Castlevania: Belmont's Curse review deep dive: a great Metroidvania, a divisive Castlevania

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse came out on October 15, and it's the first new 2D Castlevania in the original timeline since Order of Ecclesia in 2008. Reviews went live on October 13. They're strong: 84 on Metacritic for PS5, 84 on OpenCritic, and 94% of critics recommend it. GameSpot and Shacknews gave it a perfect score.

The split is about identity, not quality. Most critics agree the combat and the tarot card system are excellent. The argument is whether a fast, hard, Dead Cells-flavoured action game is what a Castlevania should be, and whether its big Paris map and tough opening hours are a feature or a chore.

Scores below were taken at the time of writing and are still moving.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse at a glance

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse review scores: 84 on Metacritic

Belmont's Curse is set in Paris in 1499, 23 years after Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. You play Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades, who carries a curse from Dracula in her arm. Dracula's castle rises in the middle of the burning city, and Rose hunts down his court one boss at a time. Konami has said it isn't a roguelite, despite the Dead Cells connection. A free demo has been out since October 1, and progress carries over.

Metacritic lists it at 84 on PS5 from 63 critics (59 positive, four mixed, none negative), 87 on Xbox Series X from a smaller pool of eight, 82 on PC and 79 on Switch. OpenCritic has a Top Critic Average of 84 from 105 reviews, with 94% of critics recommending it and a Mighty rating.

What critics love: combat, the tarot system and movement

The combat comes first. GameSpot's Steve Watts calls it "hands-down the best combat of any Castlevania game," and credits a parry that runs on its own button, so you can attack and defend at the same time. Game Informer's Charles Harte says "the action in Belmont's Curse is magnificent." Rose has seven weapon types to swap between, and even the lower scores tend to say the fighting feels good.

The tarot deck is the idea that ties it together. Each card holds one of Dracula's followers: you follow clues to find them, beat them, and their card becomes a spell, with optional challenges called Works of Mercy that upgrade it. The captured bosses then bicker inside Rose's head. Harte says plainly: "It's my favorite mechanic in Belmont's Curse." Watts says it lets the game fuse its "disparate elements" into "one cohesive whole."

Then there's the whip. Rose's Arcane Whip is mostly a grapple now, for swinging between anchor points and pulling yourself onto enemies (whips are also one of the weapon classes). GamesRadar+'s Serena Cherry says the movement borrows from Dead Cells, but "the unique Castlevania essence shines through in the form of the whip." TheSixthAxis's Jason Coles says flitting between enemies with the whip, without touching the ground, "makes you feel exceptionally cool."

Where Castlevania: Belmont's Curse reviews split

Is it a Castlevania? This is the big one. IGN's Scott White (8/10) enjoyed it but calls it "a better metroidvania generally than it is a Castlevania specifically." Classic sub-weapons are gone as pickups (a few, like the cross, return as tarot spells), healing flasks refill at save points, and most RPG stats have been stripped out. Hardcore Gamer's Cory Wells calls it "a modern platformer with a Castlevania blanket." Others hear the opposite: TheSixthAxis calls it "pure Castlevania in the best way," and GameSpot's Watts puts it simply: "Castlevania is back, and it is fantastic."

Difficulty. Shacknews's TJ Denzer says that "on normal settings," it's "Castlevania hard," and Coles calls it "probably the hardest Castlevania game I've played." RPG Site's Junior Miyai has the sharpest version of the complaint: "the beginning is too aggressive, too frustrating, and the mid-to-late game is too easy." VGC's Chris Scullion (3/5) says it borrows from Soulslikes "when it should have been paying attention to other Metroidvanias instead." Some deaths feel like the controls' fault, too: Eurogamer blames "awkward controls," and Push Square found that "Rose can feel a bit unresponsive sometimes." There is a Custom mode to soften it: respawn at boss doors, more potions, damage sliders, even a prevent-death toggle. Our guide to choosing a difficulty setting is useful here.

The size of Paris. The map is huge, and the way you get around it is a common gripe. Shacknews praises "a broad and secret-rich map," but GamesRadar+'s Cherry calls the fast travel "surprisingly limited for a map so large," and Nintendo World Report's Jordan Rudek says "the distance between save rooms and fast travel spots is just a bit too large." Eurogamer's Dom Peppiatt (3/5) says there are times it "feels mean-spirited, rather than playfully devious," pointing to punishing checkpoints and convoluted fast travel.

A thin story. Most critics see the plot as a vehicle. White admits "I'd be lying if I said plot was ever the reason" he loves these games, and misses having actual people to meet in Paris. Watts thinks Rose herself is less interesting than the bosses around her. GamesRadar+ is the exception, saying the narrative "more than makes up for the weaker soundtrack."

How Belmont's Curse compares to the classic Castlevania games

Belmont's Curse lands in the same range as the DS games, a few points below Symphony of the Night and the Game Boy Advance era. On Xbox, from far fewer reviews, it's level with Harmony of Dissonance. GameSpot, at least, thinks it "feels destined to be regarded alongside Symphony of the Night."

The lower scores judge it against the genre rather than the series. Push Square's Stephen Tailby says it's "merely keeping up with the pack rather than overtaking it," and VGC thinks "the core gameplay hasn't evolved" alongside the Metroidvanias released since 2013. RPGFan's Matt Wardell (97) goes the other way entirely, calling it "the best Metroidvania I've ever experienced." For how to read a spread like that, see how Metacritic and OpenCritic scores work.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse on PC, PS5, Steam Deck and Switch

Performance is uneven across platforms, so check your version first.

• PS5. Peppiatt reports frame rate drops "even on PS5 Pro," and IGN timed about 15 seconds from crouching at a fast-travel mirror to regaining control.
• Switch and Switch 2. It's a Switch 1 game locked to 30fps, and Worth Playing found its fast-travel points "involve multiple loading screens." On Switch 2, Nintendo World Report found it running at "a mostly stable 60fps," though Siliconera's Shaun Musgrave saw performance issues there too and suggests Switch players wait for fixes.
• PC. Vandal reported on October 16 that Steam players were hitting black screens, crashes and trouble on high refresh rate monitors, with some limiting their displays to 60Hz to get it running.
• Steam Deck. Steam Deck HQ's Noah Kupetsky got "around 45 to 50 FPS" in most areas, with zoomed-out areas dipping to 40 or just below 30. He calls it playable with a 40fps cap.

How long is Castlevania: Belmont's Curse?

Per reviews, somewhere between 10 and 23 hours. IGN puts the story at 10 to 15 hours. Game Informer finished in 16 hours at 92% completion, and RPG Site hit 100% in about 16 hours. GamesRadar+ spent 23 hours and saw two of the three endings, and GameSpot still had bosses left to find after 20. At $29.99, that's a lot of game for the price.

Should you play Castlevania: Belmont's Curse?

Play it now if you love modern Metroidvanias, want demanding combat and don't mind dying a lot early on. Dead Cells fans in particular will feel at home, and the price makes it an easy call on PS5 or Xbox.

Try the demo first if what you want is Symphony of the Night with a new coat of paint: sub-weapons, a sprawling RPG inventory and a gentle start. IGN and VGC explain best what's changed. Switch and PC players may want to wait for patches.

It's the kind of game where your own notes help: which cards you've found, which clues you haven't solved, which wall you meant to come back to. Perthro is a gaming journal where you can log sessions as you go and rate it when Dracula is back in his coffin.

Sources

• Metacritic: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse
• OpenCritic: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse
• Wikipedia: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse
• Steam: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse
• Nintendo eShop: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse
• Gematsu: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse release date and editions
• Nintendo Life: Belmont's Curse demo runs at 60fps on Switch 2
• Vandal: Belmont's Curse PC problems on Steam
• Steam Deck HQ: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse review and Steam Deck performance
• Metacritic: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
• Classic Castlevania Metascores: Circle of the Moon, Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow, Harmony of Dissonance, Portrait of Ruin, Order of Ecclesia
• Castlevania: Belmont's Curse reviews: GameSpot, Shacknews, RPGFan, Game Informer, Hardcore Gamer, GamesRadar+, TechRadar Gaming, IGN, TheSixthAxis, RPG Site, Worth Playing, Nintendo World Report, Push Square, GamingBolt, Eurogamer, VGC, Siliconera