Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia – NDS – Review

Castlevania is one of the legendary
names in gaming. The series has been around for more than 20 years, and aside
from a few notable exceptions, each installment has been consistently
excellent. While the games were known for solid platforming action in the 8-
and 16-bit generations, it was with 1997’s PS1 installment Symphony of the Night
that the series developed the formula it’s used since — including an RPG-style
leveling up system and a sprawling game world that slowly opens new areas for
exploration as the player acquires new abilities. Order of Ecclesia, the third
DS Castlevania, is the latest game to follow this style, but don’t take that to
mean that the game doesn’t bring anything new to the table. In fact, it
introduces more changes to the series than any game since Symphony, and in the
process manages to make the 11-year-old formula feel fresh again.

Order of Ecclesia takes place
in the mid-1800s, an important time in the series’ timeline — the legendary
Belmont bloodline has vanished, and in its absence many organizations have been
created to oppose Dracula. One of these, the titular Order, fights evil through
the use of glyphs, magical symbols that an order member can absorb to unleash
powerful attacks. The player is cast in the role of Shanoa, the warrior who has
been chosen to bear the glyph Dominus, which supposedly has the power to destroy
Dracula. Before she has the chance to use it, though, it’s stolen (along with
her memories and emotions) by fellow order member Albus. Shanoa must pursue
Albus across the countryside to retrieve the glyph, while defeating the evil
creatures that stand in her way. Ecclesia’s plot is one of the strongest in the
series’ recent history, and there’s a genuine mystery here that will compel you
to advance.

Shanoa will have to explore and deal
with plenty of characters in her search for Albus.

Actually, the countryside you
pursue Albus across is the game’s first major change — unlike previous Castlevanias, which largely unfolded in one large area, Order of Ecclesia has a
world map. New areas open up as you advance, giving you the opportunity to
fight in such varied locations as mountains, forests, stormy seas, and an
abandoned prison. Each area has its own little map, and while these stages are
more linear than stages in Castlevanias past, they still offer plenty of room
for exploration. This structure makes for a much more diverse game world, and
gives the game an epic feel.  At about the halfway point, though, the game has a
distinct turning point, and the second half of the game features the more
traditional Castlevania backtracking/exploration structure. Without spoiling
too much, when you reach this point you realize that your quest, which seemed
almost complete, is really just getting started. It’s an awesome moment, and as
good as Ecclesia is in the early stages, after the twist is when the game really
proves its greatness.

While most previous Castlevanias
limited the action to in and around Drac’s castle,
Order of Ecclesia takes you
to some more diverse settings.

One of the first areas you come
upon is the village of Wygol, whose citizenry has been abducted by Albus. This
is another of Ecclesia’s innovations — as you explore the game world you encounter
and rescue the townspeople. Each person has certain skills which can help you
in your journey; for instance, once you’ve rescued the town’s blacksmith, he can
forge new armor for you. They all require you to complete side-quests to help
them out, though, and these diversions help offset the linearity of the game’s
early stages. By the time you’ve rescued everyone, Wygol has transformed from
an empty ghost town to a lively place that becomes your base of operations.

While empty at first, the houses of
Wygol fill up as you rescue its citizens.

The glyph system is at the
center of the action. Glyphs are found in the environment and after defeating
enemies, and absorbing them (by holding Up for a few seconds) lets Shanoa equip
and use them. Glyphs can be equipped to each of the two attack buttons
independently, and you can string together attack combos by alternating between
the two. Attacking drains your MP — while it regenerates quickly, this balances
out the fact that standard attacks, especially when combined in quick
succession, are far more powerful than your basic attacks in previous Castlevanias. You can also unleash Glyph Union attacks by holding up before
attacking; these are your giant special attacks that do massive damage at the
expense of some of your hearts. All in all, the fighting in Order of Ecclesia
is much more fast-paced and hectic than in the previous DS installments.

You’ll need to use the glyph
system to its full potential, though, if you expect to make it far in this game,
because Order of Ecclesia is tough. Really tough. The recent Castlevanias have
had some challenging moments, sure, but Ecclesia marks a return to the
old-school difficulty not seen since before Symphony of the Night. Even facing
off against a few skeletons or zombies can drain your HP alarmingly quickly, so
every encounter becomes tense and important. The game’s tougher in other ways,
too — there are far fewer save points in each stage, and money is harder to come
by, so you might be forced to choose between upgrading your armor and stocking
up on healing items. This increase in difficulty might put off some fans, but
the game’s definitely beatable — you just have to focus, hone your reflexes, and
sharpen your fighting skills. Besides, when you finally do make it past that
boss or tough sequence that’s had you stopped cold, the sense of satisfaction
and achievement is that much greater.

Bosses can and will destroy you,
unless you can memorize
their attack patterns and weaknesses.

For a long time, the Castlevania series featured Ayami Kojima’s distinctive artwork, characterized by
its ornate character designs and androgynous male characters. The previous DS
installments eschewed this style in favor of a cartoony anime style. This move
didn’t sit well with fans of the series, who saw the new look as childish, like
a Saturday morning version of Castlevania. Ecclesia marks the introduction of a
new art style courtesy of Japanese artist Masaki. While the art still has a
definite anime influence, the character designs have a darker, more gothic
quality to them. This new aesthetic extends to the enemies and environments,
too, and makes for a great-looking game. Every character and enemy animates
beautifully, and 2D special effects, like parallax scrolling, are used to great
effect here. No doubt about it, Ecclesia is one of the best looking 2D games on
the DS.

Masaki’s character designs are more
realistic, with a more serious look that fits the game perfectly.

The Castlevania series is known
for its exemplary soundtracks, and Order of Ecclesia has one of the best yet. Series composer Michiru Yamane is joined by series newcomer Yasuhiro Ichihashi,
and together they’ve delivered a sweeping, epic instrumental score. While the
game’s soundtrack doesn’t quite live up to Yamane’s legendary debut score for
Symphony of the Night, the music here is dark and haunting, and sets the tone
and mood of the game fantastically.

Some have said that the Castlevania series is in need of a complete overhaul, that the exploration-based
structure has been taken as far as possible and should be retired. With Order
of Ecclesia, Konami has proven that there is still life (or at least undeath) to
be found in the formula. It’s a beautiful, deep 2D action experience, and it
proves that the series is legendary for a reason.

Gameplay: 9.2
Ecclesia has more of an action focus
than the recent RPG-heavy DS Castlevanias. The fighting is fast and exciting,
and Shanoa controls like a dream. The game definitely puts your skills to the
test, but you won’t find a better 2D action experience on the DS.

Graphics: 9.2
The new art style is worlds better
than the cartoony look of Portrait of Ruin, and even rivals Symphony of the
Night’s much-beloved style. As in past DS Castlevanias, the developers prove
that they are masters of the DS hardware, wringing out every ounce of 2D magic
from the system.

Sound: 9.0
In a series known for high quality
music, Ecclesia lives up to the Castlevania name with a dark, beautiful
soundtrack that compares favorably to anything the series has to offer. The
sound effects are similarly well done, with each enemy having their own
distinctive audio cues, some of which are incredibly creepy (like the
spider-woman who talks about how delicious you look, or the underwater spirit
who sounds like a woman laughing).

Difficulty: Hard
You will die often in Order of
Ecclesia, and the game will force you to step up your game if you want to make
it through in one piece. Boss encounters are lessons in old-school pattern
memorization, and even standard enemies can kill you surprisingly quickly. That
said, there are few things more satisfying than finally evading the tricky
attack sequence that killed you over and over.

Concept: 9.0
Order of Ecclesia takes some
liberties with the established Castlevania formula, with remarkably successful
results. The story is actually interesting and compelling, and the game’s focus
on fighting makes it feel significantly different from the recent DS Castlevanias.

Overall: 9.1
Order of Ecclesia proves that the
Castlevania formula is still as fun now as it was ten years ago, and the new
gameplay mechanics keep things fresh and interesting. It’s a 2D action
masterpiece, and absolute required playing for any DS owner.