Bored of darkness



Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is a great action game with truly beautiful art, but its attempts at Metroidvania design leave something to be desired.

Rose Belmont is not her father. Rose is something new: the next generation of the legendary vampire hunters spending her life trying to step out of Trevor's shadow, to be seen as the self-reliant woman she is. Any monster that faces her is surprised to see a young girl, not the grizzled old man they've grown used to. But, despite these expectations, despite the long shadow her family tree casts, Rose tries to prove herself. She will not rely on, or be saved by, what came before. She will blossom into something all her own. This is her story, not his.



Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is, similarly, something new, learning from its predecessors. The first entry in the series in over a decade, and developed not internally by Konami but by the indie studios responsible for roguelike Dead Cells (including its Castlevania-themed DLC), Evil Empire and Motion Twin, it manages to stand on its own as a modern interpretation of a classic series. That said, it's far from a perfect evolution. And, just to get this out of the way: yes, it feels a little like Dead Cells in its movement, and no, since there has been some confusion online, it's not a roguelike.

I am consistently left stunned by Belmont's Curse. Still images really can't do justice to the ambient, ever-moving beauty of this world and those that inhabit it. Each area gifts you with sights beautiful and varied, from the crushing atmosphere of Dracula's castle (spoilers, Dracula's back, obviously) to the vibrant serenity of the cemetery. I wouldn't blame anyone you for taking a stray hit from a monster because it caught you staring at the background. The animations of Rose and her opponents are a wonder to look at, with Rose bearing an incredibly pretty animation set and specifically a backdash that rivals Alucard's own from Symphony of the Night.

The same praise can be given to Rose's movement and combat capabilities. Everything she does is quick and snappy, the highlight being the series-staple whip now doubles as a grappling hook for both traversal and enemy grappling alike. The whip-hook is the single best aspect of the game for me, completely opening up combat and exploration at once, allowing Rose to essentially fly across and between enemies at will, dodging and weaving projectiles while remaining on the offensive. Many of the game's platforming sequences are primarily built around careful use of the whip-hook, and they rarely felt any more than a tiny bit frustrating (this game does love its NES Mega Man-esque spikes, though they mercifully only reset Rose's progress through the platform sequence, rather than kill her outright).



Her weapons extend beyond just her base sword and the whip-hook though, as she goes on to discover both new weapons scattered around the map and new Arcana as rewards for beating certain bosses. Her arsenal goes on to include a lance and metal gauntlets among other options, granting a player real choice in how they wish to approach combat. Arcana, conversely, are cards that effectively function as spells, letting Rose equip one at a time and offering attacks such as the classic holy cross, a grounded shockwave and a petrifying glare. That last one might clue you in to the bosses here: Belmont's Curse draws from a variety of cultures for its spectacular boss fights, from the beautiful, fictional Medusa to the beautiful, very real Joan of Arc. The bosses are exceptional, each requiring several tries to work out the patterns of and rarely hitting you with something that feels truly unfair (while still hitting very hard). I adored the choice to have a few of these bosses stick around in Rose's head after their defeat as a sort of Greek chorus, offering commentary rarely asked for on whatever dire trouble she got herself into; their bickering and occasional agreement is where the writing...Read more: Full article on www.rockpapershotgun.com

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