Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse could have taken a very different direction, with developer Evil Empire experimenting with versions that leaned closer to either Dark Souls or its own hit game Dead Cells. However, finding the right balance between combat, pacing, and exploration proved essential to bringing the iconic Konami franchise back.
In an interview with PCGamesN, Evil Empire CEO Thomas Pfeiffer and head of business Benjamin Laulan discussed the development process behind the upcoming action-adventure game, revealing how the team explored different approaches before settling on its current direction.
One version leaned more heavily into the slower, more deliberate combat associated with Dark Souls, while another moved closer to the fast-paced action of Dead Cells. Neither approach ultimately provided the experience the developers wanted, with the former risking making the game too slow and punishing, while the latter threatened to make it feel too similar to Evil Empire’s previous work.
Instead, the team sought a middle ground that could preserve the responsive action players might expect from the developers while making room for the exploration that has long been a defining part of Castlevania. The result aims to give Belmont’s Curse its own identity rather than simply replicate the formula of either game.
Given Evil Empire’s experience with Dead Cells, it makes sense that the studio would experiment with different approaches to action and level design. However, returning to Castlevania also means understanding what makes the series distinctive, and finding that balance could prove crucial to making Belmont’s Curse feel like a proper new entry rather than a familiar formula wearing a different name.