Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is the first mainline 2D Castlevania title in over a decade and takes place 23 years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse on the NES.
Evil Empire and Motion Twin gave fans their first taste of what the small French studios can do with the Castlevania property with the critically-acclaimed Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC. Since then, Konami has entrusted them with one of the studio’s dream projects, the team said during their PAX West panel in Seattle.
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Here, you’ll play as Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades from Dracula’s Curse (you may also recognize them from Netflix’s great Castlevania anime). During PAX West, I got to play about 20 minutes of Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse’s opening and came away impressed; it’s easily my favorite game I played over the weekend.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse brings the franchise to a new generation.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is another 2D action-platformer like its predecessors, but with more modern traversal and combat sensibilities that feel similar to 2024’s Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. The demo began near the start of the game, with a backdrop of Paris on fire to set the stage, and I was told the difficulty was toned down a bit so the public could progress further than average during the 20-minute sessions.
All the aspects of quality of a Castlevania title are on full display here. Controlling Rose feels great and responsive, and a lot of how characters move in previous games are back, like a dash and slide move. And since the series lends half its namesake to the now-household term “Metroidvania”, the action-platforming world exploration features some of the genre’s best, complete with multiple routes and hidden chambers.
Early on, you’ll get a whip that helps move around hard-to-reach spaces, and using it is so very satisfying. Moving Rose through the labyrinthine world is fast and chaotic, but thanks to how she controls it and the platforming options available, I couldn’t help but spend time just swinging around and exploring. You can also use this to grapple onto enemies, pull yourself closer, and wail on them with attacks. It’s very fluid and intuitive.
Belmont’s Curse captures all the hallmarks of the Castlevania franchise.
Combat is extremely snappy, and while I only used the starting sword, there will be other options. Subweapons and spells make their return, and using them enough times or completing specific challenges with them will increase their potential and power, offering a nice incentive to master one and move on to another.
There’s plenty of enemy variety, even in the opening moments, and even though the difficulty was reduced, you still have to plan for attack patterns and learn their movements. If you happen to get hit, you can use a healing potion, but through exploration you’ll find the traditional save point and fast travel areas that also recover your health.
One new aspect that sets Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse apart from other titles is the Arcana tarot card system that allows you to cast spells mentioned earlier. But not only do they have useful implications in how you decide to play or kit Rose out on your adventure, but the way you unlock new ones is directly tied to the game’s story. Each boss you defeat drops a new Arcana, unlocking both a new combat ability and sometimes traversal abilities like the whip.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse’s combat just feels good.
Narratively, absorbing an enemy’s Arcana lets them live inside Rose’s head for a little while. At least, that’s the case with The Fallen, a hulking monstrosity that was my demo’s greatest challenge. It’s not quite clear if every boss will speak with Rose like this, but The Fallen is a sort of tragic figure that may not be as evil as he appears.
After chatting with a ghost on the map who gave me hints as to where to find The Fallen and what he’s about, I found his lair and took him on. Even though the team claims this demo is easier than the full release, it still took me three tries to kill him.
I appreciate this level of difficulty, since it forced me to really focus on learning his patterns and finding the right window to unleash my own offense. Bosses in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse pack quite the punch and can tank hits just as easily. Patience was key in this fight, and I finally depleted his health bar; the classic Castlevania cross and whip abilities were mine.
From music to art and gameplay, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is impressive.
It’s not every day I get to preview a brand new traditional Castlevania game, and I’d be remiss not to talk about the soundtrack. These games are famous for their incredible music, and Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is no different.
The opening Paris area only had one track playing, but it was an electric arrangement of the franchise’s iconic Vampire Killer main theme. This entry isn’t composed by longtime collaborator Michiru Yamane, but if the music is this amazing this early, we’re in for a treat with the soundtrack.
My short time with Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse came to an end shortly after defeating The Fallen, and I can’t stop thinking about it. Even this short and sweet vertical slice offered the Castlevania experience I’ve been chasing since I first booted up Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow on the GBA, and we don’t have much longer to wait for one of my most anticipated games of 2026.
