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The year is 1944. [[World War II]] is in full effect; death is common and souls are restless. It is therefore unsurprising that Dracula's castle has revealed itself at this time.
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And to top it all off, Jonathan can't even use his whip correctly.
 
''Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin'' is a [[Nintendo DS]] game released in 2006 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the ''[[Castlevania (Video Game)|Castlevania]]'' series. It boasts a two-character tag system that allows the two characters to work together frequently, an experience-based subweapon system for Jonathan and casting time-based magic system for Charlotte, and a number of non-castle venues accessible via the various portraits. Extra characters and level limits extend the replay value, including one mode controlled entirely with the touchscreen.
 
Feedback has been largely positive, despite the frequent criticism of the game's anime-based artwork and design, as well as the uncreative second half of the game ([[Symphony of the Night|a run through 4 levels that are largely simple alterations of previous ones]]). And the glitches.
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{{tropelist}}
=== ''Portrait Of Ruin'' provides examples of: ===
* [[Acting for Two]]: [[Mariko Suzuki]] provides the voices of the twins', Stella and Loretta, voices.
* [[Adam Smith Hates Your Guts]]: Vincent is ''incredibly'' ungrateful for Charlotte rescuing him from vampirism. It doesn't even affect the ending, let alone reduce his prices for items.
** Actually, no. There ''is'' a minor change in the ending (Vincent says something along the lines of "I haven't been cured yet!" instead of "Hey! I'm right here!")
* [[American Kirby Is Hardcore]]: Interestingly, Eric {{spoiler|AKA Wind}} looks closer to how he did in the US version of ''Bloodlines'' than the original and PAL ones ([https://web.archive.org/web/20141103021256/http://www.castlevaniadungeon.net/Gamesgames/cvbforeign.html see here] {{spoiler|[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/castlevania/images/2/23/Wind_from_Website.JPG and here]}}). This is probably the result of him being 27 years older in ''Portrait of Ruin.''
* [[And Now for Something Completely Different]]: The basic exploratory nature of the [[Metroidvania]] titles remains the same, except that now you can enter paintings with their own mini-world levels in them. Some of the paintings depict settings that just don't normally occur in Castlevania, such as a massive underground pyramid full of Egyptian mummies, a twisted war-torn carnival of the damned, or an early 20th Century European city.
* [[Art Attacker]]: Brauner. When you fight him, he paints on an easel with blood, making a pattern on the screen that damages you when you touch it. He also uses [[Art Initiates Life]] to summon monsters by painting them.
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* [[Black Magician Girl]]: Charlotte and Loretta.
* [[Bloody Murder]]: <s>"The Art of Blood!"</s> [[Engrish|"Blood Art Technique!"]]
* [[Bonus Boss]]: Whip's Memory, which takes the form of {{spoiler|[[Castlevania: Rondo of Blood|Richter]] [[Castlevania: Symphony of the Night|Belmont]]}} and serves as the training needed to unlock {{spoiler|the Vampire Killer's [[Infinity Plus One+1 Sword|true power]]}}. The [[Bonus Dungeon]] is also full of them.
* [[Boobs of Steel]]: Stella has the biggest boobs of the game, and she's also the strongest female character (and the only female in the storyline who uses physical attacks a lot).
* [[Brainwashed and Crazy]]: {{spoiler|Stella and Loretta}}.
* [[But Now I Must Go]]: {{spoiler|Eric}}
* [[Canon Dis ContinuityDiscontinuity]]: This game's pre-order bonuses removed [[Circle of the Moon]] and the N64 titles from this status (while preserving ''Legends's'' status as this).
* [[Cannot Spit It Out]]: You know, John, you could've saved your kid a lot of angst {{spoiler|if you just told him about the drawbacks of the whip right off the bat instead of keeping him [[Locked Out of the Loop]].}}
* [[Cerebus Retcon]]: The Vampire Killer is, and always has been, an [[Artifact of Doom]] that drains the life of those who wield it, at least if one is not a Belmont.
* [[Chest Monster]]: They can't fool anybody, because in this game, unlike ''[[Castlevania: Chronicles of Sorrow (Video Game)|Dawn of Sorrow]]'', there are ''no regular chests'', just those mimics.
* [[Circus of Fear]]: Two of the levels are ([[Alien Geometries|literally]]) twisted war-torn circus wastelands. If that makes sense.
** Actually, [[It Makes Sense in Context|it does]], given [[World War II|the time period the game is set in]] ([[The Holocaust|and what's going on in the background]]), and the power of Dracula's Castle just enhanced the dimension of the painting.
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* [[The Comically Serious]]: Every time during a dialogue, Jonathan's facial display doesn't seem so comic even in [[Funny Moments]].
* [[Continuity Nod]]: Many parts of the "Great Staircase" area, such as stair rooms with the hill guards or the staircases with the skeleton gunmen, are quite recognizable to anyone who has played ''[[Symphony of the Night]]''.
** Once considered a [[Gaiden Game]] for not starring a Belmont, Portrait ties ''[[Castlevania Bloodlines]]'' into the main continuity. It also clears up the identity of a [[Castlevania: Symphony of the Night|certain spear]] that got [[Lost in Translation]].
** Also, in the Nest of Evil, almost all of the bosses are from [[Dawn of Sorrow]], but there are a couple which are instead from [[Symphony of the Night]].
** The music leading to {{spoiler|Dracula's throne}} is the music for the approach to Dracula's throne in ''[[Castlevania III]]''.
* [[Cute Witch]]: Charlotte, but [[Just a Kid|she doesn't like to be identified as such]]. Loretta may count too, as an evil version, though. And the mook witches.
* [[DaddysDaddy's Little Villain]]: Played with. Stella and Loretta act independently of Brauner to attack the heroes, despite him insisting they stay somewhere safe. {{spoiler|They're also [[Brainwashed and Crazy]] and not really his daughters.}}
* [[Dark Action Girl]]: Stella
* [[Disc One Nuke]]: The Nintendo WFC shop mode allows you to obtain powerful equipment (such as the Rose Stem Whip) much sooner than you'd get them offline. Ditto for local wireless shop mode, if you happen to know someone who also has the game is further along in their save file than you.
** Likewise the Shuriken subweapon, which is one of the best skills in the game. It can easily be bought before the first portrait, and mastered before the second one is finished.
* [[Distracted Byby the Sexy]]: One of the female bosses can charm Jonathan to her side. One of the male demons can be charmed by Charlotte.
* [[Distressed Damsel in Distress]]: Stella and Loretta turn out to be two.
* [[Dual Boss]]: In a series first, {{spoiler|Death and Dracula fight together for the [[Final Boss]] battle.}}
** Don't forget Stella and Loretta.
** There's also the ''[[Castlevania III: DraculasDracula's Curse|Dracula's Curse]]'' protagonists (minus Alucard) who, much like their appearance in ''[[Castlevania: Symphony of the Night|Symphony of the Night]]'', show up as bosses, though here it's in the [[Bonus Dungeon|optional Nest of Evil area]]. With all of them attacking at once, that makes this a TRIO boss.
** Also in Nest of Evil, the first room on one of the lower floors has two of the Frankenstein's monsters you fight in Dark Academy.
* [[Duel Boss]]: The Whips Memory, AKA {{spoiler|Richter Belmont}}.
* [[Elegant Gothic Lolita]]: The vampire twins, each with [[Mismatched Eyes]].
* [[Emotionless Girl]]: Loretta
* [[Expy]]: The Lecarde sisters are [[Rozen Maiden|Suiseiseki and Souseiseki]]. [[Sibling Yin -Yang|Same dispositions/demeanors]], [[Elegant Gothic Lolita|same style wardrobe]], [[Mismatched Eyes|same heterochromatic configurations]], same associated weapon themes (except they exchanged, and the water is frozen).
* [[Four Is Death]]: Death himself has [[Fridge Brilliance|4444 HP]], which has been a trend for him throughout the [[Metroidvania]] titles.
* [[Game Breaking Bug]]: Aside from the occasional freeze glitches, there's a glitch that makes the game [[Unwinnable]] if you skip the dialogue after you battle Death.
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** To a lesser extent, the Vampire killer. The story makes a big deal as to how the whip's power is important, but unlocking its power is entirely optional and has no effect on the ending, although unlocking it at some point is required to unlock the {{spoiler|Richter and Maria Renard extra mode.}}
* [[High Collar of Doom]]: Brauner
* {{spoiler|[[Hijacked Byby Ganon|Hijacked By Dracula]]: The only reason that this comes as a surprise at all is because Dracula's explicitly mentioned as being absent at the start of the game. The end of the game makes it clear that he was never ''absent'', just suppressed by Brauner.}}
* [[Hockey Mask and Chainsaw]]
* [[Holy Hand Grenade]]: The Holy Water, Cross, and Bible are still this trope, along with several spells, and the unlocked Vampire Killer.
* [[Homage]]: The Lecarde sisters, as mentioned previously. Neither of them [[Verbal Tic|says]] "[[Memetic Mutation|Desu]]", though. That would be [[The Grim Reaper|a different character altogether]].
* [[An Ice Person]]: Loretta specializes in Ice magic. {{spoiler|While her method of attack is indeed ice-elemental in Sisters mode, you don't get access to either of the sisters' boss form attacks}}.
* [[I Let You Win]]: Death claims to have held back. If so, that [[One -Hit Kill|"I see your death" attack]] of his may have been a bit over the top.
* [[Just a Kid]]: [[Running Gag]] with Charlotte (16) who doesn't like being treated like a child.
** It should be noted {{spoiler|that once cured with the Sanctuary spell, Stella refers to Charlotte as Miss Charlotte, most likely in gratitude of being cured. Charlotte doesn't mind}}.
* [[Lag Cancel]]: The backdash and land cancel still exist from previous games. Many of the subweapons can get a crazy rate of fire.
* [[Large Ham]]: Brauner, particularly in {{spoiler|his boss battle.}}
{{quote| '''Brauner''': ''BLOOD-ART TECHNIQUE! A PAINTING OF THE '''SOUL!!''' I'LL MAKE '''YOU''' MY '''MASTERPIECE!!!''' '' '''''[[Punctuated! forFor! Emphasis!|THIS...]]''''' ''[[Punctuated! forFor! Emphasis!|IS]]'' '''''[[Punctuated! forFor! Emphasis!|ART]]!!!!!'''''}}
* [[Last -Disc Magic]]: The Greatest Five Dual Crush, {{spoiler|which summons, in order, Richter, Leon, Trevor, Juste, and Simon Belmont. Trevor and Simon would also appear in their original NES sprites.}}
* [[Lethal Joke Item]]: The cream pie, once mastered. {{spoiler|It is very effective against the Whip's Memory (Richter Belmont) once mastered, as it does Dark damage, his elemental weakness, as well as being easy on the MP (allowing for spamming) and decent range.}}
* [[Lighter and Softer]]: Significantly so compared to most of the other Castlevania games in spite of being set during the disastrous second World War, if you give it an observation.
** Especially when compared to [[Symphony of the Night]], the first Metroidvania. Note that Alucard is a loner all the way through that game, while in this game Jonathan and Charlotte are trusted partners all the way through.
* [[Line -of -Sight Name]]: The ghost seemingly has no name ({{spoiler|until he turns out to be Eric Lecarde}}), but names himself after the first thing that comes to mind. In this case, blowing Wind.
* [[Looks Like Orlok]]: Brauner fits this vampire design, despite his dignity, formal attire, and [[High -Class Glass|monocle]].
* [[Love Makes You Evil]]: Brauner was driven to evil when his daughters were killed in [[World War I]].
** The boss Astarte can seduce Jonathan to her side, resulting in the player ending as Charlotte and poor, deluded Jonathan attacking her relentlessly. 'Tis best to die at that point and start the battle anew...
* [[Mana Shield]]: When your partner takes damage, it goes to MP. If you run out of MP this way, your partner goes [[Party in My Pocket|back to your pocket]]. {{spoiler|An equippable item allows you to set it back to HP.}}
* [[Mismatched Eyes]]: Stella and Loretta have one green and one red eye {{spoiler|while under Brauner's control}}, but which eye is which color is different for each sister.
* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: {{spoiler|After Jonathan and Charlotte defeat Brauner, Death comes in and finishes him off, revealing that the last obstacle to Dracula's resurrection has been removed}}.
** {{spoiler|To be fair, Brauner was going to destroy the world if he was left unchecked, so it's more of a "damned if you, damned if you don't" situation.}}
* [[Nice Job Fixing It, Villain]]: {{spoiler|Brauner made two grievous errors: First, he didn't keep Stella and Loretta on a tight enough leash and second, if he had to brainwash them, than he should not have allowed them to enter his headquarters.}}
* [[Non -Lethal KO]]: Getting reduced to 0 HP by the {{spoiler|[[Bonus Boss|Whip's Memory/Richter Belmont]]}} will simply {{spoiler|boot you back to the castle's dining room with all HP and MP intact instead of causing a [[Game Over]]. Any items you use during the fight will not be restored.}}
* [[Not Completely Useless]]: Sanctuary and Undead Killer. The former takes a long time to cast and the other does relatively little damage, but the former is required to get to the endgame, and both can render [[Goddamned Bats|the Red Skeletons and Red Armours]] [[Deader Than Dead]].
** Undead Killer is also arguably the second best whip to the fully powered Vampire Killer, being mostly similar but downgraded in power and with the aforementioned Red Skeleton and Red Armour killing ability.
* [[Panty Shot]]: Vacuum+Charlotte=Fun. Actually, Charlotte gets a lot, start with her crouch pose and work your way up from there.
** You can get even by casting Tempest near the said enemies to blow up their skirts in turn.
* [[Party in My Pocket|Partner In My Pocket]]: Apparently, this isn't just visual shorthand. Go stand next to Vincent, put away your partner and hold Up for a while. Likely related to how [[Castlevania III: DraculasDracula's Curse|Trevor]] does it.
* [[Pimped -Out Dress]]: The vampire sisters wear fancy dresses. Charlotte gets several as armor, although they don't show up on her sprites.
* [[Pink Means Feminine]]: Stella's dress is this with some blue.
* [[Pink Girl, Blue Boy]]: Inverted, Jonathan's outfit and menu options are red/pink, while Charlotte's outfit ([[Panty Shot|including her underwear]]) and menu items are blue.
* [[Plucky Comic Relief]]: The monk-turned-shopkeeper Vincent Dorin tries to fill this role. Let's put it this way: he is bitten by a vampire and slowly succumbs to a similar fate, and it is ''played for laughs''.
* [[Portal Picture]]: Each portrait leads to a different world.
* [[Post End Game Content]]: Depending on the ending you may get more or less, but [[Another Side, Another Story|Sisters]] and Richter modes are this, as well as [[Boss Rush]].
* [[Punctuated! forFor! Emphasis!]]: Brauner, when he {{spoiler|does his turn-into-a-portrait-and-attempt-to-ram-into-you attack}}.
* [[Purple Is Powerful]]: Brauner wears a purple suit. Death's robe is also purple shaded.
* [[Puzzle Boss]]: The Dullahan does massive damage (4 hits and you are dead) to your level 7 or so characters with their minimal equipment, and it is unrealistic to dodge EVERYTHING he throws. The solution? {{spoiler|He'll never use his most damaging attack if you focus your attacks on his head.}}
** Alternatively, one may appreciate the [["Wake -Up Call" Boss|wake up call]] and start noticing that this boss, like every other in the game, telegraphs every single major attack.
* [[Random Drop]]: Money, spells and subweapons can be got from the corpses (or, seeing they're undead, "recorpses") of your enemies.
** [[Rare Random Drop]]: have fun getting the drop from the Peeping Eye, an object that lets you see breakable walls. It starts at 0.69% of chance. Be ready to get Luck boosting items if you want it.
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** The casting time can be remedied with the Sorceress Crest, obtained after getting Charlotte all of her spells. In a new game plus, this can be helpful with the {{spoiler|Stella and Loretta fight,}} especially if two happen to be equipped.
* [[Say My Name]]: When switching partners. "Jonathan!" "Charlotte!" "Jonathan!" "Charlotte!"
** Or, {{spoiler|[[Onee -Sama|"Sister!"]] "Loretta!" [[Onee -Sama|"Sister!"]] "Loretta!"}}
** [http://tasvideos.org/1437M.html "Jonasan! Sharotto! Jonasan! Sharotto! Jonasan! Sharotto!"]
* [[Shifting Sand Land]]: The two desert areas, which combine this with [[Build Like an Egyptian]].
* [[Shipper Onon Deck]]: Vincent in a conversation with both characters on screen.
* [[Ship Tease]]: Charlotte seems to have a hidden crush on Jonathan, but we only see it in the bad ending.
** Some of the items you can find, like the [[Sweet Dreams Fuel|wedding dress (which happens to be one of Charlotte's best armours) and the engagement ring]], are bound to give [[Shipping Goggles|some fans]] ideas.
** From the way Jon and Charlotte interact with and tease each other so often - including in the good ending - it is already way too evident that they are more than just close friends, hinting that they have sincere feeling toward each other.
** Also, [http://www.castlevaniadungeon.net/Images/Scans/PoR/pic_26.jpg this wallpaper]. [[Did You Just Have Sex?|Hmmmmm....]]
* [[Shout -Out]]: A number of references to other Castlevania games exist, but one of the most surprising is the music in the second desert level, all of which is taken from the MSX game ''King's Valley II''.
** Dracula's appearance in this game is based on [[Bela Lugosi]]'s version, which was rarely used after the 3rd and 4th generation games.
** One of the most useful weapons in the game is Nebula, a chain whip that homes on enemies and can form a protective shield with its special attack. Nebula. Chain. Nebula... Chain... [[Saint Seiya|Nope, doesn't ring a bell!]]
** The Knee Strike was "inspired by [[Double Dragon (Video Game)|legendary]] [[Street Fighter|martial artists]]."
** This is the third major game in a row to remix ''[[Haunted Castle (Videovideo Gamegame)|Haunted Castle]]'' music, using "Cross Your Heart" as the music for the Dark Academy, now renamed "Crucifix Held Close". Not surprisingly, "Iron Blue Intention" from the direct predecessor ''[[Castlevania Bloodlines]]'' is remixed. Portrait also has the first remix of the "Overture" from ''[[Castlevania III: DraculasDracula's Curse]]''.
** The three award items, [[Gradius|Vic Viper]], [[Twinbee (Video Game)|Twinbee]], and Konami Man, are references to ''[[The Goonies (Videovideo Gamegame)|The Goonies]]'' video game for the Famicom. The description for these items are "5000 points", which is the amount the player receives if he/she catches the item before it disappears.
** The description for the fedora says it [[Indiana Jones|just feels right with a whip]]. The leather whip's description as being for a warrior with panache could plausibly be a reference to the same.
** The description for the tinned spinach says it may give the illusion of increased muscle mass, likely a reference to [[Popeye]].
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*** In other words, Charlotte is a [[Gradius|Vic Viper]]; the colors of her costume also resemble that of the starfighter.
*** If so... then Jonathan is a [[Gradius|Lord British or a Super Cobra]].
** In something of a gameplay callback, the last third of the game consists of [[Castlevania: Symphony of the Night|visiting inverted versions of previous paintings]], in which the bosses you fight come from [[Castlevania (1986 (Videovideo Gamegame)||the original game]].
** On top of that, in the final boss battle, {{spoiler|Death offers up his power to enhance the "not fully resurrected" Dracula. Dracula absorbs this power with a cry of "[[Castlevania: Symphony of the Night|Soul Steal!!]]"}}
** Not a Konami game, but still. The Axe Bomber is pound-for-pound the Cross Bomber, one of Neptuneman's finishers in [[Kinnikuman]].
* [[Shut UP, Hannibal]]: Jonathan to Brauner
{{quote| {{spoiler|I don't care! Being a family means being connected by heart. Ties of blood and soul is insignificant. When I learned why my father did what he did, I understood. You used a curse to manipulate your "dear daughters"! Now THAT'S sad!}}}}
* [[Sibling Seniority Squabble]]: While Stella and Loretta are twins, Stella was born first and acts as the older sister. After Stella {{spoiler|breaks down sobbing as their father passes on}}, Loretta promises to become stronger so she will not have to take as much of the burden.
* [[Sprite Polygon Mix]]: For some reason the Peeping Eye enemy is the only one in the game rendered with polygons instead of the usual sprites.
* [[Stellar Name]]: Stella
** The Stellar Sword, once owned by [[Harmony of Dissonance|Maxim]], which is one of the last quest rewards. It's pretty good!
* [[Sweet Dreams Fuel]]: Charlotte's wedding dress and engagement ring, especially if paired up with Jon's tuxedo suit... You know what it means...
** This [https://web.archive.org/web/20131113122627/http://kukaiseki.pupu.jp/picture/cv/cv45.html art] naturally takes this up to the logical conclusion.
** In fact, Jon and Charlotte's adventure as an opposite-sex duet (also a reason that this Castlevania game is [[Lighter and Softer]]) already gives both a hint and a feel of romance - especially given that they are close childhood friends.
* [[Sword and Sorcerer]]: Two pairs of this actually; Johnathan and Stella as fighters and Charlotte and Loretta as witches.
* [[Trainstopping]]: One of the first and most memorable moments of 13th Street.
* [[True -Blue Femininity]]: Charlotte, who wears blue and is the less physical of the heroes (although her magic is still devastating.
* [[Unique Enemy]]: The two giant sandworms in the two Egyptian-themed levels. Sure, they are just [[Palette Swap]] of one another, but each one has its own entry in the bestiary, and they never reappear after having been killed.
** Well, the one in the first desert level does, but it's at the opposite side of the level.
** Also the dodo, the giant ghost, and the king ghoul, all required for sidequests. The dodo behaves exactly the same as it did in Symphony.
* [[Victor Gains LosersLoser's Powers]]: Defeating the enemies may grant you with new subweapons for Jonathan and new spells for Charlotte.
* [["Wake -Up Call" Boss]]: Dullahan, the very first boss. Mostly because his attacks are hard to dodge and he can nail you in 3-4 hits. Using Charlotte can make him easier with the right spells, which serves as a helpful reminder that you have another character to use.
* [[You Gotta Have Blue Hair]]: The vampire sisters have purple hair.
* [[Your Princess Is in Another Castle]]: The barrier at the top of the castle should be a giveaway that {{spoiler|Brauner isn't the [[Final Boss]].}}
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Action Adventure]]
[[Category:Castlevania (Video Game)]]▼
[[Category:Nintendo DS]]
[[Category:Castlevania Portrait Of Ruin]]
[[Category:Video Game]]
[[Category:Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin]]
▲[[Category:Castlevania (Video Game)]]
[[Category:Video Games of the 2000s]]
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