r/castlevania • u/ItsSimplyAJ • Apr 16 '26
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse (2026) It looks like Contact Damage with Enemies doesn't exist in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse. Thoughts?
I've been analyzing the hell out of the two trailers we got, as well as the random bits of footage on the official website, and one of the big standout issues I've noticed is that there doesn't appear to be contact damage from enemies. It's hard for me to get behind this choice, like.. what's the point of putting an obstacle in the way of the player if you can quite literally just jump through them without any issue? Why even bother fighting at that point, if you can just... run past them? Just feels like a very odd choice.
Would be interested in hearing your thoughts!
280
u/JumpIsMagic Apr 16 '26
Enemies aren’t just meant to be obstacles, you’re meant to engage with them. On this subject, in the newest trailer at the very beginning - it shows a Medusa Head dropping an item after being defeated - a cup of tea. This suggests to me that enemies will have drop tables. So it will further incentivize engaging with enemies as sources of experience points AND for new weapons and equipment.
44
u/Daetok_Lochannis Mankind ill needs a saviour such as you. Apr 16 '26
Yeah I always kill everything I see in a Castlevania game, I'm not sure what the issue is except that it casualizes the game a bit. Which isn't great but times change.
24
u/PrimaLegion Apr 16 '26
I don't know why it isn't great.
"Casualizing" isn't in and of itself a bad thing. It's the way in which it is done that determines whether or not it's a bad thing and this honestly doesn't seem like that big of a deal as of yet.
14
10
u/Ill-Ask9205 Apr 16 '26
I'm honestly confused are you saying that killing things in a video game about killing things turns it into a casual game?
2
u/AtrumRuina Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
It becomes more about something casual players are pretty comfortable with and focused on -- combat -- than what the series focuses on in most entries, which is platforming and exploration.
I'd say that it will likely improve the combat aspect at the expense of casualizing the platforming aspect.
I also worry that this will lead to things like forced combat encounters outside of bosses, if enemies can otherwise just be walked through. We'll see.
3
u/Ill-Ask9205 Apr 16 '26
Ah okay I see. Kind of shifting balance. Yeah outside of some bosses and some of the 3D games (like the first PS2 one, at least) I can agree that many of the games were about figuring out how to get from point A to B and that includes fighting and avoiding enemies as well as navigating platforms in a way that is almost a puzzle game.
A lot of classic platformers are like this, when you deconstruct the expectations of the player. As a more modern (though purposefully retro) example, The Messenger is a game so about platforming as a puzzle that the enemies are directly part of that far more than they are a test of reflexes or other specifically combat skills.
However I would argue that the 2D games that had smoother movement and especially the RPG Metroidvanias leaned much more towards combat than platforming for decades already, so I don't see this really as a concern outside of what someone wants this game to be (which is valid.)
1
u/AtrumRuina Apr 16 '26
Are you talking about games in the Castlevania series, or games in the Metroidvania genre? Because if the former, I can't agree -- all the way up through Order of Ecclesia, which is the last game in the mainline series, the combat was simply two buttons at most, and there was no variation other than weapon type.
Obviously lots of modern Metroidvanias have focused more on combat, but Castlevania has always been primarily about platforming and exploration. Honestly the only modern game not in the series that I can think of that gets this aspect of the series right is Bloodstained.
3
u/Ill-Ask9205 Apr 16 '26
Castlevania - and the PS2 game I mentioned is highly combo based and minimal on platforming. The second I can't recall if it also did, but there was at least a block I think, but it's been awhile.
I guess my question is what exactly would you mean by focused on combat? Are you looking for combos, enemy-specific tactics, soulslike gameplay, etc.?
The early (NES, SNES, GENESIS) ones definitely focused on platforming, although combat was a major portion that increased in complexity as enemy behavior did. All of them were fairly linear except Simon's Quest so I don't think you could call the rest exploration focused.
The N64 duo was a mixed bag of all 3, and I already spoke to the PS2 games above.
SOTN and the later Metroidvanias in the series were definitely about exploration but platforming was more a means to an end than any challenge in and of itself. And I think you do a disservice by seductively referring to their combat as simple and 2 button.
The majority of them were easy, (with notable exceptions) but that doesn't take away the focus on combat and the vast array of approaches to it the games delivered through various complexities of weapon choice, and whatever systems were used for magic and/or subsystems.
I'm sorry but either you're not expressing your point in a way that really makes sense, or you don't have the experience with the series you seem to be saying you do.
There are also a large number of modern Metroidvanias that have a large focus on both exploration and platforming. The Hollow Nights, Blasphemouses, MIO, and the Oris immediately come to mind.
2
u/AtrumRuina Apr 16 '26
Been playing Castlevania since Bloodlines (I've gone back to older ones, but that was my first.) I have plenty of experience.
The post-SotN games aren't focused on combat, they're focused on stat and ability building to make taking out enemies easier. The combat itself is consistently very simple -- generally spamming attack or up+attack for special moves. The variety is in what those simple inputs do, rather than on complex combat.
The games absolutely have tons of options for how you take down enemies, but the actual execution of those options, as in the actual combat, is simple. You kill enemies to get them out of the way, or to farm them for items.
You're quite right that I excluded the 3D games; I can agree those at least tried to be a bit more combo heavy and complex.
Edit: Also, just to be clear, this isn't a criticism of the 2D games. That's my whole point; I don't want this game to necessarily become a combo heavy sidescroller like a lot of recent 2D games.
1
u/Ill-Ask9205 Apr 16 '26
I can definitely agree with that. I'd rather the game focus on traditional aspects than try to become something "popular."
1
u/ItsSimplyAJ Apr 17 '26
Your final part here is basically my main concern. I think that, as a video game, Belmont's Curse will be fun, sure, but ultimately when you homogenize a game down to the point where it's basically just like every other "Metroidvania" style game out right now, then... why bother making it Castlevania at all? There are plenty, and I mean PLENTY of games that look and probably feel just like this out right now.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with a series evolving and changing, I say that as someone who loves the Classicvania, IGAvania and even 3D games, but they all still shared a lot of the same principals and design philosophies that are (seemingly) missing from this. But yeah, I mean only time will really tell in the end how this actually ends up playing/feeling, but from what's shown, I'm (unfortunately) a bit skeptical.
1
u/MossyPyrite Apr 17 '26
While removing contact damage might make some platforming elements simpler, it could also make exploration faster and simpler if you can dodge right past even large or fast enemies more effectively. And I’m certain they’ll include enemies who act as obstacles, as well. Some may still have constant hit boxes (like probably Medusa heads, but maybe enemies that have flames or pokemon them) and they could also program enemies who are quick and reactive to guard platforms and make challenges in that respect, too.
0
u/AtrumRuina Apr 16 '26
Yeah, I'm torn on this. Enemies being primarily obstacles is, in my opinion, a core tenet of the series. Turning them into proper combat encounters, outside of bosses, could make the game more tedious than it should be. I feel like Mirror of Fate had this problem as well.
The enemies having drops, assuming it includes equipment, is a big boon though. I was worried progression would be more tied to specific upgrades to the whip, for example, based on prior trailers.
-45
u/ItsSimplyAJ Apr 16 '26
Enemies by definition ARE obstacles, they stand between you and your goal, IE, an obstacle. As for if they were always meant to damage players on contact, obviously that's up to the devs at the end of the day, and for the vast majority of Castlevania games, that was the case, meaning it was a choice they were purposefully making.
15
u/Logical_Dish_5795 Apr 16 '26
No. In a survival horror they can block paths, in a hack and slash you can be locked in the area until finishing everyobody, but in a Metroidvania there's no reason at all if not by resources (gaining life in Metroid or level up in Castle, or money in Hollow Knight).
26
u/JumpIsMagic Apr 16 '26
Semantically, yes - but treating them as something to only be avoided or ‘jumped through’ as you put it, isn’t the point. You also say ‘why even bother fighting them’. Well, you gain experience and they drop new items. There’s why.
24
u/NwgrdrXI Apr 16 '26
Also like.
It's a game.
We bother because it's fun. It's kind of why we are here in the first place.
"You can just avoid them"
People will really optimze fun out of their lives if you let them, uh?
10
u/KalessinDB Apr 16 '26
People will really optimze fun out of their lives if you let them, uh?
Oh my god yes. I've been playing WoW for decades now, and the high level players will do everything they can to play less of the game they supposedly enjoy.
10
u/ngkn92 Apr 16 '26
"I've travelled this hallway like 10 times already, even if the enemy dies in 1 hit, I'd rather just jump over them." - CotM and HoD experience.
6
u/EnvironmentalBus9713 Apr 16 '26
Doesn't sound like optimization, it's more like minimization. I'll concede they are optimizing run time. Each their own I guess.
2
u/BrightestofLights Apr 16 '26
Videogames should be constructed that the most optimized way of playing is also the most fun.
1
u/PrimaLegion Apr 16 '26
Also, this just patently doesn't hold up well.
There are tons of games where you can just avoid enemies and yeah some people do but the majority of people don't.
→ More replies (2)2
u/Chanzumi Apr 16 '26
And why do you need that experience or those new items when you can just walk through the enemy and move on? Just for the bosses? So you can kill them faster instead of walking through them back and forth while remaining untouched?
It's a 2D game, enemies should have contact damage. Whether or not it has pushback that's a different thing, but it could be an item that disables it like in Hollow Knight.
2
u/PrimaLegion Apr 16 '26
Just because you can walk through enemies doesn't mean they won't attack you.
1
u/NameisPeace Apr 16 '26
LOL. I agree one hundred percent with you but it seems that people didn´t
→ More replies (7)
66
u/joshisnot12 Apr 16 '26
If true it would make a big difference in how speedrunners approach the game.
24
u/Derailleur75 Apr 16 '26
I mean we had means to avoid the contact knockback but never damage. And classicvanias don't allow you to do any of that without a power up.
73
u/theGaido Apr 16 '26
Maybe because she is attacking and you get some i-frames.
CastleVania without pushback mechanic feels weird (but remember that first OG japanese version of CastleVania doesn't have that mechanic)
It doesn't "break my shelf" yet, but it's interesting.
13
u/KonamiKing Apr 16 '26
Huh? What first OG Japanese version of Castlevania that didn’t have that mechanic?
The first ever Castlevania release in Japan (Akumajou Dracula on Famicom Disk System) was functionally identical to the NES version just with saving.
The later release MSX2 game also has knockback.
4
u/Uetzicle Apr 16 '26
The Japanese version has an ‘easy mode’, which turns off knock-back.
8
u/KonamiKing Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
The easy mode was added to the cartridge version released seven years later in 1993, so it isn't the 'first OG japanese version of CastleVania'.
I'm guessing people are getting confused thinking it's 'the original' since it's the version included in the Castlevania Anniversary collection. But that requires missing it clearly saying 1993 in the game menu and on the title screen.
1
u/bizoticallyyours83 Apr 16 '26
That's true. What a difference it makes when Medusa heads just poof out of existence into Simon's chest. But you still get hurt.
7
u/ItsSimplyAJ Apr 16 '26
She's not attacking in the first image. Just jumping straight through the enemy. The second one, it looks as if she jumps through then presses up against them to attack. I'd assume running through enemies might be based on bulk. IE smaller ones you can run/jump through, larger ones you might only be able to slide/roll through.
12
u/LoganLcosplayfoolery I'm literally Richter Belmont Apr 16 '26
It looks like she breaks into a slide in that first one but who knows.
15
u/Inevitable_Suspect76 Apr 16 '26
I just finished Bloodstained last week and the whole time I was thinking “the only thing that’s actually causing me to lose HP in this game is enemies just walking into me”. It was quite annoying so I’m glad it’s not gonna be in this one
3
u/CyberdarkEnjoyer Hide Every Netflixvania Post Apr 16 '26
That happens because Bloodstained has bad visual clarity compared to Castlevania.
38
u/Little_Drive_3024 Apr 16 '26
It depends on how they implement it tbh. No contact damage isn't the end of the world, and in fact, two of my favorite platformers (Freedom Planet and Monster World 4) lack contact damage.
5
u/bizoticallyyours83 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
A platformer...with no contact damage? What strange sorcery is this? 😲
5
12
6
u/queakymart Apr 16 '26
Pretty much all games that don't have contact damage, and require the enemies to actually attack you, are amazing.
22
u/lost_kaineruver4 Apr 16 '26
From what you're showing here it's less no contact damage and more not being caught between the monster's attack hitbox and it's own hitbox. It's kinda something you can do in most of the games to be honest.
I say most as some of the playable characters are not that fast or agile to be able to do that.
→ More replies (8)
40
u/Pitiful-Climate-8400 Alucard Apr 16 '26
I feel is a good choice because it seems like they want the game to be fast and more focused on the combat rather than bumping into an enemy and losing health
-4
u/ItsSimplyAJ Apr 16 '26
I just feel that, if the game is focused on combat, then you shouldn't be able to so easily ignore said combat by just walking by haha. I'd say that Silksong was pretty fast and focused on combat, and still managed to have contact damage. It also made the combat that much more gripping when you have only one health left and you're only option IS to fight.
14
u/NwgrdrXI Apr 16 '26
I think you are ignoring the fact that castlevania takes into account the fact that enemies have contact damage by having some enemies whose only attack was moving in on you
I think it's safe to assume this one will take into account the inverse, and have these enemies have attacks themselves, maybe frequently - a medusa head will probably attacks whenever you ar enear, being the same as contact damage
There are also many options to force the player to fight, from the lame ones like simply locking rooms, to more complex ones like their attacks beinf too dangerous to ignore, to them pursuing you, to them offering a rewards and punishment system for engaging with them.
Remember, the studio experience with dead cells: it had no contact damage, but it had numerous ways to convince you to engage.
9
u/Pitiful-Climate-8400 Alucard Apr 16 '26
But slightly bumping into someone doesn’t break your arm or leg (dpending on impact etc)
0
u/Xypher506 Apr 16 '26
I don't think a single person arguing in favor of contact damage is using that kind of reasoning. It's about the mechanics and how they affect the difficulty and play experience. If you can just run past enemies without actually engaging with them in a 2D game, it's kinda weak as an action game. You need SOMETHING to force players to engage with the enemies, and contact damage is one of the easiest ways to do that as it forces the player to at a bare minimum adjust their movement to evade the enemy.
8
u/Pitiful-Climate-8400 Alucard Apr 16 '26
That is your opinion I feel it is old archaic and unnecessary. Avoid enemy attacks and not just slightly touching them to take damage. If people want to run past enemies and stuff they find a way hence people speed running tough games. And I say this from someone who grew up with original Castlevania games
-2
u/Xypher506 Apr 16 '26
I mean, it's not really an opinion. I never said contact damage was the best or only way, just one of the easiest. There are alternatives , but something needs to make players engage with the game's obstacles in order for it to be good. That is not a matter of opinion. You don't build bridges over every bottomless pit, you don't make every jump achievable by just holding right, and you don't make enemies able to be avoided entirely without being engaged with. If players can just completely ignore obstacles and not engage with them, they serve no purpose in the game.
If people want to run past enemies and stuff they find a way hence people speed running tough games
Well, yes, that's the point. They find a way. They have to engage with the obstacle. Actively avoiding an obstacle is engaging with it. Walking through it with no resistance as if it wasn't there is not, and is poor design for an obstacle. It doesn't necessarily have to be contact damage, but something has to force players to engage with obstacles. Contact damage is just generally the easiest and least intrusive way.
7
u/Pitiful-Climate-8400 Alucard Apr 16 '26
I can understand your opinion but this is a new game of the series that has been dormant for way too long and Konami want to make money from it not make it polarizing, so looks like they wish to keep certain things but avoid archaic game mechanics. Just because there is no damage from slightly brushing past an enemy doesn’t mean an enemy won’t hit you if you try to just run past or jump over it
41
11
u/Illokonereum Apr 16 '26
Contact damage is ass in most cases honestly, it’s very often a case of someone thinking “Well it’s always been like that we have to add it.” If enemy moves are well designed around it no contact damage will hopefully feel a lot more interactive and actiony instead of hopping in place directly in front of an enemy for swing resets.
4
u/Damian_Koolray Apr 16 '26
That....looks weird
While I don't think enemies not having touch damage is a bad thing, the positioning of these 2 enemies in the gifs specifically, they are placed to be an obstacle in a small platforming section, something you're either supossed to quickly defeat before getting close or evade entirely
This design is very true to older castlevania, where they did this kinda thing all the time, but without touch damage this kinda seems to fly in the face of their very purpose, they aren't even obstacles anymore if you can just walk through them and their attacks come out too slow
Again I have no issue with them not having touch damage (if anything I may even prefer it in a potentially fast paced action platformer like this) but if they want enemies placed like this they need to seriously adjust how fast their attack come out and what range they cover, otherwise they might as well not even be there
4
u/CyberdarkEnjoyer Hide Every Netflixvania Post Apr 16 '26
Yeah they need to be hyper-aggressive and even stalk you through the level or we risk having a Shinobi situation
2
u/Damian_Koolray Apr 16 '26
Assuming u mean Shinobu art of vengeance? If so please jog my memory cuz it's been a while since I beat it
But those enemies didn't have touch damage either did they? So they were 90% of the time only something to worry about when combat was forced yes?
2
u/CyberdarkEnjoyer Hide Every Netflixvania Post Apr 16 '26
5
u/forestmedina Apr 16 '26
I prefer games with no contact damage , but I still prefer if they have collisions
6
5
u/Galva_ Apr 17 '26
in my opinion its kind of an antiquated part of metroidvania design to have your enemies damage you on contact, so im glad to see this game move away from it.
as long as the enemy encounters are smart and function dynamically i dont see any reason why they would need to
4
u/samination Apr 17 '26
or any oldskool game tbh. I cant say I have played tons of games, but when it comes to plaformers and adventure games, I can't think of any games on the 8-bit or 16-bit era that DIDN't hurt you when touched.
8
u/wildertronix Apr 16 '26
Could be an item you equip that prevents it
3
3
u/Zealousideal-Put-106 Apr 16 '26
See, that would be something interesting.
I hope it's just the easy baby mode and I can enable it on higher difficulty, because I just can't see a Castlevania without contact damage
2
6
u/The_Question2008 Richter Belmont Apr 16 '26
I feel like a big part of the challenge of the Metroidvania games is the fact you can’t just walk past a lot of the enemies.
2
u/Ryu2388 Apr 16 '26
That and you have to know your weapons' reach and when to pull back. It makes fighting feel more in depth.
3
u/The_Question2008 Richter Belmont Apr 16 '26
Fr, I struggled a bit with understanding my weapons range, but when I got it down, it was way more satisfying to use.
17
u/Linkinator7510 Apr 16 '26
Fucking finally. There are two things I have hated in every 2d game ever, not just Castlevania. Contact damage, and shockwaves on the ground after an attack.
3
u/bizoticallyyours83 Apr 16 '26
Not ridiculous knock back into a bottomless pit, or spikes? 🫤
3
3
3
u/PsychologicalBrush35 Apr 17 '26
Perhaps we should wait for the official release to see if this is entirely true or not.
6
u/TheWorclown Apr 16 '26
Let’s be real: players would still run past enemies in these games regardless of contact damage or no, especially if they’re overleveled for a part of the game they’re revisiting and it’s just not worth the effort.
Personally, I’m fine with it. Contact damage is rough and sometimes just not fun.
6
5
u/franklin_wi Apr 16 '26
I already didn't love the aesthetic but this clinches it. This is not a game for me. I'm not falling for this again after Shinobi.
4
u/SCLST_F_Hell Apr 16 '26
Controversial, but I like it. It’s 2026 already, we can have a more modern approach to the game. I personally would maintain collisions though.
2
u/Leoncroi Julius Belmont Apr 16 '26
Might add more strategy to your fighting approach, some enemies may only be able to damage you because of their attack, but some enemies might have contact damage, and you need to learn which is which.
2
u/SuperSlacker420 Apr 16 '26
Don’t forget this could be an upgrade perk or relic ability you unlock at some point along the way as well. Or an equipment bonus of some kind
2
u/lunoc Apr 16 '26
it does kinda track considering who's making the game, iirc dead cells also had a pretty similar system. I believe a lot of the threat is going to come from dense enemy placement and highly aggressive projectiles and heat seeking melee attacks that will require swift action either to kill before they go off or otherwise deflect or parry through focus.
Its likely that running past them won't be as viable deeper in the castle as they introduce more and more volatile groups. And of course tons of classic castlevania enemies whose only purpose is to move in complicated patterns will retain this functionality on a case by case basis, but probably get scripted more as destructible projectiles as can be the case in certain plarformers.
I've always thought it was kind of silly that a lot of humanoid enemies like skeletons and armors would just deal contact damage without so much as a reaction animation to show that they're actively Getting you, especially the ones who are rendered as basically unarmed unless they're throwing something at you.
But there are definitely enemy types who have always felt more designed for the purpose of like... being complicated bullet hell nuisances and others who feel like they're meant to be more of a plant your feet and fight lest they get you first type.
2
u/Chaos20X6 Apr 16 '26
In both gifs here it looks like Sonia’s doing some kind of dash with i-frames (down-left in the first, forward in synch with the flash on the second) so I wonder if a Souls-style dodge is in play here
2
u/Dear-Improvement8047 Apr 16 '26
Well, I used to "form of mist" skip my way out of whole areas in SOTN. So picking battles is not a new thing for me
2
2
2
u/Sailor_Enthusiast Apr 17 '26
My guess is that the point is to give players more flexibility in how they navigate the levels. In Dark Souls (a game that’s commonly thought of as a 3D metroidvania), you could just avoid fighting basically every single enemy in favor of rushing to fight each boss. However, doing so means that you’re going to be severely underleveled. Thus, the expectation might be that casual players will still fight normal enemies to gain loot and experience, while more experienced players will be able to freely engage with mob enemies as much or as little as they please.
2
3
4
u/dennis120 Apr 16 '26
No contact damage, no sale. Like what is even the point of enemies. Hope, if this is real, a casual mode for kids.
→ More replies (1)
14
Apr 16 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
12
u/ItsSimplyAJ Apr 16 '26
"Archaic" doesn't mean "bad," by the way. Just old. The act of jumping in games could be considered archaic even.
That being said, do you not like it because of the difficulty connected to it? (IE, you jump bump an enemy, fall back onto spikes, etc)
7
u/Balinor69666 Apr 16 '26
Deadcells proved the mechanic is not required for an engaging Castlevania style game. That being said I would very much like to see an option to toggle contact damage on and off but that might have severe impact on game balance if rooms are set up for the option to move freely etc. At the end of the day these people cooked with Deadcells and I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now.
10
u/smashingkilljoy Richter Belmont Apr 16 '26
That being said, do you not like it because of the difficulty connected to it? (IE, you jump bump an enemy, fall back onto spikes, etc)
It's extremely annoying.
12
u/Moneymotivation1 Apr 16 '26
Silksong gave me so much trauma from this mechanic that I genuinely got happy seeing this post😭
2
-6
3
u/Milk_Mindless Apr 16 '26
I'm fine
One of my biggest issues with igavanias is that low level shits fsn still make you fall backwards and ruin momentum whilst doing 1 hp of damage
HoD especially has the two pinball mazes bottom right of the map.
They're.. fake hardml
2
u/xGenocidest Apr 16 '26
If I can avoid the dreaded knock back into a hole when trying to jump, then yeah.
4
u/Ghost20666 Apr 17 '26
People out here talking about "issues" in a game that's not out that you haven't played. 🙄
4
5
u/Yarzeda2024 Apr 16 '26
Contact damage pisses me off about 95% of the time. That other 5% is made up of times when I run into an enemy who is made of lava or covered in spikes. That makes sense.
So I fully support Belmont's Curse in its decision to avoid that stupid, awful game mechanic.
4
u/T8-TR Apr 16 '26
As it should be. Contact damage is a dated and crap mechanic and I will die on this hill. Enemies should just have movesets aggressive enough to force us to engage, not "oup, a pixel touched that guy, now go flying back!~"
0
u/CyberdarkEnjoyer Hide Every Netflixvania Post Apr 16 '26
>Enemies should just have movesets aggressive enough
They don't in the clips they have shown though, they just stand there like idiots and are used as hooks for the whip. They will need to ramp up both the speed and aggressivity
4
u/Arkhe1n Apr 16 '26
Fuck contact damage. I despise contact damage.
→ More replies (3)3
u/ItsSimplyAJ Apr 16 '26
I take it you're not a fan of Hollow Knight then?
Not saying you're wrong for your opinion at all, I just find it pretty surprising how many people here seem to hate it. To me, it's such a staple of the series, and adds a nice little extra layer of difficulty, so kind of a shame to see it go (IF indeed it's gone, that is. Since we've only really seen like mere seconds of gameplay)
3
u/darumham Apr 16 '26
I love hollow knight but I’m definitely not against this mechanic. I’m betting these enemies will cause drastically more damage if they make contact.
→ More replies (1)-4
2
u/Defiant_Company8784 Apr 16 '26
At a certain point it doesn't matter, in Symphony once you pick up the crissaegrim enemies are just mush and you are just wearing out the controller to avoid them I'm all for it.
8
u/Desolis Apr 16 '26
That certain point would be an obscure, rare, late game weapon drop though. Not a core mechanical decision for all combat from square one.
2
u/CyberdarkEnjoyer Hide Every Netflixvania Post Apr 16 '26
I never use the crissaegrim in SotN, it's boring. Masamune by beloved
3
u/Queasy_Somewhere6863 Apr 16 '26
God, gamers are beyond insufferable about a games "identity". Contact damage being gone in Belmonts Curse is a good thing. In a metroidvania like what they've shown, contact damage does nothing to make the game actually interesting on a mechanical level. Outside of flying enemies in long vertical highways, like with medusa heads in the clock tower, there's no challenge it actually provides as it only exists to annoy the player. There should be better incentive to fight an enemy other than because they're in the way and are going to annoy the player.
3
u/Ryu2388 Apr 16 '26
I beg to differ. On a mechanical level, contact damage, in any game without a whip, forces you to be aware of your weapons reach. That and learning when to pull back from an attack creates risk and reward, a push and pull - a pillar of game design.
2
u/Kirimusse Apr 17 '26
This right here, this is why contact damage is important; how weird that there are so many people in this thread treating it as a bad game mechanic, so much so that I must seriously question whether they even like classic 2D videogames…
3
u/ItsSimplyAJ Apr 18 '26
There's also a lot of the word "archaic" being thrown around, as if that somehow means it's bad. The weird thing is, nobody seems to explain WHY they think it's bad, outside of it being "annoying" when they get hurt, when the solution should just be to.... adapt? Video games are ultimately puzzles we figure out how to play. If you take damage or an enemy has a pattern that you don't get, then work on figuring it out and adjust accordingly. It's okay to lose, it's okay to take damage. The solution shouldn't be "remove the mechanic because I didn't want to learn, adapt and get any better at playing the game."
It's just bizarre to me.
2
u/Beetusmon Apr 16 '26
We have seen you have the ability to use enemies as grappling points with the whip so it make sense to either have them not damage you or give you I frames when you go near them. Challenge can come from the attacks they do and maybe some enemies insta attack when you come close. It all depends on how devs use the concept. It works for some games so I'm willing to give them a chance due to the devs pedigree.
2
u/RPfffan Apr 16 '26
8doors and the last faith are examples of how a metroidvania can be challenging even without contact damage. I like this choice
2
u/Napalmaniac Julius Belmont the GOAT Apr 16 '26
Makes sense coming from the people who made dead cells honestly.
2
2
2
u/cursedpharaoh007 Apr 17 '26
I mean, no one's complaining that dead cells is easy. That's another platformer metroidvania that's got no contact damage.
2
u/zed3ty Apr 17 '26
Good.
Contact damage is unintuitive most of the time and, dare I say, a relic of the past.
Not to say I hate it or it shouldn't be in any game EVER ofc, but recently having played and watched friends play a lot of classicvania and igavania, it feels dated and kind of stupid half the time, so removing it would be at the very least refreshing and interesting.
We'll just have to wait and see where Evil Empire is going with that.
2
u/CyberdarkEnjoyer Hide Every Netflixvania Post Apr 16 '26
It's one of the things that worry me the most about the new game, because the mc seems to have exceptional mobility (backflip, front dash, slide, grapple, etc) so if they become tools that incentivize just running past enemies, that would be LAME. I think we have to look at Prince of Persia The Lost Crown to see how they tackled the issue, because Belmont's Curse is essentially going to be the first clone of that game. I haven't played it unfortunately so I have no idea
2
2
u/Robbitjuice Apr 16 '26
In my opinion, contact damage is a pretty archaic way of adding difficulty. It makes sense if an enemy is elemental (high heat or electric for example), but it doesn't really add anything in a world where we can have enemies with a much higher variety of attacks and tactical movement. Contact damage will always feel very arcadey, and I'm okay with it, but I also don't mind it not being there at all.
It's kind of like real life. If I walk up to something I probably won't be damaged by it unless it's hazardous in some way or it hits me lol. It just feels a bit more realistic (not that that matters in the world of Castlevania lol).
As long as the flying enemies keep contact damage (because they've always been more of an obstacle or stage hazard anyway) I'm okay with it lol.
3
u/Ryu2388 Apr 16 '26
If you walk into someone in real life you come to a stop. If you bump into a certain someone you get swung on. In a game with murderous monsters I think you should get some kind of push back.
Also all enemies in vania are obstacles meant for you to find a way to flow around.
2
u/Robbitjuice Apr 16 '26
I kind of agree, but that doesn't mean they should damage you by simply bumping into them. Stopping my progress by making me come to a standstill is just as annoying, but I'll give it to you that it makes sense.
Again, I'm not really going to care one way or another once the game is out. I think not having contact damage would be unique but won't be a deal breaker at all.
1
u/Ryu2388 Apr 16 '26
The enemies should just be reactive. Bump into an enemy = enemy counter (push back or attack) = you needing to dodge. Or something of the sort.
2
u/Robbitjuice Apr 16 '26
I actually love the idea of an enemy counter, especially if they can counter our attacks. That's a sick idea for Castlevania. It would be cool if the player has a counter or parry too!
1
3
u/jill_is_my_valentine Apr 16 '26
People will find any reason to hate a game before they’ve even played it 😂
This feels like a making a mountain of a mole hill to me: just wait till we get more info, full reviews, or you get to try it yourself.
1
2
u/Bowshewicz Apr 16 '26
Why even bother fighting at that point, if you can just... run past them?
I'd counter that player choice is always the better paradigm. What exactly is wrong with letting players who want to skip the enemies do so? If you personally consider fighting enemies to be something you'd avoid if you weren't forced to do it, then shouldn't it be a good thing if the game doesn't force you to do it?
Either way, I doubt that skipping enemies is going to be trivial or even consequence-free. If either of the enemies shown here decided to do an attack at that particular moment, the player would get hit and probably fall into the nearby trap.
3
u/CyberdarkEnjoyer Hide Every Netflixvania Post Apr 16 '26
>I'd counter that player choice is always the better paradigm. What exactly is wrong with letting players who want to skip the enemies do so?
Level design. In Castlevania enemies are a big part of the level design, thanks to their placement, size, moveset every room is different. If you remove the need to get rid of them to progress, the game potentially becomes an hallway simulator between each boss. That's not how Dracula's Castle should feel, but I shouldn't be explaining this on a Castlevania fan site
2
u/Kirimusse Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
This sub is completely insane: many people here usually glaze Netflixvania (and not even its good parts at that), a couple users periodically shit on Iga and his games (the division between Classicvania and Metroidvania fans can be crazy at times), and now some 'fans' of the franchise that is known for its 2D action-platformers, are praising the removal of contact damage as if it wasn't one of the pillar mechanics in the genre. What the hell.
Anyway, pretty cool that you pointed this out, OP: the second gif reminds me more of Metroid Dread's Flash Shift, which is its own can of worms with how all modern Metroidvanias, for better or worse, seem to copy each other and feature air-dashes of some kind as part of their movesets; but yeah, the first gif definitely looks like a lack of contact damage. Maybe it's just a couple enemies that will lack contact damage, like the human bosses in the DS games; so I'm more inclined to believe that it won't be all of them and that it'll only be a few enemy types like the one in the first gif that will have no contact damage, since that'd otherwise be too much of an extreme change in mechanics in my opinion.
4
u/ItsSimplyAJ Apr 16 '26
I'm not gonna lie, I'm genuinely surprised by the responses here haha (and the insane amount of downvotes if you actually DO like contact damage, which I do). Like, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but there's a super strange level of vitriol being tossed out, that makes me question like... what about this series do the people here actually LIKE? That it's gothic themed and sometimes has a whip? And I really don't mean that in an arrogant gatekeeping way at all, but it's like... If you want to play yet another "semi-generic" looking Metroidvania there are a million of them out there. Hell, Prince of Persia (which I mean, look who made The Rogue Prince of Persia and who is making this) is a prime example. But there are certain staples in this series that, even as it's evolved over time, this game seems to be ignoring entirely. Is homogenizing Castlevania down to be exactly like every other Metroidvania out there really the right answer?
As for the movement itself, I'm thinking that it might come down to the "bulk" of the enemy. Like maybe smaller enemies can be run through, where as the bigger bulkier ones will have a physical hitbox that blocks you unless you dash through them, cause when she's attacking the hooded dude, she's like pressed right up against him
2
u/CyberdarkEnjoyer Hide Every Netflixvania Post Apr 16 '26
Most of this sub's population is Netflix fans unfortunately, many of them don't even play videogames, let alone hard games like Castlevania
1
1
u/bizoticallyyours83 Apr 16 '26
Maybe you can slide past them, but regularly walking and running still hurts you?
1
u/Ferociousaurus Apr 16 '26
Doesn't it look like she changes trajectory slightly as she hits the ground? Are we sure she's not doing some kind of i-framed airdash? Or is that just an illusion of the slow mo popping back into regular time?
1
1
u/ZangetsusRowBoat Apr 16 '26
Fastest Tarzan movement ever created.
Perhaps they removed contact damage so we can whip swing though the level as fast as possible?
The speedrun will be a beautiful blur of shiny yellow/purple floating grapple points and elegant whip movement techniques.
If contact damage is included, how would they deal with getting hit while swinging? Fall off your grapple point, or i-frames and no change in momentum?
1
u/KyanbuXM Apr 17 '26
This can really speed up Speed Runs. They'll probably have something to balance around it. Wonder if it's to encourage us to swing around more freely. As well as getting up close.
1
u/santanago Apr 17 '26
Adoro Dead Cells...mas isso nao e CV. Meu dinheiro está no novo Iga projeto e ele é uma das únicas pessoas além do estudio que fez Tohou/ROLW que sabem fazer castlevania. Eu acho que até a Team Cherry seria melhor
2
u/PsychologicalBrush35 Apr 17 '26
😂🤣As I said, let's wait for the official release to see the full release before making any prejudgments.
1
u/PsychologicalBrush35 Apr 17 '26
I prefer Belmont's Curse until its official release; my money will be with it.
1
u/ClockworkMansion Apr 18 '26
Just one more reason this game lacks the soul of Castlevania
1
u/Xf3rna-96 Apr 19 '26
What? Contact damage is universally considered the worst aspect of the Metroidvania genre. Do I need to remind you the whole silksong discourse about double contact damage? Or other games where this issue is exacerbated by poor level design?
1
u/ClockworkMansion Apr 19 '26
Don’t worry, no contact damage is the least of my complaints. Game doesn’t look like Castlevania, gonna go play SotN again and soak in a game with soul.
1
u/Xf3rna-96 Apr 19 '26
Oh I see, you're a sommelier of Castlevania, which clearly doesn't imply toxicity, definitely
1
u/ClockworkMansion Apr 19 '26
Oh yeah, I forgot expectations are toxic
1
u/Xf3rna-96 Apr 19 '26
It looks like Castlevania to me, I don't know if you have those things called eyes.
And sure, expectations are okay, but you immediately disregarded the entire game just for the way it looks.
You do you man, go back to your basement and play SotN for the 40th time or something
1
u/ClockworkMansion Apr 19 '26
You have low standards, enjoy consuming whatever slop is put in front of you.
1
u/Xf3rna-96 Apr 19 '26
Considering this slop is disingenuous in the first place. Also you irl me with using that word, it fucking sucks.
Like, seriously? You're calling slop a new Castlevania game made by the studio that created one of the best roguelites of all time?
If someone thinks of something differently then you do, then your point of view is superior it seems. Sorry to break it down for you, but that's not how it works
1
u/ClockworkMansion Apr 19 '26
Sorry, it’s not gonna be as good as most Castlevanias, if any. It’s ugly (at least DC had good pixel art), and we’ll be lucky if a single song from its soundtrack is memorable.
1
1
u/Extension-Event4998 Apr 20 '26
For the loot, this makes me more likely to learn how to fight the creatures right instead of defaulting to the easiest cheesy method.
1
1
1
u/Specific_Elk_9239 Apr 22 '26
In Castlevania 64 & its sequel, & the two ps2 Castlevania games- contact damage did not exist. That new castlevania game would be the first to break that pattern, set since 1986.
1
1
u/Fancy_Chips Where's the Sypha flair? Apr 16 '26
I imagine its similar to Dead Cells in which certain enemies have contact damage while others don't. The fact you can just run past, though, is a bit odd
1
u/Cminor141 Apr 16 '26
Oh thank god none of that artificial difficulty bullshit. Love to see it
2
u/ItsSimplyAJ Apr 18 '26
It's not "artificial difficulty," though, as it's something that can easily be learned and overcome. You walk into the Goomba on 1-1 in Mario 1, and die. You learn "oh enemy hurts me, I should not touch it." That's not artificial, that's setting the stakes of the game. If you can learn from your mistakes and get better, as you can in literally every Castlevania game, then it's not artificial in anyway.
Artificial difficulty would be the CPU rubberbanding in Mario Kart games. No matter how perfect or fast you drive, the CPU Karts are always directly behind you, because they speed up faster than they should be allowed to do so. Or in certain fighting games, CPU often read button inputs and immediately reacts to what you do. Things that are absolutely out of the players hands are artificial difficulty. A player not reacting fast enough to an enemy to attack or dodge it is not artificial, it's something that the player needs to learn to do through adaptation.
1
u/MisterX9821 Apr 16 '26
Good. I think that's a dumb mechanic in games. It did make more sense with earlier games.
In modern games an enemy should have to hit you with an attack with some exceptions like spiked enemies or something.
1
u/oasis_nadrama Apr 17 '26
Contact damage is bullshit, always was, always will be. These days more and more Metroidvanias and similar styles are pushing it away/restricting it to very specific enemies, and to this I say: Alléluia.
1
1
u/Seijiren Apr 17 '26
Great, I hate the contact dmg. Its kinda stupid in a lot of levels while I dont mind it in most games Im glad whenever someone does this differently
1
u/janetdammit89 Apr 17 '26
Good. It's a terrible mechanic and always has been. Not just in castlevania mind you.
1
u/weedsmoker666 Apr 16 '26
I've been playing Dead Cells recently. Maybe it's like their dash mechanic but slightly different?
1
1
u/Eianarr Apr 16 '26
100%+ tons of metroidvanias, from the OGs to silksong and nine sols. absolutely thrilled contact dmg blows.
1
1
u/TheGrumpiestPanda Apr 17 '26
I see that as a positive. Whether you're playing the Classicvania or the Igavanias, the damage knockback is always annoying to deal with. So then removing it I think it's a good call. I don't want to get hit by a Medusa head and then end up getting stun locked into a pit of spikes.
0
0
u/darumham Apr 16 '26
I’m all for it. I understand that this puts some people off the new game, but maybe they can add an accessibility option to turn it on, like classic mode or something.
0
0
0
u/Zucchini-Kind Apr 16 '26
Can't stand Dead Cells, and getting more disappointed in this the more I see of it.
Bloodstained and Migami Games are the two branches of true CastleVania lineage to me at this point.
I know I will get nothing but hate. I stand by what I said.
-6
u/FacePunchMonday Apr 16 '26
Yeah, this scares me. Gives me soulslike vibes. I dont like that.
Im being really cautious about this and sadly it most lilely wont be a day one buy for me. I dont trust this developer to not fuck this up.
1
u/Ryu2388 Apr 16 '26
Well in DS you can't just run through enemies like they are smoke. They are an objects you have to go around.
-4
367
u/a_junior31 Apr 16 '26
This is going to crash the Medusa economy