Castlevania @ CC

Last Updated on July 28, 2021

While Arrow and company are whoring it up in San Diego Comic-Con, Gamespot was also there, though not for the whores. Instead, they’re reporting on a brand new Nintendo DS game, CASTLEVANIA: PORTRAIT OF RUIN!

The second game for the DS to carry the CASTLEVANIA name, PoR is being exclusively developed for the handheld system. While Gamespot did have a go with the demo at this past May’s E3, things inevitably changed with the build put on by producer Koji Igarashi at Comic-Con. But first, some background info: the plot of Portrait of Ruin follows the misadventures of a vampiric cult that’s attempting to resurrect Dracula once again. The game takes place during World War II, as a pair of vampire sisters attempt to use the energy of the souls of the war’s innumerable dead to achieve their nefarious end. It’s up to John Morris and his magician friend Charlotte Orlean to stop the two she-bitches and save the world. However, another enemy character shows up in the form of a vampiric painter, who constructs magical paintings that take on a life of their own. During your adventure, you’ll travel into a number of these paintings, which act as discrete levels of the game and which should offer up a larger variety of places to explore as you travel.

The gameplay has you switching between Morris and Orlean on the fly, with both characters offering distinct styles of gameplay. John Morris is the fighter of the two, while Charlotte is the spellcaster. Both characters are on the screen at the same time, and tag along with one another, sort of like SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2. The key thing is that both characters are required to solve puzzles, be it pressure plates, or using your combined abilities. And yes, for what looks to be a first in a CASTLEVANIA game, there will be two-player co-op, which Koji revealed can be done via wireless or online, albeit in levels separate from the single player game. Also supported locally and online will be a shop mode, where you can buy, sell and trade items between other players.

New to the demo at CC was the ability to change the equipped items on each character, as well as a couple new attacks: Morris has a kick attack, and Charlotte has a couple new spells. Also, new weapons are included, like a rock which ricocheted off walls when it was thrown. The game is expected 4th quarter of this year (whatever that means), so keep your eyes peeled for more info. In the meantime, you can check out gameplay movies and more screenies right here.