One of the first games I ever bought for my NES back in the day was the very first Castlevania. I had some great times with that game, and I still regret selling my original NES and forgoing any chance to play it anytime again in the future should I get nostalgic for that time. Thankfully, Konami continues to pop Castlevania games out on a regular basis, and though the 3D iterations have often failed to impress, the 2D side-scrollers still manage to thrill fans time after time.

THE STORY SO FAR
The year is 1944, and with World War II going on, all the evil that rests in men's hearts, pouring forth day after day as people kill each other and do other atrocious acts upon their fellow man, has released a negative energy that has summoned forth Dracula's castle. Taking to the cause, Jonathan Morris (the seemingly heir apparent to the Belmont legacy who has so far been unable to properly wield the power of the whip) and Charlotte Aulin (a powerful sorceress who is a good friend to Jonathan) head out to the castle to vanquish the evil before it can commit any wrongs. What they find there is a massive labyrinth filled with ghastly creatures, ghosts of spirits past, and a family of vampires…none named Dracula. Who are these mysterious vampires and where is Dracula?

Unlike a few of the earlier games in the series, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (POR from here on out) actually does indeed have a story, and it is a pretty good one at that. Now, that doesn't mean to go expecting any great work of literature while you are playing, because the narrative is rather light in that you only occasionally get an in-game cutscene with a few lines of text sprinkled about, but when you do get those moments it makes for an interesting time and compels you forward to see what happens next.

SINGLE PLAYER: GAMEPLAY
POR uses the side scrolling sensibility of the original game on the NES, but it focus on the more exploration idea started during the Symphony of the Night days. Given that aspect, the series plays like a more gothic version of the Metroid franchise, as you have a vast network of rooms you must traverse through, and generally the game does a great job of secretly guiding you forward to the end of the game, because though you'll have to work your way through the castle to find where you are going, you'll often run into roadblocks that impede your progress, and you'll only be able to advance that way once you get the required move (like a slide or double jump).

New to the series is the tag team aspect of the game, as you have instant access to both Jonathan and Charlotte at the same time, so you can switch between both on the fly depending on either which character you like the most or best suits a situation, or you can choose to play as one while the other automatically controls by itself and does battle with you. You'll also use your partner to stand on levers, help you push objects, jump on their shoulders to jump higher, and you'll combine to perform super powerful moves once you've completely filled your magic meter.

As for the two characters themselves, Jonathan plays like your traditional Castlevania character, as he has whips, swords, maces, and spears that he can equip to do battle with, while Charlotte (though she can physically attack with spell books) mostly does battle with spells. You can also equip the two players with a variety of equipment that will boost defense and other traits like mental abilities, strength, etc. The characters will also get stronger as you play through the game, as you gain experience points and levels by battling enemies, plus by doing combat you can run across special abilities to help you through the game, such as being able to throw axes, summon skeletons, etc.

Throughout the game, you'll also be able to go on quests, such as collecting certain items, and upon delivering to Wind (the man who gives you the quests) he'll grant you new abilities to help you while battling. For completists, the quests will be a fun journey, but otherwise you often don't have a clear idea where you are supposed to go, and will instead occasionally get lucky and stumble upon what you were looking for.

MULTIPLAYER: GAMEPLAY
By using local wireless or connecting of Nintendo's Wi-Fi, you can participate in some co-op with other players, where you'll tackle certain levels to get top times, such as advancing through room after room, battling the larger monsters you encounter throughout the game. The levels are pretty fun, but ultimately aren't all that amazing and more of an afterthought; let players play through the whole game together and now that would've been some great co-op. You can also setup shop within the game, where you can sell and trade goods with other players, that you might've stumbled upon in your game but another player hasn't ran across yet.

GRAPHICS
The human characters are a bit weak in the graphical department for the sheer fact that some details, such as faces, are hardly there and only barely visible. However, the enemies are really something, as they all have a unique style about them, and though some have repeated throughout the past games, there are some new monsters I haven't noticed before, like evil maids and an invisible man who rips off his coat and attacks you in his invisible state. The larger enemies are the top of the top though, such as giant skeleton dragons and sphinx heads with bodies made of sand, as they are both visually appealing and well-designed, but the animations are what really sell them as they move very fluidly. The environments and magical abilities look pretty good as well, though the environments are often pretty drab and textures repeat often if you are wandering the same area of the castle for any length of time.

SOUND
The sound work is really great, ranging from Jonathan's enemy stabs to Charlotte's ice shard spell all the way to the sand worms attacking. The music is also especially good, as it sets the tone and ambience of the game by providing a gothic soundtrack that is at times a bit nerve inducing and yet rousing and adventurous; you'll certainly feel like a vampire hunter stalking through an ancient and cursed castle.

IN CONCLUSION
Though it is true that Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin doesn't do much different from past games in the series, it still remains a gameplay formula that is engaging and fun from beginning to end. If you bought the last DS game (Dawn of Sorrow) and found yourself wanting more, as long as you don't miss the system found in that game in which you collected souls, Portrait of Ruin will still be a great time to be had. Castlevania still remains one of the best franchises around today.

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