Last updated on November 4, 2026
I got the chance to try one of the most anticipated metroidvania games of the year, and one of the most anticipated games overall, in all its glory.
It’s been a very long time since we last ventured into a new Castlevania game, especially a 2D sidescroller.
But Konami decided to team up with Evil Empire for a new title, more colorful and less gruesome, meant to remind us of the good old days and keep us hostages of nostalgia for a while.
A charm that takes time to kick in
I can’t say the game hooked me right away. I had a harder time exploring a Castlevania where the action and the environments are this colorful.
On top of that, I can’t say I loved Dead Cells, even though The Rogue Prince of Persia was incredible.
It was interesting to see that Konami is trying to bring back every series fans love. They’re probably the only Japanese publisher still doing this, besides Capcom, of course.
Gameplay that holds its own
When it comes to gameplay, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse seems to serve up a whole platter of treats.
I don’t want to overpraise the game design or level design, since they can get a bit tangled. But the exploration, the abilities you unlock and the enemy placement gave me the confidence and courage to finish the game, piece by piece.
Sure, I felt it’s not on the level of Blasphemous 2, Hollow Knight or even old legends like Castlevania SOTN.
“BC” (Belmont’s Curse) gave us a much more relaxed experience, perfect for beginners in the genre.
A vampire without fangs
As I mentioned above, I have a love-hate relationship with the visuals. I’m not saying they’re awful, disgusting or ugly to look at. The quality is obvious from a mile away.
But the art style and color choices are a pretty big problem when it comes to staying true to the games that gave it life, meaning the ones in its own series.
I guess most of us were disappointed. We haven’t had a 2D Castlevania in over 15 years, and now we get a family friendly one whose colors lean more toward cartoons like Star vs. the Forces of Evil than Romania and vampires.
Still a banger!
It’s unreal how much I loved, and still LOVE, the Castlevania soundtrack.
And even if BC let us down in a few categories, it managed to keep some of the original tracks, with a small remix here and there, but mostly intact.
Even so, I can’t praise it too much. Some tracks don’t match the vibe at all and could pull you out of the immersion.
On the other hand, the soundtrack is very high quality, which is what I expected from Evil Empire.
I think we can get used to this too
It’s really hard to think of a single Castlevania story, since this series has had dozens of protagonists, each with a distinct personality.
Here, though, the roles are reversed: we play as a badass female character who is a descendant of the Belmont family.
Since the story takes place hundreds of years after the previous games, I was super happy to spot plenty of references and easter eggs throughout my playthrough.
Mixed feelings with no reconciliation
In the end, I reached my verdict. Without a doubt, I can say this game didn’t live up to my expectations. It had enough good parts, and I’d even say it shined to some extent.
However, the negatives were far more frequent and spread across several categories, which is why I didn’t enjoy it as much.
Overall, it’s an excellent metroidvania for beginners in the genre. But if you’re looking for a complete experience and a challenging metroidvania, I don’t recommend Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse.
Final score: 7/10
I’m passionate about books and video games. These two great passions represent, for me, a boundless universe where I can “escape” from reality whenever I need or want to. There are so many stories, worlds, and landscapes where I can instantly teleport that I don’t think a whole lifetime would be enough to explore them all (though it would be my greatest dream to be able to).
