Eurogamer says Castlevania: Belmont's Curse could become a classic
Eurogamer sees Belmont's Curse as a possible classic, but only if its combat and elaborately crafted maps land beyond Castlevania nostalgia.
Eurogamer's preview of Castlevania: Belmont's Curse argued that Konami and Evil Empire may have the right ingredients to pull Castlevania back to its platformer roots, calling the game "a gaming classic whipped back into shape." That claim only matters if the finished game delivers on the parts players actually feel in their hands: combat, level flow and the discipline to make a 2D revival play like a modern release, not a museum piece.
Konami's game page lists Belmont's Curse for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, with an initial release date of Oct. 15, 2026. The same page tags it as action adventure, exploration, hack & slash, Metroidvania, platformer and RPG, a genre spread that puts real pressure on the moment-to-moment design. Eurogamer's other preview note cut straight to the key detail for series watchers: despite Evil Empire's involvement, Belmont's Curse is not a roguelite. Instead, it features "elaborately crafted" maps, which is the sort of level-design signal that matters far more than a familiar logo on the box.
The story Konami is telling around the game also gives it a stronger footing than a simple nostalgia play. The release date trailer places the action 23 years after Castlevania: Dracula's Curse and centers Rose Belmont, the daughter of Trevor Belmont, while a later gameplay trailer shifts the setting to 1499 Paris. Konami rolled out the announcement trailer and ESRB trailer on Feb. 12, 2026, then followed with the release date trailer on June 7. That sequence has made Belmont's Curse look less like a stray franchise callback and more like a deliberate attempt to build a new 2D Castlevania entry around a specific time period, family line and setting.
The real test now is whether the game earns the label Eurogamer dangled. A Castlevania return only becomes a modern classic if the whip-and-sword action feels sharp, the maps stay controlled and the exploration gives players a reason to stay inside those 1499 Paris stages instead of just recognizing them. If Konami, Evil Empire and Motion Twin can keep that promise intact by Oct. 15, 2026, Belmont's Curse may end up being judged as a game first and a comeback second.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
