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Ask Charles Darwin and he’ll tell you that evolution is a slow and difficult process. When it comes to video game franchises with almost yearly installments it can seem downright glacial, which is why Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia comes as a bit of a surprise. While it’s not a full-on regression to the series' hardcore platforming roots, it’s the biggest deviation from the venerable Metroid-style formula in years. With no whips or Belmonts in sight, Order of Ecclesia is almost an entirely new animal. visuals Even after the transition to the more powerful DS, the handheld Castlevania series has remained firmly entrenched in two dimensions. Order of Ecclesia mixes it up by offering some impressive 3D background environments layered perfectly with the slick 2D graphics the series is known for. The gothic art direction and smooth character animation are both superb, and almost every enemy has been redrawn specifically for Order of Ecclesia. This is quite impressive for a series that has been recycling enemy sprites for almost a decade. audio Like most elder statesmen of the gaming world, Castlevania has long been known for outstanding music. Ecclesia continues this trend with some excellent atmospheric background tunes. The gothic arrangements range from horror movie-esque background themes to fast paced organ music. It’s uniquely Castlevania, the sound the series is known for. Order of Ecclesia also features little bits of voice acting. None of it is anything special and some of it borders on cheesy (villagers, we're looking at you) but it doesn’t really detract from the overall experience in any way. It’s just kind of there. gameplay Although a lot has changed, Order of Ecclesia has mostly stuck with the Metroid “open-ended exploration” style of gameplay. However, instead of exploring one gigantic interconnected area, players will now scour many smaller areas for secrets. At first it feels like a loss of freedom over the sprawling environments of past titles, but the chance to finally roam outside the confines of Dracula’s castle more than compensates. Ecclesia features the most diverse environments to ever be seen in a handheld Castlevania and feels completely reinvigorated as a result. Dracula’s Castle is still the ultimate destination, but exploring storm-battered seas, haunted forests, and barren mountain passes is a liberating change of pace. The other main departure in Ecclesia is the Glyph system. Protagonist Shanoa has the ability to wield magical glyphs as weapons. These glyphs are collected from exploration and defeated enemies, and up to three may be equipped at a time. It seems similar to the soul collection in past titles like Dawn of Sorrow, and superficially it is. However, the two glyphs equipped on Shanoa’s hands can be used in tandem, meaning you can attack with two weapons at once. With weapons like axes, hammers, ice bolts and electric blasts, the sheer amount of glyphs is staggering and incredibly diverse. On top of this, the two equipped glyphs are able to fuse into a super spell, so experimenting with different combinations is key. It’s an entirely retooled combat system from past games, and it makes combat incredibly fresh and fun. It keeps the collection aspects of past titles while rewarding creativity and curiosity. multiplayer N/A overall It’s rare to see an installment in a slowly evolving franchise shake things up as much as Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. It is a bit of a departure, but it’s still in line enough with past titles that veterans will not feel left out. With lush graphics, beautiful music and sprawling catacombs full of places to explore and ghouls to slay, Order of Ecclesia stands as one of the best installments in the Castlevania franchise. It just goes to show that you can teach an old vampire some new tricks.
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