History Videogame / CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia

* WhatMeasureIsAMook: Played with. A Knight in Argila Swamp will fight in tandem with an Owl. If you kill the Owl first, he will take time to rush over and mourn his beloved bird.

* Shanoa [[Catchphrase calls herself]] "[[RedBaron The blade that banishes evil]]"

* 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.

%%* PunctuatedPounding: [[spoiler:Barlowe.]]

* ChurchMilitant: A portion of the Church has been looking for a way to defeat Dracula without relying on a Belmont. [[spoiler:Of course, it's soon realized that they only wanted to defeat the seal.]]
** [[spoiler:Then again, they could have been looking for a way to destroy Dracula when they started, but his seal drove them insane. Dracula has a knack for [[BrainwashedAndCrazy doing that kind of stuff to people]].]]

* AnachronismStew: Try modern-style prison islands and evil [[RobotBuddy Robot Buddies]] in the mid-1800s

%%* UnderTheSea: Kalidus Channel and Somnus Reef.

* 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.

* WakeUpCallBoss: Meet the Giant Skeleton. Utilize the Magnes, Ascia and Macir glyphs properly or you'll die over and over.

* ShoutOut: Goliath is basically a boss-monster-ified [[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar Raoh]], even reenacting his dying pose. Which makes him another classic [[Magazine/ShonenJump Jump]] villain like [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Zephyr]] to [[CaptainErsatz appear]] in the series.
** Don't think that his dying pose is enough of a shout out? Try letting him corner you after his Main/OminousWalk and he will give you a hundred fists right in your face!
** The requisite VideoGame/{{Gradius}} shout out occurs three times:
*** One of the villagers hums the first few notes of "Challenger 1985", the BGM of the first stage of the original ''Gradius''/
*** The Vic Viper itself is a collectible item.
*** One of the bosses summons [[EenieMeenieMinyMoai Moai heads]] as [[TemporaryPlatform temporary platforms]]. Don't destroy them or you won't survive the [[KillItWithWater waterfall]] attack.
** The "Grave Digger" enemy looks a lot like [[ProfessionalWrestling The Undertaker]], and another enemy, the Mad Butcher, is [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre Leatherface]] in all but name. Oh yeah, a cannibal killer with a chainsaw [[AnachronismStew in 19th century Europe]].
** ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' again, mostly recycled from ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Symphony of the Night]]''. [[TinMan Axe-wielding tin robots]], [[ScaryScarecrows impaled-corpse scarecrows]], and... [[CowardlyLion Cat]] [[CatGirl Girls]], [[SubvertedTrope Oh My!]]
** When Albus activates the elevator to crush Brachyura, he says [[Franchise/MetalGear "Show time."]]
** Albus's Quadruple Ignis, a spinning fire kick, looks exactly like [[StreetFighter Fei Long]]'s Shienkyaku, a spinning fire kick.
** The quest that has you retrieve a gem for one of the villager's cat is named [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Tom and Jewelry]].
** In an in-series shoutout to ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest'', as Shanoa arrives at Dracula's castle, she yells "I am the morning sun, come to vanquish this horrible night!"
*** In the [[http://legendsoflocalization.com/shanoa-and-the-castlevania-ii-reference/ Japanese version]], before Shanoa storms Dracula's castle, she declares that she is [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWars a sword that cleaves evil]].
** Dracula's phrase, ''"I'll bring the life out from you"'', is very similar to Astaroth's from ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur''.
** [[spoiler:Barlowe]] quotes [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam Master Asia]] while punching, at least in Japanese. [[spoiler:"You stupid pupil!"]]
** The ''Pneuma'' Glyph references [[VideoGame/FatalFury Geese Howard's]] ''Reppuken'' attack, and can be dual-wielded for ''Double Reppuken''. Their combined charged attack just ''screams'' Raging Storm.
** Dracula's forms in this game seem to be based heavily off of resident {{SNK boss}}es [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Rugal Bernstein, Zero and Leopold Goenitz]]. His finger snapping motions for Destruction Ray and Hate Ray resemble [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD3Jj7lBXS0 Goenitz' Create Hurricane]], his slashing axe kick and Soul Steal resemble [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNf9MMwyrTU Rugal's Genocide Cutter and Omega Burn Hold respectively]], and his cape uppercut resembles [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mARv14oaZSA#t=118 Zero's cape slash]]. Finally, Demonic Megiddo is his version of the cheap full screen attacks every SNK boss is reviled for. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaGJbjzGGKA Take a look at Drac's moves]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taxl1mDIX4E for comparison.]]
** One endgame boss says, when defeated, "That was quite entertaining," eleven years after ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Gaiden'', where an endgame boss said "I hope you can entertain me" before attacking.
** ''Order of Ecclesia'' continues the ''Franchise/JojosBizarreAdventure'' references with the boss [[http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1187224-castlevania Blackmore]]. Not only does he attack Shanoa with an invisible entity that is only visible by its shadow to her, almost like a Stand in itself, he poses flamboyantly and dresses loudly like a true Jojo character. His name is even a music reference - he’s named after Ritchie Blackmore, an English musician, well-known for his work with the band Deep Purple. Which, coincidentally, is the color that makes up most of his color scheme. Finally, the reason why Shanoa bests him? His stand's shadow, cast by the candles in the foreground, betrays its existence to Shanoa, who promptly attacks it, causing the damage dealt to synchronize to him with deadly effect.

* NoHeroDiscount: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]], apologized for, [[JustifiedTrope justified]], and finally [[SubvertedTrope subverted]]. The shop owner, Jacob, would ''really'' like to give Shanoa the supplies she needs for free, but with his shop being in a village in pretty much the middle of nowhere and with her being virtually his only customer, he simply can't afford to do that and still keep his shop stocked, much less make ends meet. Shanoa, out of either maturity or [[EmotionlessGirl a lack of emotions]], is totally okay with this. However, if you buy enough stuff from him, Jacob will eventually give you a special VIP card that will give you a 20% discount on everything he sells.

** 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.

* OneHitPointWonder: The Death Ring grants incredible stat boosts, but ''any'' hit will be fatal.

** 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.

* SexyBacklessOutfit: Shanoa wears a backless dress, which is [[JustifiedTrope necessary]] because she absorbs [[InstantRunes Glyphs]] through a large and intricate tattoo on her back. ...For an EmotionlessGirl, she sure does lift up her hair sensually.

* BigEater: As usual for a Castlevania character, Shanoa can refill her health by eating impossible amounts of food during combat. However, she goes beyond the usual series staples like whole turkeys and pot roasts in that she is able to eat an entire barbecued fish which is ''significantly larger than she is''...or several said fish depending on how much HP she needs. She's actually able to keep the chef Aeon in business despite being his only customer.

* BlindIdiotTranslation: The returning [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Leap Stone]] relic somehow became the Ordinary Rock. Either someone left in a placeholder joke while they looked up the canon translation and forgot, or believed {{double jump}}ing needed to make less sense in all directions. Probably also the cause of the aforementioned Gold Ring's description being an out-and-out lie.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Shanoa defeats Dracula and saves the world, but Albus is dead, Barlowe, the man who raised both of them, was revealed to be a batshit insane Dracula worshipper, and the ending states flatout that the only people who will even remember the events of the game are Shanoa herself and the villagers she rescued. On the plus side, even if Shanoa won't be remembered, she ''still'' saved the world, Albus retrieves her memories, and it's implied that the villagers, who are actually descendants of the Belmont line that have lost their way, have begun training themselves in the ways of the Vampire Hunter.]]

* 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..."

** Pneuma + Weapon Glyphs = Crissaegrim.

* ContinuityNod: Shanoa's dialogue just before she enters Dracula's castle references ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest Simon's Quest]]'': "I am the morning sun, come to vanquish this horrible night!"

* CuteMonsterGirl: While all modern Castlevanias have these, this game is notable for its sheer proliferation. New enemies that fit this include Ladycats, Draculinas, Black Panthers (unrelated to actual black panthers in other games), and the boss of Somnus Reef, Rusalka.

* DemonicPossession: One of the villager quests is freeing a girl from demonic control by bringing back her cat.

* FlawlessVictory : Get through a boss fight with no damage, and you get a [[BraggingRightsReward medal]]. Hey, another use for the Death Ring!
* FourIsDeath: The Death Ring adds 44 to several stats.

* HealthDamageAsymmetry: Inverted in hard mode, where monsters attack power can be as much as 10 times of their own HP.

* 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.

%%* MagicKnight: Shanoa.

* MetroidVania: Obviously, but it really comes to a head when you play this game [[spoiler:on Hard with a cap set at Level 1]]. It becomes almost like ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' with how desperate you become for Health and Mana upgrades.

%%* MsFanservice: Shanoa.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Dominus, from the Latin word for "lord" or "master".

* NintendoHard: Only one of two Metroidvania-engined Castlevania games to exceed the Website/GameFAQs difficulty voting threshold of 3.5 to qualify for Nintendo Hard (the other being ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCircleOfTheMoon''). Taken UpToEleven in multiple stages: level 50 Hard mode, level 1 Hard Mode with a NewGamePlus, and level 1 Hard Mode without a NewGamePlus. Enemies deal absolutely INSANE amounts of damage and some of them are faster, demanding you to use everything you've got and come up with some new strategies.

* AltumVidetur: Several of the game's locales are given Latin names, such as Somnus Reef and Tristis Pass.

%%* TheGreatestStoryNeverTold

* ShootTheDog / WhatHappenedToTheMouse / LeftHanging: [[spoiler:At the end, Shanoa saved the world. But what happened to her after that? She lost everything at the end. The last shot of her is in the forest near Castlevania's ruins.]] The game itself says she was never heard from again.

* ViolationOfCommonSense: [[spoiler: Once you get Dracula's health low enough in his boss fight, the game all but spells out to you what you need to do to finish him off. Despite ''everything'' the game's told you up to that point, you MUST equip all three Dominus glyphs and use their glyph union. Otherwise, Dracula uses an unavoidable attack that instantly kills you.]]

The story takes place in the middle of the 19th century, several decades after ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight''. {{Dracula}} has been [[SealedEvilInACan sealed]], but evil is still afoot. With no Belmont in sight, the church has been desperately trying to find a way to destroy Dracula once and for all that doesn't involve the Vampire Killer whip.

Compared to [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow the other]] [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaPortraitOfRuin DS games]], ''Order of Ecclesia'' is much harder. Shanoa cannot take many hits, her ability to attack is limited by her [[ManaMeter MP]] (granted, it fills up much more quickly than it has in previous games, but it's still a major limiting factor,) and leveling up doesn't make hard enemies suddenly trivial. Shanoa can absorb [[PowerCopying glyphs from fallen foes]] and can [[CombinationAttack combine them]] for stronger attacks. Another dramatic change is the map structure: Rather than making use of large, sprawling maps, the game primarily employs much smaller maps that focus on action rather than exploration.

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler:Albus's sacrifice results in this.]]

* BlindIdiotTranslation: The returning [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Leap Stone]] relic somehow became the Ordinary Rock. Either someone left in a placeholder joke while they looked up the canon translation and forgot, or believed [[DoubleJump double jumping]] needed to make less sense in all directions. Probably also the cause of the aforementioned Gold Ring's description being an out-and-out lie.
** One of the villagers' quests involves obtaining Merman Meat. Naturally, one would assume that acquiring Merman Meat would involve killing, well, Mermen. However, Mermen don't drop any items. Instead, you'll have to kill a Lorelai, which is ''female''. The original Japanese name for the item was gender-neutral, and certainly didn't reference to the name of any preexisting enemies.

* BossBanter: HOW DARE YOU..! EVEN FORGETTING..! [[spoiler:WHO RAISED YOU! YOU..! '''STUPID DISCIPLE!!!''']]

%%* [[spoiler:TheGreatestStoryNeverTold]]

** The "Grave Digger" enemy looks a lot like [[ProfessionalWrestling The Undertaker]], and another enemy, the Mad Butcher, is [[Franchise/TheTexasChainsawMassacre Leatherface]] in all but name. Oh yeah, a cannibal killer with a chainsaw [[AnachronismStew in 19th century Europe]].

* 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...! KEEP ON FORGETTING... WHO RAISED YOU...! YOU... STUPID DISCIPLE!!"]]

* BossBanter: HOW DARE YOU..! KEEP ON FORGETTING..! [[spoiler:WHO RAISED YOU! YOU..! '''STUPID DISCIPLE!!!''']]