Castlevania? Now that's a name I've not heard in a long time. After years of making almost no video games at all, Konami has decided to get back into the fray with a handful of new game announcements in beloved franchises. Among the upcoming releases is Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, a new side-scrolling entry in the long-dormant action-horror series.
Belmont’s Curse is set to release sometime in 2026 for PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PC. It’s already available to preorder for $39.99 (see it on Amazon). Below, we dive into what this game is and where you can place your preorder. Let’s get to it.
As yet, no preorder bonuses have been announced. If any become available in the future (which does happen from time to time), this is where you’ll find them.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is the first brand-new side-scrolling Castlevania game since 2008’s Order of Ecclesia came out on the Nintendo DS. That’s 18 years! Dang! It’s published by Konami, but it’s being developed by Evil Empire, the company behind The Rogue Prince of Persia and several Dead Cells DLCs, including Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania. So they know their way around a side-scrolling action game. Motion Twin, the main developer of Dead Cells, is also on board in an advisory role.
Belmont’s Curse takes place in 1499 Paris, which is in the midst of a monster invasion. That puts it 23 years after the events of the NES game Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. It’s not 100% clear if this is a “metroidvania” or “search action” game in the vein of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and the GBA and Nintendo DS installments of the early 2000s.
In terms of gameplay, it looks like you do plenty of jumping on platforms, swinging from rings, and whipping on enemies. Bosses can tower over you. Environmental hazards like saw blades are strewn about. You have access to additional weapons and abilities like a flame spell and a cross you can throw like a boomerang. It looks like fun. Watch the trailer above to see for yourself.
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