By: Michael (@DragmireG)

Every week we’ll be recommending you a game and either an album or movie….or anime to check out. This week I’m recommending Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo.

Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

Instead of a movie this time, I’ll be recommending an anime series.

This series is of course based on the Alexandre Dumas’s classic French novel, Le Comte de Monte-Cristo. Gankutsuou translates to The Demon from the Cave.

The series is a hyper stylized reimagining of the novel set in a far sci fi fantasy future of 5053. The plot includes futuristic elements like space travel, mechs and advanced computers while still retaining 19th century French aesthetics.

One of the main appeals or deterrent, depending on the person, are the visuals. 95% of the backgrounds are colorful textured CG blending with 2D Character art which feature Layered Patterns that don’t move while the characters do. It gives series a striking and unique image that might be hard on the eyes for some.

The Count is the central or driving force of the series but the story is told from the perspective of Viscount Albert de Morcerf. Because of this, the series deviates a bit from the book and it starts off when Albert and his best friend go to Luna, a moon (Rome in the book). There he meets and is more than fascinated by the Count of Monte Cristo.

That day marks the beginning of his world falling apart.

The series sticks to its source roots by focusing on the human drama of the powerful families of France that betrayed the Count as we see him enter Parisian society in order to destroy them all from within. We later see pieces on how the Count came to be throughout the series.

Despite its deviations, the series is one of the best adaptations of the book and best animes I have seen (Which are few and far).

The entire thing looks like a crazy dream but its intensity will show how deep and heavy this series can get. So Bide your time… And hold out hope.

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia 

• Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
  

• Developer - Konami
  

• Publisher - Konami, Nintendo
  

• Nintendo DS
  

• Rating: T
  

Koji Igarashi’s last 2D Castlevania before turning into a bat and then returning eventually in a Kickstarter.

In OoE you play as one of Castlevania’s few female protagonists Shanoa. She is part of an order that was made to defeat Dracula through these glyphs she can wield. As the latest ritual with her begins, her glyphs for the spell get stolen and with that your adventure starts.

The gameplay is like every other of IGA’s “Metroidvania” style games; side scrolling action and RPG elements etc., but the new thing here is Glyph System. Shanoa is able to absorb the powers from glyphs found throughout the levels and within enemies. The glyphs are what give her weapons and abilities, it all consumes MP but the meter restores automatically. You can combine Glyphs as well and activate a “Glyph Union”, this will execute a powerful special that consumes hearts.

Glyphs are the source of pretty much everything you do, you can even affect the world to solve puzzles and it is a source of buffs like faster running speed. Because of this the game offers lots of customization options and gives an urgency to find those Glyphs.

Unlike Symphony of the Night and other Igavanias, OoE offers several maps for you to pick and traverse. While it seems more linear, the areas expand over gametime. Wygol village serves as a hub of sorts. This village eventually gets populated once you rescue its citizens, which provide side quest and rewards.

The game is short but like every other Castlevania game of this type, new features will unlock upon completion. The art of the game avoids the generic anime style of the previous two DS games and offers an art direction akin to SotN, which is mostly noticed in the character portraits.

One of the DS’s best titles, Order of Ecclesia offers a challenging adventure with tons of options to strengthen Shanoa thanks to the Glyphs. The game is a welcome return of the more gothic art style and still retains the elements we’ve come to enjoy of these Igavanias.

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is Castlevania at its best and shows us that not every night has to be horrible.