fans, myself included, would love to see Castlevania return to its action-oriented roots. Until then however, we’ll gladly enjoy another solid entry in a solid franchise.