# Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse: what players say > The first new 2D Castlevania in years follows Trevor Belmont’s daughter Rose through a burning Paris, and most of its launch-week reviews recommend it despite a rough technical start. Developer: Konami and Evil Empire. Publisher: Konami. Released 15 October. 66% of 2,285 player reviews recommend it (as of 16 October). ## In short Players who enjoy modern metroidvanias have the best time with it, praising the fast combat, the whip and the art. Series fans hoping for another Symphony of the Night are split, and a black screen at launch and stutter on some PCs and Steam Deck drive many of the negative reviews. Most who mention the price find $29.99 fair. ## What players say Players praise the combat, the whip and the art. Launch problems, a divisive soundtrack and a design far from Symphony of the Night lead the complaints. We read these reviews in full on 16 October. - 80 most helpful reviews: 61 positive, 4 mixed, 13 negative, 2 off-topic. - 40 latest reviews: 30 positive, 1 mixed, 9 negative. - **Series fans are split on how much it feels like Castlevania.** Many longtime fans welcome a return that carries the series forward with new ideas. Others find it closer to Dead Cells and Hollow Knight than to Symphony of the Night, and miss hearts, item drops and a shop. - **The combat and the whip win most players over.** Players praise fast, fluid fights, seven distinct weapon types and swinging across rooms on the whip, which several say changes the game once it unlocks after the first boss. Some find the whip’s targeting unreliable, especially with a mouse. - **Launch problems drive many of the negative reviews.** Some players met a black screen on start, mostly with high refresh rate monitors or V-sync turned off, and Konami’s 16 October update improves it without a full fix yet. Others report stutter, frame drops on Steam Deck, few graphics settings and no ultrawide support. - **Most admire the art, and some wanted it darker.** The painterly backgrounds and boss designs draw wide praise. A few miss pixel art or a grimmer gothic look, and some lose track of enemies in the effects during busy fights. - **The soundtrack divides fans.** Some call the music superb. Others miss the bold, melodic themes the series is known for and find many tracks too ambient or repetitive. - **It asks a lot, and the runbacks wear on some.** Most find the bosses fair once their patterns click. The complaints center on long platforming rooms over spikes, trap rooms and save points far from the bosses, which make every death cost a walk back. ## Questions ### Is Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse worth it? Most players say yes. As of 16 October, 66% of 2,285 reviews recommend it. Fans of modern metroidvanias enjoy it most, while players who want another Symphony of the Night are split and some PCs hit a black screen at launch. ### Is Belmont’s Curse like Symphony of the Night? It keeps the castle map, the backtracking and the gear to find, but players find its fast combat, limited healing and demanding platforming closer to Dead Cells and Hollow Knight. Random item drops, hearts and a shop are gone, which some series fans miss. ### Why does Belmont’s Curse show a black screen? Konami says the game may fail to launch with a black screen on high refresh rate monitors. Update 1.1.3, released on 16 October, improves this, though Konami says it may still happen on some systems and asks affected players to contact support. Players also report that turning V-sync off can stop it starting. ### Does Belmont’s Curse run well on PC and Steam Deck? Many players report smooth play, on Steam Deck as well. Others see stutter between scenes, frame drops in busy areas and on Steam Deck, few graphics settings and no ultrawide support. Konami lists a known issue where parts of the interface appear off-screen on Steam Deck. ### What PC do you need for Belmont’s Curse? The minimum is Windows 11, a Core i5-8400, 16 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 1650. Konami recommends a Core i5-10400 and a GeForce RTX 3060. It needs 10 GB of storage. ### Is Belmont’s Curse hard? Players call it challenging, especially the platforming rooms over spikes and the walk back to a boss after dying, and most find the bosses fair once learned. The store lists adjustable difficulty. ### How long is Belmont’s Curse? Konami hasn’t published a length. Players who finished it in launch week are split, with some finding it short for the series and others describing a long, demanding run to full completion. ### What’s in the Belmont’s Curse Midnight Edition? At $39.99, it adds Trevor and Sypha style costumes, the Family’s Grace relic and a Digital Sound & Art Gallery with the soundtrack and over 100 pieces of artwork. ### When did Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse come out, and how much is it? 15 October 2026, on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch, at $29.99. ## Sources 142. Steam: Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, store page and user reviews: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4231820/ 143. Konami: Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse official site, release date, platforms and editions: https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/belmonts_curse/us/en-us/product 144. Konami on Steam: notice on the black screen with high refresh rate monitors (Ver. 1.1.3), 16 October: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/4231820/view/1846651706681156 145. Konami: Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse known issues notice, 14 October: https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/belmonts_curse/us/en-us/noti_261014 Page: https://creativecult.digital/games/castlevania-belmonts-curse