Castlevania Belmont's Curse drew cinematic inspiration from the Netflix anime — but isn't a direct continuation

Konami's newly announced Castlevania Belmont's Curse shares a striking visual DNA with the Netflix anime series, and that's entirely by design — even if the two aren't officially connected in terms of story or continuity. Series producer Tsutomu Taniguchi and creative director Emmanuel Nouaille from developer Evil Empire both spoke to PC Gamer about the relationship between the game and the show.

Taniguchi was direct about the intent: Konami wants anime fans who have never touched a Castlevania game to feel welcome. "We know that there are so many fans of the anime series who've never played the games before," he said. "We really did want to make sure that everyone felt welcome, especially the anime fans who've never played the games." Nouaille added that there's no "specific reference" to the Netflix show baked into Belmont's Curse, but its cinematographic style was a clear touchstone. "Through the art direction and through the music and the story, I think we are very close to the cinematographic aspect of the series," he said. "Cinematography is more important than a specific reference to the game." Taniguchi closed with a line that sums up the whole approach: "There's not a wall between the game and the anime."

Belmont's Curse is being developed by Evil Empire — the studio behind Dead Cells and its expansions — and marks the first Castlevania game to follow in Symphony of the Night's Metroidvania footsteps since 2008's Order of Ecclesia. Konami first revealed the game in February with a teaser trailer whose art style and color palette were close enough to Powerhouse Animation's work on the Netflix series that fans immediately drew comparisons. The Netflix anime itself has been quiet for over a year and a half since its most recent season, with no official word on whether more episodes are coming.

For fans hoping the anime and game universes eventually converge more explicitly, the door seems open even if nothing is confirmed. In the meantime, Belmont's Curse looks like the most serious attempt in nearly two decades to recapture what made Symphony of the Night a landmark — and it's clearly trying to bring an entirely new audience along for the ride.