Review

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse

A 2D Metroidvania set in a sprawling, monster-infested castle, following Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades, as she explores with a whip built to handle both combat and traversal at once. Is it your kind of game?

MetroidvaniaGothic2D PlatformerXboxPCPlayStationSwitch

Games like Castlevania: Belmont's Curse

9/10

Game Avant verdict

A Castlevania that respects what the series has always done well, and dares to add a genuinely fun whip-grapple system on top of it, even if the map leaves you a little too much on your own sometimes.

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By GameAvant · Published Oct 15, 2026 · 3 min read

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Steam:

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Fits you if

you love the Metroidvania genre or grew up with Castlevania, and want gothic environments with tight, weapon-driven combat.

Skip it if

you want every unexplored corner of the map clearly flagged, or fast travel between pretty much every part of the castle.

Availability

Where to play

Steam

$29.99

Buy

Facts

Platforms: Xbox · PC · PlayStation · Switch
Release date: October 15, 2026
Difficulty: 5/5 (estimated)
Genres: Platform · Role-playing (RPG) · Hack and slash/Beat 'em up · Adventure
Themes: Action · Fantasy · Horror
Perspective: Side view
Modes: Solo only
Languages: 3 languages
Text in your language: Yes
Steam Deck: Unknown
Microtransactions: None

More about Castlevania: Belmont's Curse

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is a 2D Metroidvania set in a sprawling, monster-infested castle, developed by Evil Empire and Motion Twin together with Konami. It follows Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades — two of the hunters who once brought down Dracula — as she explores a burning castle rendered in a vivid new animated art style built on an electronic, bass-heavy soundtrack of remixed themes from earlier games in the series. The whip is the center of everything Rose does, built to handle both combat and traversal at once. Rather than functioning only as a weapon, it hooks onto rings placed throughout the environment, letting Rose swing across gaps, pull herself directly toward enemies to close distance quickly, and chain a grapple straight into a mid-air attack. That means movement and combat aren't separate systems: crossing a room and fighting through it happen with the same tool and the same button, and nearly every space in the castle offers some opportunity to swing, pull or grapple through it stylishly rather than simply walk across. Beyond the whip, Rose has access to seven separate weapon categories — ranging from swords and spears to boxing gloves — along with a set of relics that add passive offensive and defensive effects. Defeating a boss grants a new magical ability on top of that growing arsenal, and bosses are built to demand genuine pattern-reading rather than simply absorbing hits: learning how and when an enemy attacks matters more than raw stat growth. Structurally, Belmont's Curse follows the non-linear Metroidvania template the Castlevania series itself helped establish: a single sprawling castle gradually opens up as Rose finds key items and abilities that unlock previously inaccessible areas, tied together by save rooms and fast-travel points. Progress toward full completion is tracked by an exploration percentage per area rather than explicit markers showing exactly what remains, so piecing together where a missed secret might be hiding is left largely to the player's own observation and memory of the map. Fast travel connects some but not all parts of the castle, meaning some return trips to earlier areas require crossing familiar ground on foot rather than jumping straight there. Rose's story runs parallel to this exploration: carrying the weight of being the daughter of two of the series' most famous vampire hunters, she has her own reasons for entering the castle that unfold as she goes deeper, without ever reducing her to an echo of either parent. The tone stays gothic and heavy throughout, true to the atmosphere the series has built since its earliest entries, even as the visual style and soundtrack push it in a more modern, vivid direction. Combat depth comes from combining weapon variety with the whip's traversal utility: a given encounter might call for closing distance with a whip-pull before switching to a heavier weapon category, or using a relic's passive effect to tip a drawn-out boss fight. Because the whip's grapple and swing mechanics take a little time to feel natural, the opening hours ask players to build muscle memory for a tool that later becomes second nature for both getting around and fighting. Players familiar with the Metroidvania genre, or with earlier 2D Castlevania games specifically, will recognize the overall shape immediately, while the whip-grapple system and the new art direction give this particular castle its own identity within that long-running structure.

The thing you'll love. Or hate.

Exploration without a handrail

A whip that does everything

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Three alternatives, one line each on why.

Shorter

Similar, but noticeably shorter.

With co-op

Similar, but playable together.

Cheaper or free

Similar, for less money.

Frequently asked questions

Which platforms is Castlevania: Belmont's Curse on?: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is available on Xbox · PC · PlayStation · Switch.
Does Castlevania: Belmont's Curse have co-op?: No, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is single-player only.
Does Castlevania: Belmont's Curse run on Steam Deck?: Unknown
What does Castlevania: Belmont's Curse cost?: $29.99 on Steam.