I love exploration. And I’m nosy. Give me the opportunity to poke into every corner, and I’ll do it. Even if the corridor leads nowhere, I’ll happily do it. I won’t peak into someone’s desk drawers, but if it is on a counter of some sorts, it is fair game. Anyway, one of my favorite NES games was Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest. Although it retained the old control style of the original, it took things a step further. There is this massive world waiting to be explored. The townsfolk could lie to you, and the clues, although not entirely complete (cartridge space was much more limited in those days), might lead you in the wrong direction. But I loved it. I remember renting it for several weekends during those days, whipping zombies to death, gaining levels and exploring the countryside. It was a very introverted experience. The only person you could truly rely on was yourself. But now, modern gaming has made it obsolete. And the automap function has spoiled me the most. What is this all leading to, you might be wondering? The latest addition to the Castlevania mythos: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. It is a solid DS title, no matter what you think of it.

So what is Ecclesia about? The game follows a woman by the name of Shanoa, who has a magical glyph tattooed on her back. This allows her to absorb glyphs of her enemies. She is a member of Ecclesia, an organization bent on destroying Dracula using his own fire. Dracula’s absorption type of fire (more on that in a bit). But as she was about to receive “the ultimate power,” her friend Albus interferes, and she loses all her memories. So she has to go through her training all over again. Eventually, she leaves and hunts down Albus. Plus, she’s freeing any villagers she finds. So here’s the $1 million question: What’s the reason behind Albus’ betrayal? And can she truly destroy Dracula?

Graphically, the game looks on par with the other games in the Castlevania series. Well, minus the cartoony-ness. It is much more realistic and does a good job of creating a sense of dissonance with the world. It’s creepy going through a jail yard with spotlights looking for Shanoa. Or a cavern full of bones. How about traversing a stormy channel with fish swimming underneath the crates that are barely floating? How about a wonderfully thick fog blanketing a mountain? It is neat that so many little details come to light so easily.

Gameplay is pure modern Castlevania exploration. The first half of the game has you exploring the countryside chasing Albus and rescuing villagers. The second half has you exploring Dracula’s castle. Along the way, you’ll encounter various monsters that need to be vanquished and sigils to be absorbed. In fact, this works almost in the same manner as Soma’s soul-absorption ability. Keep destroying opponents until they release a sigil and absorb it. Or sometimes they will attack you using one of them, so you have to absorb it before it is completely cast.

As you can probably guess, different sigils have different properties. Some allow fireballs to be cast. Lightening can be shot from Shanoa’s fingertips. Icicles travel across the ground. Hammers, swords, scythes and shields can all be wielded and mixed together to create the perfect combination. You’ll need those ideal combos, too, as the game is hard — old-school, go for the jugular hard. Knowing the enemy’s weakness is necessary to efficiently destroy them. Oh, did I mention that boss battles are long? Oh yes, they’re long and tough and grueling. The main problem is due to the simple fact there is never any visual clue to how close it is to the sweet embrace of death.

Sound design is solid. There are still the usual sounds of swords, imps, spiders, werewolves and ghostly wails. Music is as moody as previous installments. However, it is not as catchy as in the other games. It isn’t a bad arrangement — just forgettable when you step away from it to take a break. Of course, even the most average Castlevania soundtrack is better than mediocre music from other action games.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how every other reviewer compares Ecclesia to Simon’s Quest. And there is very little in common. In the old NES game, there were few areas to rest. People could lead you astray. Very few items were available for purchase, and you could only rely on yourself. This is something that Ecclesia emphasizes rather well. However, Simon had what felt like an open world. Like the modern games in the series, where he could go was influenced by his inventory. It was easy to get lost back in those days without some sort of map. You had to worry about traps and illusions on every scale. Plus, the time of day influenced what enemies were around and increased the difficulty. This is something Shanoa and her quest lack. Although there is greater strength in storytelling, the world feels flatter.

Overall, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is a solid action game for the DS. There are enough spaces to make an amateur spelunker content. There are myriad weapon combinations and plenty of armor to find. It is, however, one of the least inspired Castlevania games as it provides a similar experience as its predecessors. The maps are simple, the game system is the same as Dawn of Sorrow and there are not many new monsters. It does sell a pretty decent plot; it is a step above most of the games in the series. I am uncertain if it is due to the linear level structure, simple platforming or lack of text that somehow expanded the game’s world.

I found a copy of Order of Ecclesia for about $25. It is still a pretty good chunk of change for a used copy. It isn’t a bad price for something that can keep one busy for about 10 hours. Personally, I would rather spend my time on other projects and the older GBA games. Still, it is nice to have some order to a messed up castle.