Castlevania: Order of Shadows

Game Overview

In the modern world we live in we take it for granted that many games will come out on the various devices we use. Classic games get ported from older systems to our hand-held game platforms (such as the Nintendo storefronts like DSiWare, or into the various cellphone "Play" stores), modern games come out on the cutting-edge home consoles, and even some games get ported over to phones and tablets (or have weird little side-iterations, such as Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the NightReleased for mobile phones, Castlevania Puzzle is a non-traditional remake of the classic PlayStation Castlevania game. Featuring active puzzle action married to the story of Symphony of the Night, this game makes for an odd, but interesting, addition to the series.). The Castlevania series has seen its fair share of these ports with various entries in the series (such as the original Castlevania for CellphonesThe earliest translation of a Castlevania game to mobile phones, this effort focused on the original title for the series, going through multiple revisions before the project was finally called "done"., Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow for CellphonesTaking the original Aria of Sorrow and shrinking it down, this mobile effort worked to create a fairly playable experience based on the third GBA game, although much of the content, and enjoyment, from the original title was lost in the translation., and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow for CellphonesLike the conversion of Aria of Sorrow for mobile devices, this game was developed by Glu Mobile. It shrinks down Dawn of Sorrow into a mobile experience, but unlike their effort with Aria, this feels like a better presented, and more complete, experience.) seeing mobile-friendly ports for cellphones (some to varying levels of success).

Completely new games for phones, though, are rare for the Castlevania series. The one completely new game for the series on phones, Castlevania: Order of Shadows, didn't exactly set the world on fire when it was released, and for many readers, this may be the first time you've ever heard of the game at all. Developed and published by Konami, the game was released only on mobile phones (albeit for all the major carriers), and only in the U.S., limiting its worldwide reach and general accessibility for all players.

Handled by Konami's Mobile branch, Order of Shadows follows the adventure of yet another new Belmont, Desmond BelmontHero of the mobile-only Metroidvania, Castlevania: Order of Shadows. Desmond, with the assistance of his two sisters, must fight his way through a smaller adventure all in an attempt at stopping the titular order from resurrecting Dracula., as he battles against the titular Order to save the lands of Romania. Desmond does this through a simplified MetroidvaniaAt the intersection of Metroid and Castlevania lies the exploration platformer genre, the game style with heroes wandering expansive worlds, looking for items to expand their quest, known as Metroidvania. game -- collecting items, doing a modicum of leveling up, and exploring the fortress of the Order all to stop the evil cult leader, Rohan KrauseThe villain and primary antagonist of Castlevania: Order of Shadows. Krause looked to bring back the Dark Lord, Dracula, and used the power of his order, and the relics they'd collected, in his attempts. He attempted to take out the Belmont line once, murdering the parents of Demond, but failed to wipe away their children, leading to his own eventual downfall., from resurrecting DraculaThe lead antagonist of the Castlevania series and most famous vampire character in all media, all thanks to Bram Stoker. Based on the historical figure Vlad the Impaler, a vicious ruler of Wallachia in the mid-1500s. and plunging the land into darkness.

While conceptually a Metroidvania game on mobile phones could work (as we noted, both Aria and Dawn had marginally successful ports), Order of Shadows is a rather flawed title. The game was too simple, too easy for modern fans' tastes, and the graphics and sound weren't up to par for even the more current modern, portable titles. These were odd flaws as other comparable games for the era (the aforementioned mobile Aria and Dawn, which came out in the next two years) look much better than this title. The game seems like it's trying to Game Boy Advance-levels of graphics, but the phones either didn't have the processing power to match the GBA's capabilities, or simply Konami Mobile wasn't up to the task building this title the right way.

Certainly Konami had the right idea in trying to make a new Castlevania game for phones. That said, Order of Shadows was simply not their best effort. It's slow, it's plodding, it's muddy looking, and it lacks the thrill of the mainline series. Konami seemingly to have understood that as, after the release of Order of Shadows, Konami took the franchise away from their internal Mobile group and passed the reins off to Glu Mobile, Inc. for development of the two Sorrow titles.

Of course, then Konami has pushed the series towards mobile-only (well, and erotic gambling machines), so even as flawed as it Order of Shadows feels like a harbinger of what to expect for the series going forward, as a mobile-only series to pull in a few bucks for Konami on the side.