Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

Two heroes, one whip, one book of spells and a castle that is really a gateway into dozens of painted worlds. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin pushes the DS Castlevania formula forward with a bold idea: besides the main castle, you jump through portraits into separate themed areas, from Egyptian ruins through city streets to a circus, each with its own atmosphere and enemies.

The key novelty is a pair of controllable characters. Jonathan Morris, heir to the legendary whip Vampire Killer, and the sorceress Charlotte Aulin complement each other; you can switch between them at any time or have them fight together in paired attacks. This dynamic adds a new dimension to both combat and exploration of the sprawling castle and opens up puzzles that require the abilities of both.

The title was developed by Konami, again under the direction of Koji Igarashi, and came out as the second of the trio of Castlevania games on the Nintendo DS. It draws inspiration from the old installment Castlevania III and its idea of multiple playable characters, which it brings into a modern metroidvania form. The music was, alongside other composers, once again handled by Michiru Yamane.

Culturally, Portrait of Ruin showed that the series is not afraid to experiment with its own formula without losing its identity. The portrait system brought a variety of environments that a classic Castlevania confined to a single castle could not offer, and the paired mechanic foreshadowed some elements of later installments.

For fans of the genre it belongs to the solid trio of DS metroidvanias worth playing all the way through. It is an entry full of ideas that keeps a brisk pace and rewards players who love to explore every corner.

Why play: An inventive metroidvania with two playable heroes and portals into themed worlds that refreshes the classic formula.