Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin Pre-Order Bonus

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Castlevania franchise, Konami offered a bonus to those who pre-ordered Portrait of Ruin, the second DS installment of the now 20 year old series.

Included in the cardboard box (which comes complete with a faux wax seal) are a soundtrack CD that spans most of the core Castlevania games as well as some of the now more obscure Game Boy titles. Castlevania has always been noted for its excellent compositions, and it's a treat to be able to hear some of these songs as they were originally played in their respective games. Interestingly enough, some of the tracks are labeled as coming from an incorrect game. Bloody Tears, for example, is listed as being a cut from the original NES game, when it is actually from Simon's Quest.



Also included is an art book featuring cover and character art for again, most of more popular games in the series. A combination Portrait of Ruin poster / Castlevania timeline rounds out the printed bonuses, though this is also interesting for its inclusion of games that are generally considered non-canon. Lastly, the package also includes a Castlevania branded, extending DS stylus and a double DS pak carrying case.



All in all, this is one of the better pre-order bonuses out there and is a must-have for long time Castlevania fans. While it's likely too late to get through online stores, plenty of them have cropped up on eBay.