Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (NDS)

A deep, dark castle.  Very thin lighting.  Walking through a hallway, the eyes of the portraits following me.  It isn't a trick of the mind, they are actually following.  A crash of thunder and a flash of lightning.  All these things are what come to mind when I remember playing this game.

Castlevania is one of those series that I can get immersed in and really feel like I am in the castle itself.  This game is no different.  I enjoy the setup of this one quite a bit.  Taking place in a time where having Dracula around is not only convenient, it borderlines on destruction is great.  The characters are good and it fits into the timeline nicely.

Having essentially two characters to play as really does add to the puzzle solving that is a staple of the series.  It also introduces some interesting aspects to combat.  There are some frustrating fights, especially what you have to do to get the best ending but the switching gimmick and the two different combat styles are great all around.

This is a fun game and I wish that more games like it would come out.  From what I've seen with what Konami has done with the Castlevania series, I'm not too happy.  I don't mind them trying to expand their horizons but the Lords of Shadow series don't really appeal to me.  Give me more games like this and I would be happy.