Entertainment news and discussion on TalkFuse.
‘We wanted to go back to the basics:’ Castlevania Belmont’s Curse devs talk returning to series roots while making it an approachable experience
Konami's Tsutomu Taniguchi, lead producer on Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, has discussed the decision to bring the long-running series back to its 2D side-scrolling roots after the last two mainline entries used a 3D, over-the-shoulder perspective. Speaking in an interview with Destructoid ahead of the game's release, he explained that fan feedback drove the choice, alongside a deliberate effort to make the game more approachable for newcomers who know Castlevania only from its anime adaptation rather than the notoriously difficult older games.
Taniguchi noted that no mainline Castlevania game has been released since 2014, a gap he could not fully explain despite wanting to make a new entry sooner, and said this lengthy absence reinforced the decision to return to the classic 2D format after nearly two decades. He confirmed Konami consciously designed Belmont's Curse to be more accessible than previous 2D instalments, pairing faster, more aggressive combat with strategic depth so that both newcomers and series veterans can engage with it in different ways, even as its levels remain a genuine challenge.
In short
- Konami's Belmont's Curse returns Castlevania to 2D side-scrolling roots
- Producer says fan demand and franchise's long hiatus drove the decision
- Game designed to be more approachable while retaining strategic combat depth
Explained simply
Castlevania is a long-running video game series featuring the Belmont family fighting vampires and monsters. The franchise is known for its challenging 2D side-scrolling gameplay and has been around for several decades, though it recently found new audiences through anime adaptations.
Recent Castlevania games moved away from the classic 2D format, and no new major game was released for twelve years. Konami is now developing Castlevania: Belmont's Curse to return the series to its original 2D side-scrolling style, which long-time fans have requested.
The franchise must appeal to two different groups: established fans who loved the original games, and newcomers who know Castlevania only from anime and may find the notoriously difficult originals too challenging. The developer faces the challenge of making the new game accessible to those new to the series while preserving the depth that long-time players expect.