Review | Castlevania: Belmont's Curse

A castle review

Wow, another Castlevania game? From Konami? What is happening? Along with Haunted Castle Revisited (2024), it is the first standalone entry in the franchise since Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2014). Should we be happy about it? I would say yes, but with some flaws, ups and downs.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is a 2026 action-adventure game developed by Evil Empire, with advice from Motion Twin (the only tangable project was the DLC for Dead Cells), and published by Konami. It was released on 15 October 2026 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. A little weird that a new studio works on this franchise, but eh, better this than nothing.

The legendary creator and producer of the series, Koji Igarashi, left Konami prior to any of this, so don't expect anything remotely similar to the legendary Symphony of the Night, which was his favorite (and mine). Still, this game blends some modern 2D platforming with modern art and music, and it works, but not to its full extent.

The technical side is OK, but I don't understand the constant hiccups as soon as a scene starts. The game is 20 hours long if you want to 100% it, so the €30 release price tag is OK, if you ask me.

It's more cartoonish type of game, maybe not what you'd expect, but I like it.

Story and the characters

Belmont's Curse is the 26th main entry in the Castlevania franchise. Taking place in 1499, over two decades after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989) and Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (2005), the story follows Rose Belmont, daughter of vampire hunter Trevor Belmont and his wife, Sypha Belnades, who ventures into Dracula's castle as it manifests directly in the heart of Paris.

The story is more or less already heard and seen, but due to the very good voice acting, I was reading and listening to everything it has to offer. It's the same old reach-the-top-of-the-castle-and-defeat-Dracula type of deal, so nothing extra or out of the ordinary. I liked the story overall, maybe because I also liked some tracks a lot, so it all just fits, but I do miss more, and some loops were buggy. One song loops very weirdly, like it's chipped.

I don't think Metroidvania games are meant to have the best stories and characters, so don't expect that here. I do love Alucard's outfit; my Rose was using it. And the art of burning, grotesque Paris, plus the castle, was good art, if you ask me, just maybe a bit modern and weird for this franchise. Still, not bad.

I liked all segments of the game, especially some music tracks. Platforming is really tight, good luck!

Game design, exploration

If you've played the latest Prince of Persia Metroidvania game, this will feel very familiar. Apart from finding all the powers (which you get through cards here) and reaching the top of the castle, the new thing is the platforming sections. They're very similar to those, and maybe a bit unfitting to be here. You do get a dash and a double jump to make it easier (too late, if you ask me), but without flexibility, the movement feels a bit weird. It's hard to just drop down and avoid hooking onto a ledge; I was constantly fighting with this.

The idea of gathering hints and unveiling secrets that lead to boss fights, which then give you their power and possibly a weapon, was a good change. I still prefer early RPG elements like leveling up (which is here, but basic, as it only raises ATK and DEF) and collecting weapons as drops, etc. Here, there are predefined weapons, and as soon as I'd found the legendary whip, everything else was forgotten. There are more than five weapon categories, and some of them feel good to wield, so it's not that bad.

It's like a light RPG where the most you'll do is grind to level up spells and try to find all the secrets. The map design is terrible—in a way where everything feels apart, and every section feels like its own thing, not like one full map. And fast travel can be a pain, even with both ways unlocked (you will see if you play the game what I mean). The rest, like mapping 100%, was fun for the whole 20 hours, and finding everything was a lot of fun for me.

The whip really whips! You can choose between many categories and 4 different weapons in each.

Combat

I can only vouch for whips and swords, as those are what I've used. Combat is solid, not as good as in some earlier games, but due to the many challenges and levels, it never feels redundant. You also don't need to grind to defeat some bosses; they're mostly pattern-based, and if you collect all the upgrades, they shouldn't be an issue.

Boss fights feel balanced, although they're a bit too easy later on. If you do come unprepared, you will lose, but with constant exploration, you'll be totally overpowered for any challenge in the game. I like the combat, but I don't think it raised any bars or introduced anything new. It's just here, and it's not bad. Just be aware of flying enemies; they're a pain in the butt.

When I saw Alucard, my heart just melted - the best protagonist of the whole series if you ask me.

Side Content

Three endings, many optional boss fights (defeat them all to reach the true ending), finding all the secrets and upgrades, plus completing skill challenges to power up your card skill. That's what you'll do, and all of that is good.

I didn't feel any fatigue or boredom when I was trying to find hidden walls and rooms or when I had to reach some treasure; all of that felt good. It's nothing mind-blowing, just a regular chore in the genre.

Secrets and puzzles are good, they ask of you to think and look, and they are ultimately fun.

Conclusion

If you ask me, this is a solid Castlevania game, considering how long it's been since the last one. The problem is that it wants to be more like all the other games instead of just leaning towards older works that are considered the best, not just by me, but by many others.

I love some of the music tracks, and the visuals were fine, but it felt a bit clunky due to the weird map design, and some boss fights could've been better. Overall, a solid experience that brings nothing new to the table but builds a solid foundation for upcoming titles that will hopefully reach our consoles. If nothing else, we always have Bloodstained, and we'll get what we want there.