Author’s Note: The author was provided a Steam code by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
It’s hard to believe it has been 12 years since the last Castlevania game, and 18 years since Castlevania was a 2D Metroidvania series, with Order of Ecclesia on the Nintendo DS being the last traditional Castlevania entry before the series shifted to 3D action hack-and-slash gameplay with the Lords of Shadow duology.
A lot has changed and developed in the Metroidvania genre in Castlevania‘s absence. Games like Hollow Knight and Ori and the Will of the Wisps have pushed the genre forward in things like combat, difficulty, platforming, and level design. While a game like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is timeless, this current age of Metroidvania games has offered a lot more in scope than anything the Castlevania series has offered since Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow.
Enter Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, a sequel to Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse, and a return to the Metroidvania, non-linear gameplay style that helped pioneer the entire Metroidvania genre. Featuring a gorgeous new art style and a new protagonist, Rose Belmont, daughter of fan-favorites Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades, Belmont’s Curse aims to revive the series and step to the front of the now-crowded Metroidvania line of video games and say, “hey, I’m still here, and I’m still great.”
Ultimately, that is exactly what Belmont’s Curse is–a great video game. It’s not without flaws, especially in the game’s traversal mechanics and Rose’s rather stagnant character story, but Belmont’s Curse‘s beautiful art style, satisfying combat, fair challenge, and stellar level design make it one of the series’ best.
Somehow, Dracula Returned
Belmont’s Curse follows Rose Belmont’s journey to defeat Dracula once again. Inheriting a tarot card deck from her deceased mother, Rose must discover the secret to defeating her own bloodline curse, prevent herself from becoming the thing she swore to hunt, and permanently defeat Dracula.
The story has never been the strong point of any Castlevania title. That is the case here with Belmont’s Curse. It doesn’t do anything inherently bad or great. It’s just fine. The gameplay is the focus. However, I do feel like this was a missed opportunity to make the Castlevania story something great, like the first two seasons of the Castlevania Netflix series.
It’s the same “defeat Dracula and save the world” plot we have seen over and over. That idea is simple, but it works for Castlevania, and it’s difficult to have a Castlevania game without Dracula’s Castle and Dracula himself. There are some unique additions, like Rose’s dialogue with the creatures she defeats, which become part of her tarot deck and then can communicate with her freely. The Fallen, for example, will become Rose’s primary guide after he is defeated as the first boss of the game.
I especially enjoyed the ties to previous and future Castlevania games. Medusa becomes a sort of internal antagonist for Rose to overcome, and I enjoyed their dynamic. I just wish there was more of it in the game. I also wish some of the later bosses got more dialogue with Rose.
Rose herself is also “fine” as a protagonist. I don’t think she’s one of the series’ best protagonists, though. I would not put her on the same pedestal as Alucard or Soma Cruz. Her concept, though, is interesting. A Belmont who is sworn to hunt and kill vampires is being forced to deal with a curse that may turn her into the monster.
Unfortunately, that narrative concept is paper-thin, and Rose is essentially the same character at the end of the game as she was at the beginning of the game, some odd 20 hours later.
That is to say, overall, the narrative here is, once again, “fine.” It’s not offensively bad, and it’s not amazing either. It’s standard Castlevania flair, which may be exactly what fans desire after a 14-year hiatus, so the word “fine” may be complimentary.
A New (Bloody) Coat of Paint
The art style for Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse saw a polarizing response when the game was initially revealed. The game ditches the darker, grittier tone for brighter, more sophisticated designs. Medusa, for example, has light green layers, pink accents, and her hair of snakes looks more like the hair of dragons. The game uses a comic book-art style, and while some fans may prefer the more traditional gothic tones, I quite like the art style of Belmont’s Curse. It’s refreshing, and it offers something new for the series that hasn’t been done before.
One of the best uses of this graphic style is on Rose’s way to Dracula’s Castle for the first time. The intense mix of light red, dark red, pinks, and blacks creates silhouettes of all the monsters and Rose herself on her journey to the castle, which also cleverly reflects her mental and emotional state; Rose is there for revenge and to kill, and the use of color here is nothing short of genius.
The game’s cutscenes are presented more as still images (that are still beautiful) with text to read or voice-overs from the characters. The game rarely breaks from its 2D camera, and I found that to be interesting. I think some fans may expect more for a 2026 game, especially for Castlevania‘s grand return, but I quite liked the presentation of this game. The menus are gorgeous and complement each other well, and while it is vastly different from anything the series has had before, I hope this is reassurance that Castlevania may be willing to take more risks in the future.
Rest assured, this is still Castlevania. It’s easy to point out classic enemies and locations. However, it now has an art style that’s closer to a game like Hades.
Overall, the game is gorgeous, especially some of the late-game areas, and I feel this is exactly what Castlevania needed after being gone for so long.
The soundtrack is also great. The new version of the classic Bloody Tears that plays in the Main Hall got my blood pumping. I do wish the game had more audio options to increase the volume of the music in particular, but it’s not a huge deal.
Unfortunately, the PC version of the game does not have Ultrawide support and has limited customization options for frame rate and graphical settings. The game also hard-crashed on me a few times, which was a little frustrating given how long some of the gameplay sections are between save rooms.
I did, however, really appreciate the addition of the gameplay options. Belmont’s Curse is a challenging game, and it was designed as such. However, the developers give you options to make the game easier, like respawning right outside a boss room door or taking less damage, which will allow Castlevania players of all eras to enjoy the game.
Metroidvania Returns
So, how is the gameplay in this gameplay-heavy genre and series? Well, it’s quite good, but it has some flaws. The biggest wins for Belmont’s Curse are in its non-linear level design and combat. You can do many of the game’s objectives in any order. For example, in the Main Hall area of the game, your goal is to defeat The Artist. However, even after collecting all of the hints (which you obtain by exploring each area), you realize that you cannot get to the area in the Main Hall without an upgrade from the Clock Tower area.
The Main Hall has two routes out of it: one to the Clock Tower, the other to the Library. You can go either way, but either way, you will have to return to the Main Hall to confront The Artist eventually. This is what I expect from any Metroidvania–non-linear level design, clever level design that includes backtracking but doesn’t make it annoying, and level design that makes the game fun to explore.
Belmont’s Curse mostly has all of those ingredients. However, my single biggest complaint about the game has to do with traversal. Unlike previous games, the whip is both a weapon type and a traversal tool, allowing Rose to swing on gold and purple points. I found the swinging to be wildly inconsistent. Sometimes you have to point the directional stick directly at the swinging point to get Rose to grab it; other times she will do it on her own if she’s close enough. That inconsistency leads to some really frustrating rooms, especially if they have several death traps or enemies.
Rose has the ability to grab onto enemies with the whip, too, which allows for the most aerial combat in the history of the franchise. Rose is very mobile, despite feeling slow at the start of the game. Once certain upgrades are obtained, she feels great to control.
For combat, there are several weapon types: sword, sword and shield, spear, gauntlets, heavy sword, rapier, and whip. I found them all to be fun and useful for different areas of the game, which encouraged me to switch weapons frequently. The whip does more damage if you can space out and hit enemies with the edge of the whip. The spear can be thrown from a distance, which allows Rose to zone out enemies. The combos and weighty hits feel great, and, to me, Belmont’s Curse may have the best combat in the history of the Castlevania series. It’s fast, fluid, customizable, and above all, it’s fun.
Rose will earn various Arcanas as she defeats boss enemies, which act as spells. She begins with a fireball and will quickly gain access to more powers, like Medusa’s stone gaze and Joan of Arc’s pillars of flame. These Arcanas use magic points, which can be restored by defeating enemies, destroying objects in the environment, or resting at save rooms.
Resting at save rooms does respawn enemies, like the Souls games, and unlike previous Castlevania games, in which enemies respawn upon entering and exiting the current room. This is where the difficulty of the game comes into play.
The core bosses of Belmont’s Curse (at least in the first half) are not really difficult. They use the exact same attacks in the exact same pattern every time, so it’s just trial and error until you figure it out. The difficulty of the game comes from the extended sequences of exploration with no save rooms. To be honest, I quite liked that, though. It’s a different take on difficulty than just hard bosses.
Some of the platforming and traversal challenges, which can award you with a new passive skill or new weapon, can also be quite challenging, but they are completely fair within the rules of the game (except for the inconsistent whip grappling and swinging).
Final Score: 8.5/10
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is a triumphant return for Castlevania. The game adds just enough new elements while retaining the classic design choices of the original series to appeal to both hardcore fans and newcomers.
The whip traversal may be frustrating, and the story may be “fine,” but the game’s beautiful art style, combat, and excellent level design make up for most of that.
I was worried that Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse would get left behind in the Metroidvania world after such a long absence, but with the right balance of challenge, a new art style, and a $29.99 price tag, it’s very easy to say, “Castlevania is so back,” and it’s an easy recommendation.
I cannot wait to see what is next for Castlevania. Whatever it is, I will be there on day one.
