Those of you who want to get to know Shanoa a little better should check out the vid up top, which features her kicking some undead butt. She might not bring too many new things to the Castlevania-verse, but she still looks like a pretty badass character. Besides, she "shall become the sword that clears away evil" -- what more do you want? Order of Ecclesia is currently one of our most anticipated DS games, though, so do we really need another reason to convince you to watch this trailer? Just look at the footage.
What can I say about Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia? You've played this game plenty of times before. Sure, there are some slight changes here and there, but, ultimately, this is pretty much the same as every other DS Castlevania title released. Don't take that as a bad thing, though.
When arriving at Konami's booth for our appointment this morning, we were surprised to hear that they did not mind if we took some photos. So, we did. And while we're still working on our impressions of their line-up and running to other appointments, we figured some of you would want to check out their games. In the least, you can see exactly what games we'll be writing impressions up for later. So, hit up the gallery below.
There's just something refreshing about Castlevania. As long as we're not discussing Judgment (sigh), the games retain the look and feel that has marked the series for the last several years, but the style keeps improving in subtle ways. Not convinced? If the new shots in the gallery don't grab you, try some of the gorgeousvideo we've seen from Order of Ecclesia.
There's a lot of truth to the complaints many have made about producer Koji Igarashi's direction with the Castlevania series -- mainly that every new entry seems like a slight update to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night's (1997) template -- but we've never let that get in the way of us taking in every bit of vampire-slaying media each new Castlevania title.
As a team focused on digging up news on Nintendo DS games, we sift through dozens of videos and screenshots, glossing over most of them. With IGN's hands-on impressions and direct-feed clips for Order of Ecclesia, however, we took in every word, every second of animation. They're all embedded past the post break for you to do the same, of course!
And, for those of you who are still grumpy about Order of Ecclesia possibly feeling too much like previous installments, you'll be happy to hear this bit from IGN's preview: "Between the glyph system's reliance on magic, the 'out of the castle' feel of the game, and the all new enemies, this is the first time since Symphony of the Night that a free-roaming version of the game hasn't felt like a direct clone of Symphony of the Night."
With Konami currently developing two Castlevania titles, one for the Wii and the other for the Nintendo DS, it seemed obvious that the studio would add some sort of connectivity feature to the two games, especially considering that Shanoa, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia's protagonist, will be a playable fighter in Castlevania Judgment.
Though Konami hasn't provided any specifics, the company has announced that connecting the two games, presumably through WiFi and not with a string, unlocks "bonus gameplay content." We don't know yet if that extra stuff will be limited to just the Wii, but we're hoping for some added DS perks!
What could that "bonus gameplay content" be? New items/costumes/areas? The original Castlevania games for the NES? A minigame for raising your own pocket Castlevania monsters?!
Konami is showing off Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia at the Interactive & Digital Entertainment Festival in Cannes, leading one Jeuxvideo.tv contributor to show off his ability to hold a camera steady on the DS screen while simultaneously playing. Or he brought a friend. The point is: hey, look!
The backgrounds look more layered and detailed than the last couple of games, and the enemy sprites appear to be a mix of old and new. The skeleton hasn't changed since at leastSymphony of the Night, but that new floating shade (or witch, or whatever the girl in the dress is) is pretty amazing. Of course, we're more than willing to look past the reused sprites because there's a different world map! With non-castle locations!
This segment provides a better look at the Magnes glyph (which creates a powerful magnetic field, allowing Shanoa to pull herself up to certain metallic platforms, then slingshot herself offward) and its in-game tutorial. The glyph will act as a sort of high jump, to allow access to previously inaccessible areas of the castle.
Gamasutra spoke to Koji "IGA" Igarashi, the current steward of the Castlevaniafranchise, after the Konami Gamers Day announcement of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, about his status as one of the last 2D stalwarts. Last year he declared in a defiant PowerPoint slide that "2D games will never die!" This year? "I'm glad that 2D is still somewhat alive. It's been fun."
It looks like IGA might be branching out just a bit in the future -- still in 2D, but he hinted that he had something new on the way. Something ... maybe not on the DS. "This time, I announced a DS title, but I definitely want to grow the franchise. It's something I'm really focused on. You guys will probably be hearing something from me."
It sounds like whatever the project is, it'll still be the "Igavania" style we know, since according to IGA, the more linear Rondo of Blood PSP port was good, but "not something that I can jump up and down and enjoy like I do with the DS titles."
If you've sworn off Igarashi's Castlevania titles, frustrated with rehashes of the same Metroidvania formula, stay away from this Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia video! It might be enough to bring you back! You'll see some reused sprites, and the general format doesn't look too different from previous entries, but the art direction in the first cinematic half is, as we've noted before, all the way live.
As for the in-game clips, there's plenty to keep you interested, like action scenes with the Manges Glyph, a field that envelopes female lead Shanoa and can be used to cling to metal rods or fling the heroine across the screen. One of the boss fights also seems to herald the return of ... Mr. Crabs?! Back from the dead!
Nintendo Power subscriber? Already got your copy? Goody for you -- we haven't! Which is why we're so completely fascinated by the artwork from Castlevania: Order of Ecclesiathe magazine has on offer; we haven't seen it yet. Since some of you are probably in the same boat, we thought it might be worth sharing a peek.
If you didn't see our earlier post on the details of the latest from the franchise, go check it out. For a few blurry bits of screens, jump to the ledge past the break. For better screens? See the gallery below.
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 whip glyphs.
Until that day, though, you can bet we're salivating for every single juicy morsel of Castlevania news we can get our grubby little mitts on. This latest interview with Koji Igarashi is no exception, as he details some of the things about Ecclesia. Like, why did he go with a female protagonist? Hint: it's because the fans wanted it!
Believe us, we've far from ruined the interview for you. It's got some interesting stuff in there, so give it a watch.
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia was (for real) revealed this week, as was its heroine, a member of the Dracula-hunting (in the absence of a Belmont) sect from which the game gets its title. She seems like a pretty good protagonist, with her imposing boots and ability to equip three attacks at a time, but she is no Belmont. She may kill vampires, but she doesn't have Vampire Killer.
Are you at all disappointed when a Castlevania game features a non-Belmont? Or did Symphony of the Night convince you that switching up the formula is worth the lack of familiarity? Does it still feel like Castlevania if you're not some musclebound dude with a whip?
Posted May 17th 2008 2:00PM by Eric Caoili Filed under: News
A quick word about the new art on Konami's Castlevania: Order of Eccelsia site for Japan -- badical. Several not-so-quick words -- we'd heard from early previews that series producer Koji Igarashi and his team were moving away from the anime character designs employed in the two previous Castlevania DS titles, but we weren't expecting the new art direction to impress us this much. Also -- hooker boots.
As for the "Nintendo Power secret" hinted in the title, look at the glowing satellite behind Order of Ecclesia's protagonist, Shanoa. Notice anything familiar? Doesn't it look like the same mystery moonNintendo Power used as a clue in the latest issue's preview page? Peer into a telescope past the post break to compare!
1UP's preview of the new Castlevania game, Order of Ecclesia, is based on a Konami Gamer's Day demonstration from Koji Igarashi, who revealed the new weapon system at work. One of our favorite parts of any new Castlevania game (at least the 2D ones) is discovering the new weapon or magic system that's going to have us running in and out of the same room for an hour killing Waiter Skeletons.
This time, it's the "Glyph System," which acts as both the main and subweapon systems for new heroine Shanoa, sort of. You equip glyphs to each arm, represented by the Y and X buttons, and her back, represented by R, and a press of the appropriate button will activate the weapon. Pressing multiple buttons will combine attacks. All of these attacks seemed to draw from a self-refilling MP meter, meaning that in essence all the weapons in Order of Ecclesia are subweapons.
With Konami currently developing two 
