TwiddleGeek

It’s hard to believe there was a time, after Symphony of the Night but before the GBA series, when it seemed we might never see another good 2D Castlevania. Thankfully Konami’s been churning them out like clockwork since the GBA, and each one is just as fun as the last to play. I’m really digging what I’ve played of Portrait of Ruin so far. The two character mechanic is just really cool. It’s great being able to switch between them on the fly, but the real kicker is the ability to have the AI control the second character.

Though I’m sure many will use Jonathan as their main character, but I’m actually having more fun as Charlotte. Her book attacks are fun to use and her magic is strong enough to take out rows of enemies at a time. It’s just nice to be able to switch between them at any time, rather than having to choose one or the other from the start. It’s also great to see many of the series’ staple monsters made the transition over to Portrait of Ruin.

Finally made it to the end of Portrait of Ruin. The timer only says a little over 5 hours, but it felt like it’s been a lot longer. I think the trouble with games like this can be that I sometimes feel like I’ve seen it all after only an hour or two. Still, I love every new Castlevania anyway, especially since all the ones are following in the tradition of Symphony of the Night. Always great fighting my favorite monsters again.

I have to give Portrait of Ruin props for being much harder than Dawn of Sorrow or any other recent Castlevania in memory. Not only is the castle itself fairly challenging for once, the bosses can be downright hard. Take for example the vampire sisters, they have an attack that can kill in a single hit. Ouch!