Graphics: You’re just not going to find a better-looking 2D platformer on the DS. The environments look great, the character designs are unique and the rendering of the artwork is fantastic. This is just a great-looking game.

Interface: The style and layout of the menus work very well. There’s even a menu to help you keep track of your side quests. The one thing lacking in the interface is the use of the touchpad within the game, particularly with regard to the map. This is hardly a complaint, but in a game this long and expansive, it would really help to be able to make notes on the map for areas you’d like to revisit later.

Gameplay: Ecclesia is pure platforming bliss. There’s a huge variety of weapons and enemies, and trying to find the most effective weapon for each battle keeps things interesting. The side quests provide nice challenges for the meticulous gamer, but for the most part, it’s possible to enjoy and complete the game without taking every side mission. It also includes some RPG elements such as leveling up and assembling an arsenal, without requiring you to travel to every town and talk to everybody you meet. The game keeps both your mind and your hands busy, and that’s all a player could want.

Multiplayer: Any extra is a good extra, and the online mode is a nice way to give players more bang for their buck. However, in a game in which much of the fun comes from finding secret items, an online trade system doesn’t really make it much more fun. Competitive mode is novel at first, but it isn’t as interesting as single-player story mode.

Sound Effects: The Castlevania series has a bad reputation when it comes to voice acting, but the developers seem to have realized this and have spared us the travesty that was the acting in Symphony of the Night. The quality of the voiceovers here is a big step in the right direction (subtitles are included). Also, the sounds generated by enemies and weapons are satisfying and worth wearing the headphones to hear, if you play while riding the bus as I do.

Music: If the game falls short anywhere, it’s here. The score isn’t bad or inappropriate – it just doesn’t live up to the standard set by Symphony of the Night. I was a little disappointed by the soundtrack, but perhaps my expectations were too high.

Difficulty: This game is tough, but fair. I don’t compete in tournaments, but I consider myself a pretty capable gamer, and I died quite a bit. The boss fights in particular are incredibly challenging, but that said, the difficulty wasn’t unreasonable or frustrating. Usually, overcoming a challenge involves experimentation and planning, but unlike some games, such as those in the Zelda series, finding a boss’s weak point doesn’t make him easy to beat. You still have to be cautious and skilled to win the battle. That’s where Order of Ecclesia shines; the designers have recognized that each boss is a Death Star; first you have to figure out its weak point, then you have to be skilled enough to hit it.

Overall: It took a lot of goading to get me to play Symphony of the Night, which became one of my all-time favorite games. Subsequently, I played a few other Castlevania titles, but they failed to live up to the standard and I lost interest in the franchise. Order of Ecclesia, however, has won me back. Games often walk a fine line between difficult and frustrating, but this game is on the right side of the line. It’s very long but it never gets boring, so you certainly get your money’s worth.