While Castlevania has thrived on Netflix, its gaming side has atrophied. Its last new title was 2014's third-person Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, although as part of Konami's fragmented reboot, you would have to go all the way back to 2009 to find the series' last mainline entry. In the interim, we've had nothing but light touch remasters – which is why the reaction to Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, an all-new 2D entry being developed by Motion Twin (Dead Cells) and Evil Empire (The Rogue Prince of Persia), could be measured on the Richter scale.
I'm one of the many fans going feral, but perhaps not for the same reasons. As much as I adored Netflix's Castlevania adaptation, I've always found the series' highest points – now several decades old – to be impenetrable, and have bounced off Symphony of the Night (gasp) many times. Still, I suspect I'm not the only one who's been waiting for an invitation in, and therein lies the true appeal of Belmont's Curse.
High stakes
Here are the best Metroidvania games to play while waiting for Belmont's Curse
While Castlevania has lurked outside of the spotlight, the genre it inspired has thrived. Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight, Blasphemous, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown have all iterated upon Castlevania's side-scrolling adventure formula, and as the genre's contemporary successes have spawned sequels (Hollow Knight Silksong, Ori and the Will of the Wisps), they have owed less and less to Castlevania and staked more upon their own identities.
As a result, playing Symphony of the Night in 2026 feels jarring. While its premise is timeless, decades of iteration leaves something to be desired in execution. Still, there's a reason Castlevania made the leap to animation so fluidly. It's European occultism viewed through a folksy lens, Bram Stoker's Dracula as told by Aleister Crowley, and that hook is as killer now as it was in the '80s. All it ever needed was a modern vessel, and given the popularity of both Metroidvanias and the Castlevania animation series, it's strange it took this long for something like Belmont's Curse to arrive.
Although I question Konami's reluctance to engage with Castlevania over the years, I can't fault the company's decision-making around Belmont's Curse. Evil Empire has a stellar record in the 2D space – which fittingly includes 2023's Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania – and it's bracing to see Dead Cells' original developer, Motion Twin, working on Belmont's Curse in an advisory capacity. The result looks slick and irresistible. Its crimson-wash palette and 15th century Parisian backdrop stands out even in a genre that's almost competitively expressive; the fluidity of Vampire Killer feeds into movement and combat beautifully.
Crucially, Belmont's Curse seems to tick all the right boxes with or without the Castlevania name. Here is an opportunity to revive Castlevania proper – treating not just with existing fans as with Konami's many remasters, but with Metroidvania fans who were born too late or otherwise missed Castlevania at its peak. The audience is certainly there: Hollow Knight Silksong was one of the best-selling games on Steam last year, and a sizable portion of its fans will be curious to explore its progenitor.
Looking further afield, this could herald the start of a new era for Castlevania. Konami's whip-smart taste in developers has breathed new life into Silent Hill, with Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake and NeoBards' ground-breaking Silent Hill f introducing the series to a whole new generation. Still, baby steps. Castlevania is back, and we can talk about what that means after whipping vampires in the face.
We don't have a release date for Belmont's Curse just yet, but you can stretch your legs with the best adventure games
