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Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia Review
Written by Robert Falcon on Friday, October 24, 2008
Excellent new glyph system, lovely graphics and music, very challenging.
It takes a little while to get things moving, multiplayer is limited to racing and shopping.
It's hard to believe that it's already been ten years since the Castlevania series made the shift from straightforward action platformer to something more adventurous. We've seen a lot of excellent games since Symphony of the Night on PlayStation, including last year's enormously entertaining Portrait of Ruin. We considered that game a pretty hard one to top, but Konami's managed to do it with Order of Ecclesia. This entry does things a little bit differently with the introduction of a deeper storyline and a new glyph absorption system, but it's all for the better.
Rather than following some poor sap from the Belmont family, you take control of Shanoa, a magical maiden who's taken it upon herself to shut down Dracula's evil forces by collecting glyphs. There are several types available, from magic spells to traditional weapons to super-powerful moves that take a heaping chunk of energy off enemies.
The weapons have a more personal tie-in with your character. Each time you use them, you suck up a little bit of your magic power. It refills after a matter of seconds, however, so you never get to the point of helplessness. Three glyphs can be put into play at once, and you can combine them for even more devastating results. Considering all the glyphs you'll come across, there's a number of lethal combinations to mess around with.
As for the rest of the game, it's similar to previous Castlevania adventures. You start out roaming through small areas of the game before moving on to larger levels. You can also rescue innocent folks, whom you return to a local village. In return, they provide you with assistance and tools, giving the game some depth, as each character provides something vital and unique. Enemies are also tougher, especially when you tackle the first few bosses. At first, they appear unbeatable, but once you figure things out, you can bring them down.
Presentation is a key area where the Castlevania DS games continue to improve. The visuals are probably the best we've seen in the series, with gorgeous animation, brutally cool enemy designs, luscious backdrops that draw you into the old-school storyline and spectacular glyph effects. When you see a huge combined weapon bringing the smack down on a screen-filling enemy, it'll make your eyes bug out of your head in disbelief.
The soundtrack is once again pure Castlevania, with wondrous melodies that will be in your head for days. The sound effects and voiceover work are also terrific, and we love how Shanoa yells whenever she uses her weapons.
The single player adventure will last you several hours, and you can play through it again trying out different glyphs. Collectible items are also available, if you feel like tracking them down. Sadly, there's not much to do outside of that. Practice Mode is okay, letting you get the hang of stages you've beaten. Multiplayer consists of shopping options and quick races, but that's about it. This mode won't consume hours of time.
Never mind the lacking multiplayer. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia's gameplay and presentation make it one of the best to date, alongside Symphony of the Night and other legendary entries. Sure, we kind of miss the old-school Castlevania style of play, but there's nothing wrong with another enthralling adventure.
