This is my absolute favorite castlevania game, bar none. Its hard to describe, because what they essentially did was just take a "solid" igavania as a base, and then just added a bunch of stuff from there. Its funny because the additions and changes all feel so unintegrated and kinda all over the place. But I can't complain at all since I like all of them.

I loved the inclusion of Wind's quests, lots of people thought it made the game too "jrpg-like" but I personally felt like it made the world more lived in. There was a little more to push the player to find all the secrets you always find in igavanias, while also giving more background to the backstory of the game. At the same time, this is also probably why I like most of the secrets and niche interactions of PoR, way more than all the previous games. In a weird way, the smaller map somehow makes them feel a little more memorable. Gaps between every niche interaction/mini-event feels pretty short compared to previous games. Also, I dont care how much everyone else whines, Sanctuary was the peak of the whole series.

It goes pretty hard against the aesthetic and concept of Castlevania, but I loved the talk function and the dynamic between Jonathan and Charlotte. PoR feels decidedly so un-lonely. Between that and the anime artstyle, I get why lots of people aren't a big fan or this installment, but I like it a lot. I wouldn't want the whole series to be like this, but I do want them in general to be a little more personalized.

Too little too late I know, but I would have loved if the game's aesthetics were split between Portrait of Ruin and Rondo of Blood.