Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Is The Latest Game To Attend The Hades School Of Making Everybody Hot

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse has landed at the sharp end of the year’s releases, and it has done so with a confidence that is hard to ignore. It combines striking visual design, combat with real weight behind it, and movement that flows rather than fights the player. The game has also attracted attention for a reason that has little to do with mechanics. Its cast is, to put it plainly, extremely good-looking, and that has become part of the conversation rather than a footnote to it. The comparison that keeps coming up is Hades and its sequel. Not because the games share a structure, but because they share an approach to character design, one where attractiveness is treated as part of the craft rather than an afterthought or a marketing hook. That approach has practical benefits. A well-designed face gives an audience something to hold onto during long conversations, and a distinctive silhouette makes a...