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Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia DS
  • Publisher: Konami
  • Release Date: Oct 21, 2008
User Score
8.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 46
  3. Negative: 3 out of 46

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  1. SeymourB
    Aug 8, 2009
    10
    This is by far my favorite DS and Castlevania game. My only complaint would be the ridiculous amount of time it takes to level up; you are forced to grind an awful lot to make it past the tougher challenges. And those complaining about the difficulty of the game should just try harder. Truly challenging games are rarities these days, and you're only helping to exacerbate that by complaining to developers. Once I completed the story, beat both secret areas and leveled up to 99, I was able to beat EVERY boss without even getting hit. This game is my idea of a perfect platforming title and the best $30 ever spent.… Expand
    • 3 of 3 users said yes
  2. Dracula
    Jan 20, 2010
    4
    I haaaaate this game. Enemies take fovever to defeat, the bosses especially take about a half hour to win assuming you never die, save points are too spaced out, you'll be wanting a health powerup every five seconds. You also have a variety of attacks and a stamina meter unlike some other entries in the series, which is a great leap in the wrong direction. The games were a little easy when you could just wip the daylights out of the bad guys, but this combat lacks that satisfaction, or any satisfaction at all for that matter. The music is also pretty boring, which is weird for a Castlevania game, and the level designs are extremely liniar. I don't have a problem with linear level designs untill I'm actually noticing it. What ever happened to "metroidvania?" One good thing I have to say is that the graphics are nice and the enemy design is very varied. The rest of the game just sucks. You have sooooo much text to read that the cutscenes actually give an accurate impression on how boring the game is. Also, the menus sometimes dont make any sense. In conclusion, take it from a hardcore SMT fan, the challenge in this game is just too unballanced. There is no sense of joy from defeating an enemy after dishing out like 8000 hits on it, or killing a boss that takes like three weeks to kill. It just sucks. It looks like half the other people who found time to share a user review feel the same, and the other half really enjoyed it, so all I can say is procede with caution.… Expand
    • 1 of 5 users said yes
  3. JohnB
    Oct 25, 2008
    6
    I'm a huge fan of the series, especially on the DS. This is more of these same (a good thing!), however, the boss fights are frustratingly hard. The third boss (which you get to within an hour or two) is what's making me sell this game. There is no "retry" or "continue" option, so after walking back to the boss and getting killed 10 times, I decided this was a grind treadmill I was willing to pass on. Forced repetition is not fun. Hopefully the next one will be better.… Expand
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  4. AndyP
    Jan 1, 2009
    10
    This game is a fun add on to the already great castlevania series for the ds. I really enjoy the music (a nice break from all the piano style music) and the gameplay some parts were frustrating but the boss battles were REALLY easy it normally took me my 2nd or 3rd try to beat a boss ( maybe because i took like 2 hours to level up =P) but the boss battles are still a lot of fun and the side quests are nice too ( rating is actually 9.7).… Expand
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  5. CJH.
    Oct 23, 2008
    10
    I think this game is clearly better than both other DS Castlevania games. That being said, allow me to say why. The 2 button combat system allows for players to customize their character. Along with the 2 button combat system, you also have the special ability to supercharge each button by pressing up. Combined with special glyphs that make use of the R button, I really don't think every player will play the same way. It is true that the opening levels are linear, but it does open up. I believe this linear setup makes the storyline a bit more believable and the fact that the main character has no relation to the belmonts is a breath of fresh air. For people that will say negatives, I already see the arguments coming. The first part of the game is linear (boohoo) the magic meter recharging is too slow (waaah) there is no belmont (awww) Personally, I do not think this game could get any better given the graphic constraints on the ds. In my opinion, the finest DS Castlevania game to date.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. TonyG.
    Oct 24, 2008
    10
    A breath of fresh air for castlevania. at 1st, I had doubts, but I admit this game is classic! music 10, graphics 10, gameplay 10.. a nice new pace from previous games. 1 gripe, boss battles are ridiculously hard ! besides that, game is neck and neck with symphony of the night.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. RyanS.
    Oct 25, 2008
    10
    If you don't mind a tough challenge, pick this game up. This is possibly the best action/platformer game on the DS, and one of the best i've EVER played. The enemies react so much more to you than in most games in which enemies are mostly automated. Also, soon after the beginning of the game, you will notice that enemies may not take hardly any damage from certain weapons; this is where the genius takes place. Enemies are often paired up so that you cannot just clear a room with one weapon. In most of the old Castlevanias (and other games in general) you would just equip your best weapon and proceed through the game until you got a more powerful weapon. In OE (Order of Ecclesia) this is not so. You must switch weapons to defeat enemies. So, you may be fighting one enemy and hurting him a lot while dodging another enemy for whom you need a different weapon. It creates so much more strategy and requires a lot more skill. You have 3 sets of Two weapons. You can switch between these 3 sets on the fly. Also, each set can have a different subweapon (this is dependent upon which two weapons you have equipped). These to me are the most important aspects because the gameplay is so drastically different from most other action games. The animations, music, and everything else is on par or better than anything else in the Castlevania series.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. SteveM.
    Oct 29, 2008
    10
    This game is excellent. Really, right up there with Symphony and Dawn of Sorrow. A word to the weak: the game is hard. Despite what you may have heard, the bosses are not unfair, and it is not a grind-fest. You simply need patience and a memory worth 30 seconds to assess their patterns and take them down, which is rewarding, to defeat such difficult bosses. Really, game reviewers are wrong to fault a game for being difficult when it is not a product of bad design. I'm so sick of challenge being interpreted as archaic design. This game is a really polished gem.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. chrisB
    Nov 20, 2009
    5
    This game (as well as all the other DS castlevania titles) is a disgrace to the series. Nothing about this catastrophic abomination resembles what has made castlevania a video game icon. "what is it missing?" you may ask. first of all, the music. this music is sickeningly mediocre and pitiful. it cannot hold a finger to the classics. also, the difficulty. When I play a casltevania game, I expect to be fucking challenged. this game is not challenging, it is only repetitive and boring. also, the story line is an illogical mess and has fuck all to do with the original games. in fact, it contradicts previous storylines at multiple parts in the game. What a shining disappointment. once again we are given a game not worthy of its name. this just drives the point home that in all respects castlevania is dead.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. Don
    Jan 19, 2009
    4
    This game is a series of failures. Legibility is poor, enemies are annoying and poorly balanced or stupefyingly easy. The game complicates acquiring new weapons with the painfully annoying contrivance of having to 'absorb' them. Additionally, they will disappear if you don't collecting them within a few seconds. Nevermind the fact that if there are other enemies around they are impossible to collect since the absorption process takes several seconds and being hit resets this timer often resulting in the loss of the weapon. Bosses are tiresome to confront and vastly more difficult than everything else you have confront up until that point. The over-world map navigation adds nothing whatsoever to the game and is just another tiresome step in this dreary experience. The one and only thing the games has going for itself is production value. It looks and sounds decent.… Expand
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  11. jasonc
    Apr 2, 2009
    10
    I brought this game recently, the actual gameplay is brilliant, not massively different from past castlevania games but then this would not be castlevania if they changed the way it plays out too much. the game bosses are difficult...and i love it!!, a boss is called a boss because hes the big daddy at the end of the level, he's the one the other enemies look up to. this is what we loved about old school 2d scrollers, theres nothing more memorable that kick ass bosses. ok nobody likes being stumped by bosses, but there is always a way, a tactic to beat every boss, when you get it you are pleased and look forward to the next big boss!... aside from GTA:CW this is the next best DS game available, classic 2d scrolling with a few good new features and memorable kick arse bosses you wont forget in a hurry. you gotta love it.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  12. AdamD
    May 21, 2009
    5
    This game(Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia) is one of the most overrated games of this current generation. While the background graphics are quite impressive, the character sprites could of been achieved on the Game Boy Advance. The gameplay is much different from the past DS Castlevania games, and is more similar to the original Castlevania. Instead of being non-linear, Konami chose OoE to be more of a move left to right and kill everything in your path. The games difficulty is very steep. Though you have a health bar, in most area's, especially towards the end of the game, you can drain your health in a matter of moments. I often find myself just running past the enemy's, instead of enjoying fighting them. The boss fights are often brutal and repetitive. The only real difficulty is that two hits and your nearly dead. You have to memorize the boss's pattern, which is more tedious than fun. One thing that the Castlevania series is known for is the music, and sadly, OoE doesn't like up to the standards set by Portrait of Ruin. Overall, the games more repetitive than fun and should be avoided.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  13. HansC
    Aug 6, 2009
    9
    This was my first Castlevania game ever. I think the gameplay was really amazing. I enjoyed the boss fights -- I like it when you need to really think up strategies and practice them a bit before being able to beat a boss. The only thing I didn't like about this game was the story. Imo it's weak, and the pacing is not very well done. To be frank: storywise, I think the second part of the game sucks. Then again, I don't think story is that important in this kind of game. I'm really looking forward to playing the other Castlevania games on the DS. I got a hold of Dawn of Sorrow and am searching for Portrait of Ruin. Order of Ecclesia really got me hooked.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  14. JasonS
    Dec 29, 2008
    6
    Great graphics and when it's actually playable it's fun, but I spent most of the game looking for money to buy potions because they are practically useless. The game is simply too hard. Sure, challenge is good, but there was not a single boss fight that did not take atleast 5 attempts to beat. You spend every level (which pales vastly in comparison to the complete castle) praying that there aren't any more enemies to fight because you are just going to die and have to start at the beginning. This was acceptable 17 years ago, now it is boring and tiring. Pick up Dawn of Sorrow. It is by far the best on the DS.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  15. BrianS
    Dec 27, 2008
    10
    This is the best Castlevania game since Symphony of the Night, hands down. The characters are fresh (there aren't any Belmonts in it!), the gameplay is at an all-time high. If you're complaining about the difficulty, it's because you're bad at video games, not because the game is too hard. I'm at a fairly average skill level and I beat it in a couple nights. It�39;s harder than most recent Castlevania games, and you will die many, many times on your way through it, but the difficulty never reaches the point where you just quit playing. On top of that, there's plenty of depth to keep you coming back for more. The highlight is the boss battles. This game has some of the coolest I've seen in a while. Wouldn't it be a disappointment if that really gnarly looking boss was the pushover so many people seem to be complaining about him not being? I think so. I dug this game.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  16. Milan
    Oct 11, 2010
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is often overlooked because of its higher difficulty level. However, I would argue that this is actually one of the game's strong points. Unlike other metroidvanias such as SotN and PoR, OoE gives a challenge actually that stays consistent throughout the game, meaning that the player will never become bored with lack of combat immersion. Contrary to many other games with RPG elements, Castlevania doesn't force you to level grind in order to defeat the more difficult enemies and bosses. Instead, all you need is a little bit of patience and pattern recognition, and you'll be running through levels without taking any damage in no time. OoE also boasts a wonderful style of art, leaning toward the traditional, more Gothic and dark theme that the original Castlevanias employed over the anime style that was featured in Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin. The enemies look sharp and crisp and Shanoa herself is very well animated. The backdrops throughout the game are also detailed and varied whilst remaining mysterious-looking and Gothic, and the new levels outside of Dracula's castle also give more variety. No longer will you be confined to the same old castle - you can now fight in locales ranging from foggy forests to cloud-piercing mountains. This new gameplay feature of locations outside of the castle may be seen by some as linear but, in reality, OoE still features the same old metroidvania gameplay of going back to old levels with new abilities to find secrets and new items; it's just that you are no longer limited to one big castle when doing this. Speaking of which, there are several secret items and glyphs to go back and retrieve at later points in the game. The combat system in OoE is great. Shanoa uses magical weapons called Glyphs, which function just as standard weapons from previous Castlevanias, except with new features such as Unions and mixing magic-based Glyphs with physically-based Glyphs. The combat is fluid and Shanoa is very agile; the controls are prefect whether you are double-jumping, backdashing, or even dodging an enemy's ranged attacks in the air. There are also some minor online features - shop mode and race, but only shop mode will really catch your attention. The story in Order of Ecclesia is pretty good, but nothing groundbreaking, but the characters themselves slightly make up for this. The music in OoE is a bit of a disappointment compared to previous music-heavy Castlevanias such as PoR and SotN, with only 1 or 2 exceptional tracks, but the overall quality is still quite good. The re-playability of Order of Ecclesia is excellent. Whereas the normal story generally takes about 25 hours to complete, you will spend another 25 simply hunting for all of the secret items, weapons, and glyphs, playing around in Boss Rush and Sound modes, completing the Training Hall and Large Cavern, playing Albus and hard modes and subsequently reaching level 255, and maxing out all attributes familiars. All-in-all Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is an excellent game that shouldn't be ignored simply because it is harder than your average game (which, to be frank, isn't hard in the slightest). OoE is a great game for anyone looking for a side-scrolling platformer with RPG elements, and an excellent game for a Castlevania fan in particular.… Expand
  17. duckypwns
    Dec 11, 2011
    9
    This is the most under rated DS Castlevania. It is often labeled as being the "worst" of the three. It's actually the best. It has the interesting glyph system, the best boss battles, the most prominent challenge, the best enemies, the best levels, the best secrets, the best weapon variety, the best music, the best story, the best characters, and the best visuals. If you haven't played this one, you have missed out on one of the greatest Castlevania games of all time, even up there with Super Castlevania 4 and Symphony of the Night.… Expand
  18. Watermelon789
    Jul 28, 2011
    8
    Before you throw your DS to the floor, play Order of Ecclesia in my case I found the plat forming with the action, challenging. Ridiculous boss battles beat the crap out of you, frustrating levels mixed with exploration.
  19. simpletaste
    Apr 5, 2012
    9
    Great game. Punishing difficulty for newcomers equals steep learning curve. Once you overcome that, you'll have a greater appreciation on the game design as well as confidence in your own abilities. Weapon selection is limited compared to past entries, but are all either useful or can be useful depending on individual play styles. The game will force you to switch your tactics and mindset. People who don't will have a harder time, while people who do or think outside the box will be rewarded. Character design is brilliant, option to toggle in game voice to either English or Japanese is a welcomed addition although the children sound annoying in both languages IMO. Level design is good aside from a few palette swaps. I did enjoy the various nods to previous Castlevania titles. Various monster designs are good with a handful redone from previous titles. Story is comparable to other Castlevania entries on the DS which is lacking in that department. I did like the strong main female protagonist, however, I believe the story presentation could have been improved by adding more pieces of art to overlay the story parts, going more in depth with the characters and Ecclesia as an organization itself.… Expand
  20. Decemuladores
    Nov 20, 2011
    8
    Konami and Castlevania is like Square Enix and Final Fantasy and the new plot of this Castlevania is envelope as if it were the original series. With almost the same formula of the previous but with new touches Order of Ecclsesia represent de best Castlevania in portable console this generation.
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 46 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 46
  3. Negative: 0 out of 46
  1. GamePro
    80
    Take gorgeous graphics, intense action, and interesting gameplay concepts, marry it to the legendary Castlevania franchise and release it on the DS. [Nov 2008, p.100]
  2. Nintendo Power
    80
    Order of Ecclesia may not have a wealth of newness to contribute, but the Castlevania formula still works like a charm, and the game's traditionally strong boss and level designs hold up well in the smaller, more focused areas. [Dec 2008, p.92]
  3. IGN
    90
    Stronger than Portrait of Ruin, Circle of the Moon, and Harmony of Dissonance? Is this reviewer's opinion, yes. The best on DS, or top in the series? I just don't think so.
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