Revived once more
Castlevania is one of gaming's longest running franchises, and somehow manages to continually pump out new titles every year or two. Order of Ecclesia is the latest entry, and brings back much of the same style of action and adventure that we've come to expect from the series. It's a fun title for sure, but the series' extreme aversion to innovation is catching up with it, making Order of Ecclesia feel all too predictable.
That's not to say that Order of Ecclesia is a direct carbon copy of the previous games. Your character is an attractive new face, and the story has progressed past the tired tale of the Belmont Clan's (apparently unsuccessful) efforts to detain Dracula- though the story still remains relatively unexciting. The graphics and music have gotten a nice upgrade though, and the new level structure is an interesting idea. Rather than have the game take place in a single castle, it is divided into many different areas that are selectable via an overworld. It's a fair enough change of pace, and does a great job at offering more varied areas to explore. At the same time, traversing a series of linear areas just isn't quite as exciting as the sprawling castles of old. It takes some of the adventuring out of the mix, which has always been a strong point of the series. Fortunately, the final area of the game is appropriately epic, and does a lot to make up for some of the less exciting areas populating the first half of the game.
Most every other aspect of the game, however, seems to be relatively unchanged. Sure, a new "glyph system" is introduced, but it functions in much the same way as previous combat engines. Combine this with familiar controls and the return of many of the series' staple enemies, and combat in general is about what is was before. Even many of the weapons are recurring, and the bosses seem to use all the same old tricks. In fact, other than the aforementioned new level structure, Order of Ecclesia feels almost identical to the past half-dozen or so Castlevania games. And that's really the crux of the matter- it's that same brand of 2D dungeon crawl we've all known for decades. And while I feel that the challenge level and pacing are good enough to match, or even surpass the series' best efforts, Order of Ecclesia just ultimately doesn't offer enough newness to have any sort of lasting impact. Which is a shame, because the foundation is certainly there for a great action game.
Whether you'll enjoy a game like Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia or not depends entirely on your perspective. It's a solid 2D action adventure, and if you've never played a Castlevania game before then you're sure to have a blast with it. Even if you're a veteran, Order of Ecclesia is certainly worth a look if you're the type that's not put off by more of the same. Otherwise, Order of Ecclesia treads old ground a little too much, making it a hard sell to those looking for a fresh experience.
For additional information on my review style and scoring system, click here.
