Castlevania: Belmont's Curse - Vampire Hunters Return in a Near-Perfect Work

Anyone who loves the metroidvania genre or action platformers in general is living in a magical time. We recently fully enjoyed the perfect return of Shinobi and the excellent Ninja Gaiden, wonderfully in 2D. Consider that just a few months after the release of this Castlevania episode, we will also experience a very welcome return of Metroid, and it must be said that if it's on par with Dread… well, welcome back, 90s.

Paris is Burning (no, this isn't recent news)

The story of Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is set in 1499, twenty-three years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. The protagonist is Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades, belonging to the famous lineage of vampire hunters. When Paris is suddenly engulfed by a monster invasion and flames, Rose finds herself embroiled in a new war against the dark forces threatening humanity. As the city descends into chaos, the castle linked to Dracula's power manifests in the heart of the French capital.

Determined to stop the catastrophe, Rose wields the legendary Vampire Killer whip and embarks on a journey that leads her through a devastated Paris, populated by infernal creatures and ancient horrors. During her adventure, the young Belmont discovers that behind the invasion lies a conspiracy much larger than she imagined. The threat concerns not only the survival of the city but also involves dark secrets and powers rooted in the long war between the Belmont family and the forces of the night. The plot thus follows Rose's growth, forced to embrace the legacy left by her parents and prove herself worthy of the Belmont name. In a world consumed by darkness, her journey becomes a struggle not only against monsters but also against the destiny that seems to have chosen her as the new protagonist of the eternal war against Dracula.

Between Classic and Modern: Gameplay, Exploration, and Near-Perfect Level Design

If you tried the demo, you would have had a taste of the first third of exploration in the first area; at one time, this alone would have been the length of an entire game. There are fundamentally three such zones, although the second zone is perhaps smaller in terms of size and perhaps also in ideas or originality, but between the first and third, you will find something absurdly memorable: enemies, secrets, and combat are at the highest levels, both for those who remember the original gameplay and for those who want something new, but let's go in order. Rose has a constant level growth, which allows her to improve her stats, but the size of the mana and life bars are instead relegated to items you will have to find hidden in the various areas of the maps.

Mana-based weapons can potentially be improved thanks to certain requests you can fulfill, and many of these are ingenious and interesting, often linked to finding specific enemies or areas to search for. The main weapons, however, while not upgrading themselves, can be found in their powered-up versions scattered throughout the various zones, and the results are astonishing, with outcomes that diametrically change the outcome of battles. Enemies always maintain a correct difficulty level for the player, who will use both what they possess and the elements of the areas where opponents appear to fight at their best. 

Game animations, story, and setting are at the highest levels, as is the desire for exploration, to find and unlock every possible level; in fact, you'll be eager to replay certain zones just to unlock something more that the new power you've found allows you to use. If anything, the game challenges you even more in this sense, given that if you rush to the end, you'll experience a (censored) ending, while if you reach the end by exploring more… well, you'll get another one. 

Fundamentally, the development team's work borders on perfection, even if some game design choices are a bit daring and less fun, like the somewhat lackluster central area of the game, but consider that the rest is practically perfect, including bosses, to stimulate you to never want to put this title down. We hope the Belmont saga restarts from here and that we still have a long hunting road ahead.