Update: November 16, 2006
«©NCSX» The year is 1944 and a wracked Europe suffers under the drumbeat of war. Against the backdrop of widespread carnage, two red-eyed sisters in Victorian cocktail dresses conspire to revive the Lord of Vampires. To confront the dark undertaking afoot, a new hunter named Jonathan Morris takes up the whip and embarks on a mission deep into vampire territory. Joining him for the ride is the willowy Charlotte Orlean (in the Japanese game, her name is spelled out as Charotte Aulin) who battles with a book. No typo. When attacking, Charlotte pushes a hardcover tome in front of her with conviction while grunting out three different battle cries. Movement is controlled through the d-pad and the face buttons perform actions although the stylus is used to select menu items. View the back cover and screenshots on the main NCSX website. NCS Game Notes
» Selections on the title screen: Game Start
Shop Mode
Co-op Mode
Boss Rush Mode
Options
Ranking » Soon after starting the game, players may design an emblem with a rudimentary art program. » In the into to the game, the two heroes are shown fighting mummies and performing various attacks and special abilities. There's one sequence where Jonathan leaps up over a crowd of zombies and launches a number of flying starts which dig deep into the faces and bodies of the undead below. » During the game, pressing the SELECT button toggles the top NDS screen between a map screen and characters stats screen where the portraits and attributes of both characters are shown. Current HP, experience, and amount of enemies killed are also listed. » Controls
Y........Attack
A........Call Partner
B........Jump
X........Change Character
R........Partner Skill
L........Backdash » Jonathan's weapon is a straightforward whip which juts forward and then retracts. It's not the beautifully versatile whip that we dangled in the Super Famicom version of Akumajou Dracula. In that earlier game, the whip could be directed in different directions and dangled. When dangling, moving the d-pad would send the whip whipping in different directions. We miss that. » Players may toggle between Jonathan and Charlotte by pressing the "X" button. If you're on Jonathan and do the switch, he'll say Charlotte's name as she takes over. If you're on Charlotte while performing the character change, she'll say, "Jonathan." The default setting for movement is a single character running alone but the partner may join him on screen by pressing the X button once. Press it again and both heroes appear on screen at the same time. Two characters on screen at once are required for some simple puzzles such as one in the beginning where both have to stand on a platform to bring down a drawbridge into the castle. » One blow makes an enemy zombie shudder but the second blow completely severs it in half from the torso as the upper meaty portion slides backwards while the legs stop dead in their tracks before disappearing. » There's one point in the first stage where Jonathan has to break columns in front of him while a Minotaur creature that's been disemboweled crawls from the left to the right. Wreck the columns quickly and reach open space to avoid the slow but unstoppable passage of the wretched creature. As it passes, its rib cage and bloody stump of a body may be viewed. » To save your progress, press up in front of the stone angels with blue light shining on the ground in front of them. » A wandering monk serves as merchant and peddler in the game. Walk up to him and press up on the D-pad to view his selection of elixirs, potions, weapons, and armor. He sells brass knuckles for a measly 200 gold and Blade-like shades for 200. The most expensive item in his wares is a magic ring which goes for 200,000 gold. After exiting the peddler's makeshift shop, he'll cheerfully bellow out, "Arigato Gozaimasu" as you go on your way. » If you leave the game on while closing the two halves of the NDS together, you'll hear the slamming of a door. This document is ©NCSX 2006. All rights reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part of this document may be made without express written consent of National Console Support, Inc. From the publisher
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin lets players switch freely between Jonathan and Charlotte as they proceed on their mission, each with their own strengths, abilities and style of play. Celebrating 20 years of vampire hunting action, the legendary Castlevania series is back with an all-new action packed adventure. Take control of two heroes, Jonathan Morris, a vampire hunter and his close friend Charlotte Orlean, a girl with tremendous magical ability. Amidst the chaos of World War II, two mysterious sisters emerge, working to resurrect Dracula and David and Charlotte are all that stand in their way. Game Features
» Two new playable characters, each with their own unique style of play and abilities
» Strategically switch between characters in the heat of the action
» Call on your partner and execute Summon Attacks to decimate your enemies
» Encounter over 100 diverse enemies in your adventure to stop Dracula's resurrection
» Original storyline set during World War II
» Collect items, weapons and magic as you explore the castle
» Explore several environments new to the series, such as the Desert, abandoned cities and more
» Play with your friends in unlockable multi-player modes
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