CASTLEVANIA: PORTRAIT OF RUIN
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Systems: Nintendo DS
INTRODUCTION:
With CASTLEVANIA: DAWN OF SORROW, Konami made what was probably the best handheld CASTLEVANIA game to date. Sure, the whole ‘Metrovania’ style of gameplay was beginning to get a little old, but for me, it was probably the closest thing to recapturing that SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT feeling that made for fun times when I was a kid. Now, with PORTRAIT OF RUIN, the newest installment in the CASTLEVANIA series, Konami has revisited the old formula yet again. This time around, Konami has added a new feature to the gameplay, as well as revisit a neglected chapter of the CASTLEVANIA universe that began on the Genesis. Does it work, or are fans in for a letdown?
GAMEPLAY:
As I said above, PoR is a continuation of CASTLEVANIA: BLOODLINES (aka NEW GENERATION for you Euro fans), which was the only CASTLEVANIA game on the Sega Genesis. While I prefered Konami’s efforts on Nintendo’s side of things, BLOODLINES was a worthy addition to the series, even if the attempts to tie in the storyline to Bram Stoker’s novel didn’t work quite as well as Konami had hoped.
PoR take place a few decades after BLOODLINES. Instead of John Morris and Eric Lecarde traversing through Europe fighting evil skeletons wearing German helmets, it’s up to hero Jonathan Morris (son of John) and his magic-wielding companion, Charlotte Aulin, to fight the evil count Brauner and his two vampiric daughters, who have brought life to paintings scattered throughout Drac’s castle. What does this mean for fans? How about the largest in both size and length of any 2D CASTLEVANIA game to date! Seriously, this dude is huge. From a psycho circus (this ain’t KISS, folks) to a haunted pyramid in the Sahara, the game has 5 different maps for you to get your whip on.
Speaking of whipping, Jon isn’t exactly the most fluent user of the famed Vampire Killer whip, so you’ll be itchin’ to do some switchin’ as soon as the opportunity arises, which is partly where the new Dual Hero system comes in. The Dual Hero system is one of PoR’s most interesting features. Besides Jon’s use of whips, axes, daggers, boomerangs and so on, players can switch over to Charlotte, who wields a variety of magical attacks. Her main weapon is a book which attacks with different spirits – at one point, you get one named ‘Don Quixote’, where you stab foes with the image of a Spanish knight on a horse. You can also equip sub spells which includes your usual array of fire and ice spells, as well as stat boosts. PoR also retains remnants of the Soul System of ARIA/DAWN OF SORROW, where certain enemies will randomly drop various spells that let you use similar attacks (like summoning skeletons, for example.) There are also special team-up attacks with drain a ton of magic but can deal a lot of damage if used properly.
You can switch between characters at any time, as both share the same life bar, or choose to have both on screen at once. With both characters, you control one and the other essentially shadows your movements, although they’re governed by a simple AI so they’ll still attack on their own. Although your partner can’t actually take damage, they drain magic whenever they get hit, so you have to decide whether the extra helping hand is worth giving up your subweapons or spells In fact, you could technically play through the entire game with just the one character if need be, which is one area where this Dual Hero system falls short. Sure, there are points where you need to switch between characters constantly (the motorcycle sequence, for one), but for the most part, you could stick with the ‘lone hero’ aspect and get by.
One area which Konami added upon is the sub-quest design. Players will encounter a lost spirit by the name of Wind, who will dish out tasks that players can choose or refuse to do. Most tasks are pretty straightforward, like performing a move three times, or showing up wearing specific items. But some are actually demanding and require a little thought, like punching butcher meat a la ROCKY somewhere in the game, or find a hidden item in a pile of rubble elsewhere. Some aren’t spelled out as well as they could, and require far too much of the player’s time. Lastly, those who have grown tired of the ‘Metrovania’ style of gameplay aren’t going to have much to celebrate here, as it’s still the tried-and-true method that SYMPHONY made so popular. However, there is a point where that old saying, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ needs a kick in the ass. Also, don’t expect a dark storyline with this installment, as there’s more lighthearted humour this time around, but not so much that the writing approaches embarrassing.
Gameplay: 8.5/10
PoR improves upon what DoS hacked out on the DS, and makes for fun times yet again. The old SYMPHONY style is back, and love it or hate it, it still has the goods, for the most part. The Dual Hero system, while adding a new dimension to gameplay, isn’t as fleshed out as you’d hope it would be, and doesn’t affect the game as much as you’d think. Throw in your now-typical unlockables, and you have some fun handheld vampire-killing action, even if some of the new stuff needs some polishing.
GRAPHICS:
Like DoS, PoR has ditched the art of Ayami Kojima in favor of standard anime stylings, which is kind of a downer for some fans, but unlike DoS, this time it looks a lot better. All of the character animations are fluid and fun to watch, particularly some of the enemies. The character sprites, though small, convey plenty of emotion and are at least as detailed as any characters you’ll find on the DS. The backgrounds are all nice to look at, as well, with different parts of the background scrolling independently to provide a sense of depth and scale.
However, the design of certain levels, namely the pyramid, look and feel more like a castle than anything else. Also, Konami is guilty once again of recycling enemies from previous games, including the madusa head that has got to be more than a few years old. You can expect some slowdown that occurs during some of the larger boss battles when there’s a lot going on at once, but it’s a minor thing in the grand scheme of things.
Graphics: 8.5/10
Konami makes good use of past and present designs, and while some graphics feel out of place, the fluidity of what’s here and the vibrant colours used make for some rather tasty eye-candy. I think it’s time we give the old madusa head sprite a rest, though.
AUDIO:
Bar-none, PoR has the best soundtrack to a portable CASTLEVANIA thus far. It’s closer to AoS in style than anything, but faster paced and with higher quality samples
(obviously, since ARIA was a GBA game). Though Michiru Yamane has composed most of it, many of the strongest tunes have been contributed by legendary video game musician Yuzo Koshiro. In addition to emulating the feel of older CASTLEVANIA games, there are ton of remixed songs, including ‘Cross Your Heart’ (from the arcade CASTLEVANIA game, HAUNTED CASTLE, although translated in the sound test as ‘Crucifix Held Close’), ‘Iron Blue Intention’ (from BLOODLINES) and even ‘The Theme of Simon’ (from SUPER CASTLEVANIA 4), which is a hidden bonus song.
Sound-wise, the game uses the same old whipping and light-fixture-smashing noises you’ve been hearing for years, but hey, it works and it sounds good. There’s also a decent amount of speech in the game, though for the most part the story unfolds via textboxes. Jonathan and Charlotte have quite a few lines, and the voices all sound great and lend a lot of personality to each character.
Audio: 9/10
You didn’t think you’d hear ‘Iron Blue Intention’ again, but here it is! Amazing for the DS, the sound is top-notch, even if some of the samples are getting along in years. A shame that more voicework couldn’t be included for the game, but what’s here should satisfy.
FINAL VERDICT:
I won’t lie and say that this game is the second coming of SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT, because while it may be the best handheld CASTLEVANIA game yet, the game doesn’t revolutionize the franchise the way SYMPHONY did years ago. Granted, PoR isn’t a game to pass up, since it does introduce a bevy of stuff to the established gameplay (even if the new stuff could be improved upon). It’s just that this horse has been beaten to the point where it’s probably been turned to goo, which can turn pretty rancid in a hurry. Hopefully Konami will take the plunge and try something new for the next game, but in the meantime, enjoy another solid, if derivative, entry in the CASTLEVANIA series.
FINAL SCORE: 8.5/10