The release of Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is something of a monkey’s paw affair for Nintendo Switch 2 owners. Yes, the classic franchise is back, and in fine form, but it’s only been released on the original Switch – there’s no dedicated version for the newer platform. Even a former marketing manager for the home of Super Mario is a little bit baffled.
In a video posted on social media, Kit Ellis, ex-senior PR manager at Nintendo of America, expressed his confusion at Konami’s approach to bringing back the Belmont family’s war against Dracula. “If you’re a Castlevania fan who mostly plays on Nintendo Switch 2, I wouldn’t blame you for having some mixed feelings on Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse,” he says.
“The way Konami has handled this game has been a little weird,” he continues. “The game isn’t even coming out on Switch 2. I mean, you can play it on a Switch 2, but this is a Switch 1 game that Konami is releasing. There is no dedicated Switch 2 version.”
It truly seems like an odd decision to put this out only on the older hardware. The Switch 2’s been out for over a year at this point, giving Konami plenty of time to optimize the game for that console. Maybe the company figured that the relatively simple 2.5D visuals ran well enough on the base Switch that no current-gen upgrades were required.
It looks, sounds and plays like Symphony of the Night; a side-scrolling action-adventure through layers of ghouls and ghosts to defeat Dracula once again. An appropriate choice for one half of the Metroidvania moniker making its grand return to the stylistic choices it popularized.
I can’t imagine why a Switch 2 release wouldn’t have been feasible. Ellis points out that going by the demo, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse runs at 60 frames-per-second on Switch 2, which is nice, though the resolution leaves something to be desired.
“It does look a little blocky, a little bit chunky when you’re playing it on a Switch 2,” he states. “But I guess it’s better than nothing.”
Since Castlevania’s early releases were on the NES and SNES, creating a synergy between the two brands, Ellis is befuddled by the choice here. “It kind of feels like Konami’s not completely following through with the game here,” he adds. I’d have to agree, even though I’m still excited to jump in on October 15.