Castlevania: Belmont's Curse's free demo is live, and it runs better on Switch 2
Konami's demo for its new 2D Castlevania is out now across all four platforms, with saves that carry into the October 15 full release. There is no dedicated Switch 2 build, but Nintendo Life reports the Switch version roughly doubles its frame rate there.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is two weeks out, and Konami is letting everyone try the opening chapter first. The demo goes live on October 1 on Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, at a download size VGC reports as roughly 3 to 6GB depending on the platform.
The part worth knowing: your save carries. According to VGC's report of Konami's announcement, demo progress transfers into the full game, provided you use the same platform and account for both.
What the game is
Belmont's Curse is an exploration-driven 2D action adventure set in Paris in 1499. You play Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont, working through the city and Dracula's castle. Konami describes it as developed jointly by Konami and Evil Empire, with advisory help from Motion Twin - which is to say the team that spent years running Dead Cells, advised by the studio that created it.
That pedigree is the main reason to pay attention. Konami's 2D Castlevania line has been dormant for a long time, and handing it to a studio with that much roguelike-platformer mileage is a specific choice rather than a nostalgia exercise.
Editions
The game arrives October 15 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and Steam. Konami's announcement listed a digital standard edition, a digital Midnight Edition adding a 71-track sound and art gallery, Trevor and Sypha costumes and a Family's Grace relic, and a physical Midnight Edition with a SteelBook and an optional tarot card at selected retailers. Every edition's pre-order bonus is an Alucard-styled costume for Rose. Konami has not published prices.
Why it matters
This is the first new mainline 2D Castlevania in years and the demo lets you find out whether Evil Empire has the feel right before committing, with nothing lost if you buy in afterwards.