The Triple-i Initiative showcase delivered fresh footage of Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, and it looks like the game is leaning hard into its French setting. A new trailer, featuring developer commentary from Evil Empire - the studio behind Dead Cells and one of the key teams on Konami's Castlevania revival - gave viewers a proper look at combat, environments, and at least one very recognizable historical figure causing problems.
According to Nintendo Life, the trailer confirmed that Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the game's explorable locales, and that Joan of Arc is showing up as a boss fight. That's a bold creative swing, and honestly pretty on-brand for a series that has never been shy about weaponizing historical and religious iconography against the player.
A Belmont by any other name
The trailer also offered another look at the game's protagonist, a whip-wielding Belmont whose identity the developers appear to be keeping deliberately vague. Nintendo Life noted with some amusement that she is "definitely not Sonia" - a nod to fan speculation that the character may be Sonia Belmont, who famously appeared in the Game Boy title Castlevania Legends and was later retconned out of canon.
Evil Empire has built a strong reputation for expanding games with depth and mechanical richness through their work on Dead Cells, so seeing them take point on a Castlevania revival carries real weight. The gothic atmosphere and intricate level design that made Dead Cells a roguelite classic feel like a natural fit for the Castlevania formula.
What we know so far
Belmont's Curse is shaping up as one of the more intriguing announcements in the indie-adjacent space. A Parisian setting gives the game a distinct visual identity separate from the Transylvanian castles and Eastern European towns the series typically calls home. Notre Dame in particular is a stunning architectural choice - the kind of real-world landmark that could produce some genuinely memorable level design when run through Castlevania's gothic horror filter.
No release date has been confirmed yet, but the Triple-i Initiative showcase suggests the developers are ready to build momentum heading into the summer. Fans of classic Metroidvania design and Dead Cells veterans alike have solid reasons to keep this one on their radar.
