Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is drawing criticism for an early-game difficulty spike that many players find insurmountable. The action platformer, which casts players as Rose Belmont, daughter of Sypha and Trevor, begins by tasking players with exploring a war-torn Paris. While the initial hours offer a challenging but surmountable experience, a particular boss encounter quickly becomes a point of contention.
Players start as Rose with a basic sword, gradually acquiring new weapons and powers. The game encourages investigation, with non-player characters providing clues to boss locations and progression. However, a misleading clue in one instance led to an early encounter with Dracula, triggering a bad ending and concluding the game prematurely for some. The ability to reach the endgame so early suggests a hidden true ending awaits those who can overcome the game's challenges.
The Builder's Gauntlet
The primary source of frustration stems from a boss known as the Builder. After an initial phase, the boss flees into a gauntlet of moving pistons and spike pits, requiring quick reflexes. This chase sequence must be completed not once, but twice, including traversing the deathtrap backwards. A strict 90-second timer on this segment adds significant pressure.
Compounding the difficulty, the developers have not included options to adjust platforming challenges, focusing only on combat difficulty settings. This has led to a feeling of demoralization for players unable to clear the segment, especially when compared to the risk-reward loops found in soulslike games, where players can often improve their character to overcome obstacles.
This intentional difficulty is reminiscent of games like Westwood Studios' The Lion King on SNES. Developers of that title admitted to deliberately increasing the difficulty to extend gameplay beyond typical rental periods. However, with the shift away from physical game rentals, such extreme challenges in Belmont's Curse feel out of place and potentially alienating to the player base.