PoR has many moments that makes this maybe the best DS game. With an outstanding storyline, this is not a bad game.
Castlevannia has been an awkard series to me. You honestly can't remember all of those on so many systems they have encountered in the past. I, for once, actually got a piece of what the Castlevannia series has been hiding for so long. I first thought this series was sort of an extra toward Nintendo's point of view, but I actually thought this is maybe the best Game Boy DS game ever displayed on my two screens. The game is really not about just encountering foes by yourself, but to do great and unforgiving combo attacks with your friend. Another surprise Portrait of Ruin was the fact that this game had a wi-fi connection. It was sort of disapointing since I thought the game was actually going to be played on the adventure for co-op, but it was fun doing the game's way. The co-op is sort of testing your strengths of your player that you been so longing testing for in the adventure. You go through hordes of enemies and see how far with your partner that you will survive. This game will surely try to test your coordinating skills at the end.
Gameplay is at it's top notch preformance. Honestly, you can't get no better than having a second nature with your character. Switching characters, Johnathan and Charlette, is really easy to maneveur, but one thing that really affects the gameplay is the seriousness your character plays in his' or her's part. Johnathan will constantley always will do the same attack with the weapon or item, and the manuever button he preforms is really lame. Doing the same, Charlette will hit things with a book, and sometimes have some lame jumps, like the broom between her you know what. At the end, you won't be disappointed at that kind of gameplay spots.
The story is not bad at all. In fact, this story will keep you in the basket until you beat the rest of the game. The game has potential, and it's very, very long. You will go through Protraits which leads you to that Artist's world and defeat that boss and get that power-up. Sure, sounds a lot like Metroid Prime, but it's really not that similar. Castlevannia is really an RPG, not one of those games that just let you level by getting power-ups. The bad thing is that the bosses are really sometimes hard to figure out what their weaknesses are, and sometime they are dumb that their weakness are themselves. The bosses will also consume some time since they are very tough to figure out how many potions you will need to heal in battle. The best part is the story, and you shouldn't have to be sad in this part.
The sound is mind blowing for trying to fit it into a handheld game. There is voice acting, not in the text parts but in the fighting, and there is great sounds effects that are concealed in that dual screen's speakers. Every enemies dies in a lovely sympathy that will makes you want to kill them to see how they react. Another good moment in the game is the game's music. Every Portrait or section in the castle will let you think how much time they put into the music in the game. Good, great, and superb is all that matters in this part of the review.
The graphics is a standard looking 2D game you may find on the Super Nintendo. Although, some of the creatures and backgrounds are 3D, you will find it interesting. The character models look better than most game since they have their own physics and movement when they interact. You will, however, find some of the graphics to be a little dated on how they move on some enemies, such as the maids. The graphics is not a particapating group in this game.
In conclusion, this game is superb. You will encounter many moments that will let you interact with the story or with your friend. With a $40 tag, you shouldn't miss any dollars that you spent on this spectular game which will treat you for many months to come for the DS.