Castlevania swoops back on to DS

Friday 21 April 2006
Konami's long running vampire action series Castlevania will return to Nintendo DS this November with Portrait of Ruin.

The new game is being devised by series creator Koji Igarashi and will feature a new character swapping system. Gamers will be able to flick between control of vampire hunter Jonathan Morris and a young girl with magical powers called Charlotte Orlean, who have joined forces to foil a plot to resurrect Dracula's Castle.

The original DS Castlevania game, Dawn of Sorrows, is an excellent 2D platformer that uses the touch-screen and stylus for the spell casting. Expect Portrait of Ruin to provide similar action but with a new Summon ability added, which allows either character to rope in demons to assists in battles.

With a World War II setting featuring all new locations and 100 new enemies to scrap with, there will be plenty for fans of the gothic saga to get their teeth into.