Many of them are almost mid-bosses in their own right, except they are free-roaming. Maps are littered with vicious enemies of all sizes to harass and pummel you. This is definitely not the case in Order of Ecclesia. Many of the other Metroidvania games, much as I love them, are very easy to beat. The end result of all this combat complexity is a very challenging, yet rewarding battle system. Sometimes you can even absorb a glyph as an enemy is casting it, robbing them of their attack! Unlike those games, by using Luck-boosting items, you can increase your chances of the glyph sticking around long enough to absorb. The tricky part is sometimes they stick around long enough to absorb, but like in the Sorrow games, this is a random process.

Some can be found in random locations, but many others are only found when you slay enemies. By now you’re probably wondering where you get your glyphs. The back glyphs are constantly in effect, and range from temporary stat boosts to awesome transformations. If not, they will result in a weak generic attack. Further complicating this is that you can initiate glyph combo attacks by spending hearts, assuming the glyphs you have equipped are complimentary. You can do simple ones, such as having the same weapon glyph on both arms, or you could mix and match, with one weapon glyph and one elemental magic glyph. Because each glyph has its own MP cost and animation speed, you are encouraged to mix and match different glyphs to form attack combos. This brings us to an interesting feature of the game. One of the most basic combo glyph attacks. Even better, Shanoa is ambidextrous, so she can wield glyphs on each hand, as well as on her back. This might sound dangerous, but, luckily, it is handled pretty well, since the MP bar refills at a brisk pace once you stop attacking. This means that every attack you make is dependent on your MP bar. Shanoa is gifted with the ability to see magical glyphs, and absorb them into her body, which then gives her the ability to wield them. Order of Ecclesia, however, replaces EVERY weapon in the game with magical glyphs. The Sorrow games were famous for introducing the Soul system which replaced sub weapons. First and foremost, it sports the most innovative and downright cool battle system to be found in any Metroidvania title. However, I can speak at length about all the other things that Order of Ecclesia does right. Yes, the game has been out for several years, but, for those of you who have yet to experience it, all I can say is the plot is truly a high point, and I would hate to ruin it for the uninitiated. There is more (much more) to the plot than this, but this is all I can reveal without spoilers. Luckily, she still wields her glyph-absorbing abilities, and sets out on a quest to retrieve Dominus and stop Albus. In the process, Shanoa is robbed of her memory, left little more than a blank slate. For some reason, he finds Shanoa unworthy of taking the power of the Dominus, and, not only does he stop her, he also steals the Dominus glyphs from the Order, as well. While Shanoa is the star pupil of Ecclesia, Albus is the mad genius. But, just as the ceremony is almost completed, it is interrupted by Albus.

Dominus is the tool with which Dracula will be defeated – something that has taken years of research by Barlowe, the head of the Order, to achieve. The game begins with Shanoa, the main character, absorbing magical glyphs of power called “Dominus” into herself. As I noted earlier, Order of Ecclesia focuses on the success of its namesake in finding a countermeasure to Lord Dracula.

Besides that, it holds a special place in my heart for being one of the most challenging games in the Metroidvania library. The reason? It actually accomplishes something most Castlevania games never attempt – it has a compelling story with great twists, turns and characters. While it goes without saying that my all-time favorite Metroidvania is Symphony of the Night, Order of Ecclesia might be my second favorite. Ironic that, in a Castlevania with so many cool Skeleton enemies, Death was surprisingly lame.

Order of ecclesia maps