Castelvania has always been about innovation - about doing something dfiferent. Throughout the years, many drastic changes have been made to the series to set each game apart from the others to produce a wholly new and refreshing experience. Whether you play for the story or the rewarding gameplay, the "self-cannibalizing" series has made quite a name for itself in the video game industry.
And sometimes, a step back is all a game needs to tread unknown, yet new paths for a series. I don't like to think of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia as a step back for the series, but more of a revisit to the classic Castlevania formula. And Konami has done a fine job in crafting a superb title for the action-RPG genre (and for the series) - all in the palm of your hand in a Nintendo DS. I've played both old and new games from the series, from the classic Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse and Super Castlevania IV to the more recent "Metroidvania" vein of games in the series, such as Symphony of the Night, Circle of the Moon, and Aria of Sorrow.
As many of the retro fans might know, the older NES and SNES games from the series have always been about platforming, progressing through levels not limited to castles, and the insane difficulty. Those more familiar with the later titles certainly know about the more RPG-based gameplay (experience points, leveling up, etc.), a focus on exploration that is mainly limited to different areas of Dracula's castle, and gathering equipment. That being said, Order of Ecclesia takes the two formulas and combines them to create a wholly new experience for older Castlevania fans and "Metroidvania" enthusiasts alike, which in a way forms this new audience of players that like both styles and want the best of both worlds. Konami has certainly provided and catered to both playstyles in this game, and many changes have been made to the formula to keep it fresh and exciting.
First of all, the "anime-style" art direction seen in the previous two DS Castlevania titles (Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin) has been dropped in favor for a more realistic, mature, and traditional Castlevania art style - this time, headed by Masaki Hirooka, a newcomer to the series. Personally, I liked this change better, as the series has almost always catered to an older audience and the art style reflects the maturity of Order of Ecclesia and the series in general.
Another drastic change is that this is the first time a female character takes the role of the playable character. Known only as Shanoa, she is quite a mysterious character (as implied in the prologue, the information from this time during Castlevania's history is relatively ambiguous) since she has never appeared in a previous Castlevania title, but as a new character she is a welcome addition to the series. The story will most likely be a hit or miss with most players, but personally I liked it. It mostly revolves around four characters in the series, so it's relatively easy to follow and so the pacing is smooth as well. The game begins with an explanation of the Order of Ecclesia - an organization formed after the fading away of the famed Belmont clan. The Order of Ecclesia's function is to research and develop countermeasures in an effort to purge Dracula and his army should they return again, and Shanoa's involvement with the organization is that she is a member with the unique ability to absorb "Glyphs"(power that is contained within the soul of enemies similar to Aria of Sorrow's Tactical Soul system) through a strange-looking symbol on her back. There's not much to say about the story, but if you've ever played Metroid Prime 3: Corruption on the Wii before, you'll probably recognize the similarities between the two games story-wise. That being said, Shanoa's a great addition to the series' expressive characters, and I wouldn't be surprised if I saw her in an upcoming Castlevania title (other than her awkward design from Castlevania Judgement).
Even if you're not a huge fan of the story in Order of Ecclesia, you'll definitely be surprised with how different the gameplay is in this game compared to previous games in the series. The game retains the dual-wielding weapon system from Symphony of the Night, as Glyphs obtained from felled enemies can be assigned to Shanoa's left and right hands respectively. However, it also contains an MP gauge (while nothing new, it actually decreases with any Glyph Shanoa uses, whether it's a physical or a magical attack) and the two Glyphs from both hands can be combined to form a Glyph Union attack - a devastating super move that uses up hearts. Special items such as throwing knives and axes this time around do not detract from the number of hearts, but rather the MP gauge. Glyph Unions are definitely the most unique part of the combat in Order of Ecclesia, because in a similar fashion seen with the "DSS Cards" from Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, two Glyphs can be mixed or matched to form an entirely new attack. For example, Shanoa can assign a sword to one hand and the ability to summon fire to another hand - and when a Glyph Union is performed, she will swing a fiery sword that deals both slash and elemental fire damage.
Two of the same Glyph can be used as well, such as two swords - a Glyph Union resulting in an over-the-top attack consisting of Shanoa swinging a giant claymore four times her size, filling more than half of the screen. However, this comes at the cost of fifteen hearts, and other variations may use up even more hearts. Absorbing Glyphs from a tough enemy is always satisfying, since you can always mock them and destroy them later with their own weapon. It's not always blatantly obvious on exactly how to absorb Glyphs from certain enemies, because some can only be stolen when they are actually in use, so you might have to wait for the enemy to use a Glyph spell to absorb it. It's immensely satisfying and definitely adds on to the replay value, since there are dozens upon dozens of glyphs to collect, each with their own varying degree of power and effectiveness on certain enemies and bosses - and even puzzles.
You might be thinking: "Why so much emphasis on combat mechanics?" Well, it's because the game is hard. Hard as hell. If the Glyphs and Glyph Unions are throwbacks to the Metroidvania-style gameplay, then the insane difficulty of Order of Ecclesia is definitely a tribute to the series' older days, where perfectly-timed jumps and cat-like reflexes were required to defeat even the most simplest of enemies. Bosses in this game are also a nightmare, and for the first half hour of playing this game, expect to die more times than you can count - Shanoa is unable to take many hits from enemies, and this means that each every potion or food item counts and shouldn't be wasted. Enemies in this game show no mercy at all, and when you start off you're literally armed with the weakest physical item in the game. While many of them have been recycled from previous Castlevania designs (with plenty of new ones), they have definitely been made more difficult and certainly behave differently than previous titles. The Tin Man enemy from Symphony of the Night has definitely been beefed-up this time around, making it one of the hardest enemies to defeat in this game. However, the bosses in this game are some of the best I've seen so far, even beating some of Symphony of the Night's bosses due to their outlandish and creative designs that clearly make full use of the Nintendo DS hardware. Let me also add that they're almost never going to be beaten on your first try, and you will have to make full use of your Glyphs and study their behaviors before you even stand a chance against a single one of them.
What's also different in this game are the locations. In most other recent Castlevania games, the exploration was mostly limited to Dracula's castle. This time a tribute has seemed to have been made to the older titles by separating the areas in Order of Ecclesia in levels that can be visited as the game world is continually progressed through and explored. This results in a slightly more linear experience akin to the NES and SNES titles (which might put off some, if not many), but retains the backtracking and exploration feeling of the Metroidvania titles, so there's plenty to check out in each level. The levels vary from a monestary to a reef, a macabre estate, a cave inhabited solely by skeletons, and even hidden and optional levels. Thankfully, this breaks the monotony of running through the same old castle - instead, you're constantly discovering newer locations with their own set of enemies and time of day - every location is dynamic and exquisitely detailed as well.
Unfortunately, this does lead to some issues, as several tilesets from certain areas in the game (and even entire rooms) have been recycled from some levels and simply pasted onto other levels with a different color scheme or a slightly different layout, resulting in a sort of "didn't I just visit this room like this already?" vibe. In addition, some levels consist of one straight, linear path three or four rooms long that definitely gives off the feeling of recycled material and thus laziness. Both of these issues, while glaring, definitely do not take away from the overall package, because Order of Ecclesia is a big game with over a dozen environments, each with their own unique charm. Most levels have their own boss, and upon defeat of the boss can reward Shanoa a certain Glyph that can be used to explore more and more parts of the game world by granting her abilities, such as the classic double-jump or the ability to maneuver underwater. These can be used to discover new areas that you might have otherwise found impassable.
There are Glyphs that can only be found by killing certain enemies, and so you might have to tread familiar paths to discover new ones or rescue captured villagers. In the beginning of the game, you will discover a barren village with only one resident, but as you learn the reason as to why the village is so empty, you'll go on to search for previous inhabitants hidden throughout different levels in the game (some more obscure than others), giving you another reason to go back to previous levels you've been through. Rescuing villagers do reap many benefits, however, as doing so can grant Shanoa rewards for completing quests, similar to many other RPG games. While these quests are optional, completing them can net you rare items and equipment, while others can add more things to buy in the local shop in the village. The villagers aren't boring or lame either, as each has their own charm or personality trait. Each has their own response to Shanoa and so you'll either come to love some and hate others, but as quests are completed, you'll learn more about the person and you might eventually come to respect them. I found rescuing villagers and embarking on quests rather enjoyable, even if most were focused on killing certain amounts of enemies or bringing back a certain item, but the more creative ones were definitely some of the more memorable parts in the game.
While the quests are optional, they're almost mandatory if you want to get better healing items or equipment. And some of the quests are completely ridiculous - not because they're lame or anything, but because some of them are about getting some of the rarest items in the game. One of the quests involves obtaining Merman Meat. Of course, one would expect that to get said meat, you'd have to slaughter a Merman to obtain it, right? Unfortunately, Order of Ecclesia suffers from translation problems. Apparently, the word for "mermaid" in Japanese is a unisex term, and ironically you don't get Merman Meat by killing Mermen, you obtain it from a mermaid! Instead, you get it from a half-woman, half angler fish called a Lorelai that doesn't even remotely look like a mermaid. I was looking for Merman Meat expecting to get it from a Merman, but I was actually supposed to be looking for this mermaid (which is supposed to be a woman with a fish's tail, but if you've ever seen an angler fish before, you know the body of that thing looks nothing like your average fish) that didn't even match the translation I was supposed to believe. Not only that, but the drop rate for a Lorelai to yield a single piece of Merman Meat is extremely low, and if you look it up online some try for even hours to get it. Not only is it unfair due to the ridiculously low drop rate (though equipping "Luck-based" items helps a little), but the translation error leads only to extreme frustration and confusion. But still, since this quest is optional (and other quests from other people do yield better rewards), you can always skip this one. Fortunately for me, I got really lucky and was able to get one after slaughtering countless Lorelai creatures. Thus, this issue to me is forgivable, but to others it might seem like a total facepalm (which it is).
The upside to this game is that it has exceptional music. There isn't one track in this game that I don't like. Castlevania has always had amazing soundtracks, but this one particularly has a wide array of catchy melodies and moody, atmospheric undertones that perfectly match the environment you're exploring. Some bosses have their own themes that accompany the frantic, frenzied action during the boss fights and the music suits the well-directed cutscenes as well. The voice-acting, while minimal, is actually very well-done when present. While Shanoa can sometimes get annoying when she repeatedly says the name of the move she is performing, it isn't common and actually is pretty awesome when someone can scream like that consecutively. Even some of the bosses share some intimidating banter with Shanoa during the middle of battle, and she even has her own one-liners after she lands the finishing blow on some of them.
Overall, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is an immensely satisfying experience. Even if the challenge might put off some players, the general mix of the new and the old is one of the most defining things of this unique action-RPG adventure. The game has managed to fine-tune both of the formulas, removing the cheap deaths of the past with a real challenge that will test your wits and reflexes. The difficulty isn't cheap, and nor is it impossible - and is actually quite balanced due to the Glyph system and the RPG elements taken from the newer Castlevania titles to create a new and epic adventure with a solid story and an excellent new protagonist. Bits and pieces have been taken from pages of both formulas and have been blended to perfection, and this game will keep you occupied with its numerous layers of secrets and treasures for you to explore. It treads new paths for the series and revisits previous tropes from the franchise, while adding in its own dose of charm and innovation that sets it apart.
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia clocks in at about ten to twelve hours on your first playthrough, though real completionists and fans of Symphony of the Night will find themselves pouring even more hours upon hours into Order of Ecclesia to get that rare piece of equipment, to complete that certain quest, or to discover the ultimate Glyph Union attack to grind their foes under their heel. There's plenty of new modes (even online Wi-Fi offerings from the get-go) to try out even after the main game is completed, and constantly finds new ways to offer you more challenges to keep you coming back for more. The glaring issues in this game are only overshadowed by its accomplishments, and the amount of effort put into the last Nintendo DS installment for the Castlevania series wraps it up perfectly in a wonderful package that's likely to catch your eye.