The 5 superb Castlevania: Belmont's Curse features that'll make this throwback an all-timer

Castlevania is one of my favourite classic franchises of all-time, which is why I'm over the moon to say Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse already strikes me as an all-time great entry in the series.

After a decade-long hiatus, Castlevania is back in the land of the living, though in many ways it never left. We’ve had some collaborations and retro collections, but in terms of brand-new gaming entries, it’s been a long dry spell.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse feels like a strong return to form for more reasons than one, and Konami chose the best team for the job with Evil Empire. Below are five highlights from my Gamescom preview that, in my opinion, prove Castlevania’s best years aren’t behind it.

Tying back to Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

In Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, you play as Rose Belmont, the daughter of Trevor Belmont who debuted in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.

Rose is a young, but experienced, monster-hunter who’s keen to prove herself, and finds ample opportunity in the ruins of Paris. The city is rife with monsters as Dracula has once again risen from the dead, and it’s up to Rose and her father to put an end to this fresh nightmare.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse has a bold new take on spellcasting

While the Belmonts are physically well-equipped for just about any threat, they’ve been known to take advantage of more supernatural means of monster-slaying.

In this new game, Rose will cycle through a deck of tarot cards that her mother left behind, with each card granting her a unique and powerful ability.

To draw out the power of your deck, you’ll need to slay bosses. When one has been put down, its soul will be consumed by one of the cards and grant you one of its useful abilities, which is how I acquired the whip in my hands-on session. These abilities are more than just useful on the path ahead; they’re also integral for back-tracking and uncovering treasures you otherwise missed.

Living up to its namesake as a metroidvania

On the topic of back-tracking, it wouldn’t be a Castlevania game without an enormous map with several nooks and crannies to explore.

I’m thrilled this part of the series’ DNA has remained intact, especially after Metroid Prime 4: Beyond embraced a far more linear method of exploration.

While I only got to check out two areas, there seems to be plenty more stashed away.

Combat as loose as a Castlevania whip

Like I said before, Evil Empire was the right choice for a new Castlevania game, and its work on Dead Souls can be felt in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse.

Combat feels fluid and expressive. Despite giving into my primal instincts and attempting to button-mash my way through most enemies, the game forces you to stay mobile in most encounters. Dodging, sliding, and leaping are among your basic moves, but my options started to vary as I unlocked new gear and spells.

The first boss I faced was a real step-up in difficulty, but the improved combat made the whole thing feel oh so rewarding once that final blow was struck.

Castlevania’s visual makeover is controversial, but it’s grown on me

When the game was first announced I was initially dissuaded by the art style. I’m a sucker for pixel-art and because I have so much love for the classic games in the series, the game’s modern look didn’t appeal to me.

However, after going hands-on with the game for an hour, I can’t lie - it looks fantastic. It’s really grown on me and while everything in the game’s forefront looks top-notch, it’s the background vistas that really sold me.

All in all, I’m very, very excited for Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, and I hope its success leads to many more games in the future.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse launches on October 15 for all platforms, but in the meantime, I’d recommend checking out the below Steam spoof game for a nice, retro homage.