Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Review: The Night Is Finally Ours Again

For years "new Castlevania" meant a pachislot machine, a mobile spin-off or a collection of old ROMs. Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, out since 15 October on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, is the real thing: a big, non-linear 2D castle in the *Symphony of the Night* mould, made by Evil Empire - the team behind Dead Cells' Return to Castlevania DLC - with Motion Twin advising. And no, despite that pedigree, it is not a roguelite. Konami said so, and the game proves it.

Paris, 1499

You play Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades, two decades after *Dracula's Curse*. A castle has torn its way into medieval Paris and the city is crawling with demons. Trevor takes a contract from the local bishop; Rose goes after the source. The cast pulls in Joan of Arc, Carmilla, Medusa and Death, and the voice work (Abby Trott as Rose, Graham McTavish as Dracula) is strong. The story will not win awards, but it respects the timeline in a way fans will appreciate.

How it plays

This is the stuff I wanted. The map fills in square by square, keys from bosses gate new doors, and the Arcane Whip turns traversal into its own toolset - swinging over chasms, reaching ledges you stared at an hour earlier. The Vampire Killer handles the fighting, and it has real weight.

The clever twist is that Rose has no classic sub-weapons. Instead, abilities come from tarot cards and arcana, and beating a boss lets her absorb one of its powers. Those can then be strengthened through "Works of Mercy" challenges, which gives side content an actual purpose. Leveling is old-school RPG - XP, attack, defence - and healing comes from food, flasks and mirrors that double as save and fast-travel points.

The highs

- Combat has Evil Empire's Dead Cells snap: fast inputs, readable enemies, satisfying hit-stop. - The castle and the streets of Paris interlock beautifully; backtracking feels like discovery, not chores. - Boss fights are the series' best in a long time. - Daniel Asadi's soundtrack nods to the classics without just remixing them.

The lows

- The arcana system front-loads too many options; the menus get cluttered by the midgame. - A few late areas recycle enemy sets and lean on padding. - Some critics find it too safe, and they are not wrong - this is a love letter, not a reinvention.

Price and availability

The Standard Edition is $29.99 and the Midnight Edition $39.99. For a game of this size that is a very fair ask, and in our region, where full-price releases now regularly hit 70-80 euros on console, it is a welcome change. There is also a free demo, out since 1 October, and your progress carries over.

Verdict

*Belmont's Curse* is the Castlevania I had stopped hoping for: generous, tightly designed and clearly made by people who love the series. A little menu bloat and some late padding keep it short of perfect.

Score: 9/10

Image: Sergey Galyonkin from Raleigh, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:E3_2013_(9029502585).jpg