Castlevania: Order of Shadows

Dracula has found a new home

NA release: 18th September 2007
JP release: 2007
EU release: 2007
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Pocket Gamer Review: 2/5
Platforms: Java Mobile, Windows Phone
Version Played: Java Mobile

After doing a couple of ports of the original Castlevania to mobile, Konami decided it was time for a proper mobile Castlevania game, creating a new classic style game with elements from newer games. It’s surprisingly ambitious, but completely bogged down by the nature of the device: this was made for a mobile phone keypad. Java games can sometimes be flexible with resolution with a portrait landscape, but I was able to find a version that worked in landscape, as I wanted to give the game the best chance possible.

You play as Desmond Belmont, who, along with his sisters, is investigating The Order, an organisation led by Rohan that is trying to resurrect Dracula. Rohan is also responsible for killing their father. The story is quite simple, but the ending is strange (I don’t think anyone cares about spoilers for this game). After you defeat Dracula, Desmond returns to find Castlevania still there – Dracula is seemingly not dead. It seems like a bad ending from other Castlevania games, but this is the only ending.

The key issue with this game, naturally, is the controls. You use a keypad, with 2 being to jump and holding jump to jump forwards. 5 (the middle button) is attack, with 9 being used for subweapons. The game isn’t fond of pressing two buttons at once (a limitation of the system, I think), so once you jump, you’ll need to let go of right and then press it again. You also unlock a backwards dash, but this is so clunky and will often send so you so far back that you’ll end up on a previous screen.

To alleviate the issues with controls, the game saves every time you reach a new screen, and loading a save fills up your health and hearts, meaning you only need to make it one screen at a time to progress further. This is needed as a few enemies will take away a third of your health, and the controls aren’t good enough for you to dodge. And this is on a wider screen than how must people would play this game – the usual experience would be extremely narrow.

Order of Shadows also has an inventory system and magic. When you unlock a subweapon, it’s a permanent unlock and you can equip one at any point. You can also get magic spells like fireballs, invincibility and meteors as well as health items. The magic items are one use, and you can also assign these to your subweapon button. For one section. I went back and grinded for a few of these to make it through a few tough enemies.

Ignoring the controls, it’s not a bad little game. It looks surprisingly nice for the platform and has a surprisingly good rendition for Bloody Tears (you can also unlock some classic Castlevania music). The Nintendo DSi came out a year after that, and I think a port to that as a little downloadable title would have been great.

Fine

Dracula and the fiction inspired by Bram Stoker’s creation may remain timeless, but Order of Shadows should be left in the coffin.
Will Wilson, Pocket Gamer

Remake or remaster?

A spruced up version with better controls would be nice as a bonus in one of the collections.

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to get Order of Shadows.