While Konami's vampire-slaying plans on the Wii don't look too hot, DS owners can at least be at ease in knowing they will soon be getting Castlevania: Ecclesia. Konami has announced that the game will be hitting Japan's store shelves by October 23 of this year.

The company hasn't announced when it will be hitting North America, though a quick look at the Japan-to-U.S. releases of Portrait of Ruin and Dawn of Sorrow hints that we could be looking at two to three months of waiting after the Japan launch. A Yuletide release for our side of the world, perhaps?

Order of Ecclesia is under development by the same team that brought us Portrait of Ruin. The new game will introduce the use of "Glyph symbols," which will enable you to create and use over 100 different types of battle combinations in Shanoa's fight against Dracula.

It sounds a bit like Soma's Tactical Soul, though it's probably best to wait and see how Ecclesia's actually gameplay elements come together when it launches. Check back again in case we run into any further updates.