A Rose by any other name.

Image credit: Eurogamer

Ambitious, aggressive, and accomplished, Belmont's Curse whips out some of the best Castlevania highs you can experience - but technical issues and some awkward controls means it can all end in bloody tears if you're not careful.

In my office, I have a collage of Ordnance Survey maps plastered across my wall. They're from places I've lived - Derbyshire, East London, Bournemouth, Bristol - with cycle routes, country roads, and parks highlighted and circled. It's an atlas of my experiences, a living memoir of the places I've been and the things I've seen. There's magic in a map, its ability to remind you of the paths you've trodden and where you've yet to go.

Perhaps that's why I love Metroidvanias so much. Really, the game is the map. Is there anything more intoxicating than pushing your palms up against the walls supposedly keeping you in and knowing that - somewhere - there's a hidden path leading to the other side?…