Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

Similar to previous Castlevania games, Portrait of Ruin is a 2D Metroidvania that features side-scrolling action with an emphasis on exploration and combat. Role-playing game elements like leveling character statistics and collecting equipment that augment those statistics are also present. many of which have appeared in previous Castlevania titles as standard monsters or bosses. As they progress, the duo learn new skills and acquire equipment and items that allow further exploration in the game. Their combined abilities are needed in certain parts in order to solve puzzles and progress through the story. For example, the player must have both characters board two motorcycles and dodge obstacles while alternating between the two characters. Like previous games in the series, Portrait of Ruin has more than one ending that is determined by the player's actions during the story. The "bad" ending involves Jonathan and Charlotte only preventing Dracula's resurrection and finishes as a game over. The other ending sees all the vampire antagonists defeated and is considered the game's canonical ending. Completing the game also gives the player the option to increase the difficulty, add level caps on new games, and start a game with all previously obtained items and skills. In Sisters Mode, the player controls Loretta and Stella Lecarde with the DS stylus rather than the traditional inputs. If the player meets additional requirements in the game, two other versions of the main story mode are made available: "Richter Mode" and "Old Axe Armor Mode". Richter Mode, which was previously in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, allows the player to control Richter Belmont and Maria Renard from Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. In Old Axe Armor Mode, the player controls only the eponymous Old Axe Armor enemy without the ability to switch characters. Boss Rush Mode is a time attack mode separate from the main story that features three stages. Although only one stage is initially available, two more become available after obtaining the canoncial ending. Each stage is a series of rooms with a boss or collection of monsters that the player must defeat. Rewards are determined by how quickly a player completes each stage. Portrait of Ruin is the first game in the Castlevania franchise with cooperative multiplayer. Players can interact through the Co-op mode or a Shop mode via either local wireless or Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The online cooperative mode allows two players to complete Boss Rushes together. The online shop allows players to sell their items to other players at reduced prices. == Plot and setting ==

Portrait of Ruin takes place in the fictional universe of the Castlevania series. The series' premise is the conflict between the vampire hunters of the Belmont clan and the immortal vampire Dracula. The game is set in 1944 Europe during World War II, and its story unfolds in Dracula's castle. During World War I, Brauner's daughters were killed, igniting a disdain towards humanity. He is able to construct paintings containing pocket dimensions that harness the castle's power for his own purposes. Brauner is joined by twin sisters Stella and Loretta. Although the two are vampires, they are Eric Lecarde's daughters who were turned into vampires by Brauner, who they believe is their father. Story Prior to the start of the game, the two sisters, Stella and Loretta, travel to Dracula's castle in search of their father, Eric Lecarde. After finding their father defeated in Brauner's lair, Brauner turns the sisters into vampires. At the beginning of the game, Jonathan and Charlotte encounter an enigmatic blue figure at the castle entrance. After the figure transforms into a humanoid male, he introduces himself as "Wind", who before his death, had cast a magical barrier to keep himself conscious within the castle. Shortly after, Jonathan and Charlotte find one of Brauner's magical portraits and travel into the world within to destroy the painting. Later, when entering the second portrait, they find the three vampires; Brauner laughs at the notion of reviving Dracula, as he has failed too many times to control humanity but concedes his power is too great to ignore. Both sisters desire to kill the two heroes, but Brauner sees Dracula's servant Death as a greater threat. While exploring the castle, the duo encounter Death, who then leaves to destroy Brauner and revive Dracula. Jonathan and Charlotte encounter Stella, and after being defeated, she loses her locket while fleeing. Opening the locket, Charlotte finds a photo of the twins with Wind. When questioned, Wind confesses he is Eric Lecarde and that the twins are his children. When Jonathan and Charlotte reach the tower spire, they find Dracula's throne room sealed off and conclude that Brauner is delaying Dracula's revival to siphon his power. After searching the castle, Jonathan and Charlotte obtain the Sanctuary spell, a magical attack that dispels curses and allows the dead to rest in peace. During the battle with the twins, Charlotte cures the sisters of their vampirism, after which they regain their identities. The twins subsequently perform a ritual that allows Jonathan to utilize the Vampire Killer whip's full power. Stella and Loretta then grant access to a portrait leading to Brauner's studio. The two heroes confront Brauner and defeat him. However, Death swoops in and kills Brauner, which breaks the seal to the Throne Room. Jonathan and Charlotte then go to battle with Dracula. Before they can engage Dracula, Death enters the room to aid Dracula. During the battle, Death and Dracula merge into a more powerful form, but they are eventually defeated by Jonathan and Charlotte. Afterward, everyone flees the castle and watch it collapse from a distance. Later, the twins, Jonathan, and Charlotte are visited in the fields outside by Eric's ghost, who advises his daughters and thanks Charlotte and Jonathan for destroying the curse before his spirit finally fades from existence. == Development ==

(shown in 2007), led Portrait of Ruins development team, aiming to expand on several aspects of their previous Nintendo DS title. Portrait of Ruin was published by Konami and developed by the same team that created Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. The team also included Shutaro Iida as a programmer. For Portrait of Ruin, Igarashi aimed to create something different as a challenge. Although long-time fans expressed disappointment at the departure from Ayami Kojima's art style, Igarashi decided to retain the anime-style for Portrait of Ruin in order to attract new users to the series. The two player gameplay was an homage to ''Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse'', which is both Igarashi and Iida's favorite Castlevania game. In order to emphasize the two player combat, the developers included simultaneous joint attacks as well as the ability to switch between characters. The music tracks are accessible in a "Sound Mode" that is unlocked after defeating Dracula. The Japanese voice director was Sumiko Shindo, whereas the English voice director was Crispin Freeman. Takahiro Sakurai voiced Jonathan Morris for the Japanese dialog, and Yumi Kakazu voiced Charlotte Aulin. Liam O'Brien and Stephanie Sheh provided the English voices for the main characters, Jonathan and Charlotte, respectively. The antagonist Brauner is voiced by Hisao Egawa in the Japanese release, while American voice actor Jamieson Price performed the English dialog. Norio Wakamoto and Douglas Rye voiced Dracula in the respective Japanese and North American releases. Eric Lecarde's voice actors are Kohei Fukuhara and David Vincent in Japanese and English, respectively. == Marketing and release ==

Nintendo announced a new Castlevania for the DS on October 5, 2005. Details of the game were not released until April 21, 2006, when Konami revealed the game's title and its World War II setting. Further information was publicized at various trade shows and conventions leading up to the game's release to stores. Konami revealed the game trailer on May 9, 2006, at its official E3 press conference. The next day of the trade event, the gaming press was able to play a game demo and learned more about the two character gameplay. Afterward, the publisher filed the English title with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 17, 2006. More information concerning online gameplay was released a few months later at the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con but details regarding implementation were still unconfirmed. At the 2006 Games Convention in Germany, Konami presented an updated version of Portrait of Ruin to the gaming press. In August, ahead of the Tokyo Game Show, Konami announced the game's Japanese release date and title. bundle. Several pieces of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin merchandise were released along with the game. Konami released an official strategy guide in Japan, whereas BradyGames released the official guide in North America. In celebration of the series' 20th anniversary, customers who pre-ordered Portrait of Ruin received a free "20th Anniversary Pre-order Bundle". The bundle includes a variety of Castlevania products contained in cardboard sleeve with a plastic seal of the Castlevania logo: a soundtrack CD of songs from the series, a series timeline poster featuring significant characters and in-game events, an art book featuring artwork throughout the series, a small DS game case designed to hold both Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin cartridges, and an extendable stylus. Later in March 2007, Konami released the game's soundtrack on a two CD set titled . == Reception ==

Prior to its release, previews for Portrait of Ruin expressed anticipation and reviewed the demonstrations at trade shows positively. Writing for 1UP.com, Jeremy Parish called the two-character gameplay "intriguing" and praised Yamane's return as composer. He further expressed excitement at several changes such as the removal of Dawn of Sorrows touchscreen gimmicks, the possibility of cooperative multiplayer and the inclusion of side-quests. IGN writer Nix lauded the visuals of the playable demonstration at the E3 trade show, calling it the "most gorgeous 2D Castlevania ever". While he noted that Konami was still balancing and fine-tuning the gameplay, he expressed faith that the final product would please fans. Portrait of Ruin received "generally favorable reviews" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Eurogamers Tom Bramwell compared the game negatively to Dawn of Sorrow, commenting that the exploration is more linear in Portrait of Ruin. While acknowledging the extra variety the two-character gameplay provided, he described it as awkward during puzzle solving and complicated during challenging scenarios. However, Bramwell noted that Portrait of Ruin made several improvements over its predecessor—the removal of the magic seal, the visuals, and the online modes—and that its target audience would likely enjoy the game. David Trammel of Nintendo World Report also praised all aspects of the audio, calling the sound effects and voice samples "superb". While he wrote that fans would be pleased with the music, Trammel commented that it was too "subtle and atmospheric" for the series. The staff of Game Informer magazine ranked Dracula the third "Top Villain of 2006", citing the final boss fight in Portrait of Ruin, and listed it as one of the "Top 50 Games of 2006", calling it "one of the best experiences in gaming". Furthermore, they awarded it "Handheld Game of the Month" for January 2007. Portrait of Ruin has received a positive retrospective reception years after its release as well. In a 2011 IGN retrospective about the Castlevania series on the Nintendo DS, Lucas Thomas described Portrait of Ruin as a "solid sequel" that improved on the concept of using two characters. He further wrote that the game was a good homage to the series for its 20th anniversary. Writing for GameZone that same year, Robert Workman ranked it the ninth best Castlevania game in the series, complimenting the title for its changes without sacrificing quality. Game Informers Tim Turi ranked the game as the 12th best Castlevania title in 2012. He praised the cooperative element and wrote that its design should be emulated more often. In 2023, IGN staff ranked the title as the 23rd "Best DS Game of All Time" in terms of innovatively using the system's hardware to push its series forward. == Legacy ==

Portrait of Ruin was followed by Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia in 2008 on the Nintendo DS. Developed by the same team, the game features a female protagonist and online multiplayer modes. Igarashi adopted the online cooperative gameplay for Portrait of Ruin as an experiment in network gameplay. Konami eventually released an online multiplayer-focused game in 2010, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, which features an ensemble of Castlevania characters, including Jonathan and Charlotte. The company also released a Pyramid level, based on Portrait of Ruins Egyptian-theme stage, as paid downloadable content for Harmony of Despair. On August 27, 2024, Portrait of Ruin was re-released as part of the Castlevania Dominus Collection for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S platforms alongside Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, and Haunted Castle Revisited. Famitsu writer Nishikawa commented that the compilation was a great deal and praised the features that the development company, M2, added. In describing the included titles, Nishikawa noted Portrait of Ruin for its combination of anime-style and serious atmosphere as well as the wide range of tactics the two character gameplay provides. Ollie Reynolds of Nintendo Life also praised the compilation, calling Portrait of Ruin and the other two Castlevania DS games the "peak" of the franchise. ==Notes==