Order of Ecclesia - the forthcoming DS title
His name might not be as familiar to you as Hideo Kojima or Shigeru Miyamoto, but Koji ‘IGA’ Igarashi is the man currently responsible for the wellbeing of Konami’s highly esteemed Castlevania franchise and this role bestows him a certain degree of kudos and respect amongst videogame fans. The vampire-hunting series is well regarded and each new entry is put under intense scrutiny by veterans of the series.
However, of late the home console versions of Castlevania have been somewhat disappointing. Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness were both 3D flops and for the past few years the lineage has flourished solely on portable machines. This may change soon, because in a recent interview with IGN to discuss the upcoming DS title Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, IGA made some interesting comments about the future of the franchise:
I think that development for 2D in regards to the Wii or any other system is very difficult to do right now, but there are other avenues we can use to explore the 2D progression of Castlevania such as WiiWare or downloadable content and whatnot. So no, I don't think it's really a dead thing.
That seems like a fairly sizable hint to us that Castlevania could be WiiWare-bound in the future.
Source: IGN
1. konkerdoodle
15 May 2008, 22:16 BST
It's quite possible, expecially since he mentioned Wiiware in particular as opposed to some other venue.
2. Kingston
15 May 2008, 22:48 BST
that would be a definite buy if it was 1000 points or less
3. Corbie
15 May 2008, 23:17 BST
I'd pay a lot more than 1000 Points for a brand new 2-D Castlevania title on Wii Ware. In fact, as insane as it might sound, I keep hoping Nintendo might consider doing a new 2-D Metroid or Super Mario Bros. game for the Wii Ware. I know, I'm dreaming, but I can always hope. : )
4. Marvel_Maniac
15 May 2008, 23:40 BST
Hey, I loved Lament of Innocence, but even I know that there is nothing like a good Castleoid to cure what ails ya. Here's hoping we get to see some more 2-D sidescrollers. I've never had more fun with a game (besides FF VI, 'natch) or set of games in my life!
5. Demonic S+33V
15 May 2008, 23:57 BST
Depending on the game's style, I'd be all over it like stink on a monkey!
Basically, I hated all the Castlevania games that lacked RPG elements.... Accept for "Curse of Darkness", loved that one.
6. Tony
16 May 2008, 00:53 BST
Instant download
7. Mike
16 May 2008, 01:08 BST
I'm the opposite, I'm sick of the Metroidvania games. I'd like a new 2D Castlevania WiiWare game like the good old days before SOTN.
8. Objection_Blaster
16 May 2008, 01:23 BST
RPG elements add depth to an otherwise simple fantasy hacknslash/platformer/adventure
~typed on Wii
9. Valien
16 May 2008, 01:46 BST
oops..typo in the subject line.
Installment has 2 L's 
10. MisterSmith
16 May 2008, 02:45 BST
I wonder how big the DS games are, considering they'd have to shrink the game in order to make it fit.
Unless the games are under 43 MB, which I doubt.
11. JJ
16 May 2008, 02:54 BST
This is only getting our hopes up. I thought the 3D castlevania games were pretty good.
12. Kevin
16 May 2008, 03:05 BST
Drools at thought.
13. couthedman92
16 May 2008, 03:10 BST
This would be so awsome. Easily a 1500 point purchase.
14. jg233
16 May 2008, 04:21 BST
I want DKC 4 wiiware danm it!
15. Dazza
16 May 2008, 07:27 BST
@Valien - No typos! Us Brits just spell instalment with one L!!
16. Damo
16 May 2008, 09:15 BST
Valien - Yup, like Daz says, we're Brits!
Keep your filthy colonial spellings to yourself!
17. Ian Daemon
16 May 2008, 14:57 BST
Actually Valien, Dazza's comment was the first thing I thought of when I read yours.
18. Rapadash6
16 May 2008, 15:38 BST
I found it strange that he mentioned "downloadable content". Could he possibly be referring to using the Wii shop channel as an access point to download extras to the DS game? Naturally I'd love to see a full Wii Ware release but I wonder if the 43MB would be enough to work with for a project like that. Either way, I'm glad the Wii will provide some kind of Castlevania goodness, especially sinse the GCN saw nothing from this series.
19. Hyper Metal Sonic
16 May 2008, 22:44 BST
I would probably pick this up if it became available on WiiWare.
20. timp29
17 May 2008, 01:47 BST
smashing site #2 lads!! keep up the great work! I lurv castlevania!!!
21. Drizzt
17 May 2008, 02:15 BST
That would be incredible! Let's hope it's true!
22. natedog4000
18 May 2008, 00:46 BST
firstly @ Rapadash6: I see no reason as to why they couldn't make great 2-D castlevania with the size limit. The most memory an SNES cart could hold was 48 Mbits or 6MB, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past was only 8 Mbits or 1MB, so it's definitely possible to make a great, lengthy Wiiware game.
Also on that note, I would love to see another GOOD 2-D Mega Man game released on wiiware. Give us another Mega Man X quality game CAPCOM, pretty please...
23. Villain
18 May 2008, 21:33 BST
@Dazza: Brits spell "installment" with a single L? I knew about other words like "colour", "favourite" and "gray", but I had no idea about "instalment"...
Better work on my British-English.
24. Gameguardian
19 May 2008, 17:13 BST
Wow, this is amazing. I have always been a true Castlevania follower, and I hope that IGA will bless us with another worthy title besides the wonderful (could they possibly go wrong with one of the best game formulas ever?) upcoming DS game The Order of Ecclesia.
I'm really hoping that Castlevania + Wiiware will be reality. And I hope that Castlevania series continues for many years to come.
25. Slionr
26 May 2008, 16:44 BST
Castlevania + WiiWare. This cant go wrong (At least, it should not)
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