Castlevania: Belmont's Curse preview: Evil Empire's Paris-set Metroidvania impresses at Gamescom

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, the new Metroidvania from Dead Cells developer Evil Empire, impressed in a hands-on preview at Gamescom, with PCGamesN calling it the prettiest title at the show this year. The game casts players as Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont and the deceased Sypha, who is dropped off in a monster-filled Paris by her father to hunt evil. Bright reds and greens contrast against midnight blacks in a setting the previewer expected to be oppressively dark but found strikingly colorful.

Combat blends melee whip attacks with ranged spellcasting, letting players switch approaches fluidly and soak up mana up close. The first boss, The Fallen, handed the previewer several defeats before falling, but the fight never felt frustrating once its patterns were learned. The previewer, who struggles with Metroidvanias, found the game fast-paced yet familiar.

Belmont's Curse marks Evil Empire's first major Castlevania project and follows the studio's work on Dead Cells. The preview notes the game succeeds at being both familiar and fresh, though advanced progression systems were not on display in the demo.