As the hunt continues, from Aria of Sorrow to the beginning of Castlevania’s appearance on the GBA, Circle of the Moon, I have the uneasy feeling that my whip offers less solace in this scarier version of the castle. The encounter with an earth demon in the very first minutes acts as a warning for the rest of the game: be prepared to see YOU DIED a lot! Nathan Graves has to free his master from the clutches of - you guessed it - Dracula and partners, on the way avoiding the increasingly jealous Hugh Baldwin, the son of his master.

Calling Aria of Sorrow the best handheld Castlevania is quite a bold statement: they’re all great in their own way. But after replaying this again (and again…) I’ve made up my mind: it is the best Castlevania - period. It’s the second best Gameboy Advance title of all times according to IGN. Yes, I am insinuating it’s better than Symphony of the night. And yes, I know of the inverted castle’s greatness and the rip-off in Harmony of Dissonance.

Castlevania games tend to pop up each year on Nintendo’s Handheld platform. The last entries: Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow, followed the story of Soma, who mysteriously inherited Dracula’s dark abilities. Forget about all that, and the soul harvesting system. Portrait of Ruin is the spiritual successor of Castlevania Bloodlines on the SEGA MegaDrive/Genesis. Jonathan Morris is the son of Bloodlines’ whip-equipped hero. PoR takes place during or just after the second World War.

Portrait of Ruin is the second Nintendo DS Castlevania game. Maybe, if Komani thinks it'll be worthwile, a third one will follow, since there have been three Castlevania games released for the predecessor the Gameboy Advance. All excellent Handheld Metroidvania games, but which one excels at what? A short overview would be handy indeed. Well here you go! Gameboy Advance Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance Harmony of Dissonance was actually the second Castlevania game to be released on the GBA.