Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is one of those DS gems that still holds up. You start off with two characters—Jonathan, the whip-wielding vampire hunter, and Charlotte, the bookish mage—and can swap between them on the fly. At first, I kept defaulting to Jonathan because, well, Belmont-style whip combat just feels right. But Charlotte’s spells? Turns out they shred certain bosses way faster than whips ever could.

The gimmick here is the "portrait" system—you dive into cursed paintings that warp you to entirely new areas, like a war-torn city or a creepy desert. It keeps the castle from feeling stale, and some of those side areas have the best loot. Just watch out for the sandworms in the desert level—they’re obnoxious until you figure out their pattern.

Also, the soundtrack slaps. That gothic-rock-meets-piano vibe is pure Castlevania, and the dual-character combos add way more strategy than you’d expect. If you’ve played Symphony of the Night and want something with a similar feel but fresh mechanics, this one’s a no-brainer.