Castlevania: Belmont's Curse review: a gorgeous return that plays it safe

After a long dormancy, Castlevania makes a welcome full-fat return to its 2D roots, even if you can't help but wish it would stand out more among the many modern competitors inspired by its legacy.

As one of two franchises that define the Metroidvania genre, especially among indies, look at the excellent Silver Pines; it's surprising it's taken this long for Castlevania to make a proper return, even though a revival right after its 40th anniversary couldn't have been better timed.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse also feels like a result of the franchise's other collaboration projects in recent years, with developer Evil Empire having worked on the Return to Castlevania expansion for acclaimed roguelite Metroidvania Dead Cells, while its new art direction, while not exactly mimicking, does seem to take inspiration from the well-received Netflix anime adaptation (the European and Japanese cover art does, however, have a brilliant illustration from renowned artist Katsuya Terada).

Similarly to how the series' 3D iterations, Lord of Shadows, took cultural inspiration from its Spanish developer MercurySteam, French indie developer Evil Empire sets Belmont's Curse in a Paris engulfed in flames and overrun by monsters, with legendary vampire hunter Trevor Belmont called to save the city. But to freshen things up for a new generation, you play as his daughter, Rose Belmont, who also carries the titular curse.

A more gymnastic Belmont

Compared to her predecessors, and likely influenced by more platformer-oriented Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight and Ori, Rose is more fluid to control, with sliding and wall-jumping from the start. Even the signature whip, the Vampire Killer, isn't used as a weapon so much as a traversal tool. As a result, her animations feel very dynamic, especially with details like her ponytail and blue cape moving with a cutout-animation feel. That clarity is important especially when the camera is often further away than I would like, though it's also made up for some very striking background vistas, such as the blood red sky of Paris while Notre Dame cathedral burns.

Given the anime influences, from the character portraits during dialogue to the occasional use of lo-fi animated cutscenes, this is actually a 2.5D game, though the painterly shaders make it feel as if you aren't looking at any 3D models, while there's a lack of moments that transition to a 3D cinematic camera like the modern 2.5D Metroid games. It does beg the question why the team didn't opt for a 2D hand-drawn style in the first place, especially when the result is that Belmont's Curse has surprisingly high spec requirements on PC compared to similar games in this genre.

You might have noted that I've made comparisons several times already, but unfortunately it's a little unavoidable when in Castlevania's absence, there have been so many other games inspired it that have taken up the mantle and been successful in their own right. It's hard not to see what Belmont's Curse takes from them rather than what it brings to the table.

Not that there's anything particularly bad here. The more agile moveset gives you fast, responsive traversal and combat, with more weaponry and skills opening up as you progress through Paris's different areas, including an air-dash and a holy light that can parry enemy attacks. An interesting touch to the narrative is that the bosses you fight aren't just one and done, but there's a kind of mystery building up to their identity and where to find them, and then once you have defeated and trapped them into a tarot card arcana, you don't just absorb their powers, but they continue conversing with you in your head. That makes for a pretty entertaining dynamic when it includes legendary foes like Medusa, but also new characters like a particularly interesting take on beloved French historical icon Joan of Arc.

That's fine, but I had also hoped that the curse referred to in the title might have also had a fundamental change to differentiate this Castlevania's gameplay rather than merely serve as a plot point. What there is instead feels like ideas cribbed from other Metroidvanias, notably the relics, which are just Hollow Knight's equippable charms, where the benefits gained from specific actions can be helpful, but also a little too specific. Rose's moveset also means considerably more tricky traversal challenges, with some areas feeling like a Super Meat Boy level. This is also where I found the controls could feel fiddly, whether it's the whip not always grappling, or a particularly dastardly mechanic that makes certain parts of the environment appear and disappear while you have to jump through, wall-jump off, land on, or fall through them.

A very accessible Metroidvania

One relief for players who've been knocked back too much by Hollow Knight: Silksong's challenges is its pretty comprehensive accessibility, including the ability to respawn just before a boss room, or even avoid dying. Ultimately, it won't compromise the real challenge of Belmont's Curse, which is just trying to figure out the next way you should be going, and then wading through its long-winded level design even with the inclusion of shortcuts and fast-travel points.

The real curse of a new Castlevania may be trying to live up to its legacy when so many indies have found novel ways to build on its foundations. Nonetheless, for longtime fans having to subsist on retro bundles over the years, it's still worth sinking your teeth into.

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