Castlevania: Belmont's Curse
"A fluid revival snared by platforming and bugs."
About
Set 23 years after Dracula's Curse, this 2D action-exploration game follows the journey of a new protagonist, Rose Belmont. Developed by Konami in collaboration with the studio behind Dead Cells, the game blends traditional Castlevania exploration with modern, fluid combat. Gameplay centers on platforming and fighting through Dracula's castle, using a whip that also functions as a grappling hook for traversal. The story serves as a direct continuation of the Netflix animated series.
Verdict
Belmont's Curse is a confident and beautiful return for Castlevania, driven by the fluid combat and traversal chops of the Dead Cells developers. Rose Belmont's adventure is a worthy successor to the Netflix series' tone, and the whip-grappling action feels fantastic. While it stumbles with overly punitive platforming and a host of launch-day technical issues, the core exploration and fighting are strong enough to carry the experience.
You'll like it if …
- +You enjoyed the fluid movement of Dead Cells and want it applied to a Metroidvania.
- +You're a fan of the Castlevania Netflix series and its narrative tone.
- +Challenging, precision-based platforming is something you seek out.
You'll dislike it if …
- −You expect a traditional Castlevania experience with classic sub-weapons and RPG systems.
- −Punishing, instant-kill platforming challenges are a major source of frustration for you.
- −You require a rock-solid, bug-free launch experience.
Breakdown
- +Whip-grappling mechanics add a satisfying and fluid new layer to traversal.
- +Combat feels responsive and punchy, with a modern sense of impact.
- +Movement is acrobatic and smooth, feeling great in motion.
- −Platforming often veers into punishing, pixel-perfect challenges that can feel tedious.
- −An over-reliance on instant-kill spike rooms breaks the flow of exploration.
- −Spawning without any invincibility frames can lead to taking immediate, unavoidable damage.
- +Custom difficulty sliders allow players to tailor the challenge to their exact preference.
- +Offers a substantial amount of content for its price point, with full completion taking dozens of hours.
- +A healthy variety of weapons and magical abilities supports multiple playstyles.
- −Lacks series staples that aid replayability, like a boss rush mode or New Game+.
- −The de-emphasis on the classic heart-powered sub-weapon system can make the main combat loop feel repetitive over time.
- +Rose Belmont stands out as a strong and compelling new protagonist.
- +The story acts as a convincing sequel to the Castlevania Netflix animated series.
- −Dialogue can feel stilted or unnatural in places.
- −Its narrative direction and reinterpretation of lore have alienated some long-time series fans.
- +The art direction is consistently gorgeous, with detailed environments and fluid character animations.
- −The soundtrack is atmospheric but lacks the memorable, iconic anthems the series is known for.
- −Performance can be inconsistent, with hitches and frame drops reported, especially on handheld devices.
- +The map includes helpful quality-of-life features, such as marking off fully explored areas.
- +On high-end PCs, the experience is largely stable and technically sound for many players.
- −Plagued by launch-day issues, with some players needing community workarounds just to start the game.
- −The fast travel system is unusually slow and poorly implemented, discouraging its use.
- −Technical problems like game freezes, crashes, and ghost inputs mar the experience for a segment of players.
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