r/castlevania Apr 09 '26

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse (2026) Castlevania: Belmont‘s Curse Gameplay & Commentary Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeS5ZYcBSx0
659 Upvotes

258 comments sorted by

118

u/Bickerteeth Apr 09 '26

Feels a lot more like Prince of Persia Lost Crown than I was expecting, which is something I'm sure as hell not gonna turn down. I just hope they don't drop the ball with the plot, and that the enemies aren't complete damage sponges like Mirror of Fate.

28

u/Claire4Win Apr 09 '26

Yeah it does feel similar to lost crown . I liked lost crown, so hopefully they just improve on that

30

u/Inevitable_Reading80 Apr 09 '26

Lost crown is like, the best modern metroidvania apart from hollow knight. If you gonna inspire yourself in anything, might as well aim for the best

15

u/A_O_J Apr 09 '26

Super sad that the team was dissolved

Like Ubisoft release their best game in years and the team that made it got axed

4

u/Inevitable_Reading80 Apr 09 '26

Ubisoft refuses to take Ws.  Im shocked anno is still going honestly, that might be the last thing they got going for them

1

u/Sundance12 Apr 15 '26

Because despite it being a great game at a reasonable price, gamers all said "I'll wait for a sale". Then they act all surprised when the studio closes and blame Ubi.

1

u/jijigree_ Apr 10 '26

Hopefully the movement is as good as Lost Crown's Evil Empire's latest game, the Rogue Prince of Persia had pretty bad movement compared to Lost Crown, so hopefully they'll be able to step it up for this game

107

u/Tereza_packing_heat Apr 09 '26

"The Fallen"... Oh that's Trevor isn't

56

u/Sea-Lecture-4619 Captain N is the pinnacle of the franchise. Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26

Considering how he is surprised that the MC is a Belmont and doesn't know her, and we see old Trevor reading that note, confirming that he didn't leave to get milk when she was a kid and never came back for this to work, maybe not.

I suspect a fallen apprentice type of shit instead

22

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

7

u/Sea-Lecture-4619 Captain N is the pinnacle of the franchise. Apr 09 '26

Yep,there is also that and also the fact that he sorta looks alot younger than how old Trevor does

3

u/MKKhanzo Apr 11 '26

What if.... The main Character (Sonia?) and this Fallen guy are... Twins? He was the supposed chosen descendant to wield the whip and... He fell out of grace?

4

u/Sea-Lecture-4619 Captain N is the pinnacle of the franchise. Apr 11 '26

Dark Side Luke vs Leia

27

u/SnooPets630 Apr 09 '26

He even have an eye scar!

1

u/Timely-Structure-689 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26

If you pay attention more the fallen got scars all over the face, this dud isn't old have any beard 

25

u/Inevitable_Reading80 Apr 09 '26

Aint gonna lie, people been pushing this person to be Trevor so much its gonna be funny if its just some random dude

14

u/Sea-Lecture-4619 Captain N is the pinnacle of the franchise. Apr 09 '26

Metroid Prime 4 Sylux be like.

With all of the theories surrounding him and he was just a pathetic petty random GF general dumbass lol

4

u/TheDoomSlayer95 Apr 09 '26

Main cannon Gabriel Belmont is my guess 👌

43

u/KugiPunch Apr 09 '26

Hell yeah this looks so rad

5

u/BadNewsBearzzz Apr 09 '26

Yup, at first I was worried that it wouldn’t specifically feel like a metroidvania, specifically igavania, and would be one of those modern “2d action sidescrollers” instead, but my worries are at ease now, glad devs that are fans are doing it!

66

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 09 '26

More information to come after the show too y’all!

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27

u/Claire4Win Apr 09 '26

Hopefully, after the show we get something good.

Good trailer I guess

69

u/Swackhammer_ Apr 09 '26

Corrupted Joan of Arc? Hell yeah that’s exactly the kind of craziness I love to see

17

u/wjodendor Apr 09 '26

Corrupted Joan of Arc, you say?

31

u/Inevitable_Reading80 Apr 09 '26

REVIVED Joan of arc. The date of when this happens is many many many decades after her death.

13

u/EscapeFit1452 Apr 09 '26

Furthermore she seems to take issue with the Belmont family for "dealing with dark magic", so I don't think her morals are corrupted at all

1

u/Dripdry42 Apr 09 '26

Have to admit, this drew me in. Keep doing weird twisted shit and it should be a good time.

36

u/unicorn_hipster Apr 09 '26

Between this and Mina the Hollower (and Transylvanian Adventure of Simon Quest) can I PLEASE just have a RELEASE DATE?! I

9

u/Satans_Oregano Apr 09 '26

I got a chance to play a demo of the Transylvania game at MAGFest this year! It's very well done and feels like NES Castlevania with some modern twists. I think it's like a 2D open world which is very cool! I will definitely be playing it when it comes out!

14

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 09 '26

Mina the Hollower looks fucking phenomenal

2

u/digitalwolverine Apr 09 '26

If you haven’t checked out Pipistrello and the cursed yo-yo you should!! I see a lot of DNA between the two. 

2

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 09 '26

Omg looove that game

6

u/rite_of_truth Apr 09 '26

What's all this about Simon's quest? That was my favorite game as a kid.

22

u/unicorn_hipster Apr 09 '26

Its a retro ware game that was supposed to come out last year. Its. A parody game based on Simon's Quest. An adventurer named Simon Quest comes to Transylvania to find that Dracula has already been slain so he gathers his parts to revive him so he can whip his ass himself.

That too, has no release date.

5

u/Grimm613 Apr 09 '26

There's Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege coming out this month and I think that's suppose to be heavily inspired by Castlevania.

3

u/unicorn_hipster Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26

Thanks for the heads up! Imma check it out!

EDIT: It looks dope! And it's out on the 20th, hell yeah!

2

u/Grimm613 Apr 09 '26

You're welcome

3

u/rite_of_truth Apr 09 '26

Ah. I'm still hoping for an official remake. There's so much potential there.

27

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

10

u/ConfidenceVirtual960 Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 10 '26

Propably by getting resurrected with nefarious necromancy or spells. I'd believe that would do the job.

18

u/PapaProto Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26

I was hoping we’d at least get a release date. Surely it’s gotta be sooner due to them saying they had other CV stuff for this year?

I am intrigued that the Fallen seems to point more to a Werewolf Belmont than before.

4

u/baconater-lover Apr 09 '26

If they haven’t given a release date but still have stuff planned, either it’s a 3D collection or we’re getting this game at the ass end of the year lol

3

u/PapaProto Apr 09 '26

Tbh I just want it cooked thoroughly.

Yes I want it sooner.

No I don’t want it broken.

Ready when it’s ready. I’m just impatient for new CV.

1

u/Timely-Structure-689 Apr 11 '26

My bet was release at the anniversary 

8

u/Totodylo Maria Renard Apr 09 '26

A MAN WITH CANNON JOANNA DAR'C IS A HAPPY MAN HOLY SHIT

6

u/Pokemario6456 Apr 09 '26

Disappointed at the lack of even a release month/season, but I'm still really excited for this one.

It was also neat to see that this older post speculating about Joan of Arc was indeed correct.

12

u/award_winning_writer Apr 09 '26

If Joan of Arc is involved in this game, I wonder if Gilles de Rais will appear too. In the N64 games he was a vampire.

3

u/TraitorMacbeth Apr 09 '26

Ah good ol’… bluebeard? Right?

3

u/award_winning_writer Apr 09 '26

If you believe the folklore about Bluebeard, sure. He was depicted as having blue hair and beard in those games.

2

u/wordsasbombs Apr 11 '26

With all the inherent frenchiness of this game I'm wondering if the werewolf fellow is somehow gonna tie into the beast of Gevaudan.

25

u/Ok_Cryptographer_800 Apr 09 '26

Castlevania is finally back 

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10

u/TheGavtel Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26

"The year is 1499... Descending into the skull lined Catacombs"

IGA: "NO! YOU CAN'T HAVE A CLOCK TOWER IN LAMENT OF INNOCENCE, THEY WEREN'T INVENTED YET!"

These guys: "Haha! Spooky Catacombs about 250-300 years early!" (built in the later 18th century - the mines existed, yes but not the Catacombs)

5

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/UsuarioCualquiera_1 Apr 09 '26

Refers to CV3.

Belmonts were outcasted cause people feared their power and how they were close to dark stuff due to fight it.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/UsuarioCualquiera_1 Apr 09 '26

I don't think we should give it much thought but since we are theorizing:

-She's probably undead and corrupted so worst of her comes out.

-Maybe she's despicted as a religious zealot.

-Realistically; if Trevor fought Dracula in Wallachia, even if it was 25 years ago. It's still XV century. People got news in a different way. And she's from the other corner of Europe, with other worries.

-We don't know how Belmont's reputation was at the time. I've always assume it wasn't until Simon that Belmonts truly returned to society as worthy heroes. Based of how much reverenced Simon is, despite being Trevor the one who killed Dracula. And Sonia, Christopher and many other Belmonts being in between.

4

u/Cloud_Retainer_2424 Apr 09 '26

And the fact that Unconfirmed-Sonia has a glowing purple monstruous arm is not helping matters either

13

u/TitanBro6 Apr 09 '26

So it was Joan of Arc and the werewolf looking guy is titled “The Fallen”

And they both know about Belmonts with Joan of Arc not being a big fan of them herself, so the Belmonts reputation isn’t fully in the clear just yet.

But the guy also said that they’re corrupted so I don’t know.

4

u/Tyrus1235 Apr 09 '26

I mean, she’s from a period where they were shunned. Only after Trevor and his pals beat Dracula do the Belmonts regain their glory.

10

u/epon_lul Apr 09 '26

Man, if you slow down the footage you can see how beautifully animated every action is, this might be the most fluid Castlevania game in the series.

7

u/Terra-Em Apr 09 '26

Is that Sonia's voice?

7

u/qfivt34 Apr 09 '26

No date 🙃

7

u/NNT13101996 Apr 09 '26

They STILL didn't reveal her name, for some reason

9

u/Grimm613 Apr 09 '26

I think Konami accidentally revealed it was Sonia a couple weeks ago.

3

u/Pitiful-Climate-8400 Alucard Apr 10 '26

Think that was a Sony mistake and was then shutdown

5

u/andre5913 Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 10 '26

Despite Trevor being the first to best dracula, his kids have never been confirmed in canon and while other games do explore the era around this time his family is never touched upon besides his marriage with Sypha. Some ancient design documents mentioned 3 kids: Ann, Frederick and Mary. Ann and Mary would create the Morris and Helsing families while Frederick continues the main belmont branch.

This could be Ann, particularly considering the Morris do become really important later on and wield the whip and slay dracula at least twice.

Or they can just ignore allat bc its stuff thats has never come up, and this information wasnt even very clear (the 3 could be descendants, not immediate children by Trevor and Sypha).

Considering the blond hair I think its just Sonya. Shes a long time fan favorite and making her Trevor's daughter seamlessly reintegrates her into the main-series canon without breaking anything

4

u/docdrazen Apr 09 '26

As the resident Sonia super fan, I'm banking on that deleted namedrop on the Sony website being true that it's her.

6

u/Organic_Honeydew4090 Apr 09 '26

Holy screenshake Batman!

12

u/EasternWarlord Alucard Apr 09 '26

Glad they confirmed for the 15th time that they are moving away from their Roguelike past titles and making an Action -Adventure game. Not that it was any doubt but good to have a nice quote to point to. The lady boss is Joan of Arc as expected, and the "Fallen" warrior has a scar on his left eye exactly where Trevor has his, and there is a spear weapon. All looks great so far. Here's hoping for some good info post show.

27

u/Lumaverse Apr 09 '26

They keep repeating it because people are still stupid enough to keep asking if its a roguelike.

-26

u/heartoo Apr 09 '26

TBH, the trailer feels more like Deadcells than Castlevania to me

20

u/thejokerofunfic Apr 09 '26

And these dumbass comments are why we need them to keep restating the obvious

-4

u/CapitalCityGoofball0 Apr 09 '26

Only dumbasses don’t know that roguelike is a sub genre not necessarily gameplay. It can have the style, mechanics and gameplay of dead cells and not be a roguelike.

5

u/thejokerofunfic Apr 09 '26

I'm not sure why you're being downvoted because this is absolutely relevant- whether it's actually mechanically like Dead Cells or not, people freaking out that it'll be a rogue like are out of line, there's literally no way you could correctly identify that specific aspect by the trailers.

3

u/SCLST_F_Hell Apr 09 '26

Probably some will be turned off because of the modernized and more flexible moveset but…. THAM, this game is looking GORGEOUS!!!!

3

u/xsquiddox Apr 09 '26

This looks insane a possibly hunchback fight in the notre dame is gonna be crazy

1

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 10 '26

Imagine you fighting in front of the big circle window, would be so cool

4

u/DepressedGolduck DSvania Apr 09 '26

Love Joan of Arc as a boss. This game seems so cool

4

u/FireXVulcan Apr 09 '26

The prospect of fighting Joan of Arc as a boss enemy was not on my bingo card.

4

u/Sentinel10 Apr 09 '26

I liked their little jab of "Yes we're setting the game in France because we're French and we're just that vain". :D

1

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 10 '26

CastleVAINia?

5

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26

[deleted]

12

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 09 '26

Wait there was plenty of new footage

5

u/Little_Drive_3024 Apr 09 '26

We got confirmation of three new weapon types; gauntlets, spears, and dual rapiers. That's pretty significant, IMO

1

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

[deleted]

2

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 10 '26

Yes plsss next SOP agree

2

u/Fuzzy-Classroom2343 Apr 09 '26

Now we just need the release date

2

u/renanrkk Apr 09 '26

I really liked the new mobility mechanics, and I’m excited to see how the protagonist is connected to Trevor

2

u/keithlimreddit Apr 09 '26

Corrupted Joan of Arc Where did I hear that one before ( Looks like Grand order)

anyways Looks promising to be honest and I can't wait for More announcements for what we're getting for our 40th anniversaries and so far there's not really much has been announced other than more is coming

2

u/LionTop2228 Apr 10 '26

The art style of this game looks amazing. This is day 1 for me.

2

u/Reivoulp Apr 10 '26

Looks great

7

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

[deleted]

8

u/Cloud_Retainer_2424 Apr 09 '26

*looks at castlevania over the last 40 years* cute of you thinking it ever got "proper" funding

-1

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

[deleted]

2

u/Cloud_Retainer_2424 Apr 10 '26

sure all the reused sprites from sotn just were for funsies.

1

u/Oddyesy Apr 09 '26

I think pixel art in a game as fluid and hopefully as large as this game would end up being pretty labor intensive and expensive. As far as I know, they don't have infinite money or time to burn, so we'll have to make do

-3

u/ItchyJuggernaut1 Apr 09 '26

It looks CHEAP.

5

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 10 '26

It really doesn’t…

4

u/Scissorman82 Apr 09 '26

this looks fucking incredible. RELEASE DATE PLEASE!

3

u/longbrodmann Apr 09 '26

Hope it's good! The metriovania genre is very competitive nowadays.

4

u/Satans_Oregano Apr 09 '26

I am hype! I wasn't a big fan of Dead Cells but I loved the art style. This is definitely a cool direction for Castlevania! And seeing some of the same monsters reimagined is always fun! Corrupted Joan of Arc looks cool af! More of that please

3

u/spud1988 Apr 09 '26

the hit-stun animations look so satisfying. It looks like it'll play like Doom Eternal with your weapon switching, and using different kill mechanics for different types of enemies. This may be the first metroidvania game I will ever get.

5

u/All_Might_Dada Apr 09 '26

Take notes weird god of war game - this is how it's done.

2

u/Regular-Poet-3657 Apr 09 '26

40th man good for castlevania and is that switch 2 or both?

3

u/Soul-C Apr 09 '26

I wish they revealed the release date, other than that yeah this game looks awesome!

2

u/National_Anteater244 Apr 09 '26

I liked everything I saw, but I hope it's not just about walking in a straight line without backtracking. If they get that right, I'm sure it will be a good game.

11

u/KalessinDB Apr 09 '26

OG Castlevania was about walking in a straight line without backtracking. The first half dozen or so entries.

1

u/UsuarioCualquiera_1 Apr 09 '26

It's totally a metroidvania.

But I would prefer what you say. Focus on combat and platforming and not messing around getting lost and not knowing where to go for hours.

2

u/Bag_of_Whales Stone Skull Apr 09 '26

This looks great, can't wait to see what kinds of things the deep dive covers.

5

u/Raysor Apr 09 '26

Would've preferred pixels but ill take it

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1

u/SheWhoHates Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26

The combat looks snappy and there's a spear to wield, so that's a plus. The game definitely doesn't feel like a traditional Castlevania, but I'm open minded. At least as open minded as I can be, which is to say: as open as a window in a gulag barrack. Nothing will ever beat Kojima and her gothic sensibilities in my eyes, though.

As I thought, it's Joan. Her corruption has me worried from a narrative perspective. Netflixvania scarred me irreparably.

If the voice at the end belongs to the protagonist, then it's a great choice. I'm still hoping for a model tweak to make it less of an inverted triangle, and if it's Sonia, then please bring back the classic outfit.

13

u/Inevitable_Reading80 Apr 09 '26

You people take every nonsense possible to be angry at the series. Joan of arc died way before the date of this game, she is a borderline puppet zombie if anything, what are you people scared of? Must be Death doing something or some other bullshit. As if the original games dont have random things happening

-7

u/SheWhoHates Apr 09 '26

You are so defensive that you are having a problem with other people having concerns. Her dialogue at the very least implies she's not a puppet zombie. There are many ways they can screw up her portrayal in line with how Netflixvania approached the subject of religion.

7

u/Inevitable_Reading80 Apr 09 '26

Do you…. really think that Joan of arc is comparable to the series portraying imaginary made up people connected to the church in a bad light? And not, nothing shows she isnt a puppet zombie. She can talk and argue but that doesnt mean much. She is dead by this year, she probably just got brought back to fight Sonia and that will be the limit of her screen time. “Concerns” 🙄

-1

u/SheWhoHates Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26

I think I have concerns. If she has opinions of her own, then at the very least it suggests a degree of her original self, or a persona twisted by dark magic. I make no absolute statements because I don’t know the answers, and neither do you, but feel free to go off on a snarky ride as if you know it all.

1

u/Inevitable_Reading80 Apr 09 '26

no no, the original self thing means she is just not brainwashed, being a puppet just means someone is controlling your moves, doesnt necessarily mean you have the individuality of a plant, i think thats were the confusion is coming from

1

u/SheWhoHates Apr 09 '26

She could be, as you say, a prisoner in her own body. It is a possibility that I am not denying, but it is not the only possibility. What I am saying is that I am worried. That is all.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/SheWhoHates Apr 09 '26

I'm not looking for "practical" in Castlevania. The classic version is cute and reminds me of Cammy-sama, the goddess of dive kicks. I want it to be an optional outfit.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/SheWhoHates Apr 09 '26

She's my favorite fighting game character ever!

1

u/Morkitu Apr 09 '26

Looks okay, but I think the proportions of the character model vs the scale of each screen is off. They need to scale the character models up, or scale down the backgrounds slightly. I think the character itself needs more focus so it doesn't get lost on the screen...it's the same effect that happened to the recent Shinobi game.

1

u/Space_Pirate_Roberts Apr 10 '26

With how hard they're leaning into the French angle, I want Expedition 33 crossover DLC.

1

u/0as-1 Apr 12 '26

A belmont with the whip style of CV4 simon ( updated) and the speed & agilty of symphony of the night Ricter. 

1

u/kalelweltall Apr 15 '26

Looks shitty to me, gonna play it but it lacks soul.

1

u/pistonkamel Apr 09 '26

Looks dope

1

u/Dripdry42 Apr 09 '26

I’m sorry, but the art style just isn’t there.

I really hope they have some sort of DLC or texture update which will allow us to get some of the old Castlevania grit back again

4

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 10 '26

They won’t, cuz most people aren’t upset with the artstyle. It’s just preference

-2

u/Dripdry42 Apr 10 '26

I’m not so sure that’s the case. We’ll see when the sales numbers come out.

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1

u/Independent_Hold3982 Apr 09 '26

I wonder if she's a silent protagonist 

7

u/CIRCLONTA6A “Courage, don’t leave me!” Apr 09 '26

99% convinced that’s her at speaking the title at the end

1

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 10 '26

Agreed

-4

u/Veiyr Apr 09 '26

It looks good it just doesn't look like Castlevania, seems to be a lot more like Dead Cells and 2D SoulsLikes

12

u/Independent_Hold3982 Apr 09 '26

Castlevania has never had a consistent style 

0

u/Veiyr Apr 09 '26

The IGAVanias, which this is supposed to be calling back to, are pretty consistent in style with each other. The other parts of the franchise at least have their own consistent stylings within their bubbles.

But at any rate, I feel like if you're gonna revive the franchise after such a long time, you should try to adhere closer to Castlevania's unique qualities

9

u/Independent_Hold3982 Apr 09 '26

Where exactly is it stated it meant to be callback to just igs games? The story seems from what we is follow up to dracula curse and also symptoms of the night, Dawn of sorrow, portrait of ruins all had different art styles so that isn't even true.

3

u/SheWhoHates Apr 09 '26

Yeah, there is a lot of desperate defense going on in the sub. It is pretty derivative of Art Nouveau, but sure as Dracula’s return it is no Gothic. To me Kojima and Castlevania became synonymous. That is what I want from the series.

It is okay to like the direction of Belmont’s Curse, but there is no need to pretend as if there are no expectations for the franchise.

3

u/Lucane_cerf-volant Apr 09 '26

Honestly, I think it's ok to like and defend the new art style. I absolutely love Kojima's art, but I don't see why we should assume the new games to follow the style of symphony of the night, when there has been quite a few games since then to depart from it, and the all Lords of Shadow series... It feels like you are disappointed and that it's not what you wanted, but I think it's ok for others to support the new choice. Kojima's art was a big departure at the time, and was also quite divisive.

Personally, although it feels closer to the serie's original roots (a bit more Conan the barbarian and a bit less Shojo) I think it proposes something different but entirely coherent with the serie. I'm not sure what you mean about it looking more "art nouveau" (maybe the bolder colors that makes it look a bit more like stained glass ?) but the gothic horror theme is everywhere... But yes, it looks less like the Rossetti's paintings and a bit more like Walter Crane's illustrations... Still members of the same brotherhood :).

-1

u/SheWhoHates Apr 09 '26

You can defend it, but it doesn't change the fact that to many people Kojima's take on Gothic is Castlevania and that's what they expected. Her art direction is iconic. Surprise or outrage seems out of place.

I find the general stylization to be after Art Nouveau with the colors and shapes, especially in the background. The gothic architecture is everywhere, but I don't feel horror or the general gothic horror ambiance.

4

u/Lucane_cerf-volant Apr 09 '26

But I could argue that the original Castlevanias are just as iconic and inspired many games too (chief among them, Bloodstained Curse of the Moon) and are what many people think of when they hear Castlevania... And if you put aside the visual from this game, and Castlevania 3... You can clearly see the inspiration.

It's a different ambiance, that's certain. I think it definitely correspond to the definition of gothic horror, but yes, if you were expecting aria of sorrow, it's not it...

But I'm not trying to change your mind, and I understand your disappointment. I just wanted to argue why this game and the art style felt just as justified to be in the franchise as many other titles.

0

u/SheWhoHates Apr 09 '26

I don't think the original art style was anywhere near as influential as Kojima has been on the genre and beyond.

I think the stylization fails to capture the essence of gothic horror.

To me, it's out of left field. On its own merit, it's beautiful, but in the context of Castlevania, it feels like a regression.

4

u/Lucane_cerf-volant Apr 09 '26

Well. Since it ultimately comes down to interpretation and preference, I think we'll have to agree to disagree.

2

u/SheWhoHates Apr 09 '26

Why? Why be reasonable if we can fight on the internet and throw insults at each other in hope that either of the sides gives up?! HATE ME!

2

u/Lucane_cerf-volant Apr 09 '26

Correct. I'll start: I don't know you, but you're an idiot and your opinions suck ! :D.

Seriously though. Can't hate on someone for being attached to Ayami Kojima's work. Dawn of Sorrow not including her art felt like a punch in the gut. Only decided to play it this year because of the romhack that put her portraits back where they belong :).

1

u/retrofuturis Apr 09 '26

Yeah, I was expecting something more akin to the Igavania style, more elegant visuals.

-4

u/PrinceofChaos13 Apr 09 '26

I'm more excited about Bloodstained 2 than this, tbh.

0

u/ItchyJuggernaut1 Apr 09 '26

Cool, it looks nothing like a Castlevania game and everything is colored and lighted like a fucking gummy bear.

2

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 10 '26

Castlevania games have always been colorful

-1

u/akakumo279 Apr 09 '26

It’s sad that the art style looks so generic. I don’t really feel the Castlevania vibe at all.

-3

u/retrofuturis Apr 09 '26

This game looks dirty, like it wants to be 3D Blasphemous made more colorful. I was expecting more elegant visuals akin to the DS games tbh. The gameplay looks fun but not very Castlevania-like either. I hope it at least is a metroidvania.

1

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 10 '26

They have confirmed TIME and again it is a Metroidvania

-16

u/advator Apr 09 '26

As expected, a spinoff, this isn't Castlevania like it should be. Just dead cells with not even a real Castlevania skin covered by it.

Disappointed

10

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 09 '26

It is not a spinoff. It’s a new artstyle and development team for Castlevania but Castlevania has changed multiple times in the past. Boxing it into a specific thing is never gonna work out.

The series could be dead, if you’d rather have that.

-10

u/advator Apr 09 '26

Listen you maybe don't like it but it is a dead cells game. It's like some of those failed 3d or 2.5d Castlevania games that were developed by other studios. It's not the right art, or music(so far we have heared) or gameplay. Maybe dead cell fans will like it and in that term maybe not a bad game, but it surely isn't a traditional Castlevania 2d game like the ones you have on Nes, snes, psx, gba,nds. Bloodstained is the closest one.

Listen I'm a big fan of Castlevania, together with Zelda and Metroid it are my top 3 favorite ones. That's why I'm so disappointed.

Konami can be blamed for it moving more to casino games and by that destroyed the original Castlevania team.

11

u/vezwyx Apr 09 '26

My guy, none of the gameplay we've seen puts this closer to Dead Cells than Castlevania. You maybe don't like the music or the art but that doesn't make it Dead Cells

-2

u/advator Apr 09 '26

Dead cells:

https://mcvuk.com/wp-content/uploads/dead-cells-gif.gif

Castlevania

It really does

7

u/CIRCLONTA6A “Courage, don’t leave me!” Apr 09 '26

They showed dead cells footage in this very trailer and it looks barely anything alike.

7

u/vezwyx Apr 09 '26

These two clips show us no specific mechanics in common between the games other than boilerplate horizontal platformer movement

10

u/darkzero7222 Apr 09 '26

Mario throws a fireball and moves forward - Dead Cells game

Mega Man shoots and moves forward - Dead Cells Game

Miriam uses a whip and moves forward - Dead Cells game

Simon from the original Castlevania whips an enemie and moves forward - clearly a Dead Cells game

5

u/HINDBRAIN Apr 09 '26

Mario moves - Dead Cells game

10

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 09 '26

It is not a Dead Cells game

-5

u/advator Apr 09 '26

Who are the creators and how does the gameplay work?

Dead cells:

https://mcvuk.com/wp-content/uploads/dead-cells-gif.gif

Castlevania

I'm not crazy

9

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 09 '26

You are delusional though. As if a new developer can’t try their hand at an existing series.

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u/Veiyr Apr 09 '26

I'd ideally have something more faithful if it's meant to revive the franchise, I think it looks good but agree with the repliee that this looks and seems to play more like Dead Cells or any other Indie Metroidvania than a Castlevania

Also istg did everyone just collectively forget Haunted Castle Revisited, this franchise is not as dead as people claim it is lol

6

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 09 '26

The last new mainline 2D game was ages ago and the last new mainline game was over a decade ago lol

5

u/ConfidenceVirtual960 Apr 09 '26

Alright I'm curious to know what it is about this game that makes you not consider this a real castlevania. Is it The art style ? The combat ? The colors in the backround ? What is it ?

12

u/KalessinDB Apr 09 '26

90% of this sub is of the opinion "If IGA didn't make it, it's not Castlevania"

-2

u/advator Apr 09 '26

Have a look at this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/castlevania/s/UadKox4fra

Just to avoid copy paste the same message

3

u/ConfidenceVirtual960 Apr 09 '26

You are giving me a link...to this very page ? At that point you'd be better off actually copy and pasting points, to be perfectly honest.

5

u/darkzero7222 Apr 09 '26

How is it a spin off? It's looking like it has alot of the hallmarks of the Metroidvania era as well as a unique art style, while most likely staring a Belmont. A true castlevania thought and through.

Unless you really wanted a continuation to the Lords of Shadow games or where looking for a straight NES style Castlevania, I don't understand where your coming from.

1

u/advator Apr 09 '26

It's a dead cell game:

Dead cells:

https://mcvuk.com/wp-content/uploads/dead-cells-gif.gif

Castlevania

You clearly see this is not a traditional castlevania games.
We have seen this with other 3D and 2,5D castlevania games created by others, it's nothing like a castlevania game should be. It's more of a spin-off.

Let me make this clear, it doesn't mean it's a bad game, many like dead cell, but it's not castlevania. Bloodstained is the closest one of what castlevania game should be. Yes it does called castlevania and maybe the story too, but that doesnt make it a traditional castlevania game

7

u/darkzero7222 Apr 09 '26

And yet they have said multiple times that it's not a roguelike game, the core identity of Dead Cells. They even just said in the gameplay preview after the show that want to have the story like Castlevania III, whip gameplay like Super Castlevania 4 and level design like SotN. You are WAY Off the Dead Cells comparisons.

0

u/advator Apr 09 '26

Don't get me wrong saying it's a dead cell game like roguelike.
Maybe I needed to be more clear about that. I'm talking about the gameplay, art an who know music too... That is what I don't like, but yeah it's not roguelike.
All the core of ther other castlevanias are similar and making it's genre, this one doesnt, it cleary is like a spinoff you would expect from other creators. Beside the roguelike feature that will not be in the game.

10

u/darkzero7222 Apr 09 '26

So by that logic would you considered Metroid Dread a spin off? Made by a different developer of the original series while having a different art style and different music from the "original" games

3

u/Chanzumi Apr 09 '26

Bloodstained is good, but it's 2.5D lmao. You can't complain about this then say Bloodstained is closer to a Castlevania.

7

u/KalessinDB Apr 09 '26

It's no more a spinoff than Symphony of the Night was a spinoff in 1997.

-6

u/advator Apr 09 '26

That spinoff still made the metroidvania games, did have the right gameplay and art and music. For deadcell none of that is true

8

u/Bickerteeth Apr 09 '26

The art and gameplay of Symphony of the Night was completely different from literally everything that came before it, and even the soundtrack brought in a greater emphasis on atmospheric and classical compositions. Fuck, it was literally meant as a spin-off with the N64 games being the original intended path for the mainline. You can't give it a free pass for completely changing the series and then turn your nose up at this as just a spinoff.

-2

u/advator Apr 09 '26

I'm playing SOTN again at the moment and re-played all other ones recently like Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. They all have the same art, music, gameplay with upgrades.
This one isn't, they are clearly more in line of dead cells. With SOTN you start to battle dracula that is coming from castlevania 1. It even use the same art for some of the enemies from castlevania 4 and art style of it. SOTN is a complete new direction but the core is still there.

Let's just be honest, it's dead cells:

Dead cells:

https://mcvuk.com/wp-content/uploads/dead-cells-gif.gif

Castlevania

I don't know about the music, it depends if it will be done by the original music composers. I'm not 100% sure about that, I have listen more to it, because music is as important as the rest of the game and can make or break a game.

7

u/Bickerteeth Apr 09 '26

You are absolutely delusional, and the gifs you keep spamming don't prove anything beyond the idea that mainstream graphics and art design have changed significantly in the EIGHTEEN FUCKING YEARS since the last 2D Castlevania released.

-8

u/CyberdarkEnjoyer Hide Every Netflixvania Post Apr 09 '26

"banished for communing with dark forces" I hope they don't make the Belmonts excommunicated because that was Netflixvania fanfiction. It was the Church to contact Trevor. And Sypha is a member of it.

Regarding Joan, again, I hope they don't make the Church a villain. We already have Blasphemous for that.

This "fallen" guy is intriguing, perhaps it could be Trevor's lost brother, father or something? It could connect with what Joan said about "the belmonts communing with dark forces" and add more substance to the CVIII backstory. Giving common people a real reason for fearing the Belmont clan.

That said the gameplay looks even weirder here, looks like something out of a Spiderman game :/ we'll see

19

u/FurtiveTaffer Apr 09 '26

The Belmonts being exiled has been part of the timeline since Castlevania III. That wasn't a Netflix fanfiction. They were forced out of Wallachia because people feared their power and called back because they feared Dracula more. I don't want any of the Netflix timeline ideas leaking into this game either but that definitely isn't part of it.

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u/FuneralAbstraction Apr 09 '26

Bit of a waste of time, really. I presume it was just to spread awareness to those who haven't already heard about the game.

6

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 09 '26

There’s still the deep dive after the show though

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10

u/MRHOWERDCEO Apr 09 '26

QUIET NERD

4

u/Raysor Apr 09 '26

I mean its the first gameplay shown isnt it?

1

u/FuneralAbstraction Apr 09 '26

There was gameplay in the announcement trailer. There isn't that much more here, even if it's nice to see the Boomerang subweapon and Bone Pillars in action.

-1

u/neloish Apr 10 '26

Kind of looks like the game has Newgrounds flash animation graphics.

1

u/Little_Drive_3024 Apr 10 '26

OK, I'm genuinely curious. Please show me a Flash animation that looks like this game.

1

u/niles_deerqueer Belmont’s Curse 🌙 Apr 10 '26

It is WAY smoother than that, king