Castlevania: Belmont's Curse vs Void Soul Awakening

• Multiplayer: Single-Player (Online Boss Rush Leaderboards)
• Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
• Franchise: Castlevania
• Monetization Model: Premium Buy-to-Play (Standard & Midnight Editions, No MTX)
• Operative Classes: Vampire Hunter, Arcana Sorceress, Crimson Blade
• Release Date: October 14, 2026
• Steam Launch Price: $29.99 USD

• Spectral Raven: Scout and Harass: Circles above Rose to automatically attack airborne pests and reveal invisible floor switches.
  Avian Familiar
• Holy Fairy Sprite: Blessing of Life: Flutters beside Rose to cure poison status effects and sprinkle healing dust when health drops below 25%.
  Fae Familiar
• Clockwork Flame Golem: Holy Flame Burst: Marches along the ground, releasing periodic bursts of consecrated fire that incinerate ground crawling ghouls.
  Alchemical Automaton

• Void Sprite Familiar: Hovers around the player, automatically siphoning distant Soul Energy orbs and firing suppressing energy bursts at approaching threats.
  Arcane Entity
• Spectral Scout Raven: Flies through locked chamber doors to reveal enemy compositions, elite spawns, and trap placements ahead of time.
  Phase Corvid

• Major Arcana Tarot Cards: Awarded upon defeating major labyrinth bosses; slotted into Rose's tarot deck to bestow powerful passive and active spells.
• Ancient French Bestiary Pages: Hidden inside secret breakable walls across Parisian ruins; unlocks comprehensive monster lore, stat weaknesses, and concept art.
• Belnades Elemental Crystals: Discovered within alchemical puzzle chambers; permanently expands Rose's maximum mana and heart capacity.

• Memory Shards: Found hidden behind destructible walls in non-linear sector branches; unlocks lore logs revealing the origins of the Cube.
• Cursed Void Relics: Awarded in optional timed combat challenge arenas; provides massive offensive boosts balanced by severe survival debuffs.
• Archon Core Sigils: Dropped by the four sector bosses; unlocks permanent class skill trees and weapon customization tiers at the central hub.

• Gothic Horror
• Dark Fantasy
• Metroidvania
• Vampire Hunting
• Occult Lore
• Family Legacy

• Belmont Morningstar Whip: Sacred Chain Whip
  The quintessential vampire hunting weapon, featuring multi-directional strikes, diagonal aerial swings, and grappling capabilities to swing across chandelier anchor points.
• Holy Silver Dagger: Thrown Sub-Weapon
  High-velocity consecrated silver daggers thrown in rapid succession to pierce armored foes and inflict radiant holy damage.
• Grand Cross: Sacred Relic Sub-Weapon
  A revered Belmont artifact that summons spinning columns of brilliant holy crucifixes, obliterating swarms of surrounding aerial and ground monsters.
• Crimson Blood Rapier: Occult Piercing Blade
  A swift thrusting sword empowered by Rose's arm curse, executing flurry thrusts and siphon strikes that convert enemy blood into magical energy.
• Holy Water Flask: Incendiary Sub-Weapon
  A glass vial filled with consecrated water that shatters on impact, producing a lingering wave of sacred blue fire that continuously damages ground enemies.

• Eclipse Katana: Melee (Blade)
  High-agility curved blade that executes rapid slashing combinations, flash-step gap closers, and parry counters that refund Soul Energy.
• Cerberus Hand-Cannons: Dual Firearms
  Twin heavy-caliber semi-automatic revolvers firing void-infused explosive slugs that juggle enemies in mid-air.
• Abyssal Greatsword: Heavy Melee
  Colossal greatblade capable of charging heavy sweeping swings, crushing heavily armored foes, and generating kinetic blastwaves.
• Voidlance Railgun: Precision Firearm
  Long-range anti-materiel rifle that charges high-velocity void beams, piercing through multiple enemies and terrain barriers.
• Reaper's Scythe: Polearm / Melee
  Sweeping curved polearm specialized in crowd control, pulling groups of corrupted souls into range for massive harvesting strikes.

• Belmont Leather Cuirass: +15% Physical Defense, +10% Whip Attack Speed, and reduces knockback distance when struck.
• Belnades Mystic Robes: +25% Elemental and Magic Resistance, +20% Mana Regeneration, and amplifies Tarot Arcana spell damage.
• Crimson Cursed Bracer: +30% Dark Damage Output, +15% Critical Strike Chance, but slightly increases health loss when entering cursed mode.

• Shrouded Void Vestments: Evasion Speed +30%, Soul Energy Regeneration +25%, Physical Defense -15%; grants phase-dash invulnerability frames.
• Iron Warden Plate: Damage Reduction +40%, Stagger Resistance +50%, Dash Distance -10%; provides super-armor during heavy melee charging.
• Archon's Relic Harness: Gun Damage +20%, Spell Power +20%, Shield Capacity +35%; balanced combat rig forged from conquered guardian alloys.
• Kinetic Kinetic Deflector Shield: Block Efficiency +60%, Perfect Parry Projectile Reflection; converts blocked ballistic fire directly into Soul Energy.

• Belmont Hunter Traveling Cloak: Weathered crimson hooded cloak trimmed with gold embroidery, leather cross-belts, and family crest buckle.
• Parisian Aristocrat Fencing Attire: Tailored midnight-black velvet doublet with ruffled silk collar, fitted breeches, and silver-buckled riding boots.
• Sypha's Legacy Sorcery Gown: Flowing celestial blue tunic and mantle adorned with Belnades elemental runes and protective charms.

• Echo Wanderer's Tattered Cloak: Tattered, flowing travel cloak with billowing void particles, customizable with midnight black, royal purple, and crimson dyes.
• Cyber-Occult Visor: Luminescent optical headset displaying enemy health telemetry, with adjustable neon glow colors.
• Duelist's Armored Longcoat: Reinforced leather and steel trench coat with engraved arcane runes that illuminate during max Style Rank.

Gameplay combines responsive whip platforming with deep Action RPG progression. Rose upgrades her abilities via the Arcana Tarot System, collecting major and minor arcana cards from fallen bosses to unlock active spells (such as flame pillars, ice shards, and dark teleportation dashes). In addition, Rose can awaken the Crimson Curse in her arm, transforming her whip into demonic blood tendrils that drain enemy health at the cost of curse buildup. Players invest Soul Shards at alchemical altars to permanently upgrade health, mana, stamina, and sub-weapon potency.

Progression is built around the Soul Energy System, Echo Matrix, and Void Sorceries. Players manage Soul Energy, an active combat gauge consumed by shooting and casting spells, which can only be recharged by landing precise melee strikes. Equipping Echoes of fallen warriors fundamentally alters player classes, passive perks, and mobility skills (such as aerial dashes, phase teleports, and kinetic deflects), while Sorceries allow players to cast black-hole singularities, spectral lightning storms, and blood-sacrifice damage surges.

The game features an expansive, interconnected 2D gothic open world set across medieval Paris and demonic alternate dimensions. Key explorable zones include: 1. The Burning Seine Docks (flaming wooden wharves, capsized barges, and undead harbor patrols); 2. The Labyrinthine Paris Catacombs (bone-lined subterranean corridors teeming with skeleton warriors and poisonous ghouls); 3. The Grand Cathedral of Notre-Dame (majestic vaulted arches, crumbling stained glass, and soaring bell towers); 4. The Alchemical Under-City (clandestine occult laboratories filled with bubbling reagents and clockwork contraptions); and 5. The Eclipse Fortress (a surreal nightmare castle manifesting across the Parisian skyline as Dracula's revival nears).

The Abyssal Cube is divided into four non-linear, procedural sectors that shift in architecture with every run: Sector I: The Obsidian Bastion (towering neo-gothic battlements and clockwork crushing corridors), Sector II: The Sunken Core (submerged crystal caverns filled with void cataracts and toxic spires), Sector III: The Shattered Crucible (fractured floating platforms suspended over gravity wells requiring grappling hooks and wall-runs), and Sector IV: The Keeper's Sanctum (a mind-bending metaphysical nexus where gravity and geometry warp in real time).

• Belmont River Skiff: Wooden Transport Boat
  A sturdy oar-powered wooden riverboat used by Trevor and Rose Belmont to navigate down the Seine and enter the burning city of Paris.
• Gothic Funeral Carriage: Horse-Drawn Armored Hearse
  An eerie black carriage used by Parisian occult cultists to transport cursed alchemical artifacts across the city.

• Abyssal Gravity Hook: Kinetic Traversal Apparatus
  Arm-mounted energy winch that latches onto floating cosmic debris to catapult the player across massive chasms and vertical arena shafts.
• Phase Rail Transit Car: Sector Rail Transport
  Magnetic levitation transport capsule utilized to travel between the four shifting sectors of the Abyssal Cube.

• Parisian Plague Bats: Chiroptera vampiris
  Aerial Nuisance (Demonic red-eyed bats that roost in cathedral rafters and dive-bomb players attempting difficult platforming jumps)
• Spectral Hunting Hound: Canis infernalis
  Ground Assault Mob (Ghostly canine beasts that patrol the courtyards of Paris, leaping through barriers to ambush unsuspecting hunters)

• Voidcrawler: Abyssal Insectoid
  Fast-moving multi-legged swarming beasts that skitter along ceilings and leap down onto players in tight corridors.
• Grave Golem: Crystalline Construct
  Heavily armored mechanical construct powered by soul cores, delivering ground-pound shockwaves and deploying projectile shields.
• Warp Strider: Eldritch Aberration
  Tall, slender monstrosity that phases through reality, teleporting behind the player to execute lethal surprise ambushes.
• Corrupted Seraph: Fallen Celestial
  Winged guardian hovering above the arena, bombarding the battlefield with homing energy spears and laser grids.
• Obsidian Archon: Cosmic Sector Boss
  Towering four-armed titan that wields dual greatswords and arcane plasma cannons, testing mastery of parry mechanics.

• Rose Belmont: Playable Protagonist
  The 22-year-old daughter of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades who wields her ancestral whip and dark curse to prevent Dracula's resurrection in 1499 Paris.
• Trevor Belmont: Legendary Vampire Hunter & Mentor
  The grizzled hero who defeated Dracula 23 years earlier, guiding his daughter through Paris while investigating the corruption within the French clergy.
• Count Dracula: Lord of Darkness
  The eternal vampire king whose immortal spirit seeks to rise once again in 1499, testing the Belmont bloodline across generations.

• The Void Soul: Immortal Protagonist
  A wandering, amnesiac warrior soul endowed with the ability to reincarnate upon death and wield weapons from past eras.
• The Whispering Entity: Eldritch Patron & Guide
  A primordial cosmic consciousness trapped within the Cube who grants dark sorceries and urges the player to destroy the Keeper.
• The Keeper: Supreme Warden
  The enigmatic cosmic entity governing the Abyssal Cube, wielding absolute authority over time, geometry, and eternal incarceration.
• The Soul Smith: Weapon Artisan
  A spectral blacksmith found in respite chambers who fuses harvested enemy essence into permanent weapon modifications.

• Arrival on the River Seine: Prologue Chapter
  Disembark at the flaming Paris harbor, clear out the ghoul infestation, and reunite with Trevor at the city gatehouse.
• Cleansing the Catacombs: Exploration & Boss Hunt
  Navigate the labyrinthine ossuaries beneath Paris, locate the ancient seal of Dracula, and defeat the Bone Amalgam boss.
• The Spires of Notre-Dame: Climactic Finale
  Ascend the bell towers of the burning cathedral during the solar eclipse to interrupt the dark resurrection ritual.

• Shatter the Obsidian Gate: Sector Gateway Mission
  Traverse the labyrinthine halls of Sector I, survive waves of clockwork horrors, and defeat the Obsidian Archon to breach the inner core.
• The Sunken Trial: Boss Encounter Expedition
  Navigate the crystal caverns of Sector II, cleanse three corrupted void wells, and eliminate the Leviathan Guardian.
• Overthrow the Keeper: Campaign Climax
  Ascend to the metaphysical summit of Sector IV, survive an escalating bullet-hell gauntlet, and defeat the Keeper to break the reincarnation loop.

The core game delivers a pure, focused single-player character action roguelite experience. Asynchronous competitive elements are integrated through Global Leaderboards for speedrun clears, highest combo style ratings, and weekly seeded dungeon runs where all players compete using the exact same room layouts and gear drops.

Standard Edition ($29.99 USD on PC Steam / $39.99 USD on Consoles): Includes the complete base game with all explorable zones and bosses. Midnight Edition ($39.99 USD on PC / $49.99 USD on Consoles): Includes the base game, Digital Sound & Art Collection (featuring classic and rearranged franchise tracks), Retro Belmont Skin Pack, and the 'Bloody Tears' Early Access Weapon Charm.

Void Soul Awakening is scheduled for release on Steam in 2027 at a base price of $19.99 USD. A Deluxe Supporter Edition will be available for $29.99 USD, bundling the complete digital soundtrack composed of industrial synth-metal tracks, an interactive digital art book detailing the monster design of the 80+ enemy variants, and exclusive void-infused weapon skins and Echo visual trails.

Konami and Evil Empire have outlined a post-launch roadmap including a free Boss Rush Mode, the classic 'Trevor Belmont Playable Mode' (allowing players to experience the entire campaign with Trevor's traditional moveset and sub-weapons), and a planned expansion chapter exploring the origins of Sypha's Belnades clan.

The development roadmap outlines extensive post-launch support, including an endless Boss Rush arena mode, an Ascension difficulty modifier system allowing players to custom-tune enemy aggression and hazard modifiers for greater rewards, and seasonal content updates introducing new Echoes, weapons, and biome variants.

• Q: What is Castlevania: Belmont's Curse?
  A: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is a new 2D action-exploration Metroidvania developed by Evil Empire and published by KONAMI, starring Rose Belmont in 1499 Paris.
• Q: When does Castlevania: Belmont's Curse release and on what platforms?
  A: The game releases on October 14, 2026 for PC (Steam) and October 15, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
• Q: How does Belmont's Curse fit into the Castlevania timeline?
  A: The game takes place in 1499, exactly 23 years after Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, following Trevor Belmont's daughter Rose as she investigates Dracula's resurrection in Paris.
• Q: What are the core combat mechanics in Belmont's Curse?
  A: The game features fluid whip action, aerial grappling, classic sub-weapons (Holy Water, Cross, Daggers), tarot-based Arcana magic spells, and the high-risk Crimson Curse arm mode.
• Q: Who developed Castlevania: Belmont's Curse?
  A: The game is co-developed by Evil Empire (celebrated developers of Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania and The Rogue Prince of Persia) and KONAMI.

• Q: What is Void Soul Awakening?
  A: Void Soul Awakening is a hyper-fast action roguelite developed by VisRay Studios blending character-action hack and slash combat, third-person shooting, and dark void sorceries.
• Q: When does Void Soul Awakening release?
  A: Void Soul Awakening is planned for release on PC via Steam in 2027, with public playtesting active in late 2026.
• Q: How does the combat system work?
  A: The combat utilizes a hybrid Soul Energy system: firing guns and casting spells consumes Soul Energy, which can only be replenished by engaging in close-quarters melee strikes.
• Q: What engine is Void Soul Awakening built on?
  A: The game is built in Unreal Engine 5, featuring advanced lighting, Niagara particle effects, and high-framerate action responsiveness.
• Q: How many bosses and enemy types are in the game?
  A: The game features over 30 unique hand-crafted boss encounters known as Guardians and Archons, along with more than 80 evolving enemy types.

A visual showcase developed by Evil Empire combining lush, fluid 2D hand-drawn character and monster animations with atmospheric 3D backgrounds, volumetric candle smoke, dynamic stained-glass lighting reflections, and gothic architectural grandeur.

Crafted in Unreal Engine 5, Void Soul Awakening boasts a striking visual style that marries dark fantasy architecture with vivid neon-purple and crimson void VFX. High-speed chromatic aberration, dynamic motion blur, physics-based cloth simulations, and volumetric light shafts streaming through the prison's iron grates deliver an overwhelming sense of kinetic spectacle.

A sweeping orchestral and dark rock soundtrack composed in the grand tradition of Castlevania, featuring dynamic rearrangements of franchise classics like 'Bloody Tears' and 'Vampire Killer' alongside haunting new choral, violin, and organ themes. Voice acting features Abby Trott as Rose Belmont, JB Blanc as Trevor Belmont, Alejandra Reynoso as Sypha, and Graham McTavish reprising his role as Count Dracula.

The soundscape is driven by an energetic, adrenaline-pumping blend of aggressive heavy metal guitars, industrial synths, and dark ambient choral voices that dynamically intensify as the Style Meter climbs. Weapon impacts resonate with bone-crunching clarity, complemented by spatial 3D audio cues for projectile parries and off-screen teleporting enemies.

Elegant gothic UI inspired by Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow. Displays active health and hearts / mana gauges, selected sub-weapon icons, active Tarot Arcana card slots, a mini-map overlay with percentage tracker, and quick-swap equipment wheels.

Features a slick, high-contrast cyber-gothic HUD displaying real-time health, Soul Energy reserves, active weapon heat, and an adrenaline-fueled dynamic Style Meter (ranging from D to SSS) inspired by classic character-action games. A quick-swap weapon wheel and intuitive spell-binding menu allow seamless mid-combo transitions without interrupting combat momentum.

Extensive suite of accessibility options including customizable button mapping, auto-attack toggles, platforming ledge assist, scalable UI elements, high-contrast character outlines, screen-shake toggles, and adjustable damage scaling sliders for customized combat difficulty.

Includes an extensive accessibility suite: full controller remapping with adaptive trigger support on DualSense, configurable input buffering and auto-combo toggles, toggleable screen shake and flashing effects, scalable UI elements up to 200%, colorblind visual presets, and adjustable game speed sliders (from 70% to 100%) to assist players with reaction time barriers.

• Requires a 64-bit operating system and processor. Operates via DirectX 11 / DirectX 12 graphics pipelines. Fully integrated with Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud synchronization, complete gamepad controller support, and optimized for seamless handheld play on Steam Deck.
• Laptop Performance Note: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse features hand-crafted 2D sprite animations combined with 3D dynamic lighting, high-resolution particle spells, and multi-layered parallax backgrounds. While hardware demands are modest compared to 3D AAA titles, maintaining a locked 60 FPS or 120 FPS on laptops during intense screen-filling boss encounters requires stable sustained GPU clock frequencies.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: Requires a sustained 35W-50W TGP mobile GPU for 1080p60 and 60W-75W+ TGP for high-refresh 1440p displays.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: Standard laptop cooling profiles are sufficient; keeping CPU temperatures below 75C ensures zero micro-stuttering during rapid room transitions.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: A sustained PL1 power limit of 25W+ is recommended to ensure seamless background asset streaming between map sectors.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: Standard hybrid Optimus or discrete MUX switch modes both achieve locked 60 FPS; discrete GPU mode is recommended for 144Hz panels.
• Optimization Detail: Upscaling Tech: Native resolution scaling options with anti-aliasing toggles, full vsync options, and customizable frame rate limiters (60 FPS, 120 FPS, Unlimited).
• Optimization Detail: Key Settings Impact: Particle Density, Dynamic Lighting Quality, and Background Parallax Depth exert the greatest influence on sustained performance.
• Game Name: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse

• Built in Unreal Engine 5 leveraging Nanite geometric virtualization, Lumen dynamic global illumination, and Niagara particle systems for fluid bullet-hell effects, dynamic sword slashes, and void magic. Fully optimized for high-refresh-rate displays up to 240 Hz.
• Laptop Performance Note: Rapid multi-directional dashing, particle-dense bullet storms, and real-time volumetric lighting demand robust thermal dissipation on mobile setups. Gaming laptops should target at least 75W-105W TGP and run on elevated stands to sustain 60-120 FPS during dense Guardian boss encounters.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: A discrete mobile GPU operating between 75W and 115W TGP is recommended to maintain locked high frame rates during high-velocity hack-and-slash bullet-hell barrages.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: Extended roguelite runs place consistent multi-core stress on mobile CPUs; enabling aggressive fan curves prevents thermal throttling during intense horde clears.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: Set Windows power profiles to High Performance to prevent single-core clock drops during rapid animation cancels and iframe dodges.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: Direct GPU display routing via MUX switch eliminates input lag, crucial for tight parry timings and trajectory aim.
• Optimization Detail: Upscaling Tech: Supports NVIDIA DLSS 3 Frame Generation, AMD FSR 3, Intel XeSS, and Unreal TSR with dynamic resolution scaling.
• Optimization Detail: Key Settings Impact: Niagara Particle Density, Volumetric Fog, and Screen-Space Reflections have the highest impact on rendering performance.
• Game Name: Void Soul Awakening

• Upscaling Tech: Native resolution scaling options with anti-aliasing toggles, full vsync options, and customizable frame rate limiters (60 FPS, 120 FPS, Unlimited).
• Key Settings Impact: Particle Density, Dynamic Lighting Quality, and Background Parallax Depth exert the greatest influence on sustained performance.

• Upscaling Tech: Supports NVIDIA DLSS 3 Frame Generation, AMD FSR 3, Intel XeSS, and Unreal TSR with dynamic resolution scaling.
• Key Settings Impact: Niagara Particle Density, Volumetric Fog, and Screen-Space Reflections have the highest impact on rendering performance.

• G P U T G P: Requires a sustained 35W-50W TGP mobile GPU for 1080p60 and 60W-75W+ TGP for high-refresh 1440p displays.
• Cooling Thermals: Standard laptop cooling profiles are sufficient; keeping CPU temperatures below 75C ensures zero micro-stuttering during rapid room transitions.
• C P U Power Limits: A sustained PL1 power limit of 25W+ is recommended to ensure seamless background asset streaming between map sectors.
• M U X Switch Optimus: Standard hybrid Optimus or discrete MUX switch modes both achieve locked 60 FPS; discrete GPU mode is recommended for 144Hz panels.

• G P U T G P: A discrete mobile GPU operating between 75W and 115W TGP is recommended to maintain locked high frame rates during high-velocity hack-and-slash bullet-hell barrages.
• Cooling Thermals: Extended roguelite runs place consistent multi-core stress on mobile CPUs; enabling aggressive fan curves prevents thermal throttling during intense horde clears.
• C P U Power Limits: Set Windows power profiles to High Performance to prevent single-core clock drops during rapid animation cancels and iframe dodges.
• M U X Switch Optimus: Direct GPU display routing via MUX switch eliminates input lag, crucial for tight parry timings and trajectory aim.