Bởi Online Games VIP Editorial
·
IGN’s review finds Belmont’s Curse is a fast, modern Castlevania that respects its roots while changing the series’ familiar formula.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is being presented as a new direction for a long-running series rather than a strict recreation of its early-2000s identity. In IGN’s review, Tom Marks says developer Evil Empire has largely succeeded in bringing the 2D franchise into the modern era, while also warning that longtime fans should not expect a completely faithful revival of the older games.
IGN’s review analysis describes a roughly 10-to-15-hour adventure led by Rose Belmont, the daughter of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades. The game combines a familiar battle against Dracula with large, connected zones, map-tracking tools, fast travel, a magical whip, and a shield of light. These additions make exploration more convenient and action more central, but IGN’s account also identifies trade-offs in the story, world design, and sense of place.
This is an analysis of IGN’s published review, not an OnlineGamesVIP hands-on verdict. The supplied review text is also incomplete, ending during its discussion of the whip and hazardous platforming rooms. That limits what can be confirmed about the game’s later abilities, bosses, ending, performance, and overall content beyond the details IGN’s review provides.
According to IGN’s Tom Marks, Belmont’s Curse takes place in Paris approximately 23 years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. Rose is left to investigate what is happening there after Trevor departs, setting up another story in which Dracula returns and a Belmont must stop him. IGN says the adventure eventually moves through Dracula’s castle and other unusual locations.
The central setup is deliberately recognizable. Dracula remains the main threat, the Belmont family legacy remains important, and the story includes enemies and themes associated with Castlevania. However, IGN’s review says the game adds new material around the curse that gives the plot some twists, along with Tarot cards left to Rose by Sypha before her death in childbirth.
IGN’s assessment of Rose is notably positive. Marks describes her as strong-willed and determined to prove herself worthy of her family, while still being impulsive and inexperienced enough to learn from mistakes. The review also emphasizes that Rose is not written as a helpless character waiting for rescue. For players who value a capable protagonist with some personal roughness rather than an already-perfect hero, that characterization sounds like one of the game’s more effective updates.
The supporting cast takes a less conventional form. IGN reports that many of Rose’s interactions occur inside her mind, involving the souls of defeated bosses sealed in her Tarot cards. The review highlights exchanges among The Fallen, Joan of Arc, and Medusa, but says it wanted the other bosses to contribute more often. That structure gives the adventure a supernatural party of sorts, although it does not recreate the feeling of meeting living characters in a dangerous world.
IGN’s review describes a map built from large, self-contained zones that are closer in structure to Super Metroid than to Symphony of the Night. A boss generally oversees each region, while bridges and pathways connect the larger areas. Special ferryman doors eventually provide movement between regions, including sections of Dracula’s castle and other locations.
That layout matters because it suggests a more segmented exploration experience than the continuous castle many players associate with later Castlevania games. This is an interpretation of the structure described by IGN, not a claim that the game abandons interconnected exploration. The review makes clear that blocked routes, movement upgrades, collectibles, and backtracking remain important parts of the experience.
IGN specifically praises modern navigation features that help players manage that backtracking. Each area has a percentage tracker, and the map allows markers to be placed on paths that are blocked or items that can be seen but not reached. For players who regularly lose track of unexplored doors or return to a region after unlocking a new ability, these tools could reduce frustration without removing the need to explore.
The review also identifies a fast-travel system between save rooms in a given region. IGN says Rose can crouch in front of a mirror for several seconds to reach a hub, where another mirror can be selected. Marks calls the feature useful, particularly in a game with substantial exploration and backtracking, but reports that the transition took about 15 seconds before control returned on PS5. That timing is presented as the reviewer’s observation on that platform, not as a confirmed result for every version.
There is a useful design tension here. Modern tracking and fast travel can make a large map easier to read, while the need to revisit blocked paths still preserves the basic rhythm of ability-based exploration. For players who enjoy mapping a world but dislike relying on memory alone, IGN’s description points to a thoughtful quality-of-life package. Players seeking the uncertainty and friction of older Castlevania releases may see the same features as evidence of a softer, more guided approach.
IGN’s review identifies a magical whip and a protective shield of light as Belmont’s Curse’s main distinguishing systems, with the Tarot cards providing additional spells that can be improved. The whip is not limited to traditional attacks. According to Marks, Rose can use it to swing from objects, pull herself toward them, close distance with enemies, and deliver stronger hits when the movement is timed with an attack.
That description gives the combat a more mobile profile than a straightforward side-scrolling fighter. IGN says moving rapidly between enemies and swinging away from a charging minotaur felt satisfying, while some rooms demand precise movement around spikes and other hazards. The review’s account therefore points toward an action system built around positioning and momentum as much as repeated strikes.
The player fit is fairly clear from this emphasis. Someone who wants a fast-paced Castlevania centered on movement, combat encounters, and traversal tools may find the modern design more inviting than a strict recreation of the NES-era formula. Someone primarily looking for the slower, more deliberate feel associated with older entries should approach with more caution, because IGN explicitly frames the game as a different kind of Castlevania.
The Tarot cards also give the adventure an identity that is distinct from earlier series systems. IGN compares this role with older mechanics such as monster soul collection in the Aria games and mix-and-match cards in Circle of the Moon. The supplied review text does not detail every Tarot spell or explain how much variety the system offers, so it is not possible to judge its full depth from the available evidence. It is confirmed that the cards are tied to Rose’s magic and that the abilities can be improved.
For returning fans, the most important question may be whether these systems support the series rather than simply replace it. IGN’s verdict is broadly favorable, but the review does not describe Belmont’s Curse as a museum-piece recreation. The stronger implication is that Evil Empire has used recognizable Castlevania elements as a base for a more contemporary action platformer. That may broaden the game’s appeal, though it also explains why some longtime followers could find the result less familiar than expected.
IGN’s main criticism of the world concerns its lack of ordinary human encounters. The review notes that Rose begins in Paris, even though the city is burning violently, yet there are no open shops or people left to speak with. Marks contrasts that emptiness with the memorable feeling created by character meetings in Symphony of the Night, including the first encounter between Alucard and Maria.
This is more than a complaint about missing side content. In IGN’s reading, living characters helped make older Castlevania settings feel inhabited despite their surrounding death. Belmont’s Curse instead uses conversations with the souls inside Rose’s Tarot cards. The exchanges with Medusa can be amusing, but the review says they do not create the same impression as meeting actual people.
That distinction should help players decide what kind of atmosphere they want. If the appeal is primarily the thrill of moving through hostile spaces and defeating monsters, the unusual inner-circle cast may be enough to add personality between fights. If the appeal includes discovering survivors, allies, merchants, and unexpected relationships, IGN’s criticism suggests that the world may feel more isolated than the series at its best.
IGN also says the plot is enjoyable and includes references for dedicated fans, while making clear that the story is not the reason Marks values Castlevania most. This places the narrative in a supporting role. Players should likely expect the game’s strongest case to rest on Rose’s movement, the whip, the map design, and the action-first structure rather than on a densely populated setting or a story-first campaign.
The supplied catalog includes earlier Castlevania games that provide useful context for Belmont’s Curse’s lineage. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse is the most directly relevant comparison because IGN identifies it as the starting point for the new game’s timeline and its story connection to Trevor and Sypha.
Players interested in the series’ older foundation can also look at Classic NES Series: Castlevania and Castlevania. These catalog entries are relevant as reference points for the traditional Belmont-versus-Dracula setup, although the supplied source does not establish how their exact mechanics compare with Belmont’s Curse.
What IGN confirms, and what remains unknown
IGN’s review confirms a modernized Castlevania built around Rose Belmont, an adventure that lasts approximately 10 to 15 hours, large regional zones, map markers, percentage tracking, mirror-based fast travel, Tarot magic, a magical whip, and a shield of light. It also confirms that Evil Empire is the developer and that the project follows the team’s work on the 2023 Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC.
The review’s reported verdict is that the game largely succeeds, but it is not a blanket endorsement for every kind of Castlevania fan. IGN’s reasoning rests on the strength of the new action and convenience features, Rose’s characterization, and the pleasure of its familiar references. Against that, the review identifies a less populated world and a meaningful distance from the series’ earlier identity.
Several points remain unconfirmed in the supplied record. It does not provide a final score, platform list, release date, pricing information, technical comparison across systems, full boss roster, complete ability list, performance testing beyond the reported PS5 fast-travel wait, or details about post-game content. It also does not establish how extensive the Tarot upgrade paths are or whether the game offers difficulty options and accessibility features.
Those gaps are important for a purchase decision, especially for players weighing a short campaign against replay value or comparing different versions. Based on IGN’s evidence, Belmont’s Curse looks best understood as an evolution of Castlevania’s action and exploration rather than a direct restoration of its past. Whether that change feels refreshing or too far removed from tradition will depend largely on which part of the series a player wants to return to.