Sacred Symbols+, Episode 541 | Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Review Discussion and Spoilercast (Patreon)

Believe it or not, it's been 12 long years since a new Castlevania game came to market (or 18 years, if you're a purist). Konami's once-prominent action series ultimately split into multiple parts -- Classicvania, Metroidvania, and 3D -- and the quiet from all three branches of the greater whole has been deafening. Cue Belmont's Curse, an all-new Metroidvania-style Castlevania game from French teams Evil Empire and Motion Twin, crafted in beautiful 2.5D and ready to obliterate the silence. Or is it? It turns out that this title is pretty controversial, specifically surrounding the simple question: Is it Castlevania? For the three of us (Colin, Brad, and Simon), it may be missing a few components that keep it from true greatness, but there's no doubt that Belmont's Curse is very much a Castlevania game... just something a little different than what we might have expected. Do we recommend it? We very much do, though there's much to say, as you're about to find out.