Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Is a Near-Perfect Metroidvania

What does Castlevania have to offer in 2026 that its countless spiritual successors haven’t already delivered? After Symphony of the Night and its handheld follow-ups helped pioneer a subgenre of 2D action-adventure games, Konami put the series on ice right as a slew of spiritual successors began to flourish. Given the range of takes on the formula, from out-there “MetroidBrainias” like Animal Well to the Castlevania-inspired Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night , perhaps it’s a blessing that the Belmonts quietly faded into the night.