Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse reviews are glowing

The first reviews are in, and Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is getting one of the warmest receptions of the year for a metroidvania. Evil Empire’s game, from the team behind Dead Cells, came out on Thursday 15 October on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series, and was already sitting at 86 out of 100 on Metacritic two days earlier. Several outlets have handed it a perfect score, and French site jeuxvideo.com gives it 17 out of 20. There are reservations, about combat readability or a lack of risk-taking, but they carry little weight next to the overall enthusiasm. For a Konami series that has been missing from new releases for years, it’s a long-awaited return that looks to be living up to the hype.

At a glance

86 on Metacritic and a string of perfect scores

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse averages 86 out of 100 on the game’s Metacritic page, from 45 critic reviews counted on the morning of 13 October. At least six outlets give it full marks, including Shacknews and PlayStation Universe. RPGFan goes to 97 and calls it the best metroidvania its reviewer has ever played, while Region Free sees it as one of the best Castlevania games ever made.

In France, jeuxvideo.com awards the game 17 out of 20 in a review published on 13 October. The site praises a very clever level design, stunning art direction, customisation that serves exploration, the writing and the puzzles. On the downside, it lists combat that can be hard to read, short music loops, the cutscene direction and an interface in need of work. The release follows a free demo that went live on 1 October, which gave players a first taste of the formula.

Rose Belmont takes up the family whip in Paris

In Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, you play as Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades. TechRadar’s Michael Murphy describes the game as a sequel of sorts to both the Netflix animated series and Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. The adventure takes place in a Paris overrun by creatures of the night, from Notre-Dame to the Catacombs and all the way to Dracula’s Castle. Murphy also praises the voice cast, saying the performers all fit their characters perfectly.

Serena Cherry spent 23 hours with the game for her full review for GamesRadar+ and saw two of its three endings. She says it made her reach for a pen and paper to jot down clues, something she hadn’t done since the early 90s. Progress hinges on cracking cryptic clues to track down the Tarot card bosses, and she admits they are sometimes harder to find than to beat.

There are seven weapon families with four weapons each, plus an Arcana system that lets you swap abilities and spells to suit the enemy in front of you. The Holy Whip lets you swing between hooks, grab enemies and yank yourself away from spikes. For Cherry, the pace of movement takes the best parts of Dead Cells, while the whip keeps the feel unmistakably Castlevania.

GamesRadar+ highlights another choice: in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, weapons don’t drop from enemies but sit in chests at the end of tricky platforming sections. Mirror of Life save points are plentiful, and enemies only respawn after you fall. Cherry also singles out Talos as a standout boss in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, with mid-fight platforming sections you have to clear against a countdown.

Bosses are captured in tarot cards

The heart of Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is a deck of cards. ActuGaming’s Mallo explains that Rose receives from her father a tarot deck her mother made to protect her. Certain enemies, often bosses or standout encounters, can be captured in those cards, at which point they become characters Rose talks to and grant her powers such as a fireball, thrown crosses, a wave of flames or petrification.

Each card also hides extra effects, unlocked by completing specific challenges such as killing enemies in a particular way. ActuGaming calls it possibly the smartest system seen in a metroidvania in a long while, because it ties exploration, story and powers together. The review counts more than 25 weapons in total, a parry that also clears certain obstacles, and charms that fine-tune Rose’s build to the situation.

The challenge can be tuned at any time, right up to invincibility

The whole opening stretch, which works as an extended tutorial, takes place in the streets, sewers and catacombs of 15th-century Paris, as far as the Cemetery of the Innocents. The rest forms a huge labyrinth, with journeys shortened by Mirrors of Life, which double as save points, and a few lifts. You can drop icons on the map to remember where to come back. According to TechRadar, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse later takes you beyond Paris into other regions, each with its own theme and gimmick.

Traps are everywhere in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, and the nastiest ones guard hidden weapons, charms or quarter hearts and mana. Michael Murphy warns that falling in battle can cost you a lot of progress, and that some late-game bosses are very tough. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse still lets you tune the challenge at any time: respawning outside the boss room, damage dealt and taken, extra potions and even an invincibility toggle, ActuGaming details.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse plays it safe, says ActuGaming

The praise isn’t quite universal. In his review for French site ActuGaming, Mallo points to mechanics that are poorly explained, such as fast travel between mirrors in the same area, and at least two cards with very convoluted unlock conditions. He also notes readability issues in busy scenes and some minor stuttering.

His main regret is the studio’s caution. Konami asked for a Castlevania and Evil Empire made a Castlevania, he writes, one that rarely dares to shake up the series’ conventions. He still calls the return excellent, and simply wishes it had laid the groundwork for something new. TechRadar’s Michael Murphy reaches a similar conclusion, describing a love letter to past games that changes little of the formula.

GamesRadar+ adds two practical complaints: finding your way can be baffling, and fast travel is surprisingly limited for such a large map. Cherry does praise the accessibility options, which let you carry more potions, retry bosses without the runback and boost your damage. She sees it as a very accessible way into the series.

Your demo save carries over to the full game

Ahead of launch, Konami released a free demo on 1 October on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch and PC, covering the game’s opening chapter, and it was still listed on Steam on 15 October. Progress made in the demo carries over to the full Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, on three conditions set by Konami.

You need to play the demo and the full game on the same platform with the same account, keep the demo save on your machine until the transfer, and update the full game to its latest version. On performance, Konami quotes 60 frames per second on PS5, Xbox Series and PC, against 30 on Switch, where the full game has no date yet. On Steam, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is listed at £24.98.

The Platinum will demand 100% completion

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse came out on 15 October on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series, with a Switch version planned later. It is the first entirely original 2D Castlevania in 18 years, ActuGaming points out, handed to Bordeaux studio Evil Empire, which had already made the Castlevania expansion for Dead Cells. Motion Twin, the original Dead Cells studio, is credited as a consultant. Trophy hunters, take note: according to Push Square, the Platinum requires 100% completion. The series, which turned 40 this year and marked it with a free game on mobile, had been largely dormant for years, with Konami bringing it back mostly through re-releases and tie-ins, TechRadar notes.