Genre: Action
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Release Date: November 2006

Back in May, I played Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin at E3, and was forced by long routine – I’m kind of a psychotic Castlevania fanboy – to come on here and rave about it. Today, I played a newer build which included more of the game’s story, and in turn, shed more light on how Portrait of Ruin will play.

As noted before, Portrait of Ruin is set in 1944, during World War II. The anguish and despair of millions of the souls of the recently slain have caused Dracula’s Castle to rise again, but this time, Dracula is not in control of it.

Instead, a vampire named Brauner has taken possession of the castle, and is using magical paintings to harness and control the castle’s power. These paintings form gateways to other realms and worlds, and further, provide a sort of magical barrier around the heart of the castle itself. In other words, if Brauner is to be defeated, the worlds inside his paintings must be conquered.

Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Orlean enter the plot at this point. Charlotte is a young magician of some small reputation, while Jonathan wields, but cannot truly use, the powerful Vampire Killer whip, the ancestral weapon of the Belmonts. In his hands, it’s just a weak length of chain, which is outclassed by virtually every other weapon in the game. Why Jonathan can’t use the powers of the Vampire Killer is a dangling plotline at this point, but it may involve his late father, John Morris, one of the heroes of Castlevania: Bloodlines.

Portrait of Ruin handles the characters’ powers and abilities differently from the past “Metroidvania” games in the series. Both Jonathan and Charlotte have eight equipment slots: head, body, feet, weapon, two accessories, a team-up move, and one that changes between them.

Jonathan can find and equip relics that allow him to use the traditional Castlevania subweapons, such as the boomerang or throwing knife, whereas Charlotte can equip skills in the corresponding slot. Her relics grant her various magical spells, such as summoning monsters or throwing giant fireballs. You can also burn most of your MP to throw out a combination attack, which is granted by equipping yet another found relic.

Jonathan and Charlotte share the same health meter, and when both characters are onscreen at the same time, damage dealt to the secondary character depletes your MP instead of your HP. You can also guide your secondary character where you need him or her to go with the DS’s stylus, switch between them on the fly by pressing the X button, or summon your backup character to stand where you need them to stand by pressing down and X at the same time.

The game’s supporting cast at this point includes a befuddled priest who’ll assist Jonathan and Charlotte by selling them items and equipment, and Wind, the ghost of a sorcerer who deliberately bound himself to Dracula’s castle. By taking on quests from Wind, you’ll be given spells and relics that’ll assist your progress through the game; the first quest, for example, has you shopping for a Castle Map in exchange for the relic that allows Jonathan to do a sliding kick.

Portrait of Ruin seemed to be fairly close to complete when I played it, with an expansive castle, multiple realms, and a host of giant new monsters. As far as multiplayer functionality goes, Konami’s still being a little close-mouthed about it, but they let slip that you’ll be able to play through the Boss Rush mode cooperatively, with one player controlling Jonathan, and the other, Charlotte.

There’s not much else to say about Portrait of Ruin, honestly, except that it’s another Castlevania game: vast, addictive, and unlike the last couple of games, genuinely difficult. I’m looking forward to it.