The naming convention for Castlevania games has become an unintentional running gag. Ever since Rondo of Blood each game name has been a combination of beauty and evil; Portrait of Ruin, Aria of Sorrow and Harmony of Dissonance are the foremost examples. Today we have a name that I swore was a joke, then turned out to be an honest-to-god iPhone game - Castlevania: Encore of the Night.
Dracula seems to rise up every year now. Hey, we're not about to complain - every time he shows up, the world is treated to another adventurous vampire hunt that trumps practically every other 2D game out there. Portrait of Ruin already feels like it won't be the exception to the Castlevania rule.
You can switch between whip-wielding Jonathan Morris and magical sorceress Charlotte Orlean. With a simple button press, you can switch between these two any time, and even summon the other down to
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,
We just can't kill Dracula enough. After last year's utterly outstanding adventure, Dawn of Sorrow, you'd be right to wonder how Konami could top its soul-stealing action. How about controlling two characters at once and summoning demons to do your bidding? That might work.
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin will take a stab at outdoing one of 2005's best games when it arrives on November 15. You'll be able to switch between vampire hunter Jonathan Morris and magic-wielding Charlotte Orlean at any
Back in ye olde days of 8-bit gaming, we didn't have teh interwebs or in-depth FAQs to get us through hours of repetitive dungeons and mindless enemies. We had to do it all ourselves, patiently praying for a wave of cheat codes to come in the next issue of Nintendo Power. Then, after countless hours (literally, because no game would count the hours) we'd see the ending... just to view another 8-bit sunset.
Seriously. Another one. How many games do you think end with a scene of the main
Today, we got a much deeper look at the new Castlevania game than we'd ever gotten before. Though it was announced before the show, all we really knew was that it would feature two characters. We now know that these two can work together in various different ways, and that the game features a slight departure from the castle-based design of the last several titles.
The "tactical soul system" from Dawn of Sorrow (DS) and Aria of Sorrow (GBA) has been scrapped in favor of more traditional
If you've been a happy Game Boy or DS owner at any point in the past five years, you're likely a fan of the immortal Castlevania series. Each one pits a lone hero against the forces of Dracula, but the latest entry in the series, Portrait of Ruin, bucks that trend by teaming you up with a magical young girl. To get the straight talk on the change, and just generally gush a little praise, we sat down with series creator Koji "IGA" Igarashi and composer Michiru Yamane.
GamesRadar: Portrait of
It's gotten to the point where we can't even walk to the mailbox without an EB Games employee asking us to pre-order a game or buy a strategy guide. Usually you can tune them out and politely say "Hell no," but when the incentive is as bad ass as the one for Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, there's no acceptable answer other than "please, may I order two?"
Those who dip into the vast well of this bonus will receive a 48-page art book, a soundtrack CD collecting some of the series' best music
What began as a bizarre shot in the dark has fast become one of the biggest success stories in video games. Even though its first six months were rough and questionable, the DS currently owns the handheld market, and with good reason. There's literally something for everyone on the dual-screened portable, and its beautiful cosmetic makeover (known as the DS Lite) made the device all the more palatable to hardcore and casual gamers alike. With its mixture of brain teasing puzzle games,
Another year, another Castlevania, right? Aside from a few brief lapses, we've been enjoying a quality castle quest every year since 1997's Symphony of the Night. With that one game, the entire series changed - instead of a straightforward action-slashfest, the games became an open-ended exploration of Dracula's castle, riddled with secret passageways, hidden bosses and an untold number of bonus features.
That tradition continues with Portrait of Ruin. Even though we've long since finished the
