Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is a 2006 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo DS handheld system. The game is the first in the Castlevania series to feature a cooperative multiplayer gameplay mode and the first handheld entry to have English voice-overs, outside of its original Japanese release.
The game is a continuation of the events from Castlevania: Bloodlines, a 1994 Sega Genesis title. Set in Europe during World War II, the story follows Jonathan Morris, the son of John Morris from Castlevania: Bloodlines, and Charlotte Aulin as they attempt to stop a vampire from resurrecting Dracula. The game expands on the two character gameplay found in Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow and adds new cooperative online functionality while foregoing much of the mechanics involving the Nintendo DS touch screen.
Portrait of Ruin received an overall positive critical response and several awards as one of the best Nintendo DS games. Critics praised the game's soundtrack, story, and cooperative mechanics, while some criticism was directed towards the gameplay. The game's two protagonists later appeared in the 2010 multiplayer focused title Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. In 2024, Portrait of Ruin was re-released as part of the multi-platform Castlevania Dominus Collection alongside Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, and Haunted Castle Revisited.
Gameplay
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. The player traverses Dracula's castle with the end goal of defeating Dracula. Aside from the castle, the main protagonists—Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin—explore other environments such as Egyptian-like deserts and London-like towns via painting-like portals dispersed throughout the castle. During the adventure, the heroes encounter 155 different enemies, which are kept track in a bestiary; 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.One of the main gameplay features is the ability to freely switch between two characters, similar to the "Julius mode" from Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. Jonathan and Charlotte can combine their powers to perform a powerful attack together known as "Dual Crush". 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.
Alternate modes
Portrait of Ruin features four single player modes and a "Boss Rush Mode" that can be played with either one or two players. Initially, the main story is playable only with Jonathan and Charlotte. After obtaining the canonical ending, the player will unlock a prologue to the main story, "Sisters Mode", and additional stages in the Boss Rush Mode. 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 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. In addition to the castle, the main characters explore various paintings that have been constructed by the villain Brauner. The paintings act as portals to new areas that feature appearances distinct from the main castle.Characters
The game features both returning characters from previous titles as well as those new to the series, such as the two main protagonists: Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin. Jonathan wields the legendary whip, "Vampire Killer", which was passed down to him by his father, John Morris from Castlevania: Bloodlines. As he is not a direct descendant of the Belmont clan, he is unable to unlock the Vampire Killer's full power without the assistance of a member of the Lecarde family. Charlotte is a mage and distant descendant of the Belnades clan. Assisting Jonathan and Charolette is a priest named Vincent Dorin, who acts as a merchant selling weapons, potions, and magic spells, as well as a ghost who introduces himself as "Wind" and provides the duo new skills and equipment after completing quests. Wind's identity is eventually revealed to be Eric Lecarde, who once fought alongside John Morris to slay Dracula in Bloodlines.Similar to other Castlevania games, the main villain is Dracula who serves as the game's final boss. Portrait of Ruin introduces three new vampires who have taken control of Dracula's castle. Leading them is Brauner, who recreated Dracula's castle using the souls of the dead from World War II in order to draw power from the castle to destroy humanity. During World War I, Brauner's daughters were killed, igniting a disdain towards humanity. Brauner is able to construct paintings containing pocket dimensions that harness the castle's power for his own purposes. He is joined by twin vampire 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.