Eighteen years is a long time to wait for a new 2D Castlevania. Entire generations of vampires could have been born, defeated by a Belmont and resurrected while fans waited for Konami to remember that its legendary series deserved another proper adventure. Fortunately, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse finally arrives on October 15, bringing gothic castles, dangerous monsters and the familiar pleasure of discovering that a perfectly innocent-looking corridor is full of spikes.
Developed by Evil Empire in partnership with Konami, the game follows Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades. The story takes place in Paris in 1499, where supernatural creatures have turned the city into a nightmare. Rose has a family legacy to uphold, a mysterious curse to confront and plenty of enemies who apparently haven't heard what usually happens when they challenge a Belmont.
Belmont's Curse makes a strong first impression with its visual style. Burning streets, gloomy catacombs and elaborate gothic architecture create a world that's beautiful and thoroughly unpleasant to live in. The colourful, painterly presentation gives familiar Castlevania monsters a fresh appearance without sacrificing the atmosphere fans expect.
Exploration follows the classic Metroidvania formula. Players move through interconnected locations, uncover secrets and gradually gain abilities that open previously inaccessible routes. Finding an interesting passage that can't be reached yet is a familiar experience, but returning later with the right equipment remains satisfying.
The world rewards curiosity with weapons, upgrades and optional areas. However, navigating it isn't always effortless. Some objectives rely on rather obscure clues, while limited fast-travel options can make returning to earlier locations more tedious than necessary. Rose may be an excellent vampire hunter, but occasionally she could benefit from a better travel guide.
The legendary whip returns, although Rose uses it for much more than attacking monsters. It also works as a traversal tool, allowing her to swing across gaps, reach distant platforms and launch herself toward enemies. This gives movement a faster, more acrobatic feel than in many older Castlevania games.
Combat offers considerably more choice than the traditional whip-and-subweapon combination. Rose can use several weapon categories, including swords, spears and heavier equipment, each with different attacks and advantages. Parries and evasive movement reward players who learn enemy patterns rather than charging into every encounter.
The Arcana system adds another layer. Defeated bosses can become cards that grant magical abilities, giving Rose additional options during combat and exploration. Relics and equipment further expand character customisation, making experimentation worthwhile instead of forcing everyone into one obvious build.
There is a learning curve, though. With so many tools available, combat can initially feel busy, and some actions aren't quite as intuitive as they should be. Once everything starts coming together, however, Rose becomes a remarkably capable monster hunter.
Castlevania has never been especially interested in letting players win without putting in some effort. Belmont's Curse continues that tradition with demanding boss encounters that test movement, timing and the ability to recognise attack patterns before losing another chunk of health.
The best fights feel like proper challenges. Learning when to dodge, which attacks can be punished and how to use Rose's abilities creates a satisfying rhythm. Beating a difficult boss after several failed attempts is rewarding, particularly when the victory unlocks another useful Arcana ability.
Not every encounter is equally enjoyable. Some attacks are difficult to read, and the combination of precise platforming and dangerous enemies can produce frustrating moments. There's a difference between losing because you made a mistake and losing because the controls didn't respond quite as expected. Belmont's Curse occasionally gets uncomfortably close to that line.
Fortunately, accessible checkpoints help prevent repeated failures from becoming too exhausting. The game remains challenging, but it generally gives players enough opportunities to learn rather than demanding that they replay huge sections after every mistake.
Evil Empire's experience with Dead Cells is noticeable in the responsive movement and emphasis on aggressive combat. Belmont's Curse feels faster and more flexible than many of its predecessors, while retaining the interconnected world and exploration that helped define the Metroidvania genre.
The story also gives Rose more personality than a simple monster-hunting mission might suggest. Her relationship with the Belmont family legacy provides a solid foundation, and the Arcana system creates interesting interactions with characters she encounters. The narrative isn't especially complicated, but it offers enough motivation to keep exploring.
The biggest criticism is that the game doesn't reinvent the genre it helped inspire. Modern Metroidvanias have introduced countless clever ideas during Castlevania's absence, and Belmont's Curse occasionally feels content to follow familiar conventions. Its soundtrack and some aspects of level navigation also don't consistently reach the series' highest standards.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse isn't perfect, but it delivers much of what fans have been missing. Its striking environments, varied combat options and rewarding exploration make Rose's adventure feel like a proper continuation of the series rather than a nostalgic imitation.
Some frustrating encounters, awkward navigation and occasional control issues prevent it from reaching its full potential. Yet the strengths comfortably outweigh those problems, especially for players who enjoy demanding action-platformers with plenty of secrets to discover.
After eighteen years, Castlevania has returned to the genre it helped create, and it still knows how to put up a fight. Dracula's followers probably aren't celebrating, but everyone else has good reason to welcome the Belmont family back.
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