History Videogame / CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia

* AntiVillain: Albus is a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains type IV]].

* ArrangeMode: Albus mode, which gives you control of Albus, who uses a magic gun, and can teleport using the touch screen.
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler:Albus's sacrifice]] results in him doing this.

* AxCrazy: [[spoiler:Barlowe upon the reveal. It's also heavily implied that he was like this all along, and that his betraying Shanoa was due to his insanity, as, during his TeleportSpam attack, he says, with each punch, "HOW DARE YOU...! EVEN FORGETTING... WHO RAISED YOU...! YOU... STUPID DISCIPLE!!"]]
* BadassBoast: This is a [[WorldOfHam Castlevania game]], what did you expect? For examples, two of Shanoa's are listed in ContinuityNod and PreAssKickingOneLiner.

* BenevolentArchitecture: The entire boss fight against [[GiantEnemyCrab Brachyura]]. It involves climbing up a shaft in a long platforming sequence, luring the boss into breaking three stone barriers in the way up, and then boarding an ''extremely'' quick elevator with ''spikes on the underside'' to finish the boss off. This makes no sense the more you think about it.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Albus has this towards Shanoa. [[spoiler:[[KnightTemplarBigBrother It's the motivation for all of his actions]].]]

** Probably also the cause of the aforementioned Gold Ring's description being an out-and-out lie.

* BoisterousBruiser:
** Death, more so than ever before. "HERE IT COMES! TAKE THIS! BURN! GO! DIE! Thy time to die IS NOW!!! I SHALL CUT YOU DOWN!!! The candle of your soul has burned itself out. GAME. OVER. Hahahahahahahahaha..."
** Also, to a slightly lesser degree, Albus. "POW!!! BANG!!! Like you can hit me...USELESS! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, YOU PUNY HUMAN? THINK YOU CAN DODGE THIS!?!?!?"

* BossBanter: In addition to the stuff under BoisterousBruiser, there's these gems from [[spoiler:Barlowe]]: HOW DARE YOU..! EVEN FORGETTING..! [[spoiler:WHO RAISED YOU! YOU..! '''STUPID DISCIPLE!!!''']]
* BossOnlyLevel: Well, as close as you can get to one. The stage after [[spoiler:defeating Albus takes place in Ecclesia]], with no enemies or obstacles to stand between you and the boss.

* BrutalBonusLevel: 2 of them, in different flavors, even. Training Hall is a PlatformHell. Large Cavern is full of DemonicSpiders and a ChineseVampire for a boss fight.
* CallingYourAttacks: Albus, CLEARLY, calls out the name of nearly every single thing he fires from his gun. "VERTICAL SHOT! OPTICAL SHOT! GLYPH AND BULLET! GLYPH BULLET! STINGER SHOT! LETHAL SHOT! GASPAR SHOT! BLAST CANNON! MAX SHOT!" And let's not forget Dracula himself. "FATAL RAIN!! DESTRUCTION RAIN!!! DEMONIC MEGIDDO! GIGA DEMONIC MEGIDDO!!! DARK METAMORPHOSIS! SOUL STEAL! LIFE STEAL! SOUL BLAST! DARK INFERNO!"
* TheCameo:
** The first boss is ''very'' similar to the final boss of ''[[VideoGame/{{Contra}} Super Contra]]''.
** Pneuma + Weapon Glyphs = [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Crissaegrim]].
** This little girl you rescue mentions, after you complete her third quest, that she dreams of a man fighting with a whip.
** Anyone who played ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' may have this strange feeling when listening to Sorrow's Distortion, [[spoiler:Albus's boss theme]].

* CatGirl: Shanoa can transform into one with the right glyph. Aside from granting her different attacks, it also enables her to talk to the [[CuteKitten cats]] in Wygol Village and enemy catwomen will become friendly and even aid her in battle.
* ChallengeRun: Hard mode, unlocked by getting the good ending, which makes certain enemies stronger as well as imposing a level cap of either 50 or 1, enforcing a LowLevelRun. Beating the game on Hard rewards you with the Queen of Hearts, a powerful helmet which reduces heart consumption.

* ChewingTheScenery: Brachyura's "[[RoarBeforeBeating SHOOOOOAR]]" and Albus's "SHANOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

* ColossusClimb: The battle with Eligor. Albus can kind of cheat with his teleporting though, and if Shanoa takes the time to get the Redire glyph from Training Hall before fighting him, she can use it to quickly get to his weakpoint as well. Both characters might have some trouble actually taking him down without destroying the crossbows on his flanks, though.

** The names of the boss battle themes reference other ''Castlevania'' games in order of release date. See ThemeNaming below.
* CopyAndPasteEnvironments: Due to the focus on combat, most of the areas use the same repeated segments over and over. While the spritework is nice, it does lend itself to a rather repetitive vibe.

* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Dominus [[CastFromHitPoints uses your life force to cast it.]] Needless to say, equipping all three Dominus glyphs is a bad idea [[spoiler:unless necessary]] (see BloodMagic above).
* DeathOfAThousandCuts: Shanoa has several attacks that are rapid fire but deal little damage. On the enemy side, Dracula's [[ThatOneAttack wave of]] [[GoddamnedBats bats]] bypasses MercyInvincibility and [[ThatOneAttack will shred you]] if you don't know how to handle it.

* DebateAndSwitch: "Is the [[HeroicSacrifice complete destruction of an innocent individual]] justified if it could destroy the ultimate evil?" When the game starts, Barlowe certainly agrees and Albus violently doesn't. We're not sure what Shanoa's position was before she lost her memories, and it isn't until the ClimaxBoss that we learn of the price. Instead, just before the ClimaxBoss fight, we promptly learn that [[spoiler:the sacrifice would have ''freed'' Dracula instead of destroying him, and Barlowe is insane, rendering his position as obviously wrong]].
** Revisited later, [[spoiler:when Shanoa uses Dominus to finish off Dracula after all, and Albus sacrifices his soul in her place]]. There is an important distinction, however: [[spoiler:Barlowe tried to sacrifice ''another's'' life without their knowledge or consent, while Albus sacrificed his ''own'', knowing full well what he was doing, and Shanoa ''tried'' to do the same as Albus]].

* DemonicPossession:
** One of the villager quests is freeing a girl from demonic control by bringing back her cat.
** [[spoiler:This is also the most likely reason for Barlowe's FaceHeelTurn -- he was possessed by Dracula, kind of like how Richter Belmont was possessed by Shaft.]]
*** Possibly not, given that [[spoiler:Dracula asks Shanoa if she was the one who freed him. Barlowe was simply DrunkOnTheDarkSide, or simply AxCrazy]].
*** On the other hand, we have [[spoiler:Albus, who is possessed by Dracula after being consumed by Dominus. He briefly regains control to tell Shanoa to run, before Dracula takes over and launches into his BossBanter and the battle itself]].

* EasyAmnesia: Averted (mostly) with Shanoa: she loses her memories at the beginning of the game, doesn't get them back [[spoiler:until Albus wrestles them back from Dominus at the end]], and it changes her personality considerably. The last one does have a bit of TakeOurWordForIt, though, since we don't see much of her before the incident.

* FanService[=/=]{{Stripperiffic}}: Shanoa has to wear a SexyBacklessOutfit, as she must expose her back for glyph absorption.
* FemaleFelineMaleMutt: In addition to the classic werewolves, ''Ecclesia'' introduces werecats. Guess what gender they are?

* FlawlessVictory: Get through a boss fight with no damage, and you get a [[BraggingRightsReward medal]]. Hey, another use for the Death Ring!

* {{Gashadokuro}}: One of these is an early boss encountered at what appears to be a prison. The thing will chase you to the edge of the screen, necessitating using the little jump points to get over it to the other side. Funnily enough, it can't turn around to fight, so it just bends over backwards and crab walks after you to the other side of the field.
* GiantEnemyCrab: Enter Brachyura, who chases you up a lighthouse. You need to [[DeathFromAbove drop an elevator on it]] [[LudicrousGibs to finish it off.]] It's obviously [[ShoutOut referencing]] the [[MemeticMutation meme]], as killing it without getting hit earns you the Brachyura Medal, which actually refers to it as a GiantEnemyCrab, and the Bestiary description states that it comes "from the depths of Transylvanian history."

** Shanoa is a pretty good example of this as far as ''Castlevania'' protagonists go: she can take far less punishment than most {{Metroidvania}} heroes and most bosses can kill her in 5 hits or less even if you're sufficiently leveled, but she has far higher damage potential than most other characters, thanks to her rapidly regenerating MP she can use to spam spells at a safe distance and the ability to level up much higher than any other ''Castlevania'' hero.

* GratuitousIambicPentameter: For most of the game, Barlowe speaks this way.
* TheGunslinger: Albus. His gun can rapid fire, shoot swirling bullets of light and darkness, and unleash a massive energy sphere.

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Shanoa attempts this in the ending, but Albus takes her place instead.]]

* HyperDestructiveBouncingBall: The ''Globus'' glyph sends out two of these. They can get very destructive in tight spaces and are one of the easiest ways to defeat the [[DemonicSpiders Double Hammers and Weapon Masters]] in the [[BonusDungeon Large Cavern]].

* TheJerseyDevil: Shows up as an enemy in Argila Swamp.
* LargeHam: [[spoiler:Barlowe after TheReveal. (DIE SHANOA!)]] Also, Albus. (OPTICAL SHOT! MAX SHOT!)
* LaughingMad: [[spoiler:Barlowe during the fight against him while using the Electrus attack, as well as when being regranted strength by Dracula to break the seal.]]

* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards:
** Shanoa stands in sharp contrast to previous ''Castlevania'' heroes, on account of being a LadyOfBlackMagic, as opposed to a Fighter/Warrior or MagicKnight. As such, she starts off with almost humorously low attack power, an unimpressive rapier glyph, and what might be the least useful (if [[AwesomeButImpractical cool looking]]) backdash in the series. It also [[EarlyGameHell takes her a while to get her momentum going]], not getting any good spell glyphs until around the lighthouse level. Still, by the end, she can be so [[GameBreaker brokenly loaded]], the game expects you to take down the TrueFinalBoss as part of the timed boss rush mode.
** While the above point is franchise-wide, it's also true in-game, when you compare Shanoa's abilities to that of the game's resident SecretCharacter.

* LostInTranslation: Due to BlindIdiotTranslation. The item that bestows the DoubleJump is called "Ordinary Stone", in English, when it was originally "ひしょう石", a.k.a "Gemstone".
** Shanoa [[CharacterCatchphrase liked to call herself]] "[[RedBaron The blade that banishes evil]]" in the Japanese version, which got turned into a ContinuityNod in the English version. However, she still says it in the pre-battle dialogue with Dracula, and [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools the continuity nod was pretty badass in its own right]].

** Played straight. The game uses the [[MaleFrontalNudity Werewolf sprites]] from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood'', except with the addition of a pair of boxer shorts ([[DigitalBikini that spontaneously appears between frames]]) on the dying human.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast:
** Dominus, from the Latin word for "lord" or "master".
** And if that wasn't enough of a clue, each of the Dominus glyphs are called Hatred, Anger, and Agony.

** Also played with with Eugen, the blacksmith. While he outright states he won't give you his wares for free after you give him the ore necessary to make it, he then adds "however, I ''do'' pay my suppliers" and gives you a generous sum for the ore you gave him.
* NonStandardGameOver: [[spoiler:Failing to set all the villagers free before confronting Albus]] will result in this.

** The Scutum glyph will let you ignore Goliath's "punch debris from the ceiling attack." More importantly, this will nullify Dracula's destruction ray. Even more importantly, this glyph and another Scutum glyph is the easiest way to avoid Dracula's wave of bats... as well as Eligor's arrows and the Jiang Shi's energy spheres, which can otherwise clog the arena.

* OneWingedAngel: Subverted by [[spoiler:Dracula, of all people. He doesn't transform; he just starts walking around and using different attacks]].

* PowerCopying: That's how Shanoa learns many of her abilities. You want to summon Zombies? [[spoiler:Steal the ability from an enemy Necromancer.]] Fireballs? [[spoiler:From a fire demon.]] As a bonus, in many of these cases, you literally have to absorb the Glyph as the enemy is casting the spell, preventing it from going off successfully in the process.

* PreMortemOneLiner:
** "Go to Hell." Bye-bye, [[GiantEnemyCrab Brachyura]].
** [[spoiler:"Showtime." Courtesy of Albus.]]
* PressXToDie: Equip Dominus Anger, Dominus Hatred, and Dominus Agony[[note]]yes, you need to equip the back glyph as well, even though no other combo in the game includes one[[/note]]. Press Up + X to die.
** [[spoiler:Except at the very end, where you need it to finish Dracula off and trigger the final cutscene. You better be quick about it, too — if you aren't, Dracula will cast Demonic Megiddo, aka a giant explosion that will instantly kill you. It can be avoided by flying into the corner of the boss room, but it goes on forever and since you can't use the glyph union in midair and it doesn't work after he casts the spell even if you use cheats to make yourself invincible, you have no choice except give up and die regardless.]]
* PunctuatedPounding: [[spoiler:Master Barlowe]] really [[VillainousBreakdown losing his shit]] in ''Order of Ecclesia''.

** [[spoiler:You also have to go through that wall.]]

* RareRandomDrop: Of course, some drops won't be as easily gotten as others. Merman meat, only obtainable with a 6 star chance from a merman-unrelated enemy (Lorelei), is quite the offender, as you need it for better potions. About chest drops, those only available in the brutal Large Cavern can be quite frustrating too, especially Alexandrite.

* SayMyName: Upon his defeat, [[spoiler:the Fake Boss Albus]] bellows a truly epic "SHAAANOOOAAA!"

* SecretCharacter: [[spoiler:Albus]] is available when you get the good ending.

* SimpleYetAwesome: Meet the Fidelis Medusa glyph. If you take the time to get it to level 3 (which doesn't take long since the grey Medusa Heads have a 100% drop rate for it), it can shield you from most projectiles, ward off GoddamnedBats, petrify certain monsters rendering them weak and stationary, and break walls to find secret treasure or passages you might otherwise ignore.

* StealthPun: One enemy is a former human that was a victim of an Une attack. Its name? Chosen Une. Also counts as BilingualBonus, since "une" is French for "one".

* SwissArmyHero: Aside from the CatGirl form mentioned above, Shanoa can also obtain glyphs that change her form into a bat-woman and an automaton (a [[StoneWall slow, but sturdy]] little robot). The enemy bat-women keep attacking her, but enemy Automatons will promptly fall in love with Automaton!Shanoa when they spot her.

* TearfulSmile: [[spoiler:When Shanoa grants Albus' LastRequest to see her smile.]]

* ThemeMusicPowerUp: Remember that tune from the intro movie? Are you feeling down after [[spoiler:killing Albus and Barlowe]]? Well, have we got music for your ears!

* TookAShortcut: All the villagers are nothing more than normal, yet quirky {{NPC}} townsfolk. Which makes it all the more remarkable with the monster-infested locations you rescue them from, as they all note that they will trek all the way back to the village by themselves right after you save them, and they do. It's more ridiculous when you realize one's a frail old woman and two of them are children, with one being a girl you save from an ''underwater cave infested with evil creatures'', yet they make it back a lot easier than you would. [[spoiler:Then again, they ''are'' descendants of the Belmont family.]]
** It's implied from one of the first villagers you save that they all have [[EscapeRope Magical Tickets]] on them, which warps the user straight to the village.

** Dracula decides to ditch his OneWingedAngel routine for once and simply decides to start [[MundaneMadeAwesome walking around the arena]] after you weaken him. Oh, and his attacks become ''much'' more brutal and difficult to dodge. Good luck — you'll probably need it.
** Brachyura as well. Literally. You have to make him do that for him to knock the ceiling out so you can climb higher, and repeat 3 times.

* UnableToCry: Shanoa laments this after [[spoiler:Albus' death]] in the path to the good ending. [[spoiler:Subverted in the actual ending.]]

* UselessUsefulSpell: Torpor stinks of it at first glance (it purports to freeze enemies), but is actually "very" nifty, especially in Hard Mode. Most enemies that are vulnerable to Slash glyphs can be frozen with it, and this just happens to include the [[DemonicSpiders Cave Troll]], Lizardman and Lizardman Blade, and other speedy nuisances that it helps to stop cold. Cubus and Fidelis Caries are similar. They're seemingly useless, but in Hard Mode they can be your best friend in the Skeleton Cave as they are capable of blocking the fireball spam dished out by Bone Pillars well before you come into Vol/Melio Scutum (shield glyphs that actually cover you frontside), with a single cube if you duck or a single zombie. This is more than enough to allow you to get in and bash them with Vol Macir without getting shot to hell, making the proceedings a lot less painful.

** Meet the Giant Skeleton. Utilize the Magnes, Ascia, and Macir glyphs properly or you'll die over and over.
** Brachyura, the GiantEnemyCrab after that, fits better. The first two bosses hit hard, but have simple attack patterns. (In fact, the Giant Skeleton comes back as a mook in a later level.) Cue Brachyura, a four-stage boss that limits your attack patterns because he's beneath you. You ''have'' to learn his patterns in order to get to the top and deliver the now-famous finishing blow.
** It says a lot about this game that the first stumbling block ''is a DegradedBoss later''.

* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler:And one doozy of a Wham Episode, at that. After she defeats Albus (and provided she saved all the villagers first), Shanoa finds out that Barlowe sacrificed her memories and emotions to control Dominus and that it'll kill her if she uses it. Albus was GoodAllAlong and stole Dominus to protect Shanoa, and only kidnapped the villagers of Wygol because they're descendants of the Belmonts and hoped that samples of their blood would allow him to use Dominus without being consumed by it. On top of all that, it turns out Barlowe was EvilAllAlong and ''wants'' to resurrect Dracula. [[ForegoneConclusion And he succeeds.]]]]

* WithMyDyingBreathISummonYou: [[spoiler:Barlowe]] does this to revive {{Dracula}}.

''Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia'' is a 2008 {{Metroidvania}} game published Creator/{{Konami}}. The third and final ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' game released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS after ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaPortraitOfRuin'', it was the last Metroidvania type installment before the main timeline was put on hiatus and rebooted with ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow''.

* {{Catchphrase}}: Shanoa's is "[[BadassBoast I am the blade that banishes evil]]". Less so in the english translation, however.

** Shanoa [[{{Catchphrase}} liked to call herself]] "[[RedBaron The blade that banishes evil]]" in the Japanese version, which got turned into a ContinuityNod in the English version. However, she still says it in the pre-battle dialogue with Dracula, and [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools the continuity nod was pretty badass in its own right]].

* BrutalBonusLevel: 2 of them, in different flavors, even. Training Hall is a PlatformHell. Large Cavern is full of DemonicSpiders and a BonusBoss (a ChineseVampire).

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: This time around, the {{Chupacabra}} hang out near Dracula's quarters, and it turns out a [[spoiler:[[ChineseVampire Jiang]] [[BonusBoss Shi]] moved in to the [[BonusDungeon cave next door]]]], creating an oddly multicultural vampire gathering.

* LaterInstallmentWeirdness: Compared to previous "Metroidvania" games, this one takes a significant departure from the usual formula:

''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}: Order of Ecclesia'' was released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS in 2008.

* {{Cameo}}: