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.