Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Gameplay Looks Like a Series Revival
The Dead Cells team dropped the first gameplay for Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse at Triple-i Initiative, and it looks like the series is finally back in good hands.
Castlevania is back, and it looks genuinely great. The first gameplay footage for Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse dropped at the Triple-i Initiative showcase last week, and for anyone who has been waiting decades for Konami to actually do something good with the franchise, this is the best news in a long time.
The Dead Cells Team Is Behind It
This is not some low-effort nostalgia cash-in. Evil Empire — the studio that took over Dead Cells from Motion Twin and kept making it better for years — is developing Belmont’s Curse in partnership with Konami. That pedigree matters a lot here. Evil Empire knows how to make tight, punishing action games feel amazing to play, and the new Castlevania footage shows that same sense of fluid, momentum-based combat.
If you spent any time with Dead Cells, you will recognize the DNA immediately: every hit lands with weight, the animations are crisp, and the level design looks like it rewards exploration.
What We Know About the Game
Belmont’s Curse is set in 15th century Paris, which is a fresh setting for the franchise. Instead of the usual Transylvanian gothic castles, you are navigating a dark, plague-ridden version of medieval France. The architecture still has that classic Castlevania flavor — stone corridors, flickering torchlight, gargoyles everywhere — but the French setting gives it a distinct identity.
- Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch
- Release window: 2026 (no firm date yet)
- Developer: Evil Empire (Dead Cells) x Konami
- Anniversary: Part of Castlevania’s 40th anniversary celebrations
Why This Is a Big Deal
Let’s be honest: Konami has not exactly been a reliable steward of this franchise. After Symphony of the Night and the Metroidvania era of the DS games, the series went dormant for years. The last mainline entry was Lords of Shadow 2 back in 2014, and that was not well received.
Handing the keys to Evil Empire — a studio that has earned real trust from the gaming community — is a smart move. And the fact that this is a 40th anniversary project suggests Konami is investing properly rather than cutting corners.
Early Impressions
Hands-on previews from the Triple-i showcase are calling it a “bloody brilliant series revival.” The whip mechanics feel true to the classics, the monster designs are excellent, and the Paris setting opens up visual possibilities that classic Transylvania simply cannot match.
There is no release date beyond “2026,” but at this point the gameplay looks polished enough that a late-year launch seems realistic. We will be watching this one closely.