Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Preview - A Brilliant Night To Have A Curse

It’s Been More Than A Decade Since The Last Castlevania, But Belmont’s Curse Is Going To Be Worth The Wait Published Jul 17, 2026, 3:00 AM EDT George is the Lead News Editor for TheGamer, and has been working in the industry since 2021 after graduating from the University of South Wales with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. He has also previously written for RPG Site, WhatCulture, and PlayStation Lifestyle. George is an expert on platformers, action games, and fighters, but tends to play as many releases as possible. This hands-on experience lets him dive into gaming communities and follow the latest trends. Some of the games George has extensively covered first-hand include Dead Rising, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and Ninja Gaiden 4. Despite loving Metroidvanias and believing the genre has never been stronger thanks to masterpieces like Hollow Knight, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and Dead Cells, one of my greatest shames is never properly playing through a Castlevania game. I’m well aware of its importance to gaming and have dabbled in some of the classics, but Richter and Simon in Smash are my main experiences with the franchise. To be fair to me, though, it’s not like it’s been easy to get into Castlevania as, outside of remasters and re-releases, there hasn’t been a new game in over a decade. That’s finally changing with Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, which aims to bring the series back to its 2D “action exploration” roots and finally give potential fans like me something to suck on. I mean like Dracula, of course. After just a few short hours with Belmont’s Curse, I know exactly what I and the industry have been missing while Castlevania has been oversleeping in its crypt. Heroine newcomer Rose’s monster-killing journey through 15th-century Paris is shaping up so well, in fact, that it’s not just a potential game of the year contender, but also left me wanting so much more that it instantly pushed me to finally complete Symphony of the Night and start going through the whole series. It’s that bloody good. Don't Worry, Belmont's Curse Knows What A Castlevania Game Should Be My preview fittingly kicked off at the start of Belmont’s Curse, which takes place 20 years after Curse of Darkness and sees Trevor Belmont, who’s aged like fine wine, travelling to Paris to investigate the sudden reappearance of monsters and ghouls. Zero points to whoever guesses the mastermind behind all that, but there’s a twist this time since Trevor is no longer the “last of the Belmonts” and is accompanied by his daughter Rose. Rose is one of the most interesting parts of Belmont’s Curse, as she’s not only a capable monster hunter eager to prove herself to her father, but has also been cursed by Dracula with an arm that feeds on anger and hate, forcing her to remain calm and control her emotions or be killed. It's an interesting twist that gives her a lot of depth that I can't wait to see explored in the final game. Despite the danger, though, the two split up, starting Rose’s Vania outing in earnest. Belmont’s Curse immediately makes it clear that it understands what everyone wanted to see from a new Castlevania game - a big map that’s packed with things and locations to discover. Within the first few zones, I’d already seen tons of nooks, crannies, and mechanics I couldn’t yet interact with, as Rose starts out with just a sword and some basic movement options. The further I went into the uniquely themed areas, like a ghost-infested graveyard and a burning tower, the more secrets, puzzles, and rewards I discovered. The spirit of Castlevania is alive and well in Belmont’s Curse, and that extends to how it feels to play, which is very reminiscent of Symphony of the Night and similar Vania games (especially with the returning backdash), albeit with added depth like charged attacks and rolling. Rose’s moveset is simple at first, but she feels great to control right away, with each hit, jump, and dodge having the perfect amount of weight to them. Things quickly get more complicated with the early introduction of tarot cards, which not only give hints at the location of monsters but also let her use upgradeable arcana attacks like the starting fireball. Other arcana abilities include a petrifying stare that turns enemies to stone, massive fire pillars that erupt from the ground, and the return of the cross. Arcana are clearly Belmont’s Curse’s equivalent of the series’ sub-weapons. The Arcana Whip Is The Ace Up Belmont's Curse's Sleeve After getting my bearings with the arcana system, Belmont’s Curse threw a surprisingly challenging first boss at me with The Fallen, a monster who swung around the arena and pelted me with crosses that had to be carefully smashed. My reward for having an embarrassingly tough time against a tutorial boss was the Arcana Whip, which is perhaps the most interesting addition to the game. Instead of being a weapon like the Vampire Killer in previous games, the Arcana Whip is (at least from my time with it) focused on traversal and lets Rose swing around like a pendulum or hook to specific points. It also lets you use a powerful grapple attack that is one of the most satisfying I’ve seen in a game in some time. Don’t worry, though, Konami teased that the Vampire Killer is back in Belmont’s Curse, presumably as one of its many unlockable weapons. Those weapons include different types of swords, spears, and greatswords, to name just a few. The Arcana Whip’s traversal focus is a great example of Belmont’s Curse pushing the Castlevania formula forward, while still giving fans exactly what we want from the series. It also provides some excellent and surprisingly difficult platforming, especially when combined with a later ability that lets you disperse light to both parry attacks and clear specific parts of the map. The mechanics and design work together wonderfully from what I’ve played, and even that just felt like scratching the surface of a much deeper adventure. Belmont's Curse Has Some Killer Bosses That I Can't Wait To Take On These abilities, as well as new weapons, are mostly tied to finding and defeating bosses, who were some of the most memorable parts of my preview. The second foe, The Warrior, was a deadly fighter atop a burning tower who ended up being Joan of Arc, while The Prophetess, who was actually Medusa, was an even trickier boss who needed to be taken on with a long-ranged weapon due to her unique petrifying attacks. Belmont’s Curse may not be as unfairly tough as the original Castlevania (thank god), but the bosses proved to be a surprisingly challenging highlight that required patience and a mastery of the mechanics. It’s yet another sign that Evil Empire gets what makes Castlevania tick, and if the rest of the game and bosses keep anywhere near the same pace and level of quality, then Belmont’s Curse is going to be something truly special. I walked into my preview of Belmont’s Curse curious to see whether Castlevania could adapt to the times and reach the high bar that’s been set for the genre since it’s been out of the game. That curiosity has turned into certainty, as just a few hours were more than enough to know that it’s going to be more than worth the long wait. Castlevania fans, your patience is finally about to be rewarded and, even if I've not been waiting as long, I'll be there with you on day one. Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Released October 15, 2026 Developer(s) Evil Empire, Motion Twin Publisher(s) Konami Prequel(s) Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse Franchise Castlevania Number of Players Single-player Genre(s) Platformer, Action, Adventure, RPG