Following my gamescom 2026 1-hour lengthy hands-on session with Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, which I loved a lot that it has grow to be one of many high video games of the present, I had the chance to speak with Tsutomu Taniguchi (Producer at KONAMI), Bérenger Dupré (Advertising Director at Evil Empire) and Sandro Bordier (Lead Designer at Evil Empire) about how the sport took place, the design philosophy, the problem stage, and the numerous secrets and techniques Paris hides. Yow will discover our full dialog beneath.
NOTE: The interview has been edited for readability
The Return of The Castlevania Sequence
Q: Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is the return of the collection after an extended hiatus. How does it really feel so that you can be those bringing again Castlevania? Did you are feeling plenty of stress?
A: The stress is intense! It’s actually a reduction that the world lastly is aware of about it, as a result of conserving that secret was a stress in itself. Clearly, the stress of constructing positive that what we’re making an attempt to carry again is correct for the followers was tremendous vital to us. The franchise has been so huge over 40 years, with so many video games and genres to discover, that you simply knew whichever path you took – since you love a selected episode or playstyle – may disappoint some whereas creating hype for others.
We undoubtedly need to hype as many gamers as doable. We need to host a cool occasion for everybody, and that’s the stress. It’s like throwing a giant party and simply hoping folks present up and have a very good time. I believe on the studio we’re fortunate to have followers from a number of generations of Castlevania video games. You’ve obtained the outdated geezers right here who began with Dracula’s Curse, those that began with Symphony of the Night time, or with Order of Ecclesia, and so all of it type of blends collectively.
I believe it actually goes again to what was simply stated: by mixing all of our love for the collection, it creates this distinctive twist that’s Belmont’s Curse.
Q: How did Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse come about? How was it going from the Dead Cells DLC to a full-blown standalone sport?
Tsutomu Taniguchi: I believe lots of people have the misunderstanding that the DLC got here first, nevertheless it was really the opposite method round. We really began talking concerning the standalone sport earlier than the DLC, as we already had the thought to make a brand new sport within the Castlevania collection.
Castlevania is an motion sport, and when returning to a franchise after a very long time, my precedence was guaranteeing the sport is enjoyable simply by controlling the character. That’s really a really laborious factor to drag off. I believed there have been only a few studios that might obtain that, so we determined to collaborate with an exterior crew.
Once we at Konami had been occupied with creating a brand new sport, we knew the highest precedence was making one thing everybody might get pleasure from taking part in. We checked out completely different studios we might doubtlessly companion with, and Movement Twin and Evil Empire had been proper on the high of our checklist. Because it occurred, they really approached us first to ask, “Do you need to create a DLC collectively?” That’s after we stated, “That’s nice, let’s do the DLC, however first let’s speak about a standalone revival of Castlevania.” We had plenty of belief in them to create a sport folks would love.
Me: Actually hitting the jackpot, I’d say!
Tsutomu Taniguchi: Precisely. It’s a jackpot, however you continue to should earn it. It’s not simply luck; we created an important sport, each with the DLC and the standalone undertaking.
Degree and Fight Design
Q: Speaking about your personal earlier work, it used procedural era for ranges, however right here you’ve a set stage design. Was there any particular entry within the collection that impressed your stage design probably the most?
A: We actually checked out the entire entries ranging from Symphony of the Night time, however in the long run, the 2 entries that we blended collectively to type our imaginative and prescient of Paris had been Symphony of the Night time and Order of Ecclesia. That’s very true due to the construction the place you’ve the principle citadel alongside outdoors areas.
For us, the philosophy was to make every biome – you noticed one or two within the demo – actually stand out. We gave them robust options so that every journey inside a biome feels distinctive and brings a special taste to the general expertise.
Q: You talked about these completely different biomes, which is a special setup from having only a single citadel. Has this influenced the general stage design? Did you are feeling it needed to be a bit extra open to convey a metropolis setting quite than only a citadel or a manor?
A: There are a number of elements. At its core, Paris is a little more grounded than the citadel. When it comes to structure, we put plenty of effort into making the 2D side-scrolling ranges really feel like actual cities, cemeteries, and catacombs, so you possibly can relate to the areas round you whereas providing distinct avenues of exploration.
The Citadel itself is a bit completely different as a result of it’s a extra esoteric, fantastical place. The structure there may be extra distinctive per biome, bringing mechanical selection that you simply may not count on as a result of it holds a way of magic that’s extra subdued than out in Paris.
Q: Transferring on to gameplay, I seen it’s fairly difficult, which was a nice shock for me. However I additionally seen that mechanics just like the whip assault grant you a great deal of invincibility. How did you stability giving the participant one thing so highly effective with sustaining a excessive stage of problem?
A: Good query! We went via plenty of iterations on that. Ultimately, we determined to maintain the whip assault highly effective so we would not undermine the sensation of power we needed to convey via the gameplay.
At its core, it’s nonetheless a Castlevania sport, so it’s all about studying patterns and avoiding projectiles. You’ll see that with the bosses, enemies, and encounters, the general depth rises to match the truth that your character is way more cell than in previous video games within the franchise.
Q: Relating to issue, are there a number of settings, or is there only one mounted issue?
A: Now we have plenty of accessibility choices as a result of that’s essential to us. We need to make a difficult sport, however we additionally need to open the door for newcomers who may be attracted by the animated TV present or who’ve recognized the IP for some time however have not tried the video games. And even gamers who really feel they’re “too outdated” for high-reflex video games! You may utterly tailor the problem to your wants, however the basic, meant expertise remains to be proper there for gamers who need it.
Q: About weapons. I noticed there are seven classes and I attempted two of them: the sword and the cestus. I seen that inside every household, there are a number of weapons. How completely different are they from each other? For example, does the whip assault differ per weapon inside the similar household?
A: No, we designed them as weapon households the place every class has its personal distinctive talents and whip assaults. It’s extra about having the gameplay basically shift relying on which household you select to equip.
Our objective was to verify each weapon household stands out and feels equally cool. It’s extra RPG-like in that sense – you’ll discover a weapon that matches your particular playstyle. I’m a giant Greatsword fan myself, so I persist with these. Different devs on the crew love the Fist weapons as a result of it feels virtually like taking part in a combating sport. To every their very own!
Arcana System, Secrets and techniques And The Hunt System
Q: One massive addition is the Arcana system. I seen you’ve included the basic sub-weapons into them, just like the Cross. How did you stability this? Did you persist with recreating basic sub-weapons, or did you create utterly new talents?
A: The Cross is straight impressed by the enduring sub-weapon, however the Arcana system is its personal distinct setup with its personal mechanics. In contrast to basic sub-weapons, which you needed to discover all through ranges as momentary drops, you possibly can freely select and equip your Arcana at any time. We needed to present gamers whole company over their character builds.
Moreover, whereas sub-weapons had been considerably grounded, Arcana characterize true magic spells which can be tightly sure to the creatures you soak up. They will take very completely different varieties based mostly on the enemy soul used to forge the spell.
Q: Are any of them missable, or can you discover all of them as you progress?
A: There are plenty of secrets and techniques! I might wish to share extra, however the sport is filled with hidden issues to find.
Q: As you point out numerous secrets and techniques, I’ve to ask. Because you introduced up Symphony of the Night time, that sport is known for its Reverse Citadel. Is there something of that kind right here that results in alternate endings?
A: Let’s simply say there are a number of endings, and you may undoubtedly count on some massive surprises outdoors of the citadel! The citadel was actually our fundamental playground to experiment with concepts, and we hope you’ll get pleasure from discovering all of the secrets and techniques we have hidden inside.
We really needed to do a “Reversed Paris,” however for the reason that floor is flat, you already know… (laughs)
Q: That might have been one thing! Another query: you supported Useless Cells for a really very long time post-launch. Although this can be a completely different kind of undertaking, do you’ve a post-launch roadmap for including content material, or is it a one-and-done launch?
A: Proper now, our post-launch plan is surviving launch day, having fun with the discharge, and hopefully attaining success!
Q: Castlevania can also be recognized for that includes a number of playable characters. Will we see that right here?
A: You’ll have to attend and see! (laughs)
Q: Honest sufficient! How lengthy does a normal playthrough take to finish?
A: Now that the sport is sort of completed, taking part in it has grow to be the final word check for brand new recruits on the studio. That method, as a result of they’re taking part in utterly blind, we get correct playtime knowledge! It’s roughly 20-25 hours for a strong completion run, and a bit longer if you wish to attain 100%. In the event you’re an skilled participant of the style, it may be a bit quicker, however we all know speedrunners are going to have a blast discovering skips.
Q: In Metroidvania video games, gamers usually get misplaced, so some video games put quest markers on the map. I did not see any goal markers in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, so is there no golden path to observe?
A: Precisely. Programs just like the Arcana system offer you contextual clues to nudge you in the best route, however we intentionally selected to not offer you a golden line on the map. We would like the world design itself to information your curiosity and exploration.
We needed to keep away from feeling like a 2D motion sport that continuously tells you what you should do. As an alternative, it guides what you really feel like doing. Relating to the map, whereas there is not an specific goal marker, you can manually place customized markers to trace factors of curiosity.
We did not need to give gamers specific solutions on the place to go. By offering refined hints quite than direct pathing, it creates an “aha!” second when gamers determine it out on their very own. That dopamine rush of fixing the pathing your self is what makes exploration enjoyable.
Internally, our core design pillar was making you are feeling not similar to a Belmont, however like a real Vampire Hunter. You might be actively searching to your prey. We internally name it the Hunt System, and that mindset drove plenty of our environmental and stage design selections.
Thanks loads to your time!
In regards to the author: Francesco De Meo has been protecting video video games and expertise since 2012, beginning his profession at small shops like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack.
After becoming a member of Wccftech gaming part in 2015, he rapidly expanded his video gaming protection with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic business figures resembling Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No Extra Heroes creator Goichi “Suda51” Suda, Resident Evil collection creator Shinji Mikami, Group NINJA’s president and Nioh collection director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, critiques and on-the-ground protection of main business occasions resembling Gamescom and E3.
When he is not reporting or reviewing, Francesco may be discovered taking part in the genres he loves most, spending time together with his six cats, studying, writing music, taking part in guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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