Castlevania: Belmont's Curse
Upcoming video game
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Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is an upcoming action game developed by Evil Empire and published by Konami. It is the 26th main entry of the Castlevania franchise. Taking place in 1499, 23 years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989), the story will follow a descendant of vampire hunter Trevor Belmont and his wife Sypha Belnades, who ventures into the titular castle as it manifests directly in the heart of Paris.
The title returns to the exploration-based design of previous entries such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997). Gameplay entails traversing a non-linear map comprising both the castle and the surrounding city of Paris, defeating enemies and a variety of bosses to gain experience, while searching for upgrades and key items to procedurally unlock access to more areas over time. The protagonist is equipped with the Belmont family whip, the "Vampire Killer", which is able to be used both as offense against enemies and for movement across large chasms and certain heights that cannot be reached otherwise.
Konami was reported to have greenlit numerous new entries in their tentpole franchises as part of their return to console and PC game development in 2021, including Castlevania. Belmont's Curse entered production in 2022 and was officially announced in February 2026. Along with Haunted Castle Revisited (2024), it is the first new entry in the franchise since Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2014). Motion Twin will collaborate with Konami and Evil Empire on the title in an advisory role, after they co-developed the Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania (2023) expansion pack. The game is being produced in commemoration of the franchise's 40th anniversary since the first Castlevania game was released in 1986.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is scheduled to release in 2026 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S.
Gameplay
Belmont's Curse is a side-scrolling action game.[3][4] The protagonist, armed with the Belmont family's holy whip "Vampire Killer", explores and adventures through the city of Paris while fighting monsters. Similar to Super Castlevania IV, the game's whip attack allows for free movement and enables additional movement techniques, such as using it to swing from points like a rope.[5][6][7]
The game's world is open and non-linear, following the Metroidvania format established in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, including an auto-filling map, rooms to save the game, and dedicated fast travel points.[8][9]
Synopsis
Setting and characters
| Original series |
|---|
|
1094 - Lament of Innocence |
| Lords of Shadow series |
|
1047 - Lords of Shadow |
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse takes place in 1499 within the series' original timeline,[14] placing it 23 years following the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989),[7] and 20 years after Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (2005).[15] The story takes place in Medieval Paris after being overrun by demonic creatures, when the local bishop requests the services of Trevor Belmont, the vampire hunter who previously defeated Dracula with his wife Sypha Belnades. Trevor in turn enlists the help of his descendant who receives from him the legendary holy whip known as the "Vampire Killer",[16] and they set out to protect the city while attempting to determine what caused the monsters' appearance.[7]
Development
In October 2021, Video Games Chronicle reported that publisher Konami was restructuring in preparation of a strategic pivot that would see them refocusing on the production of premium games for console and PC, after a brief period of emphasizing mobile and pachislot titles throughout the mid-2010s. Among the games greenlit included a "reimagining" of the Castlevania series primarily developed by Konami with support from external studios.[17] In 2023, Konami producer Tsutomu Taniguchi acknowledged "excitement and enthusiasm" with regards to a new Castlevania game following numerous compilations for previous entries in the series being released since the late 2010s.[18]
Belmont's Curse is being developed by Evil Empire under license from Konami with assistance from Motion Twin in an advisory capacity. The aforementioned developers previously collaborated on the Return to Castlevania downloadable expansion for the roguelike Metroidvania title Dead Cells (2018).[19] The former studios were selected by the publisher due to Konami's faith in them to deliver a new exploration-based action game that captured the essence of the franchise while innovating.[20] Konami's Tommy Williams confirmed that Belmont's Curse would not adopt any of the roguelike progression gameplay seen in the developers' previous work on Dead Cells, instead being described as a freeform action-exploration title similar to previous Castlevania entries.[21] The game entered development in 2022,[22] with Konami describing the title as the first of multiple new Castlevania projects going forward.[23]
Release
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse was announced in February 2026 during a segment of Sony Interactive Entertainment's State of Play presentation focused on upcoming Konami titles, with a first look at gameplay and an accompanying message from producer Tsutomu Taniguchi.[7] The game commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Castlevania franchise,[7] and is the first new console entry in the series since Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2014).[4][24] It is also the first traditional 2D installment in the series' original timeline since Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (2008).[25]
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is scheduled to release in 2026 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S.[26]
Notes
- Advisory assistance by Motion Twin[1][2]