Hands-on Preview of Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse! A Classic Returns with Satisfying Challenge and Exhilarating Completion

In an era where new games launch daily, any franchise without a recent release feels retro to younger players. The Famicom (NES) launched 43 years ago, and the PlayStation 32 years ago. While many masterpieces have risen and fallen, this title makes its comeback after 12 years. We offer a hands-on preview of the latest installment in the Castlevania series, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, which returns to the modern era like an immortal.
(Note: This article includes unofficially translated in-game terms.)

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Media Preview Event!

Saiga NAK

Boom!

Saiga NAK

Boom!!

Saiga NAK

Boom, boom, boom!!!

With that introduction, I attended the media preview event for Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse.

The first title in the series, Castlevania, launched in 1986, marking the series' 40th anniversary this year. In February 2026, the team revamped the portal site and announced Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, the first completely new entry in about 12 years.

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The game is set in France in 1499, 23 years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. Players control the new protagonist, Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont (previously known as Ralph C. Belmont), as she explores the streets of Paris and the castle to defeat monsters.

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The venue featured French-style refreshments like tartelettes, quiches, and tabbouleh, creating a fitting atmosphere. Let’s jump straight into the hands-on preview! Please note that the following footage and screens are from a build currently in development.

The Story of Rose Belmont Exploring the Streets of Paris

A letter arrived from the Bishop of Paris addressed to Trevor Belmont, the only remaining legitimate successor of the Belmont clan in this world.

In short, the request was to save Paris, but one more person harbors complex feelings about this.

That person is his daughter, Rose Belmont. The story begins with you controlling Rose as she explores the streets of Paris.

Controls are simple: attack, dodge, and jump. The whip action, Arcana system, and the variety of weapons and magical artifacts add significant depth to combat.

Ghosts scattered across the field sometimes provide hints for progression.

I hit the first hurdle, The Monster, early on. Action veterans might cruise to this point, but the challenge ramps up quickly.

The Monster uses a combination of short-range melee attacks with sharp claws and long-range attacks with a cross.

After a few hits, I learned to deflect crosses by jumping or attacking. I dodged close-range attacks by sliding forward to position myself behind the Monster for a counterattack. Avoid getting greedy; a combo will punish you. Establish a pattern—"after avoiding this attack, I can land X hits"—to secure victory.

Once the boss's HP drops, its behavior pattern changes!

It closes the distance using its whip...

It delivers a powerful, unavoidable right straight after restraining you. The telegraph is short, so use sound as a hint to dodge and look for an opening.

I defeated it on my fourth attempt! Since it was the early game and I was still adjusting to the controls, the key was observing the enemy's movements calmly. Brute-forcing doesn't work.

I obtained the Arcana: Holy Cross! By consuming MP to throw the cross, you can attack multiple enemies. Stealing the ability of an enemy that had just been tormenting you feels great!

Each Arcana has a "Path of Salvation" challenge, which allows you to enhance the ability upon completion. For example, with the "Holy Cross" I just got some paths of salvation:

• Find 3 variations of whip-type weapons
• Defeat 5 enemies with the same cross (doesn't need to be simultaneous)
• Defeat 10 enemies with a whip attack

And the following are the possible enhancements:

• Throw a second cross
• Damage from the cross increases the further away it is from Rose
• Catch the returning cross to recover 10% of the spell's MP cost for every enemy it hit (up to 60%)

You can acquire more Arcana as the story progresses, but you can only equip one at a time. Equipping an Arcana that suits the enemy's combat style makes conquering stages easier.

Furthermore, I gained the power of the whip that the Monster was using. By hooking the whip onto golden anchors and swinging, I can reach places I couldn't reach before. It really feels like the Castlevania legend has begun.

In this game, where you explore a vast field, check your map often and place markers as needed. There are plenty of areas you can't progress through yet, but you know there's definitely something there!

While exploring, you can sometimes find treasure chests.

The contents this time were a magical artifact. You can equip up to 3, but looking at the available inventory slots, it seems like a wide variety is planned.

This treasure chest contained a weapon. Weapons come in 7 categories, including swords, spears, and greatswords.

Personally, my favorite was the spear. It has long reach, and you can hold down the button to aim and throw it.

This game employs a level-up system, so the possibility of breaking through increases little by little as you try repeatedly. However, the difficulty is by no means low, so a spear that allows you to fight from a distance, even a little, is recommended for beginners!

In boss battles, I fought 3 bosses: "The Monster," "Medusa," and "Jeanne," but clearing them on the first try was quite difficult. On the other hand, it felt crafted to an exquisite difficulty level where a no-damage run is achievable if you calmly analyze the enemy's movements.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Launches October 15!

Konami Digital Entertainment, Evil Empire, and Motion Twin are co-developing the exploration-based 2D action game Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. My three hours of hands-on play showcased the systems, but the satisfaction of the action stood out most. The hit stop upon impact is exhilarating, and the number of options that increase as the story progresses, such as weapons and Arcana, prevents monotonous combat.

On the other hand, the difficulty characteristic of the Castlevania series is still present, so it may require some patience for new players, as well as for the demographic that played the original Castlevania back in the day. Player skill is required not just in combat, but also in athletic elements that use the whip. Since you can change the difficulty in the system menu, consider lowering it for your first playthrough.

Also, the feeling of exploring a vast field is very strong. I often found areas I knew contained something but couldn't reach, or spots I could reach but lacked the health to survive. Save and respawn points are perfectly placed throughout the map. Scraping by while running desperately to a save point reminded me: "I haven't done this in a while."

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is scheduled to be released on Thursday, October 15, 2026! We have also confirmed the previously undecided release date for the Nintendo Switch version on the same day, and pre-orders for the physical version have started.

Be sure to check the Castlevania series portal site and official X (@Castlevania_EN) regularly for the latest information.