In short
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, the new entry in Konami’s series developed by Evil Empire, the studio behind Dead Cells, is shown in demo form ahead of the full release on October 15. The demo casts Rose Belmont in 1499 Paris, fighting demons with a whip, sword and tarot-based Arcana system tied to challenges and boss hints. Impressions are positive: fast, fluid controls, aggressive enemies and strong art direction, though the demo is short and shows little. The verdict is cautious optimism for the full game.
Castlevania returns with a new entry, with Konami entrusting development to Evil Empire. Here are our thoughts on the demo.
Returning to Castlevania with a new original entry after years of absence is certainly no easy task. Konami’s series has written important pages of videogame history, moving from the action platforming of the early chapters to the Metroidvania of Symphony of the Night, and on to the 3D experiments. That title, together with Metroid, literally defined a genre: the Metroidvania.
The fact remains that putting hands on a new entry is a genuinely delicate matter. The exposure and the fans’ love for the series will undoubtedly expose the title to criticism, including the excessive and sometimes misplaced kind. But let’s get to the point and to the demo experience.
I played the demo of Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, free and available on all platforms, with the full game arriving on October 15.
The legacy of the Belmont family
This time it will be Rose Belmont‘s turn to wield the whip and face a new threat, in an adventure set in 1499, a few years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. A return to the origins that also looks to the present, entrusted to Evil Empire, the studio already known for Dead Cells.
In an exhausted Paris devastated by hordes of demons, Trevor and Rose answer the call of the Bishop of Paris and reach the city by sailing down the Seine. The focus immediately falls on Rose, bearer of a curse that seems to afflict her right arm. We are not told more, except through the Tarot of Rose, inherited from her late mother, which play their role in the gameplay.
That said, Rose begins her adventure on the streets of Paris to discover what lies behind this letter. A request for help, or a trap?
The hand of Evil Empire
As soon as I took control of the character I immediately felt a good sense of connection, gamepad in hand. The character responds very well to commands and the gameplay is fast and very fluid. The hand of Evil Empire is felt above all in the amount of damage and the aggressiveness of the enemies. Never underestimate your opponents, because thanks to their positioning they can create more than a few problems.
Rose has the classic moveset of the genre: jump, we can already perform a wall jump and attack, both upward and downward (while jumping). As evasion maneuvers we have a dodge, one from a standstill with a back-step and another directional one. The timing, at least for me, was complicated to gauge in the early stages of the game. In itself the maneuver is not “wrong”, it is simply a timing choice that seems to reward anticipating the hit rather than reacting almost simultaneously.
The game’s aesthetic presentation is also remarkable. From the very first moments, the choice of colors and the soundtrack take center stage and immediately define the atmosphere. The adopted style is far from that of a Symphony of The Night; it actually seems to approach that of the Netflix series. According to those who have seen the show (not me), this Castlevania seems to draw a lot from that aesthetic and, all the more so, the choice of Rose as protagonist.
Weapons, tarot and mobility
As far as we have seen in the demo, we have the sword for melee combat. A sword and a whip, the latter obtainable after the boss fight available in the demo. To be fair, the whip is not a proper weapon, but rather a secondary tool tied to the acquisition of the tarot cards. With it, mobility and verticality increase, thanks to the ability to hang from hooks and even from enemies themselves. We can reach them instantly and then deliver a downward slash as we fall.
Speaking of the whip we come straight to the tarot cards, which represent the game’s spells (arcana). We can equip one card at a time and they introduce an interesting system: that of the Works of Mercy. An Achievement system that has a concrete impact on gameplay. We will enhance our Arcana by completing certain challenges, making them more effective.
Also interesting is the use of the tarot as a tool for learning about the surrounding world and getting hints about the bosses. For example, by meeting an NPC we will obtain hints on how to approach the only boss fight.
The menus are aesthetically well made and also easy to read. From the demo we can only infer that there will be more weapons, relics about which we know nothing, and a vast number of tarot cards. Unfortunately the demo is short, it shows little, and that is a shame, also considering the fact that the save can be carried over.
My Two Cents
It is impossible to play Belmont’s Curse without making comparisons with what came before. Personally, I am not looking for a new Symphony of the Night, and perhaps that is exactly what makes me look with interest at Evil Empire’s project. I want to see what it will manage to do with this series without living exclusively in the shadow of its predecessors.
To be honest: this demo of Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse convinced me. Not so much because it managed to show me anything extraordinary; in fact, the main problem is precisely that it ends too soon, but for the impressions it left with a gamepad in hand.
I immediately felt at ease with Rose. The movement is fast, the controls respond well and fighting is fun. I especially appreciated the aggressiveness of the enemies, because it forces you not to play too superficially.
The tarot system also intrigues me quite a bit. I do not yet know how deep it will be in the full version, but the idea of tying the Arcana to challenges and of also using the cards to gather information about the world seems interesting to me.
For now, I am positive. The demo entertained me, intrigued me and left me wanting to keep playing. It is not enough to say that Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse will be a great Castlevania, but it is certainly enough to make me look forward to the full game with interest.
