Filed under: Nintendo DS, Features, Portable, Action, Adventure

Classic 2D Castlevania is here to stay. At least, that's how we feel after playing the latest in the series to hit the Nintendo DS, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. While the game stays true to the flat-faced games we've seen in the past, there's enough here in this little square cartridge to make things feel fresh ... blood fresh. One of the elements that stands out the most in this new Castlevania is the glyph system. In order to carry out actions, characters absorb glyphs (which are usually either weapons, i.e. a rapier, or magic, i.e. flying fire balls) and assign them to the X and Y buttons. You can equip the same glyph more than once, making things slightly more economical. You have a green bar under your red health bar -- this is a magic gauge. This depletes as you use your glyphs, but refills quickly as soon as you stop performing any actions with them; it basically regulates your attacks, so you won't be able to mindlessly breeze through the game.

Gallery: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

Continue reading Joystiq hands-on: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

Joystiq hands-on: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EST.

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