Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

"This game is a bigger curse to mankind than Dracula"

There is a HUGE difference then Fun and challenging. Konami thought it would be cool if they made a game 10% fun 90% Challenging. So Challenging its rarely fun. I warn you if your new to Castlevania avoid this game at all costs! This is not a game for someone new to Castlevania! Its VERY hard and only for veterans! Get portrait of ruin instead

Money, money in Castlevania is not that hard to get…not in Ecclesia…you'll grind for money more than world of warcraft (ok maybe not) BUT STILL money is so hard to get! And food costs SO MUCH MONEY. Chests contain items, the more luck you got the better the item. So you will find yourself gunning through levels over and over and over and over just to sell 4000$ worth of items just to buy 3 curry. To be fully prepared for a level, you do 1 hours worth of grinding for food that you will burn off in 20 minuets. And if you get to a boss you WILL burn food.

Shanoa is VERY weak on the final boss you'll be dishen out 40 damage on a boss with 9999 HP. Almost every boss has a massive amount of HP and almost every boss has a movie that can one hit you OR leave you with very little HP. MP quickly regenerates but the real damage is your specials or joint attack that take hearts and will do around 100 damage. But the super damage is from a storyline spells but this spell does not take MP…it takes HP…a lot of HP which is stupid because bosses will hurt you a lot as it is, and sometimes if you don't watch your HP the super strong spell can kill you! The best way to kill a boss is to fight him over and over and over and over, snack, and over and over again until you know his moves and can dodge all of them with ease.

I bet your asking yourself “Is Shanoa cool?” Well yes she is female and uses black magic but is her personality cool? No. Why? In the very beginning of the game she loses her memory and…feelings…so Shanoa has as much personality as a brick. BUT the people you meet are loaded with personality with great voice actors.

Music, Castlevania is known for its awesome music right? RIGHT? Not this Castlevania… most of its music is boring, repetitive, and is played in more than 1 dungeon. I was very disappointed with the crappy music in this Castlevania. In the whole game there was only one good tune I liked. Most of the time I listened to my ipod.

And the graphics have not changed from Portrait of ruin.

Now if your new to Castlevania and you looking for a Castlevania for the DS and if you don't know what to get, Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of ruin, or Ecclesia. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T GET ECCLESIA! If you pick Ecclesia as your first Castlevania game you will hate Castlevania forever! Instead just get Portrait of ruin! But if you're a long time Castlevania fan then get this game it will be a big challenge for you.

Pros
You can rescue cute kitty cats

Cons
Shanoa is too weak
Bosses have to much HP
Money is to scarce
Food is too expensive
Shanoa has as much personality as a brick

Overall 6/10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 12/02/08

Game Release: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (US, 10/21/08)