Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin review

 you will love this. just like symphony of the night & dawn of sorrow (and apparently aria of sorrow but never played that) -- it's a blast. lots of sidequests & secrets, it uses the same levelling up system & map systems of the others, but there are warp rooms to different areas, too. so while the main castle isn't as big as in dawn of sorrow, the game area is actually bigger. totally awesome purchase for ds

If you've never played a Castlevania game before, they revolve around exploration of a Dracula's castle. You play as Jonathan and Charlotte as a type of co-op. I'm a huge fan of Castlevania and this one does not disappoint. It has some interesting aspects that are new to the series. The title, "Portrait of Ruin," is used because although the story takes place in Dracula's castle, there are many portraits that take you into little mini zones you must clear. I felt like this added a unique aspect to the game and allowed the developers to change up the scenery instead of the typical castle. You also control 2 different characters, which is new. This aspect is ok, I felt like I could do without it.