With Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse officially announced, fans of Symphony of the Night-style exploration are once again craving sprawling castles, hidden secrets, and layered RPG progression. If you’ve been searching for games like Castlevania while waiting for Belmont’s Curse, these are the ones that truly scratch that classic itch.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, for all intents and purposes, is Castlevania. When Koji Igarashi left Konami, many of us assumed that the IGA-era formula was finished. Instead of letting it fade away, he went to Kickstarter and proved there was still a massive audience for that style of game. Bloodstained is the result, and it delivers exactly what longtime fans wanted.
The castle exploration, the RPG progression, the ridiculous weapon variety, the shard system that lets you experiment and even break the game in the best ways, the hidden rooms everywhere. It all feels intentionally familiar.
If Belmont’s Curse ends up leaning into that Symphony-style formula, Bloodstained is the blueprint it will be compared to. And yes, we reviewed Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night here on The Outerhaven, so be sure to give that a read.
Developer: ArtPlay
Available On: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2
If you’re craving that classic NES-era Castlevania feel, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 absolutely delivers. There’s no giant map, no RPG grind, no endless backtracking. This is tight, stage-based action built around precision jumps, deliberate combat, and bosses that will absolutely test you, just the original Castlevania games were all about.
It also borrows from the design philosophy of Castlevania III, letting you switch between multiple characters, each with unique abilities that change how you approach both combat and traversal. That flexibility adds strategy without sacrificing the old-school challenge.
If you miss the NES era of Castlevania, this is one of the closest modern equivalents you can play.
Developer: ArtPlay
Available On: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
Yes, this is based on the anime of the same name, but it is also suspiciously close to Symphony of the Night. The movement cadence, spell swapping, boss design, and overall map flow feel immediately familiar if you grew up exploring Dracula’s castle. You unlock new traversal abilities, revisit older sections with fresh tools, and peel back layers of the map exactly the way Castlevania trained us to.
It doesn’t try to modernize the formula too much. It respects it. For longtime fans, it feels less like inspiration and more like a quiet continuation. If you loved Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, you’re going to love this game.
Developer: Team Ladybug
Available On: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch, PC
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights keeps the gothic mood but swaps out direct weapon focus for summoned spirits. Instead of just swinging steel, you recruit fallen warriors and build your combat style around them.
Yes, the game is a bit slower paced and more melancholic, but this is 100% Metroidvania at its core. Unlock abilities. Backtrack. Discover new paths. Get humbled by bosses. Repeat. It feels like Castlevania viewed through a quieter, more somber lens.
Developer: Live Wire
Available On: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Infernax
If Belmont’s Curse leans old-school instead of RPG-heavy, Infernax might end up being the closest comparison. It pulls directly from the NES-era Castlevania games. Tough enemies, branching paths, pixel art that feels authentically retro, and difficulty that does not apologize. It has that “learn it or lose it” energy that defined early Belmont adventures. It even has hidden meat in the walls, though I wouldn’t recommend eating it.
Infernax remains one of the stronger modern tributes to classic Castlevania design and is highly recommended if you want that old-school punishment.
Developer: Berzerk Studio
Available On: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement
Now, I know this isn’t a game anyone can play yet, but it absolutely deserves to be mentioned. Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement was revealed during June 2025 and is currently in development. It takes place in the same universe established by Ritual of the Night while introducing new characters. And if that first game proved anything, it’s that the IGA-style Castlevania formula still has life in it.
As someone who grew up with the Castlevania series and genuinely loves what those games meant to action-platformers, Bloodstained didn’t just feel like nostalgia. It felt like picking up right where that era left off. The sprawling castle design, layered progression, ability experimentation, and sense of uncovering secrets tucked into every corner. It all landed.
We don’t know everything about The Scarlet Engagement yet, but the fact that Bloodstained is expanding matters. For fans who grew up on Castlevania, that continuation carries real weight.
Belmont’s Curse may bring Castlevania back into the spotlight, but the genre never disappeared. It evolved. It adapted. And if you’ve been waiting for something to fill that castle-shaped hole in your backlog, you don’t have to wait anymore.
