{"id":6062,"date":"2026-07-19T10:28:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T02:28:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/castlevania-belmonts-curse-preview-roundup-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-07-19T10:28:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T02:28:42","slug":"castlevania-belmonts-curse-preview-roundup-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/castlevania-belmonts-curse-preview-roundup-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Castlevania: Belmont\u2019s Curse Preview Roundup \u2014 Critics Call It a \u201cPotential GOTY Contender\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

The hands-on preview embargo for Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse<\/strong> lifted this past weekend (July 17\u201318), and early impressions from the press have been overwhelmingly positive. Kotaku put it bluntly: “the game f***ing rules.”<\/em> GameRant called it a “potential GOTY contender.”<\/em> Eurogamer said “superb.”<\/em> For a franchise celebrating its 40th anniversary, it’s the kind of reception Konami fans have been waiting years to see.<\/p>\n

\"Paris
\u00a9Konami Digital Entertainment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Forty Years of Legacy, Reimagined in 1499 Paris<\/h2>\n

The preview builds drop players into a dark, beautifully rendered 15th-century Paris, set 23 years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse<\/em>. You play as Rose Belmont<\/strong>, daughter of the legendary Trevor Belmont, on a mission that threads directly into the franchise’s gothic mythology.<\/p>\n

Crucially, Evil Empire and Motion Twin \u2014 the studio behind Dead Cells<\/em> \u2014 have confirmed that Belmont’s Curse<\/em> contains no roguelite mechanics<\/strong>. This is a pure Metroidvania: a hand-crafted world, permanent progression, and deliberate exploration. Rose’s moveset centres on seven distinct weapon types and the Arcana Whip<\/strong>, which doubles as a grappling hook for both traversal and combat. IGN praised the whip mechanics specifically, noting how fluidly it extends Rose’s reach in tight platforming sequences and mid-boss encounters. A tarot-based spell system and a Relic passive-ability layer round out the build options.<\/p>\n

\"Rose
\u00a9Konami Digital Entertainment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Boss Design That Demands Attention<\/h2>\n

Two bosses from the preview build \u2014 The Fallen<\/strong> and a reimagined Joan of Arc<\/strong> \u2014 drew widespread praise. Both were described as multi-phase encounters with striking visual design, using Paris’s rooftops and Notre Dame cathedral as dramatic backdrops.<\/p>\n

Konami Producer Tsutomu Taniguchi<\/strong> and Evil Empire Creative Director Emmanuel Nouaille<\/strong> told the PlayStation Blog (July 17) that the team wanted every boss to feel “worthy of the Belmont legacy” while introducing entirely new narrative threads. PC Gamer called the overall package “a very solid Metroidvania with tremendous potential.”<\/p>\n

\"Boss
\u00a9Konami Digital Entertainment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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