One of the games I got to play during Tokyo Game Show 2026 is Konami’s Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. I have to admit that this is the first time I’ve ever played a Castlevania game, simply because I’m just not into the Metroidvania / platformer genre.
We weren’t allowed to take any videos, only some photos, so you’ll see a lot of Konami-owned assets in this writeup. BUT, I still appreciate the work and dedication in producing a new game in the series, especially in one that has such a long and meaningful history.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse – Story and Premise
In the demo, you play as Rose Belmont, the daughter of infamous vampire killer Trevor Belmont. They take to the streets of 1499 medieval Paris, where creatures lurk and threaten mankind.
Rose Belmont is armed with an arsenal of weapons, including the legendary holy whip, the Vampire Killer. She can also utilize spells and powerful tarot cards inherited from her mother, Sypha Belnades.
There isn’t much story to be told in the demo because you’re immediately thrown into combat and gameplay. And I’m not sure what role Trevor Belmont plays in the game coz I didn’t get to use him.
But if you’re a fan of the Castlevania franchise, or recently inducted into the fandom through the Netflix series, you’ll enjoy hearing all these familiar names.
Gameplay and Combat
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse plays like many of its predecessors – use weapons to kill enemies, avoid enemy attacks and environmental hazards (LOL), go through traversal challenges expected from a platformer game, and fight bosses at the end of a big room to signify the transition to the next area or level. But it has little features that do make it different.
The way that the map layout is made isn’t as stereotypically linear as most side-scrolling games. You can actually mark places in the map to go back to, especially if you’ve already unlocked a new move or special action that lets you access that portion.
Though I can’t tell you if this is new to Belmont’s Curse, or already a feature in previous Castlevania games. Like I said, this is my first game from the franchise, and I’m going into the demo as blind as a bat, LOL.
Anyway, Rose is already a unique character to play. And that sets the game apart from its predecessors. She has different weapons at her disposal, spells to damage foes with, and she also gets power ups depending on her equipped tarot cards.
Spoiler alert – defeating bosses turn them into Arcana, which gives you that boss’s special skill or action to help you on your journey.
In terms of gameplay and combat experience, it was tough for me who isn’t used to the Metroidvania genre. The difficulty level for newbies is definitely there.
I can’t say if the combat system is good or bad, but as expected, enemy and boss movement is telegraphed with visual or audio cues. So, if you have the patience, I don’t think it’ll be too hard to finish the game. That is, if you do have the patience. LOL.
It didn’t feel too clunky to me, the controls felt reactive enough, and Rose’s movement through the map and battles with enemies felt fluid. I did struggle with the boss because I couldn’t figure out how to dodge one of its specific moves and I just wasn’t patient enough to learn the countermove, HAHA.
I think I would have to play the game longer or fully experience it to be a better judge of the combat or battle experience. The demo was just a taste of what you can do as Rose Belmont, and I’m also curious what the Castlevania community will think about the new game. 🙂
Visual and Audio Experience
One thing I really like about Belmont’s curse is the high-definition, gothic visuals it’s got going on. I’m not sure if it’s something that long-time Castlevania fans would like, given that the first games were all pixel graphics. But I really loved it!
I also appreciate the 3D characters against the hand-drawn, artistic backgrounds because it gives the side-scrolling perspective more depth. It looks less flat this way, and for a game where you need to move through different rooms to discover secrets and special items, any kind of visual clue is a good bonus.
It’s hard to judge the BGM of the game because Makuhari Messe during Tokyo Game Show is just really loud.
But I have to commend the creepy vibes that the booth was giving. The red lighting also added to the aesthetics, making it really feel like you’re in the same bloody era as the game.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse TGS 2026 Demo – Final Thoughts
My stance on Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is pretty mixed. I love the game’s goth visuals, the art style, and I’m very interested in the story.
But the platformer / Metroidvania gameplay is what dampens my decision about putting this game on my wish list. This is just me, but I don’t like playing games that I know I’m not good at (or have no patience to get good at), even if it has a banger story and aesthetics that are right up my alley. LOL.
I can’t say if I can reco it to the Castlevania community, too. I have no experience with previous games, and the 20-minute demo doesn’t feel enough to tell you, “OMG, you should get this game on day one!”
However, I feel like this is a game that Castlevania fans should add to their collection somewhere down the line. It feels like a fresh and modern take on the Castlevania franchise, especially with the jazzed-up graphics and new main character in Rose Belmont.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is launching across multiple platforms – Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X | S, and PlayStation 5 on October 15, 2026. A demo, with progress carrying over to the full game, will be released on October 1, 2026.
Much thanks to Konami for giving us a demo slot during Tokyo Game Show 2026. It was really fun, and I hope to play more of their games in the future.
More about Tokyo Game Show 2026 here! Until next time!
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