Evil Empire discusses how it reached the final form of Castlevania Belmont’s Curse, with experiments ranging from Dark Souls to Dead Cells.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse launches today, and it feels right. Developer Evil Empire was born out of Dead Cells studio Motion Twin to continue work on that game, which always wore its Castlevania influences on its sleeve. Eventually, the team would bring the two together with a crossover DLC, before finally building its very own take on the Konami series that gave its name to Metroidvanias. Ahead of the release of Belmont's Curse, I had the opportunity to chat with Evil Empire CEO Thomas Pfeiffeir and Head of Business Ben Laulan about the game's creation, and the process of coming full circle.
The pair are both very enthusiastic about working alongside Konami on Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, having previously teamed up with Ubisoft to create The Rogue Prince of Persia. Laulan stresses that both "are still Evil Empire games; even if it's tied to an IP, it's really important for us to be creatively in control of the game we are making." Belmont's Curse has the look and the vibes of Castlevania, but you can immediately see the hallmarks of its developer in the way it plays. Rather than feeling like a burden, the team considers the brand "a framing that gives us creativity."
Part of that framing is knowing the audience up front. "It prevents you from going after your ego as a creative person, because you already know who you have to address," Pfeiffeir remarks. "You have to stay focused on one mission, which is to address correctly what the players are going to expect from a Castlevania game." That doesn't mean you're stuck in a rigid bucket, however. "One really good thing that we really appreciated is that both Ubisoft and Konami came to us because they wanted to try something a bit new, not to do the same thing they did before."
"We had many different versions of the game," Laulan reveals. "We had much slower versions, more like a Dark Souls kind of vibe with even more heavy combat and slow rhythm. Then we realized it wasn't really Castlevania because it was too slow, too intense, and just too hard. So we cranked up the speed, and then it was too much Dead Cells because it was too fast-paced, and the exploration wasn't there as much as it needs to be in Castlevania."
Eventually, the team found that 'just right' middle ground. "We're in this nice in-between of respect to the IP and a slow pace with the exploration, and yet it's a modern game that plays really nicely. You take the controller and it feels good in your hands." I ask how it feels to be on the cusp of release. "I still can't believe we're launching the new Castlevania," Laulan says with a grin. "It's very humbling when you look back at our beginnings. We put a lot of heart into the game. We hope players will love it."
In an era where it can be tough for even established indie studios to make their mark with a new game, Pfeiffeir says "Konami did a great job supporting the game. The promotion is, in our perspective, very good. We are very happy to see the love they put, the effort they put, into the communication around Belmont's Curse."
The big question that remains is how the game will actually perform. "From my perspective, the answer lies in the hands of the players," Laulan responds. He says the enthusiastic reviews from press have boosted team morale and are "very heartwarming, especially when it's the big comeback of such an awaited IP." Ultimately, though, "we stay cautious and we're just waiting for the players' feedback now, which will be the main thing."
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.pcgamesn.com/castlevania-belmonts-curse/release-interview-evil-empire
