Fun, but drags severely over the final third of the game. And they really need to ditch the anime.
User Rating: 7 | Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin DS
I have no problem with anime, but I must say that the Castlevania series is NOT meant to feature a cartoony art style. It completely undermines the subject matter, as opposed to the grittier and darker style of the GBA Castlevanias (the last one I played was Circle of the Moon). But other than that, the visuals are gorgeous and the music is fitting. Most of the levels are nice and varied and the vibrant colors really make them jump out at you, but this comes at the expense of the game's atmosphere.
The game plays well and the locations are varied and interesting... Except for one small thing: half the areas are rehashes of previously visited locations, with the only difference being a new color pallette. It feels very cheap to the point where I sort of felt ripped off at the end, but fortunately the core gameplay is still fun enough to justify a purchase. I do wish it was more challenging, though.
