---
title: "Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Gameplay Explained"
description: "How Castlevania: Belmont's Curse plays: Vampire Killer whip traversal, tarot-card Arcana, Works of Mercy, seven weapon types and relics. It is not a roguelike."
canonical: https://castlevaniabelmontscurse.net/gameplay
lang: en
updated: 2026-10-14
---

# Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Gameplay Explained

**Castlevania: Belmont's Curse** is a single-player 2D action-exploration game in the style of Symphony of the Night, in which Rose Belmont explores a hand-crafted, non-linear map of Dracula's castle and Paris, swings on anchors with the Vampire Killer whip and turns defeated bosses into tarot-card Arcana spells.

## The systems at a glance

- **Vampire Killer** (Weapon and grappling tool): Crack the whip to attack, latch onto anchors and swing over chasms or up to ledges you could not otherwise reach.
- **Arcana** (Bosses become tarot cards): Each defeated boss is sealed into one of Rose's tarot cards, which you equip to cast spells and unlock special actions using MP.
- **Works of Mercy** (Arcana upgrades): Use an Arcana's spell a set number of times under specific conditions to earn points that upgrade that Arcana's skills.
- **Seven weapon types** (The Armoury): Weapons fall into seven categories, from short-range swords to long-range spears and close-quarters gauntlets.
- **Relics** (Build your style): Relics trigger effects when you attack and defend; combining them with weapons and Arcana creates your own build.
- **One hand-made map** (Castle and city): A non-linear, auto-filling map covering Dracula's castle and the districts of Paris, with key-locked doors between areas.

## Is Belmont's Curse a roguelike?

**No.** This is the most common misconception, because the lead developer, Evil Empire, is known for its work on the roguelike Metroidvania Dead Cells, including the 2023 crossover expansion Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania, and Dead Cells' creator Motion Twin is advising on the project. But Konami's Tommy Williams has confirmed that Belmont's Curse does not adopt Dead Cells' roguelike progression. The map is designed by hand rather than generated, your progress persists, and the structure is the free-form action-exploration of earlier Castlevania games.

What does carry over from Dead Cells is feel. Konami promises “faster and more fluid gameplay”, and previews describe Rose sliding under enemies, rolling through attacks, wall-jumping and swinging constantly. RPGFan's preview sums it up as being always on the move.

## The Vampire Killer: weapon and traversal tool

The Belmont family whip is central to both combat and exploration. Konami's description is vivid: crack the whip to move around freely “like a trapeze artist”, and master it to “pounce on your prey like a wolf”. Golden anchors are scattered across the map, and early on you cannot use all of them. After the first boss, The Fallen, Rose gains the **Arcane Whip** upgrade, which can latch onto those anchors and opens routes back through earlier areas.

The whip also connects with enemies. Impulse Gamer's preview describes pulling Rose towards enemies and using them as a movement tool to cross gaps, or simply to close distance and finish them faster. Here the whip is closer to a grappling hook that doubles as a weapon; the series' 2010 reboot, Lords of Shadow, used its Combat Cross whip in a similar way for rappelling and swinging across gaps.

## Arcana: bosses become tarot cards

Belmont's Curse turns boss fights into progression. Once a boss is defeated, it is **sealed into one of Rose's tarot cards**, the cards left to her by her mother, Sypha, and becomes an **Arcana**. Equipped Arcana let Rose cast spells and use unique special actions, and spells cost MP. You start with the **Cursed Flame** card; defeating The Fallen gives you his Arcana, which in previews lets Rose throw a cross the way he did.

MP management is less punishing than in older games: RPGFan's preview notes that standard attacks on enemies restore mana, so the rhythm is to alternate weapon hits with spells rather than wait for MP to refill. GameSpot's review calls the tarot system the smart framework that lets the other systems complement each other.

## Works of Mercy

Works of Mercy are how Arcana grow. Each one asks you to use a particular Arcana or spell a certain number of times under specific conditions; completing it awards points that you spend on that Arcana's associated skills. In practice this rewards experimenting with every card in different situations instead of leaning on one favourite. Works of Mercy progress from the free demo carries over to the full game, along with your level and stats.

## Levels, stats and healing

As in Symphony of the Night, defeating enemies and bosses earns experience. Levelling up raises Rose's HP, MP, attack and magic power. Exploration pays off too: RPG Site's review mentions hidden stat boosts, and breaking candles drops health ampoules and the occasional food item; RPGFan's preview celebrates finally eating “wall turkey” again. Mirror-shaped save rooms let you save and also set your respawn point.

## Weapons: seven categories in the Armoury

Besides the whip, Rose uses weapons from an **Armoury** split into **seven categories**, including short-range swords, long-range weapons such as spears and gauntlets for close combat. RPGFan's TGS preview tried the Cestus gauntlets, describing punches and uppercuts that felt closer to a brawler than to Alucard's sword play. The full list of categories and individual weapons is **not confirmed as of 2026-10-14**, and IGN Italia's review felt the variety was shallower than the category count suggests.

## Relics

Relics trigger powerful effects in both offence and defence, and Konami encourages combining the equipment you find to build your own playstyle. RPGFan's preview build offered three relics, out of what the preview describes as dozens in the game. The Midnight Edition includes a relic called Family's Grace, whose effect is not confirmed as of 2026-10-14.

## Keys, doors and the map

Progress between areas is gated by large doors that need a number of **keys**, which you get by defeating the bosses of the current area. In the opening, the door in The Fallen's arena needs three keys: he holds one, and two other guardians hold the rest. Within those gates, the map is non-linear and auto-fills as you explore, and IGN praises its map tracking tools. Expect locked doors, high ledges and unusable anchors to come back into play as you gain abilities, which is the classic Castlevania backtracking loop.

## Difficulty

Reviews describe a game that can be demanding: GamesRadar+ calls it challenging, and IGN says its movement tech will test your reflexes, while GAMINGbible would have liked more of a kick. Shacknews mentions a set of options for altering the intensity, but the exact difficulty settings are **not confirmed as of 2026-10-14**. Our [beginner's guide](https://castlevaniabelmontscurse.net/guide) collects practical tips for the first hours.

## Compared with Symphony of the Night and Dead Cells

**How Belmont's Curse compares with its two biggest influences**

| Aspect | Belmont's Curse (2026) | Symphony of the Night (1997) | Dead Cells (2018) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Structure | One hand-made, non-linear map of castle and city | Non-linear exploration of Dracula's castle | Roguelike Metroidvania |
| Progress | Persistent: levels, stats, Arcana, Works of Mercy | Persistent: levels, stats, equipment | Roguelike progression, which Belmont's Curse does not use |
| Signature traversal | Whip swings on anchors, slides, rolls, wall jumps | Alucard's bat, wolf and mist forms | Not covered by our sources |
| Role-playing layer | Experience levels raise HP, MP, attack and magic; Arcana add spells | Experience points, attributes and levelling | Not covered by our sources |
| Developer | Evil Empire with Konami; Motion Twin advising | Konami | Motion Twin; Evil Empire handled updates and DLC |

The short version: Belmont's Curse is structurally a Symphony of the Night descendant with Dead Cells-style speed. IGN's review puts it neatly from the other side, arguing that it is a better Metroidvania in general than it is a Castlevania specifically. Whether that is a strength depends on what you want; the [reviews roundup](https://castlevaniabelmontscurse.net/reviews) has the full range of opinions.

## Controls and platforms

The game is single-player only. On PC, Steam lists full controller support and recommends a gamepad, with DualSense support and a keyboard-only option. It runs at 60 fps on PS5, Xbox Series X\|S and PC and at 30 fps on Switch, which matters for a game this fast; see [system requirements](https://castlevaniabelmontscurse.net/system-requirements) for details.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Castlevania: Belmont's Curse a roguelike?

No. Konami has said it does not use Dead Cells' roguelike progression. The map is hand-designed and progress is persistent, like Symphony of the Night.

### What are Arcana in Belmont's Curse?

Arcana are tarot cards holding the power of defeated bosses. Equipped, they let Rose cast spells and use special actions, paid for with MP.

### What are Works of Mercy?

Challenges for each Arcana: use its spell a set number of times under specific conditions to earn points for upgrading that Arcana's skills.

### How many weapons are in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse?

Konami says weapons span seven categories, including swords, spears and gauntlets. The full weapon list is not confirmed as of 2026-10-14.

## More about the game

- [Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Beginner's Guide: Tips for the First Hours](https://castlevaniabelmontscurse.net/guide)
- [Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Bosses: Confirmed List and The Fallen Guide](https://castlevaniabelmontscurse.net/bosses)
- [Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Demo Guide](https://castlevaniabelmontscurse.net/demo)
- [Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Reviews Roundup](https://castlevaniabelmontscurse.net/reviews)
- [Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Characters and Voice Cast](https://castlevaniabelmontscurse.net/characters)

## Sources

- [Official site: Game System (Konami)](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/belmonts_curse/eu/en/)
- [Wikipedia: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse (gameplay and development)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlevania:_Belmont%27s_Curse)
- [Wikipedia: Castlevania series (Symphony of the Night gameplay)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlevania)
- [Konami press release: Evil Empire and Motion Twin](https://www.konami.com/games/eu/en/topics/19188/)
- [Impulse Gamer hands-on preview](https://www.impulsegamer.com/castlevania-belmonts-curse-hands-on-preview/)
- [RPGFan TGS 2026 hands-on](https://www.rpgfan.com/2026/09/19/castlevania-belmonts-curse-hands-on/)
- [GameSpot review](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/castlevania-belmonts-curse-is-the-series-at-its-best/)
- [IGN review](https://www.ign.com/articles/castlevania-belmonts-curse-review)
- [Steam store page (controls)](https://store.steampowered.com/app/4231820/Castlevania_Belmonts_Curse/)