Castlevania helped give an entire genre half its name. Now, after 13 years without a new side-scrolling entry, the series has returned to a world overflowing with games that learned from it, expanded its ideas and sometimes moved faster than Dracula’s castle ever did.
Konami launched Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse on October 15 for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and Steam. The new 2D action-exploration game follows Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont, through Paris in 1499—23 years after Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. It is jointly developed by Konami, Evil Empire and Motion Twin.
Rose Belmont carries the whip into a new generation
The premise is a direct handoff. Trevor, the hero who defeated Dracula, has become part of family history. Rose inherits the legendary Vampire Killer and the responsibility attached to it, but the game is not simply placing a different character inside her father’s old castle.
Konami describes a Paris under supernatural attack, with burning streets and a looming castle that pulls Rose into a larger conspiracy. Exploration is central, with hidden routes, upgrades, multiple weapon types and new abilities opening paths through the map. Composer Daniel Asadi provides the soundtrack, including new music and returning themes such as “Bloody Tears.”
That setting gives the game room to move beyond a familiar stone corridor. Parisian streets, catacombs and architecture can create a sense that Dracula’s influence has invaded a living city rather than waiting politely behind a drawbridge. The story is still tied to Belmont history, but Rose allows the series to ask what happens after a legendary victory becomes an impossible standard for the next person in line.
Castlevania returns to the genre it helped create
Video Games Chronicle calls it the first new side-scrolling Castlevania in 13 years, following 2013’s Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate. During that absence, “Metroidvania” stopped being a convenient comparison and became one of gaming’s busiest neighborhoods.
Games such as Hollow Knight, Ori and the Blind Forest, Dead Cells and Animal Well explored movement, combat, secrets and map design in very different ways. Evil Empire’s involvement is especially notable because the studio spent years working on Dead Cells, one of the most successful descendants of the design tradition Castlevania helped establish.
That creates a strange homecoming. Belmont’s Curse does not enter an empty castle and reclaim its throne by default. It has to compete with a generation of developers that grew up studying the same hallways.
Early reviews disagree about whether tradition is enough
The first reviews reveal a sharp split. Game Informer scored the game 9.25 out of 10, praising Rose’s movement, combat choices, boss encounters, exploration rewards and tarot-card ability system. Its reviewer finished after roughly 16 hours at 92 percent completion and described the game as a convincing return.
VGC awarded it three out of five. That review praised the art and soundtrack but argued that the core design feels too safe in a genre that evolved substantially during Castlevania’s absence. Those are critical judgments, not disputed facts. The disagreement is useful because it identifies the real question surrounding this release: should a returning series perfect its familiar formula, or prove it has learned from the games that followed?
Players may answer differently depending on what they want. Someone waiting for a polished gothic map, demanding bosses and a Belmont with a whip may see faithfulness as the point. Someone arriving after years of inventive indie Metroidvanias may expect the old master to bring a genuinely new trick.
The technical versions are not identical
Konami’s official product page lists a target of 60 frames per second on the non-Switch versions and 30 frames per second on Nintendo Switch. The standard edition requires about 8 GB on other platforms and roughly 4 GB on Switch. Those differences do not tell us which version is best for every player, but they matter for anyone deciding between portability and smoother animation.
The game is single-player and rated Teen by the ESRB. Konami also offers a Midnight Edition containing alternate costumes, an in-game relic and a separate digital sound-and-art gallery. None of those extras changes the central fact: the full new adventure is finally available.
A famous name has to earn its place again
Belmont’s Curse arrives with a protagonist built around inheritance, and the game itself faces the same challenge. Castlevania carries enormous history, but history is not a free pass through the castle gates.
The encouraging part is that Konami did more than release another collection of classic games. It entrusted a new heroine and a new chapter to developers with direct experience in the modern genre. Whether Rose’s adventure feels revolutionary or comfortingly traditional will be argued for a while. Either way, Castlevania is no longer watching its descendants explore without it.
Sources: Konami launch announcement, October 15, 2026; official product specifications; Game Informer review; VGC review.
Featured image: original editorial fantasy illustration created for The Mother of All Nerds. It is not game artwork and does not reproduce Rose Belmont’s design.
