April 21^st, 2006 (3:33pm) - With the critical and commercial success of Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow for the Nintendo DS, it was only a matter of time before Konami announced the next 2D instalment in the Castlevania series for the Nintendo DS. Well, the time has come and Konami has proudly announced Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin exclusively for the DS. This newest installment in the renowned action series lets players control two different characters as they attempt to thwart a terrible plan to resurrect Dracula’s Castle and bring a reign of darkness upon the world.

In Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, players take on the role of vampire hunter Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Orlean, a young girl with tremendous magical abilities. Amidst the chaos of World War II, many lost souls from the global conflict were left to wander the world in search of salvation. Desperate to escape their terrible plight, they sought to resurrect Dracula’s Castle from the rubble of society, assisted by two mysterious vampire sisters. Now Jonathan and Charlotte must work together to confront the face of evil and ensure that this villainous catastrophe is not unleashed on the world.

Evolving the action-adventure gameplay that has been the series’ trademark for 20 years, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin lets players switch freely between Jonathan and Charlotte as they proceed on their heroic mission, each with their own strengths, abilities and style of play. Players can now utilize powerful Summon attacks in which both characters unleash the full extent of their combat abilities to decimate the game’s more than 100 different enemies and massive bosses in new environments such as the desert and Misty Town. In their quest to stop Dracula’s resurrection, Jonathan and Charlotte can collect and use different weapons, equipment and items to increase their overall skill level and acquire new abilities.

"For 20 years, the Castlevania series has set the standard for excellence and innovation in the action genre, and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin continues this trend with all-new features that expand the handheld gaming genre," said Dennis Lee, Group Manager at Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "The game’s two different characters give players unprecedented variety in completing their quest, while the expanded battle system makes it more fun to take on Dracula’s minions."

Created by Koji Igarashi and the development team behind 2005’s acclaimed Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin will be launching this Fall.

Unfortunately, we cannot confirm if whether or not Portrait of Ruin will be another installment in the series using the "Metroidvania" gameplay setup. However, from the looks of it, from the two screenshots we’ve posted of the game below, it seems that the series maybe return to its more traditional action game roots with this latest game.