Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse review for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch

The last proper 2D Castlevania game was released in 2008 with Order of Ecclesia. We’re talking nearly 20 years since Konami last graced us with an Iga-style release. Taking the helm for the development this time around is Motion Twin/Evil Empire. You may be familiar with them from their work on Dead Cells and its associated DLCs.

I’m gonna lead off by saying this release is rather disappointing. It’s by no means a bad game, but it’s a pretty lackluster Castlevania game. From frustrating gameplay to tedious encounters, there’s a lot that really takes away from this game. For starters, it can’t seem to decide whether it wants to be a more traditional Castlevania or an Igavania title. From blisteringly frustrating platforming thrown into exploration to rooms full of enemies that just fill your screen with clutter, it’s not as enjoyable as it should be.

Not only are the enemies problematic, but it does oftentimes feel like I can’t get Rose to move how I want her to. The ability to grapple an enemy for a stronger single hit is nice unless they just attack you through it anyway despite the stun effects on most of your weapons’ attacks. It also seems like giving us a dodge was almost entirely so we could slide under half height gaps to find new passageways. When it flows well it does feel good but the problem is that more often than not it really falls flat and does not flow. Gameplay’s a massive part of Castlevania, so I’m really hoping future patches can address some of the quirks that hamper Belmont’s Curse from being a better game.

The exploration itself is fine, especially if you’re accustomed to games like Symphony of the Night or the GBA/DS titles. You’ll be doing a lot of segmented exploration, and by that I mean each major area is split off into its own map section. Things such as the Paris Streets from the demo, which I highly recommend playing, and the catacombs are connected but considered separate by the maps. You’ll do a lot of backtracking to see what you missed as you unlock new abilities which is a staple. A very important tip I did not figure out right away is that you can fast travel between save points by crouching in front of the mirrors. You’ll end up teleporting to the “Hall of Mirrors”, which connects roughly every zone together via its save points in a much more condensed maze-like zone.

The story’s about what you’d expect from a Castlevania game: you’re a Belmont tasked with the defeat of putting Dracula down hopefully once and for all. While that is in fact the (generally) same goal as every other game, it’s told through some well voiced dialogue and information scattered throughout the castle by the various characters and bosses you’ll find yourself running into. Then again, you’re probably not playing Castlevania for the story.

One of the biggest departures from traditional Castlevania norms was the soundtrack. There’s some solid tracks scattered throughout the game and a couple really big stinkers. Really notable is the Library theme. It’s some weird completely unfitting trap beat more akin to a PS2 Grand Theft Auto game than anything that belongs in the Castlevania series. Generally the music is fine, no major complaints about it. The remix of Bloody Tears is used pretty well as the main theme of Dracula’s castle. Not the best soundtrack in the series but it’s serviceable for what it is.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is a much needed revival of a beloved franchise that misses the mark of being a great Castlevania game, but still manages to showcase the things Motion Twin/Evil Empire learned during the development of Dead Cells and its DLCs applied to a major title. Konami definitely picked the right studio to handle this series, but this definitely feels like a first real attempt that can only get better with updates and potentially future entries by these developers. If you’re a fan of the Castlevania franchise, it’s still absolutely worth the time to check it out and give it a shot. It’s not the best by any stretch but it’s definitely an excellent sign of what’s to come. Motion Twin did well enough that Belmont’s Curse stands in the pantheon of the series and that’s fantastic enough on its own.

Note: Konami provided us with a Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse code for review purposes.

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