《恶魔城：贝尔蒙特之咒》发售前获媒体高分 均分 Metacritic 86

October isn't showing any signs of slowing the shipping of top-notch games, because reviews are in for Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, and they're looking mighty positive!

Belmont's Curse is the latest in a long lineage of stellar Castlevania titles, a series that only went on to inspire much of the Metroidvania sub-genre of games. So, is it any surprise Konami's vampiric series is scoring well? Probably not.

So, let's have a gander at some of the impressions for Castlevania: Belmont's Curse so far:

GameSpot (10/10)

"Every element in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse works so well both independently and as part of the whole: flexible combat, beautifully acrobatic traversal, fine-tuned environmental puzzles, wide cast of interesting characters, and eye-catching visual panache--all wrapped within a smart tarot system that lets these ideas complement each other. Belmont's Curse feels destined to be regarded alongside Symphony of the Night as one of the best Castlevania games, and one of the best metroidvania games, of all time."

DayOne (9.5/10)

"The music, gameplay, levels, bosses and looks are all incredible. It’s classic old-school Castlevania in many ways, for good and bad. A handful of modern conveniences, some devilishly tricky level design, and a decent story combine for something well worth your time."

CGMagazine (9.5/10)

"Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is an absolute triumph. Evil Empire pulled out all the stops to create one of the best games in the Castlevania franchise and, in the process, one of the best Metroidvanias of all time. Belmont’s Curse has it all: a strife-riddled member of the Belmont clan doing battle against the forces of evil, second-to-none level design, lush visuals and a soundtrack that ties everything together with a flourish. On top of that, Evil Empire has embraced the series’ mythology and redeployed it here, so fans who know their Belmont history will find plenty to appreciate."

Gamer Social Club (9/10)

"Ultimately, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse doesn’t just mark the end of a twelve year mainline game drought, it answers the question posed at the very beginning of this review with a resounding yes. It is an emphatic, confident return to form. While a few weapon categories fall into redundancy once you have the iconic whip in hand, that minor imbalance is easily eclipsed by how thoughtfully Evil Empire has built the rest of the game."

IGN (8/10)

"Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse brings Konami’s beloved series into the modern era with a fast-paced focus on action first. Convenient map tracking tools, exciting combat, a great new hero, and movement tech that will test your reflexes all help this long-awaited sequel stand tall in what has since become a crowded genre. But Belmont’s Curse is a better metroidvania generally than it is a Castlevania specifically, sacrificing some of the series’ signature charm and feel along the way. Even still, I would not be upset to see developer Evil Empire’s name attached to another Castlevania game in the future. I just hope it doesn’t take another 18 years to arrive – I don’t think my reflexes will be up to the task when I hit my mid-50s."

Radio Times (8/10)

"Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is a fantastic return for the series buoyed by stellar exploration, puzzles and a wealth of secrets to uncover. Evil Empire was the obvious choice to bring the series back, and it has paid back that trust in spades, creating a game well worthy of Castlevania's 40th anniversary."

Push Square (7/10)

"Castlevania: Belmont's Curse gets a lot of stuff right, but in a world where Metroidvanias are a dime a dozen, it doesn't do quite enough to really stand apart. Decent combat gets the job done, while level design and some lovely art and animation are areas where the game really shines. The game can feel a little unresponsive, leading to some frustrating deaths. It's ultimately a good Metroidvania and a valiant effort to resuscitate Castlevania, but there's little new to see for anyone who's been keeping up with the genre over the last decade."

VGC (6/10)

"It's great to see a new side-scrolling Castlevania game after all these years, but the genre has evolved and thrived in the series' absence, and Belmont's Curse finds itself in a world where there are a wealth of solid alternatives. While it looks and sounds excellent, the core gameplay hasn't evolved alongside it, making it feel rather outdated. That's not a terrible thing, it's still fun enough, but stands-out moments are few and far between as a result."

At the time of writing, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is holding a Metacritic score of 86 (88 on Xbox), and 85 on OpenCritic. Some really solid scores for the latest vampire killin' romp!

If you're plan on picking the game up on Xbox, it'll cost you £24.98 / $29.99 and it's launching October 15th onto Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC with Play Anywhere support.

Are you planning on playing Castlevania: Belmont's Curse this month? Tell us down in the comments section below.