Metroid Meets Dead Cells In October’s Coolest New Action Game

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October is finally upon us, shaking up the typical release schedule by dropping some of the year’s most anticipated titles early. While major heavyweights like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Grand Theft Auto 6 are holding out until November, gamers don’t have to wait long to sink their teeth into stellar new experiences.

Chief among them is Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, shaping up effortlessly to be the standout action game of the season. It brilliantly marries the labyrinthine exploration of classic Metroid titles with the relentless momentum of 2018’s acclaimed roguelike platformer, Dead Cells. Based on the tantalizingly brief demo released by Konami and an earlier preview session, the execution is nothing short of masterclass.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse looks like a stunning Metroidvania

The journey begins with a weathered Trevor Belmont navigating a misty river in a rowboat alongside a fellow adventurer. Having accepted a mysterious summons to Paris—where the thoroughfares are thoroughly overrun by grotesque nocturnal fiends—the pair senses an immediate ambush. True to form, neither lets paranoia slow them down, guided by a sharp philosophy: “It’s not a trap if I suspect a trap. It’s just a mystery to uncover.”

Upon reaching the mainland, the duo quickly parts ways to pursue their own leads. While Trevor heads off to confer with the local bishop about the crisis, Rose Belmont embarks on a solo extermination campaign, armed with a deck of tarot cards left behind by her mother.

That’s right: players step into the boots of Rose Belmont rather than Trevor. If that revelation causes a fleeting moment of hesitation, it evaporates within seconds. Rose handles like an absolute dream. Her animations possess the silky fluidity of Alucard from Symphony of the Night, completely bypassing the rigid stiffness associated with her legendary bloodline. She dispatches skeletal hordes effortlessly with a lightning-fast blade, supplemented by devastating ranged projectile magic. A modest stash of healing potions ensures she can patch herself up when battles turn perilous and her vitality dwindles.

From the outset, the game keeps Rose busy with rewarding side objectives—such as landing a designated number of magic bursts to amplify her arcane potency. Slaying foes yields experience points crucial for leveling up core attributes, while hidden tomes discovered tucked away in shadowy alcoves offer permanent stat boosts. Gathering these enhancements is practically mandatory for anyone hoping to survive encounters with the realm’s fiercest bosses.

Midway through the demo, I crossed paths with just such an adversary: The Fallen. A hulking monstrosity moving with the terrifying agility of an evolved Minotaur, this brute hurls deadly projectiles across the battlefield before utilizing environmental hooks to vault forward. He slams down from above with devastating force, generating powerful shockwaves that demand precise timing and spatial awareness. Button-mashing simply won’t suffice here; victory requires carefully studying enemy attack rhythms, as major bosses soak up substantial punishment.

Clocking in at roughly half an hour for seasoned players, the demo makes it abundantly clear that the full release will be brimming with rewarding secrets. Even early environments routinely encouraged backtracking to access high ledges previously just out of reach. Destructible walls concealing vital health-restoring rations and strategically placed gates requiring alternate approaches evoke a wonderfully nostalgic, time-tested formula.

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Navigation is further streamlined by an intuitive, robust map feature that allows players to drop up to 50 custom waypoints simultaneously. This makes tracking missed treasures, unreachable ledges, and deadly hazards remarkably straightforward. Whoever corrupted Paris really went all out with the architectural hazards.

Beyond level design and combat mechanics, the game’s aesthetic presentation is striking. Ominous backdrops create a convincing sense of atmospheric depth, anchoring the gothic tone. This is amplified by a moody, immersive score that kept me on edge throughout the session. While time will tell if the soundtrack sustains its impact over a 30-hour campaign, it hit all the right notes during this initial hands-on.

Reaching the end of the Belmont’s Curse demo leaves behind a palpable sense of longing. It concludes abruptly just as a new chamber opens up, cutting short a journey that felt entirely too brief. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse launches on October 15, 2026, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC.

The first new Castlevania installment in over a decade proves well worth the wait.

Source: Polygon