My first few hours with Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse left me feeling whelmed. I played the demo and, a few days later, picked up the review copy, thoroughly enjoying my time with it, without being absolutely blown away.
Then, as if the game itself knew it needed to take it up a notch, it threw me into an all-too-familiar landmark for the Belmonts, one where I truly feel the game finally ramps up into majestic territory. Make no mistake, the demo is not a good representation of what developer Evil Empire cooked up. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse does, indeed, have the sauce.
Developed by the same studio that took over Dead Cells development from Motion Twin, pumping out a steady flow of expansions, including a collaboration with Castlevania and even ventures into other IPs with The Rogue Prince of Persia, Belmont’s Curse feels exactly like the modern Castlevania you'd expect.
In Belmont’s Curse, you play as Rose, daughter of the legendary Dracula-slayer Trevor, who is tasked with cleansing a demon-infested Paris while a larger threat looms large. No spoilers, but you know who it is.
Rose is a true Belmont, a family with a long-standing tradition as vampire hunters; she’s hot-headed, emotionally driven, and above all, completely set on maintaining her family’s legacy while trying to show her father that she’s ready to continue the Belmont dynasty. The story has some wild beats that will undoubtedly stir the fandom’s proverbial pot, but as someone who just likes good stories being told with high stakes, I thoroughly enjoyed most of what Belmont’s Curse sets out to deliver in the narrative department.
If you’re upset the game ‘panders’ to those fans who started with the anime, I really don’t know what you were expecting, considering the franchise has leaned heavily into anime aesthetics for decades at this point. The game itself has gorgeous visuals; I lost track of the number of times I stopped and started spamming my screenshot button. Whether it was a grueling vista of a desolate Paris or a stunning panoramic shot of a gothic castle rising from within the bowels of the city, I just couldn’t stop myself.
All the ingredients of what you would want from your modern Castlevania are there. Expanding zones that’ll have you backtracking constantly, secret rooms and areas with juicy rewards that range from stat boosts to unique weapons, methodical enemy encounters that incorporate modern sensibilities in a way that enhances the experience rather than making it feel mundane, and devilish platforming sections that thread the line between utterly frustrating and addictively exciting.
Rose is equipped with a variety of weapons beyond the iconic Vampire Killer whip. In total, you’ll get access to seven weapon archetypes, each offering a distinct way of engaging with enemies. The whip itself requires precision, as its tip deals extra damage; meanwhile, weapons like the pair of longswords need you to be up close and personal, rewarding precise timing to extend your combos.
In her arsenal, you’ll also find Arcana spells, potent magic that can help you turn the tide of battle, as these are extremely effective. You can upgrade each by meeting certain conditions during gameplay, adding an extra layer of depth to how you engage with them. Throwing Holy Crosses at demons is fun; you know what’s cooler? Petrifying them with Medusa’s Gaze and destroying them via fall damage. Wrapping things up are Relics, small charms Rose can equip (up to three) to give her smaller but useful buffs.
One of my biggest fears was that the game played and felt more like Evil Empire’s aforementioned projects, which are hyperkinetic roguelites that heavily encourage speeding through zones. That’s not the case. Movement in Belmont’s Curse is slow, attacks don’t encourage spamming, and your limited mobility will quickly make you realize positioning matters far more than rushing through areas like you’re at the Awesome Games Done Quick main stage.
It’s restrictive in ways that make the fighting and platforming feel fun while retaining some of the required friction to make it challenging, dabbling a little into the frustrating, though. Among the many tools Rose will gain during her adventure is the Holy Light. You can clear certain debris that will let you access new areas with it, but it doubles as a parry mechanic. In many ways, Belmont’s Curse found its own Samus Returns moment, where it perfectly marries staple franchise elements with new concepts that are now popular across gaming.
Combat is really fun, but not entirely perfect. Getting into brawls with many enemies will test how familiar you are with your weapon of choice and how well you manage the resources at your disposal. It’s not deep by any means, as you’ll mostly be mashing a single button or two at most if you’re parrying a lot (which you should), but it does the job. You do have an absolutely incredible whip attack that varies depending on your weapon of choice that can be pulled off by propelling yourself towards an enemy, leaving plenty of room for fascinating air juggles the likes of Devil May Cry’s Dante would be proud of.
Enemies don’t have a lot of hitstun, so even if you’re in the middle of a combo, they will hit you back, which can be a bit frustrating if you’re trying to chip away at bigger demons while trying to avoid getting hit by a constant barrage of projectiles. Luckily, there’s no cooldown on parry; the only limitation is how good you are at timing it correctly, but your defensive options will be limited until you get a hold of the ability.
That’s why I think the demo is not a particularly good representation of Belmont’s Curse. You only get the smallest of sauceless tastes at the absolute feast Evil Empire has in store. You barely grasp the potential behind the system mechanics, because you don’t have access to any.
Exploration is also a mixture of old and new. You can get lost and immerse yourself in a wide variety of locations, both outdoors in Paris and inside very recognizable landmarks. The classic cryptic Castlevania environmental discovery is here, but there’s a nice little aid for players: the Tarot cards.
Tarot cards hold clues about the whereabouts of more Arcana and the respective bosses that you need to defeat in order to acquire them. They don’t exactly tell you where to go; rather, they’re a gentle nudge that will give you general directions when you start feeling lost. In fact, you need to find the clues first.
My favorite implementation of the Tarot card clues came when I figured out that the painting of a certain beloved character would guide me to plenty of secret rooms and upgrades I otherwise would’ve most likely missed, all leading to finding a specific Arcana at the end of what was essentially a side quest.
Some of the optional puzzle rooms are brutal. Traversal is mostly smooth, barring exceptions in which you need precise usage of the Arcane Whip; a slight misinput will cost you dearly, as the whip has free rein to be moved as exactly as you need it to be, the downside being just that: you need to be surgically precise to pull off some of the puzzling challenges.
Boss fights are a bit of a mixed bag. You can go from quite inventive ones, like Medusa’s entire setup revolving around not getting caught by her glare, to just generic damage sponges with one or two tricks up their sleeves. It's understandable considering that the primary focus is exploration in these kinds of games, and for the most part they are fun to play, but a lot of these have a single solution: use the whip attack i-frames to avoid damage.
Beyond that, my other main gripe is the music. It doesn’t have the presence you’d expect from a Castlevania soundtrack. It’s mostly always background noise, rarely enhancing the high-tension moments and boss fights. There are homages to classic tunes, which perked up my ears, but nothing more than that.
Overall, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse proves that Evil Empire knows exactly how to honor a legacy without being stuck in the past. It has its flaws—namely in its subdued soundtrack, uneven boss design, and somewhat slow start—but its atmospheric world, deliberate combat, and rewarding exploration make it a standout experience for Metroidvania fans.
A code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
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