During this year’s media hour at PAX West, I stopped by the Konami booth to try the twenty-minute demo of Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. As a big fan of the Castlevania franchise, and metroidvanias in general, I couldn’t wait to check out this latest iteration. Let me tell you: I was not disappointed.

The demo drops players into a ravaged and blood-soaked section of medieval Paris (clearly an early area in the game), where players control Rose Belmont, daughter of the legendary Trevor Belmont. From here the demo walks players through a tutorial of basic fighting and navigation moves before launching them into a mini-boss fight against a creature called “The Fallen,” a relatively easy foe that charges, smashes the ground, and swings from the rafters. After players defeat him, his spirit becomes trapped by Rose, giving her new powers (and likely other buffs later in the game). The Fallen shares with Rose that he can’t remember much of who he used to be, but that he knows he slaughtered innocents for their souls and was forced into doing evil.

From there, players are tasked with finding and killing two other mini-bosses, who give players keys that will unlock the door that presumably leaves the demo area. While I didn’t get time to finish, I enjoyed exploring, unlocking several character upgrades, and Belmont’s Cestus Gauntlets, which were part of the seven family weapons available to players.

The fighting and navigation felt incredibly smooth, on par with The Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (one of my all-time favorites in the genre). I think Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse has the potential to become my new favorite. Using Rose’s whip to navigate spike-filled, acid-dripping hallways, and lashing onto enemies to pull Rose up to platforms felt riveting, silky smooth, and entertaining. I can’t wait to see how the game adds complexity to these basic mechanics, because the potential is high.

What impacted me the most from my playthrough, however, was the sound design and background animation. The sounds of combat, the creaking decay of the environment, and absolutely EPIC music immersed me in the game in a way I wouldn’t have thought possible for a twenty-minute demo. I was ready to run through a wall for Rose Belmont and felt like I was in a peak battle from the Castlevania Netflix show, despite being in the tutorial area of the game. I cannot wait to discover the rest of Belmont’s Curse. Similarly, the subtle yet busy background animations made me feel like I was fighting through a real location while never feeling distracted from the battle in front me. Flames, environmental effects like wind, fleeing denizens and monsters in the city all brought the environment to life. The designers built on the success of forebears in the genre while raising expectations.

At the end of my time with the demo, I was rewarded with a Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse tarot card, an ode to the in-game collectables that give Rose new abilities. What a gorgeous keepsake for a game with such engaging gameplay, art, and music. This will be a day-one purchase for me.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse releases October 15, 2026 on all major platforms. For more information on the game, visit Konami here.

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Featured Image: Konami