Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced its third Castlevania title for Nintendo DS. Entitled Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, the game continues the battle against Dracula's evil forces and will be released in Q4, 2008.

Following the huge success of Producer Koji Igarashi's Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin Castlevania titles for DS, the new game casts the player as a member of the titular Ecclesia. The Ecclesia is a hand-picked organisation sworn to defeat Dracula and his undead cohorts. Thus, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia pits the player against the Vampire Lord and his hordes in a sprawling game world that spans 20 beautifully-realised maps.

Retaining the famed side view that is synonymous with the series, the action moves both indoors and outdoors as the player scours forests and oceans for the Vampire leader. New to the series, however, is an all-new 'Glyph Attack System', giving the player access to over 100 offensive moves. These new moves are exclusive to the Ecclesia Order, and allow the player to combine weapons and attacking styles instantly during the heat of battle.

As the player explores Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, a series of secondary side quests are offers, and these reward the user with ever more useful items and ways to power-up their character, and also affect the way the game progresses with a number of different endings ensuring the game has strong replay value.

Igarashi has also utilised the Wi-Fi elements of the Nintendo DS, and items can be traded or swapped with other players or players can go head-to-head in an all-new Versus Mode. "I have always found Vampires and their legends profoundly interesting, and they provide a wealth of interesting plot lines for the Castlevania series," commented series creator Koji Igarashi. "Dracula's enduring legacy and reign of terror will have gained him many enemies, and I hope that gamers enjoy the introduction of the Ecclesia Order and the new abilities they add to the series."