Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia | |
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Single-player, multiplayer |
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Gameplay
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e6/Castlevaniaorderofecclesia.jpg/250px-Castlevaniaorderofecclesia.jpg)
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is a two dimensional action-adventure game, featuring
Many different types of locales can be visited in the game, including forests, mountains, and oceans. There are a total of 20 locations, with an overworld map used to traverse between them. Besides fighting enemies and moving on from one location to next, there are also a number of side quests for the player to solve. After completing a quest, the player will receive a prize in return. If the player finishes the game, new features will become available to the player, including sound test, hard mode, boss rush mode and Albus mode, with an alternate playable character. It also features online play, allowing the player to trade items with other players or go head-to-head in a versus mode.[6] The game also makes use of the DS-to-Wii connectivity with Castlevania Judgment, which unlocks content in both games.[7] Order of Ecclesia is the first canonical game in the series in which the Vampire Killer whip does not appear in any form.
Plot
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia takes place after Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, sometime in the 1800s, right after the era of Richter Belmont. Since the Belmont Clan had vanished by that time, several organizations are created in order to research countermeasures against Dracula and his eventual return. Among these organizations, the most promising was the Order of Ecclesia, who created a triad of magical glyphs based on Dracula's power, named "Dominus." Shanoa is a member chosen by the order's leader, Barlowe, as the human vessel for Dominus. As the ritual begins, the Dominus glyphs (Anger, Hatred, Agony) are stolen by Shanoa's colleague Albus, and Shanoa loses her memories and emotions. She goes to retrieve them, unaware of his true intentions.
In her pursuit, Shanoa arrives in the deserted Wygol Village and finds out that Albus kidnapped its inhabitants, brought them to different hidden locations, and imprisoned them. As Shanoa rescues them throughout the game, she learns that Albus captured them to perform some kind of experiment on them which involved taking samples of their blood. On two occasions, Shanoa tracks down Albus, who willingly gives her two of the Dominus glyphs. When she finds him to be possessed by the power of the third glyph, she is forced to fight him. After killing Albus, his mind and soul are absorbed by Shanoa together with the last Dominus glyph. Albus explains that his true intentions were to find a way to defeat Dracula without Shanoa using Dominus, as he knew that it would kill her if she used it. Her lost memories and emotions were actually taken by Dominus, and not Albus, as Barlowe had told Shanoa. He also reveals that the reason he experimented on the villagers was because they were the last known descendants of the Belmont Clan, and he believed their blood would have the power to help him control Dominus without it consuming him.
Confronting Barlowe after learning the truth, Shanoa learns that his true objective is to bring Dracula back to life, using Shanoa as a sacrifice. After Barlowe is defeated in a fight, he offers his own life to revive Dracula, and Dracula's castle appears. Eventually confronting Dracula, Shanoa successfully defeats him using Dominus, seemingly at the cost of her own life. However, Albus appears and reveals that only a single soul has to be offered. He sacrifices his own soul in Shanoa's place, but not before he restores her memories and emotions and asks her to smile for him. The castle crumbles, and Shanoa escapes.
Development
Order of Ecclesia was made by the team who developed Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin.[8][9]
In a Wired interview, Igarashi said, "We're doing another Nintendo DS version. There hasn't been an official announcement, but we're doing it... we want people to enjoy the PSP version Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, and afterwards we're announcing it. So, please wait a little bit".[9] On January 25, 2008 a group of "leaked" screenshots from a DS Castlevania game that also showed Wii connectivity appeared. In response, Igarashi didn't give a direct answer if this was even the same game or said it was an official Konami product—he told IGN that "Konami doesn't comment on rumor or speculation."[10] Eventually, it was confirmed by a later update that these were screenshots from Order of Ecclesia.[11]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
1Up.com | A−[14] |
Edge | 6/10[15] |
Famitsu | 30/40[16] |
Game Informer | 8.25/10[17] |
GameSpot | 8.5/10[18] |
GameSpy | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
GameTrailers | 8.8/10[20] |
IGN | 9/10[21] |
Nintendo World Report | 9/10[22] |
Official Nintendo Magazine | 92%[23] |
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia received "favorable" reviews according to video game
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia was awarded Best Nintendo DS Game by GameTrailers in their 2008 video game awards.[27] It was also awarded the Best Platform Game for the Nintendo DS from IGN.[28] It was also nominated for several other Nintendo DS-specific awards, including Best Graphics Technology,[29] Best Original Score[30] and Game of the Year. However, following the nominations it won none of the awards.[31]
During the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Order of Ecclesia for "Hand-Held Game of the Year" and "Adventure Game of the Year".[32]
Initial sales of the game in Japan were reported at 19,000 copies sold during its first week.[33]
Shanoa has received generally positive reception following her appearance in Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. She was included in
Notes
References
- ^ "Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2009-02-07. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
- ^ 悪魔城ドラキュラ 奪われた刻印 (in Japanese). Konami. 2008-07-25. Archived from the original on 2008-06-15. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
- ^ "Castlevania Order of Ecclesia (DS)". Archived from the original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ^ Hirooka, Masaki. "BACKFIRE - profile" (in Japanese). Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ Konami (2010-08-04). Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. Konami.
Japanese: 歴代の「悪魔城ドラキュラ」シリーズから選ばれた登場キャラクターを操作して、仲間たちと悪魔城に乗り込み、宿敵ドラキュラ伯爵に立ち向かおう。 English translation: Take control of past protagonists from the Castlevania series to brave the Demon Castle alongside friends and defeat the ancient enemy Count Dracula.
- ^ a b Nihei, Wes (2008-05-15). "Previews: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - gametap.com". GameTap. Archived from the original on 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
- ^ Bozon, Mark (2008-07-11). "Pre-E3 2008: Hands-on Castlevania Judgment". IGN. Archived from the original on 2008-07-15. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ^ Gantayat, Anoop (2007-11-05). "Iga Confirms New DS Castlevania". IGN. Archived from the original on 2008-04-04. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ^ a b Kohler, Chris (2007-10-20). "Interview: Iga Talks Castlevania Everything". Wired. Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ^ Harris, Craig (2008-01-25). "Rumor Alert: Castlevania DS 3 Shots Leaked?". IGN. Archived from the original on 2008-04-05. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ^ Flynn De Marco (2008-05-15). "Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia Announced for Nintendo DS". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on 2018-12-15. Retrieved 2018-11-01.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on 2010-08-18. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
- ^ 1UP.com. Retrieved 2010-09-05.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Castlevania: Order of Eclessia", Edge Magazine UK: 88, 2009-01-01.
- 1UP.com. Archived from the originalon 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
- ^ Mc Shea, Tom (2008-10-27). "Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia Review for DS – GameSpot". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2010-07-28. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
- ^ Theobald, Phil (2008-10-22). "GameSpy: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia – Page 1". GameSpy. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
- ^ "Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia: Reviews, Trailers, and Interviews". GameTrailers. Archived from the original on 2010-09-10. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
- ^ Bozen, Mark. "Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia Review – Nintendo DS Review at IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
- ^ "Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 2016-08-02. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
- ^ Mathers, Martin (February 4, 2009). "Castlevania: Order Of Ecclesia". Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on August 27, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
- 1UP.com. 2008-08-15.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Turi, Tim (2012-04-04). "Ranking The Castlevania Bloodline". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ^ "Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia Review". Game Revoltuon. 2009-11-14. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
- ^ "Best DS Game". GameTrailers.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-26. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
- ^ "IGN DS: Best Platform Game 2008". IGN.com. 2008-12-15. Archived from the original on 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ "IGN DS: Best Graphics Technology 2008". IGN.com. 2008-12-15. Archived from the original on 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ "IGN DS: Best Original Score 2008". IGN.com. 2008-12-15. Archived from the original on 2009-01-13. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ "IGN DS: Game of the Year 2008". IGN.com. 2008-12-15. Archived from the original on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ Jenkins, David (October 30, 2008). "Japanese Charts: Devil Summoner Vs. Girls Mode". Gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved August 18, 2009.
- Complex. Archivedfrom the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ a b Ore, Jonathan (October 20, 2014). "Revisiting the Kick-Ass Female Lead Of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ Miller, Zachary (October 26, 2008). "Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on August 2, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ Holmes, Jonathan (October 27, 2008). "Destructoid review: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia". Destructoid. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- GamesRadar. December 20, 2008. Archivedfrom the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ Savino, Candace (July 18, 2008). "E308: Castlevania (aka Shanoa the vampire slayer)". Joystiq. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- Escapist Magazine. Archivedfrom the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ Willis, Phillip (6 October 2008). "Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - Staff Review". RPGamer. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ "Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia Review". Game Revolution. November 14, 2008. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ Jahanzeb Khan (May 20, 2015). "Bloodstained is the Triumphant Return of Castlevania". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.