I believe we're setting a record for recency here with this entry. I've done movies the year they've come out on here. I'm even currently 2/3rds of the way through a Netflix show that dropped just last week, and it'll be the subject for next time. This, however, is a game that came out three days ago as of writing. It may be premature to talk about it right now, given that I only have 5 hours on the clock, but fuck it. It's my blog, my marathon, and if I want to make one of these more of a first impressions post then I can. These are quick snacks to write, after all, so let's bite down like a vampire and talk about the newest Castlevania game. Oooh, did you like that transition? It's cheesy but I kinda like it.
What to make of Belmont's Curse? I didn't know quite what to expect when loading it up, but it was a generous birthday gift from my podcast pal Kuchiri that only just went live, so thank you very much. It's the first new Castlevania I've been on the ground floor for since... holy Jesus fucker God, The Castlevania Adventure Rebirth on Wii? I mean, Konami haven't made a Castlevania like this in quite some time, and Koji Igarashi what made all the exploratory platformer ones people liked was off making Bloodstained games. All of which I was on the ground floor for and are quite fun, but aren't this. Not quite, anyway. Before that, the timeline of things is wild to me. This is set in Paris and stars Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades from beloved NES classic Castlevania 3. Really let that settle with you. A big-budget modern entry in the Castlevania series is following up on characters and a backstory from over 35 years prior. What is this, Doctor Who? At least we got a girl Belmont again. Justice for Sonia. (Konami didn't forget her, as if you put the Konami code in on the title screen you unlock a Sonia-style character skin for Rose. That was nice of them.)
How's the fucker play? Well, this is the curious bit for me. Apparently the devs behind it also made a game called Dead Cells a while ago, which had a Castlevania crossover or something. I have never played Dead Cells so I will leave it to others to make that comparison, but the DNA I get from this is that of an ultra-hard precision platformer with tricky yet fluid combat. As far as the platforming challenges go, they're giving the same masocore energy as a Super Meat Boy or Celeste. You wall jump and navigate corridors of spikes, precisely activating abilities and grappling and creating this little symphony of perfect button presses where one dropped input makes you fail and have to do it all over again. The combat itself, cliche as it is to say, is giving Dark Souls. Your healing is a resource that takes a second to use, and you have limited uses which are recharged at a save point. Dodging, reading enemy patterns and getting hits in when you can, nd having the option to parry hits also in a tight window. That last sentence makes me feel like I'm describing any old Castlevania boss fight from like the NES days. There is a speed and kineticism to this game that vintage 'vania lacks, because those old games were designed with that slowness deliberately.
I briefly mulled over whether or not this was a detriment to the game, if siphoning the blood of other modern indie darlings/hard games like an intelluctual vampire instead of concocting original shit was a mark against it. In the first place, I don't think so, because it still has a Castlevania feel to it. Moreover, let's look at Castlevania's biggest success yet with Symphony Of The Night. That game and its followups are blatantly just biting the neck of Super Metroid and drinking its blood, wholesale, and people went gaga nuts for them back then (and still do now). So Castlevania updated itself for 2026 and is taking its cues from other hard games beyond Super Metroid now. Good for Castlevania. I am absolutely having a blast with the thing so far, and the only reason I'm not delving into another hour of it is because I'm here writing this inside. Let's fix that, shall we? I look forward to continuing to having a blast with the thing, and I'll see you next time for something spooky on Netflix.
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