Review: Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (NDS)

1944, the world is filled with pain and lost souls caused by war. The agony created by these souls brings forth Dracula’s demonic castle, which the vampire Brauner tries to utilise to destroy the human race. This is another instalment in the world of Castlevania. Step forward Jonathan Morris, who now carries the Belmont family’s legendary whip and Charlotte Aulin, a tremendously powerful magician to destroy the evil menace.

Portrait of Ruin is the most eagerly awaited Castlevania title in several years and Gamestyle is pleased to say it more than lives up to the hype. Many features seen in Dawn of Sorrow have now been dispensed with; the soul collecting of the past two titles has now been replaced with a more traditional item based system, and the touch screen is put to one side in favour of the main screen.

What we have here is a streamlined amalgamation of all the best parts of previous Castlevania releases, as well as a few highly effective new ideas. The most important of which is the ability to use two characters at the same time. Upon a press of a button, the second character can be called to fight along side you or be used to help push blocks among other things. This extra dimension can also be used to produce one of a number of powerful combined attacks. Any damage the second character takes while on screen depletes your magic points rather than your hit points, which is a good move on the development side, as they normally charge straight at the enemy.

Portrait of Ruin features an excellent compromise for fans that have been asking for a more linear Castlevania. Dracula’s castle is still there for exploration in the classic Symphony of the Night style. However the castle is somewhat smaller than before, as it contains a number of cursed portraits. Each portrait acts as an entrance to a new world, which contains the more linear elements of titles gone by. Before there was only the castle, now the castle is simply one of a number of levels the game has to offer thereby meaning there is something for everyone.

Level design via the portraits is of an excellent standard with each of the four initial worlds following a different style. This is highlighted by a world based in a town presented upside down. The only small downside to the level design is when you come across four paintings near the end of the game that share the same basic level design as before, only with much tougher enemies and a slightly different graphical touch. This minor indiscretion aside, you can only marvel at how well the levels have been put together and made so individual within the scheme of things.

Boss encounters are yet another highlight in this Castlevania tour de force. They contain enough of a challenge to be approached cautiously, but none are overly harsh. Each of the creatures of evil are wonderfully satisfying to defeat, and require some real thought and lateral thinking in terms of magic and weapons (taking out the two evil sisters with one hit is a touch of genus, all be it a difficult one). Encounters force you to think carefully about how you fight; certain creatures take more damage from physical attacks whilst others are better handled by Charlotte and her magical abilities. The double character dynamic can be used effectively against creatures in a number of ways. Pressing the R button will call in your partner to deliver whichever special attack they are currently equipped with. In addition this technique can be used to draw creatures away from your main character.

Main adventure aside there are a number of side quests that can be taken on which when completed give up new skills and weapons to the player. While not essential it is advisable, as certain skills such as being able to flail the whip (as seen in Castlevania IV) and the ability to attack diagonally down come in extremely handy at times. Everything about the game seems to have been set just right. The difficulty level has been set at a perfect level somewhere between Circle of the Moon and Aria of Sorrow, which means it is challenging but fair due to the support from the second character and a far fairer way of dealing out skills and weapons.

Overall it is clear that only the most rose tinted gamer would fail to agree that Portrait of Ruin is not the best Castlevania game in the series. The best bits of the best games have been stuck together in one wonderful Castlevania cake. Few flaws are evident, but overall this is a brilliant game and one that makes Dawn of Sorrow seem very average. Therefore it is highly recommended to anyone who likes adventure games, and absolutely essential to Castlevania fans. Simply put, it is up there with Elite Beat Agents as the best game the DS currently has to offer.

Rating: 9 / 10

Words by Gareth Chappell