If you attended PAX West 2026, one area was always crowded. That booth was Konami’s Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. It is not hard to see why; the last mainline game, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, was released over 12 years ago. In addition, fans were eager to see what developers Evil Empire and Motion Twin could do with the franchise. Motion Twin had already dipped their toes into the series with Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania. Thanks to Dom Ashtear, I got to see whether they could make a smooth transition from roguelight to Metroidvania. Based on my time with the demo, I’d say they achieved it and then some.
Living Up to Your Heritage
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse takes place in 1499 Paris. As the city burns, Trevor Belmont, the lead character of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, ventures towards a looming castle with his daughter, Rose Belmont. As she enters the castle and is separated from her father, she learns of a dark conspiracy. It is up to her to unravel the mystery and save Paris.
Right off the bat (pun intended), Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse feels like a Castlevania title. Rose has great movement, attacks feel smooth and impactful, slides are great for dodging, and areas are full of shortcuts back to rooms you have explored before. Enemies and bosses hit hard, so you have to constantly keep an eye on your health to avoid death. Not only that, you have to hold the left bumper to heal with a potion, so there is a delay. Strategy must be employed when healing so you don’t get hit in the middle of the animation. Presentation-wise, the game utilizes bright colors like red and magenta. There is also a cool glass-shatter effect on the life and magic bars.
Where Does She Get Such Wonderful Toys?
There are so many items, accessories, and abilities in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. For example, bosses become tarot cards when you defeat them. When I obliterated the first major foe, I received the card Man at Arms, which granted me the boomerang-like Holy Cross subweapon. I also located the whip power-up soon after. Rose can use it to not only attach herself to enemies and dive into them, but she can also attach herself to hooks and swing back and forth. In addition, Rose can equip up to three relics. These give her new attributes, like the ability to restore health and mana whenever a chest is opened. Furthermore, there are in-game challenges Rose can complete to power up her spells, weapons, and abilities.
While Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse feels like an old-school Konami game, there is a mix of FromSoftware-like designs as well. The limited number of potions is a reminder of the Dark Souls series. Saving at mirrors heals Rose and refills her potions, but it also resets all enemy positions. Make no mistake, though, this is still a Castlevania affair. There is a big map to explore, complete with multiple markers that you can use. And when I smashed a cracked wall to find a healing meat inside, I got giddy with excitement. Ditto for seeing the menu of blacked-out tarot cards; there are so many to find that it filled my completionist soul with joy.
Gamers can look forward to Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse when it launches on October 15 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S | X, and Steam. There is a demo releasing on October 1, too, and save data transfers to the main game. I am optimistic that Castlevania is back, baby!
