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If you want another game after Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, start with Hollow Knight for expansive exploration, Blasphemous for the closest grim-gothic mood, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown for fluid movement, or Ori and the Will of the Wisps for bright, story-led traversal. Belmont’s Curse is Konami and Evil Empire’s 2D action-exploration Metroidvania, released October 14, 2026, and set 23 years after Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse with Rose Belmont as its protagonist.
What makes Belmont’s Curse a useful starting point?
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse sits squarely in the 2D Metroidvania tradition: a side-scrolling adventure built around exploration, combat and routes that become accessible as your abilities grow. Steam lists it with Metroidvania, action RPG, 2D platformer, dark fantasy, vampires and exploration tags. Konami places the story 23 years after Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, following Rose Belmont.
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That combination gives you several ways to choose a follow-up. You might want a larger interconnected world, heavier melee combat, a similarly gothic atmosphere, faster traversal, or simply another polished game in the same side-scrolling lineage. The four recommendations below cover those priorities without pretending that one game reproduces every part of Belmont’s Curse.
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| Game | Best match for | Exploration and pacing | Combat and presentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hollow Knight | Players who want a demanding, exploration-first Metroidvania | Interconnected discovery and substantial backtracking | Precise combat in a dark, atmospheric world |
| Blasphemous | Players chasing grim religious imagery and gothic brutality | Ability-gated routes with a deliberate, oppressive pace | Weighty melee action and bleak fantasy presentation |
| Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown | Players who prioritize fluid movement and polished action-adventure design | Traversal-led route finding with a brisker feel | Fast movement, responsive combat and a colorful presentation |
| Ori and the Will of the Wisps | Players who want expressive movement and emotional storytelling | Accessible traversal with a strong forward flow | Bright, storybook fantasy and movement-focused action |
These are editorial matches rather than a universal ranking. GamesRadar identifies all four as modern Metroidvanias that develop Castlevania’s side-scrolling adventure formula. Your best choice depends on which part of that formula you want to emphasize.
#1 Best Overall
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Choose Hollow Knight for the deepest exploration
Hollow Knight is the safest recommendation when the map itself is the main attraction. It suits players who enjoy entering an unfamiliar area, finding a blocked route, opening a shortcut and returning later with a new ability. The emphasis is on piecing together a world rather than moving through a purely linear sequence of stages.
Why it fits Belmont’s Curse fans
- It preserves the essential Metroidvania loop of exploration, ability-gated paths, backtracking and shortcuts.
- Its combat is demanding enough to reward learning enemy patterns instead of relying only on upgrades.
- Its atmosphere is dark and mysterious, making it a natural bridge from Castlevania’s supernatural side even though its setting is not a direct vampire story.
Who should skip it
Choose something else if you want a very direct gothic-horror tone, a faster power fantasy or a forgiving first step. Hollow Knight asks you to tolerate uncertainty and repeated attempts. That challenge is an editorial assessment of its feel, not a published difficulty scale.
Choose Blasphemous for the closest gothic mood
Blasphemous is the strongest tonal alternative. If what you miss most is macabre imagery, religious symbolism, brutal monsters and a world that feels hostile from the first room, this is the place to look. It belongs to the same modern Metroidvania lineage highlighted by GamesRadar, but its identity is markedly grim and severe.
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- It treats atmosphere as a core gameplay experience, not merely a background for platforming.
- Its deliberate melee encounters suit players who prefer committing to attacks and reading enemy timing.
- Its bleak visual language makes it the closest recommendation for a player choosing on mood alone.
What changes
Blasphemous is not a substitute for every Castlevania trait. Its religiously inflected grim fantasy is harsher than a conventional haunted-castle adventure, and its pacing may feel heavier than a movement-led game. Pick it when oppressive tone and close-range combat matter more than speed or lightness.
Rank #2
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Choose Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown for movement
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the best fit if your favorite part of a Metroidvania is the act of moving through it. GamesRadar lists it among contemporary games that iterate on Castlevania’s side-scrolling formula, and it presents that structure through a polished action-adventure lens rather than gothic horror.
Why it fits Belmont’s Curse fans
- Traversal is the deciding reason to choose it: routes, hazards and upgrades are designed to keep movement at the center of play.
- Its presentation is more colorful and adventure-oriented, which provides a clear contrast with dark-fantasy alternatives.
- It works well for players who want a modern-feeling action game without leaving the Metroidvania framework.
What changes
If you are looking specifically for vampires, haunted architecture or a grim supernatural mood, this is a looser match. Think of it as the recommendation for mechanics and polish rather than atmosphere.
Choose Ori and the Will of the Wisps for expressive traversal
Ori and the Will of the Wisps keeps the Metroidvania foundation but shifts the emotional and visual register. It is the recommendation for players who want graceful movement, a brighter fantasy world and a stronger storybook presentation while retaining exploration and ability-based progression.
Why it fits Belmont’s Curse fans
- Movement is expressive and central, making traversal feel like a reward in itself.
- The presentation is colorful and approachable, a deliberate counterpoint to gothic horror.
- Its emotional storytelling gives the adventure a different source of momentum from monster hunting and dark lore.
What changes
Ori is a poor choice if your priority is grim brutality. Its appeal is the contrast: choose it when you want Metroidvania structure without carrying the same darkness into your next game.
Rank #3
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Match your choice to the part of Belmont’s Curse you value
| Your priority | Start with | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Largest-feeling exploration loop | Hollow Knight | It puts interconnected discovery and demanding exploration first. |
| Gothic, brutal atmosphere | Blasphemous | Its grim religious imagery is the closest tonal match. |
| Fast, polished traversal | Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown | Movement and action-adventure flow are its main attractions. |
| Bright fantasy and emotional storytelling | Ori and the Will of the Wisps | It offers expressive traversal in a storybook presentation. |
| A balanced first step into modern Metroidvanias | Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown | Its polished presentation makes the genre’s structure easy to approach. |
Use the table as a decision tool, not as a claim that one game is objectively better. “Closest” changes depending on whether you mean map structure, combat, tone or presentation.
How Belmont’s Curse compares by design axis
Exploration structure
All four alternatives share the side-scrolling Metroidvania context, but they emphasize it differently. Hollow Knight is the exploration-first pick. Blasphemous is more about pushing through a hostile, atmospheric world. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown makes traversal feel like the headline feature. Ori and the Will of the Wisps uses movement and story to maintain forward momentum.
Combat feel
For deliberate melee encounters, Blasphemous is the clearest recommendation. Hollow Knight rewards precision and repeated practice. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the faster, more action-adventure-oriented option. Ori belongs here primarily for its movement and presentation rather than for matching Castlevania’s combat identity.
Atmosphere
Blasphemous is the closest tonal neighbor. Hollow Knight also offers a dark atmosphere, but its world has a distinct identity rather than a conventional vampire-gothic one. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is more colorful and adventurous. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is the brightest and most storybook-like choice.
Rank #4
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Difficulty and pacing
Expect the most demanding exploration-and-combat commitment from Hollow Knight, while Blasphemous favors a weightier, more oppressive rhythm. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the pick for fluid momentum, and Ori is the most movement-led and emotionally guided. These are editorial descriptions of how the games feel to approach, not official difficulty ratings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Platforms and editions for Belmont’s Curse
Konami says Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse launched on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and Steam. That gives PC players two listed storefront routes and gives console players current-generation options, but availability can vary by region and storefront.
What the Midnight Edition includes
Konami confirms that the digital and physical Midnight Editions include alternate costumes, a Digital Sound & Art Gallery and an in-game relic item. The physical edition is therefore more than a disc or cartridge purchase if those extras matter to you.
What to verify before buying physical
- Check the retailer serving your country rather than assuming a listing or price is universal.
- Confirm whether the listing is the standard physical release or a Midnight Edition.
- Read the product description for the exact included bonuses, platform and language information.
- Check current stock and delivery dates; those details can change after launch.
The existence of a physical edition is confirmed, but a particular retailer’s price, stock and regional listing are not fixed facts. Treat any storefront page as current only at the time you check it.
Best Value
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How the launch reception should influence your choice
Steam showed 1,937 user reviews with 82% positive when checked in 2026. That is a time-sensitive storefront snapshot, not a permanent score or a substitute for reading recent reviews. Review totals and percentages can change as more players post feedback, and Steam’s audience represents the PC version rather than every console edition.
Use that figure as a signal that a substantial group of Steam players had responded positively at the time of the snapshot, then examine recent comments for the platform and language you intend to use. Do not assume the same experience, performance or edition contents across every system without checking the relevant listing.
A practical play order for Metroidvania fans
- Pick by your dominant priority. Choose Hollow Knight for exploration, Blasphemous for gothic mood, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown for movement, or Ori and the Will of the Wisps for bright, emotional traversal.
- Decide whether contrast or continuity sounds better. After a dark vampire adventure, Ori offers the biggest tonal change; Blasphemous keeps the mood closest.
- Choose your platform before your edition. Confirm that the game and any desired physical release are available for your console or PC storefront in your region.
- For Belmont’s Curse itself, compare standard and Midnight Editions. The Midnight Edition’s confirmed extras are alternate costumes, a Digital Sound & Art Gallery and an in-game relic item.
- Reassess after one game. If you loved map discovery, move to Hollow Knight; if you loved movement, move to Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown or Ori; if mood carried the experience, try Blasphemous.
Bottom line: which game should you play first?
Start with Hollow Knight if you want the most exploration-heavy follow-up. Choose Blasphemous when gothic brutality is non-negotiable. Pick Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown for the smoothest movement-led alternative, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps when you want a brighter, more emotional take on the same Metroidvania foundation. Belmont’s Curse itself is available on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and Steam, with a physical Midnight Edition confirmed by Konami.
Quick Recap
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