One of the coolest announcements in last month’s State of Play was Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, a new 2D action-exploration game from Konami and Dead Cells co-developers Evil Empire and Motion Twin. As a reminder, Evil Empire also worked on the impressive Rogue Prince of Persia, which will continue to get content updates this year.
Little is known about Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse beyond what its first stunning trailer revealed, and the fact it’s coming to PC via Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch (with a native Switch 2 version unconfirmed for now) in 2026. Now, Konami’s head of comms Tommy Williams has confirmed Belmont’s Curse won’t be a roguelite even if it’s coming from veteran indie studios known for roguelite hits.
The Verge got the comment from Williams on 4th March (hat tip to GameSpot), who described Belmont’s Curse as “a 2D action-exploration game where players can freely explore vast, elaborately crafted maps”. Fans weren’t exactly sure about this new Castlevania’s nature, but Williams made it quite clear: “It is not a roguelike or roguelite game.”
Why Konami didn’t come out and say Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse isn’t a roguelite straight away remains a mystery, but it’s nice to have confirmation diehards will be eating a complete, traditional 2D meal later this year. That said, we wouldn’t have said “no” to a compelling take on Castlevania built with roguelite pieces, especially given the talent involved.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is set in 1499 Paris “as monstrous creatures suddenly emerge from the shadows.” Trevor Belmont’s (still unnamed) successor has access to the Vampire Killer whip and other tools and abilities, with a focus on smoother movement and acrobatics. Needless to say, we’re as excited as you are to get our hands on it.