SerpApi.Org
After what feels like an eternity of waiting, Konami is finally returning to the Castlevaniafranchise, as Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is sending another whip-wielding vampire hunter into Dracula's castle. A lot has changed since Castlevania: Symphony of the Night graced the original PlayStation, especially in the Metroidvania genre as a whole, meaning there is a lot the developers can draw on for the latest Belmont's adventure.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is a Metroidvania that's set to launch on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on October 15, 2026. Set nearly three centuries before Alucard stormed Dracula's castle in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Belmont's Curse follows Rose Belmont, the daughter of Trevor and Sypha from Dracula's Curse, who has been dispatched to Paris as monsters are attacking the city, with Dracula's castle appearing once more within the mists.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Needs Side Quests
While old-school Castlevania fans might have waited a long time for another Metroidvania, a key figure from the series wasn't content to sit on his backside and let good ideas go to waste. Longtime Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi left Konami and took to Kickstarter to promote Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a spiritual successor to the later entries in the series. Igarashi proved there was still a strong thirst for the franchise, as the Kickstarter raised over $5 million from backers.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Nightcreated the template for what Castlevania: Belmont's Curse needs to follow, as it took elements from all the best Castlevania games, especially the Nintendo DS trilogy. In Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, while the player spent a lot of time fighting monsters in murky dungeons, there was also a town with NPCs, and the player was able to send hostages there after freeing them from the clutches of evil.
The town was one of the best aspects of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, as it provided a central hub for the shops and the crafters, as well as the quest givers. See, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night had tons of side quests with unique rewards to seek out, which gave players a reason to explore different parts of the castle and seek out specific foes.
As Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is focused on a whip-wielding member of the Belmont clan, there's no reason to give them a massive selection of primary weapons to work with, so there's less reason for a crafting system. A town with allies who can provide quests will give the player even more reason to scour every corner of the game world, rather than just dashing to the next area.
The Reverse Castle Needs A Comeback In Castlevania: Belmont's Curse
One of the worst aspects of Castlevania: Symphony of the Nightwas the special method needed to free Richter Belmont from being possessed, as the game barely hinted it was possible, and the game launched in an era when fans couldn't just Google the answer. Those who just slew Richter Belmont and called it a day missed out on the second half of the game, as freeing him allowed the player to visit a flipped version of Dracula's castle.
This considerably added to the runtime with minimal effort on the developer's part, as they didn't need to design a whole new castle: they just needed to fill it. The later Castlevania games also had their own takes on the second castle concept, and it's overdue for a return.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse needs a second mirrored castle for the player to explore once they've progressed far enough into the story; otherwise, longtime players will be left feeling cheated. What the developers really have to avoid is creating a second castle just to sell later on as DLC.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse already has some cosmetic nostalgia bait DLC, with Rose able to dress like characters from previous entries in the franchise, like Alucard. However, fans will be furious if any significant content is trapped behind a paywall, especially if it's something they used to get for free.
Rose Belmont's Story Needs To Lead Into Something Bigger
It's no secret that the Castlevania games were developed as standalone affairs, with references to a larger narrative serving more as fanservice for longtime players than as groundwork for a story told across the centuries. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as no one is required to read a lengthy Wikipedia article or watch a four-hour YouTube documentary to understand the story of each Castlevania game, as they're easy to jump into and enjoy.
The industry as a whole has changed, as have the audience's tastes. Nowadays, general audiences love lore and connected stories more than they did back in the late '90s and the 00s. There's plenty of scope for Castlevania stories that tie the different characters and events together, especially as most entries are playable on modern platforms.
Obviously, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse needs to be a hit before sequels are guaranteed, but the developers have a unique opportunity to tell a long-running Castlevania story for the first time, and it has a natural endpoint: the Demon Castle War of 1999. This was the event where Dracula was permanently killed, with characters from throughout the series involved in an epic final conflict with the lord of evil.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse has the chance to start a series of titles that culminate in a game set in 1999 or go even further into the future for more stories starring Soma Cruz. The Castlevania games are generally set in Europe during olden times, and that's a great starting point for a revival, but it has to build towards something bigger rather than just Rose whipping Dracula in the face and then the story never being referenced again in future titles.
Bring Back The Best Castlevania Boss Fight For Another Fight
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a strong contender for the best Metroidvania ever made, but the genre has changed in one key way: difficulty. Nowadays, fans love the brutal challenge in Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight: Silksong and Nine Sols, and once the bosses in those games are overcome, it can be easy to go back to games like Super Metroid and Symphony of the Night and steamroll them.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is entering an era where gamers have sharpened their claws on the horrors unleashed by FromSoftware, so the developers will need to ensure there's plenty of challenge for the game's primary audience. The Castlevania games carry a lot of weight, and they haven't received a dedicated mainline entry in a long time, so newcomers will have high expectations for this revived classic franchise and may be left disappointed if it's too easy.
While difficulty options might be a smart idea, the game needs to live up to the series' reputation and bring back some of its most challenging bosses, forcing players to rise to their level. Most players will think of Galamoth when the hardest Castlevania boss is brought up, but there's something far worse: the climactic encounter with Death and Dracula at the end of Portrait of Ruin.
The dual boss fight with Death and Dracula might be the most brutally challenging encounter in the entire Castlevania series, becoming a bullet hell-like experience, as the player has to dodge countless sickles and fireballs, all while desperately trying to shave down two health bars at once. The Death and Dracula boss battle is a high point of the franchise, and it needs to return in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, even if it's just as a post-game optional fight.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Needs An Alucard Mode
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is set in 1499, and while that's centuries before the events of Symphony of the Night, that doesn't mean Alucard, the son of Dracula, isn't around. Alucard had already gone on adventures with Rose Belmont's parents, fighting alongside Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades, and Grant Danasty during the events of Dracula's Curse, foiling his father's plans.
During the events of Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, Alucard should be in his fifties. However, his Dhampir nature means he's effectively immortal, meaning he should be in top fighting form during the events of Rose Belmont's quest, especially as he was still kicking undead backside in 2036, during Soma Cruz's time.
Alucard is easily the most popular Castlevania character, and it'll be criminal if he's not playable in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse. Chances are, he'll have a cameo appearance, but the game needs a dedicated Alucard mode, one that can be unlocked once the player has completed the game and wants to go through again using a distinct power set.
Much like the Belmont modes in the other Castlevania games, Alucard will need a dedicated weapon set, as it's unlikely the developers would provide an entire equipment system just for the son of Dracula. Just give him the Alucard sword, a backdash, his Fairy companion, and whatever special Belmont gear isn't used by Rose, and call it a day.
