Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Shows the Series at Its Finest

How Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Builds on a Nearly 30-Year Castlevania Legacy

Spoiler Warning: The following article discusses Rose Belmont's family background, the tarot deck, the emergence of Dracula's castle in Paris, and details about captured followers.

Background: A Series Nearly 30 Years After Its Reinvention

Almost 30 years ago, Symphony of the Night reinvented Castlevania as a search-action game and did it so well that it earned half of the metroidvania portmanteau. Castlevania: Belmont's Curse does not attempt that kind of dramatic shift. It does not change genres or reinvent the series into something entirely new. Instead, it works as a synthesis: the map, traversal, story, characters, and combat all operate at a high level and push the series to a new peak.

The story begins with Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont, who has trained her whole life as the successor of the Belmont clan. Though silver-maned Trevor is still a capable fighter, Rose volunteers to investigate the otherworldly happenings in Paris, France. She is eager to prove herself worthy of the family name. But Rose is also afflicted with a cursed red mark on one arm, making her dangerously instrumental to the machinations of Dracula and his armies.

Development Process: The Tarot Deck Connects Story, Exploration, and Combat

The central idea that ties the game together is the tarot deck. It is a set of magical cards gifted to Rose by her late mother, Sypha, who passed the curse to her at birth. Each card represents a follower of Dracula, with honorific names such as The Fallen, The Warrior, or The Builder. As you explore the castle, you find clues that reveal story details and hints about how to locate those figures, often simultaneously. Each card also connects to that follower's role in Dracula's royal court.

When Dracula's castle emerges in the heart of Paris, as expected in a Castlevania game, the full deck is revealed. Once you track down and defeat one of Dracula's servants, their tarot card becomes an Arcana you can use as a spell. That Arcana then opens a flexible progression system of its own. The structure may sound complex, but it works as an elegant way to merge different gameplay elements into one cohesive whole.

The first boss, The Fallen, serves as a basic primer for finding clues and navigating the winding streets of Paris. Defeating him lets Rose absorb his Arcana, which grants two important tools: a recognizable boomerang axe spell and an arcane whip that can grab onto grapple points to reach new locations. The arcane whip is also a combat tool, since the same grapple can attach to enemies. A well-timed strike while grappling toward an enemy can deal serious damage. On top of that, the combat tool can be used for traversal as well, because airborne enemies can be grappled onto to help reach distant platforms.

Captured followers also occupy a mindspace inside Rose's deck, where she can speak with them. This gives the story a dynamic cast that bickers, schemes, and comments as Rose progresses. The characters are well differentiated: The Fallen is a gruff creature who comes to feel protective of Rose, while Medusa, even imprisoned in Rose's deck, is unsubtly rooting for her to fail and constantly trying to trick her into moves that would further Dracula's plans. The core cast remains the first three figures you find.

One drawback of having such a lively supporting cast is that the protagonist, Rose, is less interesting by comparison. She is a determined heroine archetype from start to finish and remains that way. She works as a central point of gravity for the other characters to orbit around, but she does not have much personal agency beyond her mission.

Progression and Combat: Works of Mercy, Arcana, and a New Parry System

Each Arcana spell also comes with three objectives called Works of Mercy. These can be as simple as defeating a set number of enemies with the relevant spell, but many encourage exploration or experimentation. One objective for The Warrior rewards you for finding a particular location, which works thematically with that character's story. One of Medusa's objectives has you petrify an enemy carrying a shield, a reference to the myth of Perseus. Completing the objectives opens a node where you choose one of three power-ups for that spell. Completing all three rewards extra dialogue from the Arcana character.

The game lets you explore the streets and undercity of Paris, along with Dracula's castle, in a freeform structure. The open design lightly guides you toward critical objectives that unlock new equipment needed to reach other corners and layers of the world. If you get stuck, the tarot deck can provide clues you may not have considered for a while. Environmental puzzles are challenging enough to make you observe carefully without halting progress completely. Tracking down enemies and stealing their powers creates a compelling loop that recalls Mega Man, especially the eagerness to defeat the next boss and see how that boss will change your combat and traversal abilities.

Combat is where the expertise of developer Evil Empire is most visible. Its background with Dead Cells transfers well into this franchise. Strikes across many weapon types feel forceful and kinetic, and each weapon type has its own advantages and special charged ability. The basic longsword is balanced and lets you dash through enemies. The whip has long reach, but only the tip strikes with full power. The lance stands out for its versatility: it can be used as a handheld weapon with long reach or thrown as a projectile, making it a strong choice even after finding other weapons at higher levels. There are four weapons across seven type categories, so the seven weapon types offer a lot of room for experimentation.

The most important addition to combat is a parry system. This is new ground for Castlevania, but it also works differently from parries in many other games. As a holy shield gained from your second boss encounter, it operates independently from regular strikes. It does not interrupt your attacks. By default, the attack button is mapped to a face button while the parry is mapped to the left trigger. That means you can attack while also parrying, putting you on offense and defense at the same time. For players who have struggled with parry systems elsewhere, this one makes combat feel like a fast series of decisions: strike an enemy, parry a projectile from behind, then grapple over to finish the attack.

That does not mean combat is easy. The cursed streets of Paris and Dracula's castle are filled with monsters and ghouls familiar to Castlevania fans, reimagined for this combat style, and Rose is very vulnerable. Death can come quickly even in ordinary encounters, and boss fights require pattern recognition to learn enemy tells before they can be beaten. The game is fine-tuned enough that you usually feel in control and understand what went wrong. Occasionally, a screen can become so full of enemy attacks that a parry window is hard to read, but those moments are rare. Extended trap gauntlets can also be demanding, though they feel satisfying to complete and reward you with items such as ability-augmenting Relics or additional clues for the tarot deck.

For players who want easier growth, Belmont's Curse includes quality-of-life options. You keep all XP earned during runbacks to bosses, so repeated attempts still contribute to leveling up. Custom Mode lets you tweak options such as placing a checkpoint directly in front of a boss door, boosting damage output, reducing trap damage, and more. There does not seem to be any cost to using this system, and it can be turned on or off freely. One element deliberately missing is extra navigational help. Evil Empire appears willing to assist with reflex-based challenges, but it still expects you to think through puzzles and explore to uncover secrets.

The bosses themselves are among the game's strongest ideas. One notable boss escapes twice to different sections, introducing a difficult platforming challenge in the middle of the fight. Another hexes you with a sigil that indicates how many hits you can take before death, forcing you to avoid damage even if you have healing items available. Even after 20 hours, many bosses in the deck remain unfound.

Current Stage: 20 Hours In, the Deck Is Still Growing

Exploration is supported by a striking visual style. Far from a gray-soaked castle, Evil Empire leans into vivid, saturated hues and unexpected color palettes. The approach to Dracula's castle, with Rose and the enemies silhouetted against the pink-red tone of a burning Paris behind them, is one of the game's most visually arresting moments. Character designs are distinct and creative, such as Carmilla, a hemomancer whose slinky red gown is made of dripping blood. Alongside the visuals, the soundtrack offers new renditions of classic Castlevania music and new tunes that fit the atmosphere.

At the 20-hour mark, the game remains an unfinished deck. There are still bosses to track down, Arcana to collect, Works of Mercy to complete, and secrets to uncover. The current stage is not a conclusion but a continuation: Rose's mission is still underway, Dracula's court is still revealed piece by piece, and the tarot deck is still expanding.