The last time Konami released a proper 2D Castlevania game, Barack Obama was in his first term. That was 2008, when Order of Ecclesia shipped. Now, after nearly two decades of silence, Evil Empire, the studio behind Dead Cells, is bringing the whip back with Castlevania: Belmont's Curse. A few hours with the game at a preview event suggests this resurrection has real teeth.
The setup is straightforward. Twenty-three years after Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse, Trevor Belmont receives a mysterious summons to Paris. The city has gone to hell: the moon glows blood red, streets flood with monsters, and darkness reigns. Trevor doesn't arrive alone. His daughter Rose joins him, inheriting the family calling to hunt the undead. She's the protagonist you control, and she carries her parents' legacy in her bones. Her father was a legendary Belmont. Her mother, Sypha Belnades, was a master of magic. Rose inherited both skill sets.
The moment you grip the controller, the Dead Cells DNA is unmistakable. Rose moves with the fluidity of The Beheaded, Dead Cells' protagonist. Her animations snap and flow. She can slash forward, overhead, and downward. A quick dash lets her dodge under projectiles or slip behind enemies. A backdash pulls her out of harm's way. It feels natural and responsive, which matters when patterns and timing determine survival.
The whip deserves special attention. In most Castlevania games, the whip is your sword. Here, it becomes something more ambitious. You swing from grapple points to reach new heights and pull yourself toward distant enemies, closing gaps in an instant. The real magic happens when you attack mid-swing. Press the button while pulling toward a foe and you execute a grapple attack. The effect depends on which of seven weapons you're holding.
Equip the longsword and you slash through targets, maintaining momentum to chain multiple grapples and cross large spaces. Pick up the Cestus and you get a rising uppercut, Street Fighter style, launching enemies airborne for juggle combos. The greatsword unleashes a devastating spinning attack that damages everything around you. Every weapon has its own charged attack, basic combo, and grapple, meaning there's genuine reason to switch and experiment rather than stick with a single favorite.
Rose's spell system, called Arcana, adds another layer. Defeating bosses grants their core abilities. Beat Medusa and you steal her petrification beam. Vanquish Joan of Arc and you claim her ground explosion. Each spell can be upgraded through tasks called Works of Mercy. The Holy Cross boomerang, for example, can be enhanced to throw two at once, deal more damage at range, or refund mana for hitting enemies. These aren't stat number bumps. They fundamentally change how you use each ability.
Relics round out your toolkit. Like in Hollow Knight or Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, you equip up to three relics that grant passive bonuses. These usually come from optional challenges that demand real effort, whether a brutal platforming gauntlet or a lengthy combat test. The game rewards exploration without forcing it.
Difficulty sits in a reasonable middle ground. The early hours aren't trivial. Tougher enemies and harder-hitting bosses will kill you. But checkpoints arrive frequently and three health flasks refill at each one. Unlike many modern Metroidvanias, there's no death penalty beyond respawning enemies and returning to the last checkpoint. It's forgiving enough that the challenge stays fun rather than punishing.
Medusa stands out as a memorable boss fight. You swing between two sides of her arena, avoiding her flailing limbs, then duck behind rocks when she unleashes her screen-covering petrifying gaze. Damage windows are tight. You must capitalize on every opening. The fight teaches and rewards pattern recognition while demanding quick reflexes without crossing into frustration.
The overall package impresses. Art direction and animation are gorgeous. Combat feels dynamic with real variety based on weapon, spell, and relic combinations. Exploration delivers genuine rewards. The whip mechanic, in particular, sets Belmont's Curse apart in a crowded Metroidvania landscape. It creates a distinct style of acrobatic combat that feels fresh.
If Evil Empire maintains this design quality through a full campaign, Castlevania might reclaim its throne among the genre's elite. The groundwork is solid. The execution is sharp. After eighteen years, the series finally has reason to feel alive again.
Author Emily Chen: "The whip mechanic alone proves this isn't just a nostalgia cash grab, and if Evil Empire nails the full campaign, this could be a return that belongs on the shelf with Hollow Knight."
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