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ESRB Confirmedtoid: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia coming to DS photo

While the name was trademarked by Konami not long ago, here is your confirmation -- Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia has been rated by the ESRB, and will be coming to the Nintendo DS. 

While we have no further information, we have to assume it will involve hunting vampires (or some form of Count Dracula), and that there will probably be a castle of some sort. Also, you might be able to unlock an upside down version of the castle once the game is complete. You will also fight animated skeletons. Wikipedia tells us that "ecclesia" refers to a gathering of citizens or "gathering of those summoned," from the Greek "ekklesia." Draw your own conclusions from that. 

Here's my take, and it's probably not going to be a popular one -- I'm getting tired of these Castlevania games on Nintendo's handhelds. We've already seen two on the Nintendo DS, and before that three on the Game Boy Advance. That's five Castlevania games, all of which were solid but could have been one long game and no one would have noticed.

I'm definitely looking for something new, and history has me hesitant to think that Order of Ecclesia is going to break out of the "explore the castle, get a new power to reach a new area" mold. I'm hoping that when Konami official announces the title my socks are knocked off, but I won't be surprised if they stay on.

[Via NeoGAF] 


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60 comments | showing # 1 to 50

king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 04/14/2008 13:13
OH SWEET JESUS THANK YOU
BlindsideDork's Avatar
BlindsideDork at 04/14/2008 13:18
Portable Castlevania is fun, I'll have another. Especially if they have EPIC pre-order bonus like they did with Portrait of Ruin (doubt it).
Passionate Styos's Avatar
Passionate Styos at 04/14/2008 13:18
*Passionate Styos is now known as Passionate Castlevania Maniac*

Yes! Bring it Konami!

Still, I hope they do something new to break the same things. I know they can do it.
Demtor's Avatar
Demtor at 04/14/2008 13:18
Another fun Castlevania game for my DS? Yes Please!! How could you not want this? Unless your just not a fan of the metroidish sylte in the series. To me, thats what I want. And plus... its fricking Castlevania!! Woohoo!
Guagloves's Avatar
Guagloves at 04/14/2008 13:19
Thank you sir may I have another?!
DeusPayne's Avatar
DeusPayne at 04/14/2008 13:19
I've LOVED every single one of the portable castlevanias. They're just a really good genre for the portable market, but at the same time allows for obsessive gamers to go crazy with it. I'll almost definitely be picking this up.
Pangloss's Avatar
Pangloss at 04/14/2008 13:21
I'm going to respectfully disagree with you here on some things, Nick. If I'm looking for something new, it certainly isn't from the Castlevania franchise. I still love the "frolic through castle, whip things" gameplay, and I hope I will always have a source for that. Innovation is welcome to come from other quarters.

On the other hand, I am sort of tired of all these games showing up on the DS. Here's what I want: a 2D platformer (with the same general premise as the others) on the home consoles that takes full advantage of current-gen graphics. We could make a really damn pretty Castlevania at this point. Maybe have co-op between Alucard and some Belmont or other. The thing is basically that I'm not tired of Castlevania, I'm just tired of looking at handheld platformers.
necrozen's Avatar
necrozen at 04/14/2008 13:22
Finally!

I know some people may be tired of them, but I'm not. I actually look forward to them. And the change things up just enough with the mechanics to keep things interesting.

As long as they freshen it up a bit each time, I'm in.
covah's Avatar
covah at 04/14/2008 13:23
FUCKING WIN
Nick Chester's Avatar
Nick Chester at 04/14/2008 13:24
I hear what you're saying, Pangloss (and everyone else, actually). I think I agree that maybe I'm just getting burnt out on handheld platforms. A really slick XBLA or PSN Castlevania might have my attention a bit more. I'm not saying I won't play Ececlesia -- I will, and I'm going to likely love it. I just think they're neglecting quite a few platforms. The portable love affair is getting a bit old to me.
Passionate Styos's Avatar
Passionate Styos at 04/14/2008 13:24
I'll make it short for Panlgoss

"If it isn't broken, don't fix it"
Gangles's Avatar
Gangles at 04/14/2008 13:27
A change would be interesting, but I'd be satisfied with more of the same tbh
PaperBowser0's Avatar
PaperBowser0 at 04/14/2008 13:28
*does a happy dance*.......sorry about that, but anyhow...YES!
Tragic Hero's Avatar
Tragic Hero at 04/14/2008 13:30
I just want them to bring back the furniture feature from the one GBA Castlevania (forgot which one). Remember, the one where you either collect or buy furniture in the game and there was that one room you ended up decorating?

That was a fun new concept, kind of like when they added the HQ in Pokemon that you could decorate.
Jayson Napolitano's Avatar
Jayson Napolitano at 04/14/2008 13:30
I think Portrait of Ruin was pretty broken. Big disappointment. I did enjoy Yuzo Koshiro's two tracks on the soundtrack though.

It's funny that Igarashi admitted that they're still using a large portion of assets from Symphony of the Night in the handheld games. Guess that demonstrates that they're doing the same thing over and over. I hope this is something new!
Metamorphic's Avatar
Metamorphic at 04/14/2008 13:31
"Here's my take, and it's probably not going to be a popular one -- I'm getting tired of these Castlevania games on Nintendo's handhelds. We've already seen two on the Nintendo DS, and before that three on the Game Boy Advance. That's five Castlevania games, all of which were solid but could have been one long game and no one would have noticed."

:|

More Castlevania = Very Win

We kill vampires, zombies, skeletons, incubus, creatures and stuff... its what we do. And they can all be found in a giant gothic castle.
welkstar's Avatar
welkstar at 04/14/2008 13:32
I love me some DS Castlevania, but seriously Konami, the home consoles are lonely; give em some 2D Castlevania lovin!
kalidanthepalidan's Avatar
kalidanthepalidan at 04/14/2008 13:36
I'm excited for this. It's a definite "do want" for me. Hopefully they will add some sort of new feature though, just to freshen it up a bit.
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 04/14/2008 13:37
YES.
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 04/14/2008 13:37
Yes sweet.Something new to play on DS besides Planet Puzzle League.
Elitechief27's Avatar
Elitechief27 at 04/14/2008 13:39
I less than three(<3) Castelvainia. Portrait of Ruin was one of my favorites and I am looking foreward to this one
ZeroTolo's Avatar
ZeroTolo at 04/14/2008 13:48
Having acquired both DS Castlevanias within the last week, I have to say that I cannot friggin wait for this one. If they choose to include Soma again, I can't say I'd hate them either since he is one of the more consistent heroes of the series (Alucard notwithstanding).
Chicken008's Avatar
Chicken008 at 04/14/2008 13:48
Oh Hai! I loved Aria/Dawn of Sorrow, magic was great..
Redzie's Avatar
Redzie at 04/14/2008 13:49
This is one of the biggest reasons I own a DS.
Chocobo Knight's Avatar
Chocobo Knight at 04/14/2008 13:50
My day has been made! Yes!
JoshDunford's Avatar
JoshDunford at 04/14/2008 13:51
Hooray!!

<ecstatic>

-JD
Kyousuke Nanbu's Avatar
Kyousuke Nanbu at 04/14/2008 13:57
I just hope they make an effort this time instead of the copy and paste that was Portrait of Ruin.

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, the last 4 paintings where the first 4, only reserved, I find that to be insanely lazy game design.
Kyousuke Nanbu's Avatar
Kyousuke Nanbu at 04/14/2008 13:59
That should say reversed not reserved.
Stahlbrand's Avatar
Stahlbrand at 04/14/2008 14:02
Can they stop re-releasing junk on the GBA/DS and start rereleasing junk in HD on the major consoles?

Call me a sucker, but I would pay full retail for an HD-redo of SoTN in a heartbeat.
Pacman's Avatar
Pacman at 04/14/2008 14:04
I'm cautiously optimistic. On one hand I've enjoyed the handheld Castlevanias because they have been everything the console releases have not (true to series roots gameplay, 2d) but Metroidvania is wearing on me. I didn't even pick up PoR because it just feels like the same (albeit solid) game over and over again.

I want a no-frills, Castlevania 1 or 3 style platformer with ridiculous difficulty. If Konami can get that accomplished with Contra, why not Castlevania? Hell, I'd even settle for a Castlevania 2 type game.
DinnertimeNinja's Avatar
DinnertimeNinja at 04/14/2008 14:12
I agree with you, Nick.

As much as I love those handheld Castlevanias, NONE of them have made me say "WOW!" at the gameplay and NONE of them have come close to matching the awesome factor of Symphony of the Night.

Damn it, Konami! Pu some resources behind a next gen game and make it so damn feature packed that no one can say it's bad. I'm STILL coming across new items and weapons to play with in SotN on like my tenth playthrough. You can even keep it 2-D, just make it freakin' huge!
ZeroTolo's Avatar
ZeroTolo at 04/14/2008 14:22
BenHaskett's Avatar
BenHaskett at 04/14/2008 14:38
Suit yourself, chester, I love these games. It's the closest to a traditional Metroid game I can get. I know they're all really, really similar, but hey, comfort food, right?
covah's Avatar
covah at 04/14/2008 14:45
One thing is, I hope they ditch the anime style art.
Shin Oni's Avatar
Shin Oni at 04/14/2008 14:49
Here's hoping we don't get another Potrait of Ruin. Half a Castle and paintings redone backwards.

can we return to Aria of Sorrow days? Hell even Circle of the moon style would be pretty awesome.

oh and lets leave out the online bit. at least the online multiplayer. But that's me.
eightcell's Avatar
eightcell at 04/14/2008 14:58
True co-op would be nice this time around.
Is Mise Legend's Avatar
Is Mise Legend at 04/14/2008 15:19
The previous 2 DS Castlevanias were brilliant, and I'm really looking forward to this one. Sure, they're mostly the same, but you can never kill too many vampires.

Hopefully it's back to just one playable character at a time, the whole support-character thing in PoR made it a lot easier.

I know you didn't have to use the second character as a support character, and I generally didn't, but those 2-person Uber attacks annihilated EVERY boss.
Spartacus's Avatar
Spartacus at 04/14/2008 15:22
Dawn of Sorrow was one of my favorite games on the DS. I can't wait.
STUVNING's Avatar
STUVNING at 04/14/2008 15:24
DO WANT.I love Castlevania and I'm going to buy this and play the hell out of it. Although som innovation wouldn't hurt just don't go down the same road as Curse of whatever that game sucked vampiric testicles.
Cloud09's Avatar
Cloud09 at 04/14/2008 15:47
Love Castlevania. But yeah, Konami please make a new Castlevania for one of the non-portable consoles in 2D, make it huge and full of pretty graphics and sound and such. If you follow the formula of the DS or GBA games, you pretty much will be printing money after it releases.
PaulMorel's Avatar
PaulMorel at 04/14/2008 15:47
I know that this game will be just like the other two. Still, I LOVED the other two....

So I understand how you feel, but for me, the Castlevania series is like Mario Kart. Until they screw it up, I'll buy every single one. Neither franchise is known for innovation, but both deliver a solid AAA experience EVERY TIME (I even liked Simon's Quest ...).

So, count me among the drooling fanboys who will buy this game on release day despite its utter sameness to the previous two titles.
Vitamin Awesome's Avatar
Vitamin Awesome at 04/14/2008 16:36
It's a Castlevania that isn't 3D. That's all that makes it golden in my book, regardless of what console it's on. Although a next-gen side scroller would be mighty badass. Hi-def hand drawn sprites ala SSFIITHDROMFGWTFBBQBYOB would scream "MUNNIES NAO!" right into my face.
Rigor Mortis's Avatar
Rigor Mortis at 04/14/2008 16:45
FUCKING YES I LOVE YOU KONAMI.

@Kyousuke
I disliked the reversed levels in PoR, but I'm guessing it wasn't so much laziness as an attempt to revisit the SoTN magic. Fully 50% recycling there yet everyone considers it the best in the series... not really a way to motivate the devs to make every level original :|
Rigor Mortis's Avatar
Rigor Mortis at 04/14/2008 16:45
FUCKING YES I LOVE YOU KONAMI.@KyousukeI disliked the reversed levels in PoR, but I'm guessing it wasn't so much laziness as an attempt to revisit the SoTN magic. Fully 50% recycling there yet everyone considers it the best in the series... not really a way to motivate the devs to make every level original :|
skullivan's Avatar
skullivan at 04/14/2008 16:47
I'm done with Castlevania until they do a 2D sequel to SOTN on PS3 or 360, even if it's on XBLA or PSN.

I bought Portrait of Ruin and was bored with it within the first 2 hours. If I hadn't already played the 4 portable Castlevania's before it I'm sure I would've thought it was awesome.

If they attempt to do another 3D game I can't be responsible for my actions.
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 04/14/2008 16:49
While I respect your opinion, Nick, I would say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I loved all of the Nintendo handheld Castlevanias that I've played (never got around to Circle of the Moon), and if they want to give me the same experience again, I'll take it. I can imagine them trying something wildly new (like 3D) and failing at it (like the N64 Castlevania games).
ZekeThePlumber's Avatar
ZekeThePlumber at 04/14/2008 16:50
I'm all for a new Castlevania DS game, I just with they would drop the anime shit and go back to the gothic style. Granted I like anime, the darker art style just suited the series much better.
Teen Idol's Avatar
Teen Idol at 04/14/2008 17:19
I never get tired of a new Castlevania game.
Yeuuuuuuuuuh. Now I need an SD...
kadosho's Avatar
kadosho at 04/14/2008 17:22
Although I am a longtime CV fan, the recent entries kinda turned me away. *I still haven't picked up a DS, cost wise. But also because of CV, the art direction just felt poor with Dawn & Portrait of Ruin.

(*why do they have to be anime stylized?) This is something that's bugged me for awhile, bring back Ayami, or have Jo Chen show hew graceful. Not this cut & paste design. I felt bitter when I saw the art for Dawn, and settled on "I don't need this".

But this title redeems my curiosity, this may finally be about "The War of 99'". I just hope they decide to bring in someone with more artistic talent. For story, CV is novel, even more since its early days. Just hope they dont drop the ball here.

*Also why isn't there a CV for consoles? That's another lingering question.
MaxVest's Avatar
MaxVest at 04/14/2008 17:25
Yeah, I don't know what it is, but I like just having a few small changes in my Castlevania each time. Innovation in low doses is good for this series, but I don't need an entirely fresh perspective to stay hooked.

If anything, I'd love the chance to do a pseudo-3D, where all the characters and action still happen in 2D, but the castle map has depth as well as length and width. Because as far as I can tell, Dracula lives in a huge-ass castle that is only one room deep.
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