Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse – Review

Developer: KONAMI, Evil Empire
Publisher: KONAMI
Reviewed On: PC
Available On: PS5, PC, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2
Release Date: October 15, 2026
Review Copy Provided By: KONAMI

Hoo boy, this game is a VERY mixed bag, at least for me. For this review, I won’t go into the story too much; I’d rather keep it in a second entry to explain everything from my own understanding (and as a very, VERY longtime ‘Vania fan since encountering the very first one in my mom’s best friend’s daughter’s NES, the NA version). I will proceed with the review and leave an outline of the story to a certain point and release the rest once the time is right. Without further ado, on to the review!

The feel of the game is definitely different from what we’re used to, considering previous Search Action titles among its siblings in the ‘Vania catalog, but the combat is more fluid, so that’s a plus. The backwards dash feels different with every weapon, and so does the forward dash, with a better level of refinement that feels abusable, but not cheap enough. The feel of the starting area brings back memories of a burning Aljiba (That’s the first stage, also one of the places you can travel to from Simon’s Quest) from Rondo of Blood or Dracula X Chronicles, but the music brings in a somewhat darker tone than the “Dude, save your girl!” feel that the Rondo of Blood brings.

Speaking of, there are a lot of references for keen eyed fans, some of which might give others chuckles such as the weapon progression of the Whip line reminiscent of the Simon’s Quest sans the Flame Whip, and the inevitable Sword line leading to Valmanway, the series-latter-half incarnation of the Crissaegrim (Kojimavania Trilogy ignored for ease) while the accessories have a lot of thought put into them while the Tarot system feels like both a simplified and complicated version of the DSS/Dual Set-Up System from Castlevania: Circle of the Moon.

Simple in that you only equip one card for active stand-ins for subweapons, but complicated, albeit slightly, in that you have small sidequests that unlock improvements for each Tarot of the lineup instead of using it in the heat of battle, rawdogging the knowledge and mechanics as you go through the areas and learning their obvious and hidden mechanics on the go.

The art choice is refreshing, to say the least. In keeping with the darker tones, the game gives the feel that there are a lot of mysteries to unpack here aside from the main one, each interwoven into a web of mysteries, with the smaller ones serving as a pin to unlock the main one that progresses at a decent pace. The art on the weapons has this tin-foil feel when looking at rare cards; the more they progress, the more they are highlighted with the moving colored backgrounds.

The weapon mechanics are another contest point for me. Their mechanics are easy to learn but take time to master, which is a nice addition to improve attacks. One thing I’m not quite a fan of is how heavy the greatswords are in this game compared to the previous entries, but the fixed damage increases are nice, which allows players to develop their own preferences in the game and build their own playstyles from there while still allowing progression. Throwing in the fact that you have to hunt for the weapons while avoiding the grind of previous entries might entice others who aren’t that willing to dig in and sink hours into grinding for a weapon in the case of others hated by RNG.

The music’s done pretty well, as the mood is underlined in some areas and a grandiose spotlight on moments where it is exactly needed, but not to the point that I overtly enjoy it to the point of wanting a digital copy at the very least or a physical copy at most like the previous entries because of the placement or usage of some of them.

Allow me to discuss, in lieu of the story and the pace, the no-spoiler references to previous entries that are added here. A good reference is the progression of the Whip, from the Leather to Thorn, then to the Morning Star, then to the Vampire Killer, kind of like the progression from Simon’s Quest, though we don’t have the Flame Whip (yet). To be fair, weapon presence here, such as Gungnir and the Jewel Knuckles, is good, and the flavor text to go with them is nice as well, a good throwback to later Search Action (timeline-wise) entries like Symphony of the Night, Portrait of Ruin, and the Sorrow Duology.

To sum it up, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is a very, very mixed bag of goodies that would put even longtime players on the balls of their feet with how the enemies progress and how the platforming is done.