Evil Empire's hand-drawn revival of the Belmont legacy arrives October 15 on PS5 with a three-hour Paris demo that already threads the needle between Castlevania tradition and post-Hollow Knight ambition. Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor, launches her snarky coming-of-age arc amid literal flames licking Notre Dame, separated from her father on the docks before the Arcana Whip and a suite of difficulty modifiers open the map. The French studio's visual palette—vibrant hand-drawn assets layered over 3D environments—delivers the most striking 2D Castlevania in decades, while the boss-sealing tarot system turns defeated foes like the Fallen and a corrupted Joan of Arc into leveled-up powers that reward exploration and Works of Mercy tasks.