10 Best Games Like Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse

A good gothic action game makes the next locked door almost as tempting as the next boss fight. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse brings that appeal back to the Belmont family, with Rose’s whip serving as both a weapon and a way through its world. If its previews have you craving another dangerous castle or beautifully strange kingdom, this list should keep you busy.

10. Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth

Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth offers a compact take on the familiar pleasure of exploring a mysterious side-scrolling labyrinth. Deedlit combines weapons and spirit powers as she uncovers its secrets, with new possibilities making previously puzzling spaces worth another look.

Its fantasy setting is brighter than Castlevania’s vampire-haunted world, but the elegant movement and exploration make the connection easy to understand. Pick it when you want a focused adventure rather than a huge map that becomes a long-term commitment. The spirit mechanics give combat its own character, so it works particularly well for players who enjoy learning a small set of distinctive tools and using them confidently.

Official Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth game details

9. Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights

Ruined places have rarely looked as sorrowful as they do in Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights. Lily explores a devastated kingdom with the help of fallen warriors, whose abilities form the basis of her combat. Uncovering what happened gives the journey a purpose beyond finding the next route through the map.

This is a strong choice for Castlevania fans who want dark fantasy and interconnected exploration with a more melancholy atmosphere. Lily’s spirit-based attacks feel different from a Belmont’s whip, but learning how to combine those abilities creates a rewarding progression of its own. Expect challenging encounters, and choose it when the story hidden inside a ruined world appeals as much as the action.

Official Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights game details

8. Nine Sols

If well-timed defense is the part of combat that keeps you coming back, Nine Sols deserves your attention. Its hand-drawn world combines science fiction and Eastern fantasy, while encounters revolve around reading attacks and using deflections to turn the pressure back on your enemies. The setting gives it a distinctive identity among side-scrolling action games.

It moves away from Castlevania’s European gothic imagery, and its demanding timing can make the learning curve steep. The shared attraction is an explorable world filled with battles worth mastering. Choose it for precise duels rather than vampire hunting. For more recommendations in that direction, Gaming.net’s games like Nine Sols list explores similar combat interests.

Official Nine Sols game details

7. Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist builds its adventure around Lilac and the artificial beings she can help. You explore a damaged world, confront dangerous Homunculi, and turn recovered allies into new combat options. That makes finding the next area feel connected to both the story and the abilities at your disposal.

It’s a good fit for players who enjoy dark fantasy but want something more wistful than Dracula’s familiar surroundings. The companion-based fighting gives it a different rhythm from a whip-led action game, while exploration and character growth provide recognizable rewards. Choose it if you like experimenting with abilities and piecing together the history of a fallen civilization as you move through it.

Official Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist game details

6. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the pick for anyone whose eyes go straight to an impressive traversal sequence. Sargon’s journey through Mount Qaf combines fast combat with platforming, exploration, and time-related abilities. A difficult stretch of terrain can be as absorbing as the fight waiting on the other side.

Its mythological Persian setting offers a different kind of grandeur from Castlevania’s gothic architecture. The connection lies in responsive action and the pleasure of learning how a world fits together as your movement options grow. Choose it when agility matters as much as atmosphere. It rewards careful timing, but also gives you plenty of room to enjoy the changing possibilities of its map.

Official Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown game details

5. Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hornet’s speed makes Hollow Knight: Silksong an appealing alternative when you want an exploration game that feels lively in your hands. Pharloom is a haunted kingdom filled with routes to investigate, enemies to learn, and platforming challenges that put movement front and center. Hornet’s needle gives combat a different reach and rhythm from a Belmont’s whip.

The insect world replaces the traditional vampire setting, but its strange architecture and dangerous exploration can scratch a similar itch. Choose it if you want to get lost in a large, unfamiliar kingdom and gradually master its encounters. Our Silksong review discusses the faster movement and the challenge that comes with it.

Official Hollow Knight: Silksong game details

4. Dead Cells

Dead Cells gives you fast side-scrolling combat in a castle that won’t stay the same from run to run. Weapons and abilities encourage experimentation, and a failed attempt becomes another chance to try a different approach. Its rhythm is built around repeated runs rather than completing one fixed labyrinth.

That difference matters if permanent exploration progress is your favorite part of Castlevania. Choose it instead for responsive fighting and the urge to improve one more attempt. The separately sold Return to Castlevania DLC adds a direct connection to the series, but the base game already makes a strong action recommendation. It’s especially appealing when mastering encounters matters more than slowly clearing every room on a single map.

Official Dead Cells game details

3. The Last Faith

For a more brutal gothic alternative, consider The Last Faith. Its dark streets and imposing architecture frame an exploration game with weapons, firearms, and unforgiving encounters. The world encourages curiosity, but finding a new route often means surviving the dangers that guard it.

Its appeal is the blend of grim atmosphere and combat that asks you to commit to your decisions. It leans further toward Soulslike severity than a straightforward action-platformer, so choose it if you enjoy that pressure alongside the exploration. Gaming.net’s The Last Faith review examines both its gothic strengths and the familiar influences behind them.

Official The Last Faith game details

2. Blasphemous 2

Blasphemous 2 is a strong match for players who want unsettling imagery woven into the structure of an exploration game. The Penitent One travels through a world shaped by the Miracle, with distinct weapons changing both combat and how you navigate certain obstacles. Finding a route forward means paying attention to what those tools make possible.

Its religious horror gives it an identity separate from Castlevania’s vampire mythology. The connection is the satisfying combination of ominous places, demanding bosses, and a map that gradually opens up. Choose it for atmosphere with mechanical purpose. Our Blasphemous 2 review explores its weapon choices and the freedom of its nonlinear design.

Official Blasphemous 2 game details

1. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

The closest overall alternative is Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Koji Igarashi’s exploration-focused action RPG sends Miriam through a demon-filled castle, with weapons, equipment, and collectible powers giving you plenty of ways to develop her abilities. A new discovery can change how you fight or make another corner of the castle worth investigating.

It follows the RPG-heavy exploration tradition of Castlevania more closely than every action-platformer on this list. That makes it an easy recommendation if you want a gothic setting, character growth, and the familiar satisfaction of revisiting rooms with new possibilities. Rose’s whip-led adventure has its own identity, but for another sprawling castle to explore and a large collection of abilities to experiment with, start here.

Official Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night game details

Choose Bloodstained for the closest castle-exploration experience, Blasphemous 2 for unsettling gothic fantasy, or The Lost Crown for traversal. If combat timing is your priority, try Nine Sols; if you want an adventure you can replay in short bursts, Dead Cells offers a different but compelling rhythm.