And we totally called it. That's right: the meaning of the much-discussed moon that featured prominently in Nintendo Power had nothing to do with Disgaea, Metroid, Earthbound, or a ... Balance Board-compatible sequel to Michael Jackson's Moonwalker? You people are strange.So it's Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, which may seem like a disappointment to some (compared to, y'know, Earthbound), but hey: at least we get oodles of new details. According to Nintendo Power, this IGAvania is set in the mid-1800s and stars the series' first ever female protagonist, Shanoa. The magazine that there are "no real weapons in this game," with glyphs that can change form (for example, into a sword) Shanoa's weapon of choice.
There's a mass of other details waiting for you after the break -- don't forget your
- Glyphs used with every attack that consumes MP.
- Glyph MP consumption leads to a "new layer of strategy." MP meter refills quickly when not attacking.
- Combos can be created.
- Glyph Union special attack: Huge sword travels across the screen, with a constant barrage of knife hits.
- Glyphs can be used in other ways. For example, they can generate a magnetic field, allowing Shanoa to cling to metal rods.
- World map is "utilized."
- More than 20 locales in the game.
- Save statues and teleport rooms make a welcome return.
- Sidequests are given by rescued villagers, with each villager's data available for viewing.
- Game looks "more mature, sombre, and painted" than other games on the DS.
- As with the other DS games in the series, Michiru Yamane is handling sound again.
- No returning characters except for Dracula.
- Returning from previous versions: The ability to level up, dodging (L and R buttons), switching between map and stats with the select button, a hard difficulty setting, multiple endings, and Wi-Fi support.
- Wi-Fi includes a new item interface.
- Other features NP can't talk about.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-27-2008 @ 6:20PM
SephFinale said...
If it was a giant planet Earth...then yes, it might have been Earthbound. But apparently in the Pulse section of NP, Chris Slate keeps mentioning something big next month...
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5-27-2008 @ 7:11PM
117 said...
I called it. Wii version will be next months cover story.
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5-27-2008 @ 7:14PM
Mr Khan said...
It just reminds us all not to buy too much into the hype. The way people were talking about that moon it was going to bring on new Mother, new Kingdom Hearts, all sorts of glorious things
I mean, new Castlevania is great, but it's nothing earth-shattering
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5-27-2008 @ 7:15PM
fliedlice said...
should have known better than to get too excited
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5-27-2008 @ 7:37PM
igorponweed said...
Rabbids TV party? I'm actually more interested in that. O.o
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5-27-2008 @ 7:49PM
Erik said...
Wasn't Sonia Belmont of '98's Castlevania Legends the series' first female protagonist? And what about Portrait of Ruin's Charlotte?
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5-27-2008 @ 8:05PM
SephFinale said...
PoR was more Johnathan-oriented. And Charlotte is neither Belmont or Morris.
5-27-2008 @ 10:49PM
Linka said...
Sonia, I think because her game was retconned out of the timeline for the series, they don't count her as being a real protagonist anymore.
5-27-2008 @ 9:40PM
HairyBalls said...
I wonder if NP is still pretty crappy.
The only good thing from NP in the past couple years, was stuff for AC WW.
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5-27-2008 @ 11:46PM
Kadamon said...
I still call BS on that. Even if the game was retconned out of the whole thing, Sonia is still the first female protaganist of the bunch no matter what people say.
Trying to ignore something doesn't make it go away.
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5-28-2008 @ 11:21AM
moominsean said...
i love the castlevania games, can't wait to play another. i'm going to replay the gba versions (except for circle of the moon) this summer.
a new 'mother' isn't going to happen. it took the guy like 8 years to complete mother 3 and it sold poorly in japan and got crappy reviews. i want to play it, but i doubt very much that mother 4 will come out. just pull out your snes and play earthbound.
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6-07-2008 @ 12:30PM
DeathBivouac said...
Blasphemy! Mother 3 sold incredibly well in Japan and got great reviews. Perhaps you should do a little research before making such a bold statement.
There also is (and probably never will be) a Mother 4.
Anyway, Castlevania has always been one of my favorite series, but I feel everything has been done. I've played every single one (and I'll undoubtedly play this one as well), but lately they've all felt like clones of one another, just going through the motions to make Konami a profit. I feel like I'm still playing the same Castlevania game I played back in the 80s, but they throw some gimmick on top to make it seem fresh and new.
In short; I'd rather see Earthbound.
5-28-2008 @ 5:57PM
Juan Shue said...
given the art style, it's a bit ambiguous as to who really is and is not female in the castlevania games anyway, so it hardly matters who is the first.
that said, i'm stoked for this!
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5-30-2008 @ 3:36PM
Naphistim said...
Just a heads-up, Shigesato Itoi confirmed that there would be no Mother 4, and currently no localization plans are available for Mother 3, just in case anyone thought there was a new EB coming.
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