Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (NDS, 2006)

• 2 different playable chars that you can switch between on the fly after getting an item for it (shared HP & MP, the other char can also move along with you while being controlled by the CPU - then it uses MP as HP and is stunned if it runs out), Can also call on the other char to help solve basic puzzles (a button combo makes them stay put) or use a sub weapon then go away again, The secondary char also replaces the gear set switching from DoS

• Partially non-linear structure (there are sub areas accessed via large paintings within the castle which are generally more self-contained (few rooms that require abilities gained later on to explore (and backtracking to these is generally optional though you will want to get at least the sanctuary spell to get the good ending) and these sub areas don't connect to each other) in structure and you can only go into one of them at first, lets you pick between 2 painting sub areas after the first one but then only one for the fourth, can choose between 5 side quests at a time but these are optional - have to also come back later at times to make more quests appear if you don't finish all 5 available ones in order, some painting sub areas are almost linear (1/city, 4/forest, 5/dark academy, 13th street, nest of evil), when reaching the last four paintings you can do part of and exit the forgotten city one then play the second and third (fourth as well if you got the owl spell from the dark academy one) - at this point you can also fight the whip's memory boss whenever you want to)

• Very frequent save points (one slot per game but can copy save files for multiple slots), they also heal you and restore MP)

• Some environmental storytelling (witch who created the blob boss)

• Use-based skill progression for Jonathan (See Mega Man Zero) - allows for a damage boost when using sub weapons. Can be circumvented for some of the best sub weapons via the shop

• End game remixed painting areas in the end-game that you unlock and beat for the true ending (a bit like the inverted castle)

• Unlockable painting area if you get 100% map completion (recycled DoS and SotN bosses here)

• Some other interesting abilities (triple jump of sorts (can gain the ability to bounce off of the other char and then double jump), toad transformation, dual char/team attacks which cost more MP than sub weapons (similar to a super attack in DoS or item crashes in earlier games) - invincibility time during these though not against all attacks, owl transformation spell - flight, speed up spell (there are also such boots but their stats aren't great)

• Can make the player chars talk to each other via the pause menu for occasional gameplay or directional tips

• Same teleport system (choose where to go in the map view, teleport between visited warp rooms, frequent teleporter rooms) and you can also buy magic ticket items later on to teleport from anywhere, A few non-teleporter shortcuts

• Some sequence breaking possibilities (can do an unintended alternate double jump by tapping the screen and then switching chars to jump again)

• MP and HP upgrades are back

• Control config

• Can't hold more than 9 of each item at once - still OP though. More expensive potions but not quite expensive enough so from the mid-game onwards they become OP

• One hidden sub area (nest of evil - a battle arena, requires a map exploration rate of at least 888/1000%)

• Three different endings (best - save both the sisters and the shopkeep/good - save the sisters/bad - don't save either (ends the game prematurely))

• Some unlockables (richter and sisters modes, new game+ with partially carryover - see the wiki, magus ring, old axe armor mode, boss rush gear rewards)

• Some breakable walls (the item that shows breakable walls is an annoyingly rare drop by the peeping eye enemy though the stone circle spell can also reveal them as it damages walls (however this spell is a very rare drop), trial & error required to find them without this item)

• Altered enemy patterns and abilities on hard mode (besides you doing less damage and taking more from hits)

• The game switches out torch drops if you're maxed out on one resource (max MP for example)

• The sub areas inside the paintings generally aren't like Zelda dungeons in that you don't gain one new movement ability used to progress in each one (you tend to gain one at the end of them instead). Sub areas instead tend to have more platforming gimmicks in the style of the classic CV games (some like the first one don't really have this though)

• In a few rooms there are frequently spawning flying enemies

• Slowly regenerating MP - can be made faster if you get the magus ring by finishing all the side quests (a lot of work)

• No proper forward dash here - rocket slash sort of works like one but there's a charge time before each one. There's also the speed up spell though

• Static difficulty (means doing the desert after the circus makes that boss kind of easy for example)

• No HP/MP restored when leveling up however the HP and MP upgrades do restore these bars

• Quick save/sleep feature lets you quickly backtrack but only to the beginning of the current room so it's not that helpful (would've been better to allow starting at the most recently visited save point instead)

• New game+ (non-key spells don't carry)

• Dropped items disappear after a few seconds

• No crafting/fusing of weapons, no soul system and no Ghost/spiritual separation ability for scouting here (DoS). Can't stand on petrified enemies (could've been used for traversal)

• Can't place markers or notes on the map screen and it doesn't auto-mark points of interest

• Can't drop items

• New enemies do not appear in already explored areas (see CotM; not having them makes backtracking less interesting)

• No parallel worlds theme as it's done in DoS (can enter mirrors in DoS to explore the "other side" of certain rooms - an underused element which could've been further explored here)

Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review

Influenced by: Castlevania: Bloodlines and CV3, possibly Super Mario 64, Metroid Fusion (more guided structure), Street Fighter II: Rainbow Edition Hack or Super Smash Bros. Melee (character swapping)

Infuenced: Possibly Monster Boy