As I continue my way through Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse (now blessedly disentangled from the platforming challenge that hemmed me up earlier this week), I find myself really vibing with the game’s soundtrack. The sound team at Evil Empire chose to go with an eclectic downtempo collection of work that feels in tune with the current musical zeitgeist, obsessed with the Lofi Girl and her many musical siblings.
It’s a good fit that makes the game stand out sonically in much the same way that it does mechanically and visually while still feeling good to listen to. It’s not obnoxious in the way some soundtracks can be, where louder, busier songs can burrow into your brain and become mercilessly stuck, like the harpsichords blaring in the Long Library in Symphony of the Night. I could play the Belmont’s Curse soundtrack in the background during a work day and be quite relaxed with the resulting ambiance.
I’m particularly fond of “Bone March,” a track that plays during your exploration of the Paris Catacombs, and “Iron Clock,” the theme for the Clock Tower. And though the Talos boss fight itself gave me heartburn and some severe hand calluses, “Stone Tyrant,” his boss theme, is actually quite funky.
But there’s one significant exception to my general enjoyment of Belmont’s Curse soundtrack: The way it treats “Bloody Tears” is kinda tragic. That song is the iconic theme song across the franchise. It’s up there with Dr. Wily’s Castle Theme from Mega Man 2, the kinda shit that when you hear it, it makes you want to run through a brick wall. And previous “Bloody Tears” themes understood that particular assignment. Hell, even the “Bloody Tears” arrangement for the Castlevania Dead Cells DLC is a bop.
But in Belmont’s Curse, the song feels like a pulled punch. There’s a build-up with the familiar run of notes that lets you know, “Yeah, the good shit you remember is coming,” but when it’s time for the beat drop after all that intense buildup, the song fades into almost nothing. It’s too orchestral, lacking the edge that I’ve come to expect from my “Bloody Tears” arrangements. It blends into the background.
“Bloody Tears” should get you hype. It should match the energy required to fight and defeat Dracula. This version, sadly, puts me into a thousand years’ sleep.