Or Simon's Quest meets Portrait of Ruin as i like to call it.

First off when i say Simon's Quest i don't mean there are mind fuck riddles like standing in front of a cliff "That looks like the end of the stage screen" and bend down with a red gem so a tornado can carry you away to another part of the map. No, nothing like that. I mean some of the things aren't obvious in this game.

First thing you'll notice is that your weapons are not God modingly strong like in other Castlevania games. You'll also find that it's a lot harder that the last games as of late. You will die. And again and again and again. I mean really, i was fighting the third boss...Or was it the fourth, I can't remember. But i was at the end of the course of where it was chasing me and i was sitting there for five minutes hitting it and hitting it and asking myself over and over again "Is it dead yet?" because what's the one thing all CV players are thinking when fighting a boss? Beat it up untill it's dead. Not here. This one will just keep taking it untill you jump on top of an elevator WITH SPIKES ON THE BOTTOM OF IT and tell it to go down crushing the boss in an awesome splatter of blood and body parts. Now first thing i ask, when's the last time you saw an elevator with spikes on it? My guess is probably...Never. That's what i mean when i say some things aren't so obvious in this game.

The music in this game of course is very different from what we've got used to since SOTN. It's not all so action oriented. Which honestly i think is a good thing. Because when i'm in a small town i don't want it to sound like i'm fighting for my life. The music also isn't all so dark and dreary. It fits, but it isn't like pipe organs being spammed through out the whole soundtrack.

The graphics are nothing out of the ordinary. It's what we've all been used to seeing for the past four years. Oh yeah, did i mention that there is no more Animatized art work in this game? Yeah, and it's about damn time in my opinion. I really don't have anything against the art style, but Anime graphics really don't have any place in a Castlevania game. You will notice that the medieval style art work since SOTN has returned and that in my opinion is a good thing. Because for some reason seeing CV characters make Anime faces pulls a nerve in my head that makes me want to backhand some one.

The way you get from place to place in this game is a lot like POR since you can just jump from one place to another and the map is split up into multiple parts other than just one huge castle. Guess Drac couldn't pay his rent and had to downsize. You're guess is as good as mine. But are there relics in this game that let you exploit getting around? Well yeah, but there is half as many than in any other CV game which helps bring more of a challenge. Yeah, you're not so tough when you can't use double jump to dodge right from the start of the game are you? So what else makes it hard? Well for one, your main weapon, uses up your MP and you can't use it untill you let it refill itself. SAY WHAT?! Don't worry, it takes about three seconds for your MP to fully refill when you aren't attacking and just standing still. It's not much, but it sure does put strategizing into your combat plan.

Now one thing some of you may be wondering is, is the Stylus used a lot? Well thankfully Koji Igarashi thinks fuck that. It gets in the way of the gameplay. You will find that the stylus does next to nothing in this game. And after watching the Stylus ruin Starfox Command i think it deserves nothing better than to be locked away in a dark room when it comes to action games.

While the game stays intact with the good style of CV gameplay along with finding better weapons, Armour, leveling up and so on, It tends to add more into the mix with the fresh music and graphics. The fact that you get to play as a woman in this game "One who strangly enough looks a lot like my mother" is interesting since you don't get to see many woman in CV games unless they are magic users which is such stereotypical monotony it makes me want to punch some one in the face. It also is fresh with the storyline since it isn't a part of the Belmont clan who is fighting Dracula. I mean after so many games you must imagine that SOME people out there want to whoop his ass as much as the Belmonts do.

All in all i've played through a lot of this game so far after getting my hands on it and i have to say it's a great game and you should look into getting it if you're a fan of the series. I give CV Order of Ecclesia a 9 out of 10. Only reason it isn't a full ten is because i haven't beat it all the way to the end yet.

Funny to read. A bit informative too, thanks.

Yeah this game is awesome so far.

Ditto on that elevator part. It felt good crushing that damn crab lol.

Your post rocks!

i so envy you..
i NEED MONEY!

i want this game, like, A WEEK AGO!
TO EBAY!

Ok, Review part two.

I've just got done with the game so now i can give it a full rating.

The storyline actually doesn't fall apart much in this game as it's actually solid this time around.

Now i'm actually gonna start off by saying that if you plan on going through with the side quests that people in the village give you, don't sell the items you pick up or found in chests. Some times you can't get them a second time and when you've sold them, guess what. No more quest for you. I understand that this is more realistic, but it can be a pain in the ass.

Much like flying enemies in this game. I've taken notice that they have the most UN NATURAL flying pattern i've ever seen. You just can't predict it as they have NO pattern. They'll swing right while they're flying left. Think about it for a few seconds.

Some pro tips, find all the villagers before you fight Albus. SHOCK! Yes of course you fight him, just like all the games in tradition since SOTN. But if you don't save all the villagers before then, you get the fake bad ending.

I'm also glad that they aren't using so many hidden anime themes in this game. In fact i haven't seen any. Which is how i like it. Now that i look at the new Castlevania Judgement game for the Wii i may be wrong. Alucard looks like a knight, Maria looks like a little girl with pigtails and Simon Belmont does NOT look like Kira from Death Note. And i don't think i've ever said this about a CV title, but death looks like a fruit in this game. Do you think the Sisters in POR both having one red eye was a mistake? Sounds more like some one is an adamant fan of Rozen Maiden. I just hope this crap ends soon.

Dracula of course, just like in the last few battles is starting to pull new tricks out of his hat, and it's about time. He of course starts out with the two variations of jumping from one place to the next with the fireballs, only this time it's not just three small ones, it's a continuous blast of them. And just try jumping over him to dodge it. He'll either punch you or rape you with flames that touch all the way up to the ceiling. If his ENDLESS TAUNTS start getting on your nerves, you can just turn the volume down. You're not going to miss much since the music isn't that epic which kinda disappoints me since i would expect more from a Dracula battle. Half way through the fight he thinks "Enough of this bull" and cuts the fireball shit and starts to put up his dukes. Think he's vulnerable since he just starts walking right up to you in your face? Wrong. He'll start God Modding the hell out of you with moves that can kill you in an instant and fill the screen with smaller monsters who in annoying fashion can do as much damage as himself. His Dominus moves have also been powered up too, but after almost using up all your health items, there will be a small dialogue before he turns to the screen and faces you.

I'm saying this now, not as a spoilers of sorts, but a warning since this battle is hard as fuck and i don't want people to waste their time only to get killed by Drac's GOD RAPE spell he's about to unleash. Don't try blocking it, don't try attacking him, equip all the Dominus and use it on him. There's no other way to beat him. But doesn't Dominus kill you? Well figure that out on your own noob, i'm not spoiling the ending.

As for the extra bonus what not you get after the game, it's everything we've expected since SOTN. You get Hard Mode, Sound Room, Boss Rush Mode and others i can't remember which is pretty nice getting all that since it's only the first play through reward. You also get Albus mode which is of course just a watered down version of the game with next to no story. You start out in the village and i was thinking to myself, Alright time to ice some mofos. But no. Not a person in sight. Kinda boring really.

I've played through it all and all and i have to say this is the most solid CV title i've seen since HOD and that's a LONG TIME. So i give it a 10 out of 10.

It's graphics are appealing, it's music is fresh and new, it's story actually holds together and the character design seems to be the best i've seen in a CV game in years. It's sure to be a game to pick up if you're a fan of the series or just getting in the Castlevania games.

I love the reviews....you're all funny. Which brings much joy to my heart.

Interesting read. I agree with your score. I really enjoyed playing through the game, and trying to get all the boss medal. Of course, being my first castlevania game, I don't have much to compare it to.

Well you sure picked a good CV title to be your first.

hmm...yes...now i'll have to buy it! To the car! (I wish) Nice post btw.

I love this game. I actually like how there's a world map now and u can choose what area you want to go to. I'm kind of glad that konami decided to ramp up the difficulty. The previous games were a little too easy. I love this franchise.

After i beat the game I wanted to replay it on hard mode but it's a bit much, I didn't feel like going through it again after I found out you can't level up and even the weakest enemy can deal a lot of damage, it just gets too frustrating. Plus I got about everything you can get the first time, including all the villager's quest, covered 100% of all maps and also got all the items each enemy drops. I'm not much of a fan of Boss Rush mode. Excellent game overall though.