Konami's Castlevania: Belmont's Curse launches to solid reviews and a hotfix
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The gist
Konami released Castlevania: Belmont's Curse on Oct 15, the first original series entry in about a decade.
It scored 8/10 from IGN and a fine UK debut.
Background
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is a new game in Konami's long-running Castlevania series, described as the first original entry in about a decade. It is a Metroidvania (an action game built around exploring an interconnected map and unlocking new abilities), and GamesRadar+ called it a triumphant return for the franchise. It is trending now because of its launch reception, developer comments about fanart of the game's characters, and early patches for technical problems.
How it unfolded
- Oct 15, 2026Castlevania: Belmont's Curse released.
- Oct 16, 2026A Shacknews guide explained that the Konami Code unlocks a Rose skin based on Sonia Belmont from 1998's Castlevania Legends on Game Boy.
- Oct 16, 2026IGN reported the developers are enthusiastic about fanart of the game's characters, saying they made them attractive on purpose.
- Oct 17, 2026GamesRadar+ reported the devs are proud of the game's characters, quoting 'There should be a Game Awards for hot dads.'
- Oct 19, 2026UK charts reported a fine debut for the game, though it was not 'King of the Castle.'
- Oct 21, 2026Evil Empire released title update 1.001.002, a hotfix for a black-screen launch failure on High Refresh Rate Monitors.
- Oct 21, 2026Konami posted a known issue: on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC, save data may not load correctly when switching between platforms.
Who’s saying what
- Expert
- IGN reviewer Scott White scored the game eight out of ten, praising it for bringing the series into the modern era with a fast-paced focus on action.
- Analysts
- GamesRadar+ called it a hugely compelling Metroidvania and a triumphant return for the iconic franchise.
- Party
- Developer Sandro Bordier said the team knows some characters are attractive by choice and is proud of it, and is happy with fan reactions.
- Caution
- Konami warned players not to create a new save if existing save data is missing after switching platforms, while it works to resolve the issue.
Still unverified
Konami said the High Refresh Rate Monitor fix may still fail in certain environments and that it is continuing to work toward a full resolution.