The legendary Castlevania franchise hasn’t had a mainline console game since Lords of Shadow 2 in 2014 (if that even counts?), though its torch has been carried all throughout the industry. Countless indies wouldn’t exist without it, including Dead Cells, which officially collaborated with Konami three years ago on a Castlevania DLC. It was the closest thing we’ve gotten to official, new, classic Castlevania content—until now, with Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse.
Konami’s been dipping its toes back into console video games, most recently with the recent resurgence of Silent Hill games. Now it’s collaborated with Evil Empire, the development team behind the latest Dead Cells content and Rogue Prince of Persia, to create a semi-direct sequel to Dracula’s Curse and Curse of Darkness.
Set 23 years after Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, you’ll follow the journey of Rose Belmont, Trevor’s daughter, as she tries to save medieval Paris from the demons and monsters that have taken over. It’s up to you to discover why all these monsters have appeared and to save Paris from destruction—all with the help of your trusty whip, of course.
Paris Is Burning
There’s a point early in the demo I played where you come across this viewpoint of Paris on fire. It’s simultaneously breathtaking and so sad. To see the iconic Notre Dame alight, along with the buildings surrounding it, made me stop to take it all in.
The fierce reds and vibrant oranges tell a story, and it’s a testament to the general sense of color and artistry in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. The art direction takes an elevated comic-book approach. Stage backgrounds use defined, strong lines and stark color contrast to elevate the scene, but none of it overshadows Rose’s cel-shaded model. With all the extra particle effects that surround her every move, it creates a striking game to watch in motion.
Smooth Moves
Not only does the game look great, but it also runs buttery smooth, making every animation pop. As a result, combat feels silky, punchy, and reactive to your inputs. Rose’s basic sword combo is quick and precise, but you can interrupt it any time to slide under enemies or jump out of the way. It really sets you up to be mobile and stylish as you dispatch enemies while dodging arrows left and right. I should note, too, the game has other weapons besides the sword, but I didn’t come across any in my demo.
At the end of the first area I explored, I found a boss called the Fallen, who looked a bit like a giant beast of a man, almost werewolf-like in nature. He has a three-hit clawing attack combo, and I would slide under each swipe, land a cheeky sword hit, and then slide again. It felt great to maximize that little bit of damage where I could after understanding his move’s timing.
One of his other big moves involved him swinging like a pendulum from a central point above using a yellow energy whip. At first, I’d jump over him or slide under him to dodge. But then I tried launching my spell ability at him, which was a simple forward-firing projectile. Landing that made him fall to the ground, opening him up for more damage. I love when a game has a hidden interaction like that. The game didn’t tell me to interrupt his attack; it was just a delightful surprise.
However, the real cherry on top here is what happened after I beat the Fallen. Rose absorbs every boss into her tarot deck, where their spirit can talk to her. He recognizes her as a Belmont, and there’s clearly some mystery about what the family name means to him.
Whip It Good
Additionally, his tarot card gives Rose new abilities. By equipping the card, her spell ability changes to a giant spinning cross that returns back to her (fans of the franchise know exactly what I’m talking about). And even without equipping it, I unlocked a new traversal ability: an energy whip.
You can anchor onto points and swing around, but you can also hit enemies to do a bit of damage and pull yourself toward them. You can attack on the way to do a whip attack and then chain into a combo from there, or you can zip to them to get out of the way of another attack. The whip gives you so many mobility options that made every second of combat exciting and fun.
Other bosses await in the game, like Death, Medusa, and even Joan of Arc, each of which (presumably) has their own tarot card with accompanying active and passive abilities. In the trailers, we see Rose able to use mirrors to jump farther, use different mirrors to teleport back to a previous spot, or create a barrier to pass through fractured-looking spaces. I imagine these movement abilities and much more will come from these bosses.
All this to say, as much as I was impressed by the combat in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, I’m also very much looking forward to what platforming challenges await, especially after you gaining some new movement techniques.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse | Final Thoughts
Castlevania’s back, baby. Putting Evil Empire at the helm was a genius move, considering how well they took care of Dead Cells post release. It plays even smoother than it looks, and I can’t wait to explore every nook and cranny to find every hidden secret that awaits when it launches on October 15. Plus, I’m a sucker for games that let you use bosses’ move sets.
TechRaptor previewed Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse at PAX West in Seattle.
