Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse

The iconic whip of the series is now more important than ever.

NA release: 15st October 2026
EU release: 15st October 2026
JP release: 15st October 2026
Developer: Evil Empire
Publisher: Konami
IGN Review: 8/10
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series, Switch
Version Played: PC

After a whole 18 years since the last major Castlevania set in the main timeline, there’s finally a new Castlevania. Set after Castlevania 3, it tells the story of Trevor’s daughter, Rose, who investigates mysterious events in Paris and uncovers a plot to revive Dracula. You’ll encounter a few characters from previous games, and I found this to be one of the strongest stories in the franchise.

The core gameplay is a lot quicker than you usually get with Castlevania (at least before you get loads of abilities), with movement being quick and you obtaining the arcana whip early on. This whip doesn’t do any damage, but can latch on to points (a bit similar to the magnetism in Order of Ecclesia) and enemies, which speeds things up a lot. You’ll get more movement abilities throughout the game.

Which is great as exploration feels fantastic, noticing sections you can’t reach and coming back to try it later. Belmont’s Curse also relies on another type of progression as well: knowledge based. You can learn some stuff to keep an eye out for – and it’s possible to work things out before the game gives you hints. It always feels like you have somewhere to go or figure out, and without any kind of objective posted on your map.

Combat is simple but difficult. You have a dodge and will unlock a parry (both also have a play in exploration), and on the default settings you’ll need to master the timings of both to survive in the game. There is a decent selection of weapons to choose from, including swords, spears and, of course, actual whips. It’s nowhere near as much as previous games, but I never liked the heavy stat management anyway, so this is a bonus for me. If you are struggling (or find it easy) you can tinker with the difficulty settings.

One difficult part of the game that you can’t make easy is the platforming. There are a ton of difficult sections that require you to swap between different abilities (just button presses, no going into the menu). This needs lots of precise button presses, movement and timing. Some sections can start to get frustrating, but it feels amazing once you manage to do it, and then returning to some “platform corridors” later on and cheesing them with new abilities feels great.

Because of how satisfying the exploration is, I had an immense amount of joy searching the map for everything, completing the game 100% before facing Dracula. This never dragged and the length felt perfect, and the smooth movement mechanics help massively for this.

Throughout the game, you’ll uncover and power up a deck of Tarot cards, created for Rose by her mother, Sypha. These function as the sub-weapons in the game, some can be simple like a cross, while others are summons and teleport spells. You’ll find clues to the bosses that are linked to each one, and you’ll have to figure out the puzzle for each. Once you’ve unlocked the ability, they all have challenges to power them up, which is a neat way of handling sub-weapons and makes all the bosses feel meaningful.

So, the return of Castlevania is a great success. The game looks gorgeous – the layered backgrounds especially, with each room in the game feeling unique – and I like how it starts off with a more colourful Bloodlines style before settling in creepy and then gothic. The version of Bloody Tears is one of my favourites, too, and I like how the clock tower music is linked to how the objects in it, with their crashing and smashing becoming a part of the music.

The one downside is that there’s no bonus mode – a lot of people were expecting a playable Trevor, and while this would be a great addition, I’m more than satisfied with how much there is in the game, and how amazing it all feels.

Fave

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse brings Konami’s beloved series into the modern era with a fast-paced focus on action first. Convenient map tracking tools, exciting combat, a great new hero, and movement tech that will test your reflexes all help this long-awaited sequel stand tall in what has since become a crowded genre.
Scott White, IGN

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Official Ways to get the game

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is available on Steam, PlayStation store, Xbox Store and Nintendo eShop