Castlevania's most iconic song should whip me to death with chains, not put me to sleep for a thousand years.

Belmont Curse's version of "Bloody Drops" is more limited than it should be.

Castlevania's most iconic song should chain-whip me to death, not put me to sleep for a thousand years.

Belmont Curse's version of "Bloody Drops" is more limited than it should be.

As I continue to make my way through Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse (now happily divorced from the platforming challenge that plagued me earlier this week), I find myself getting really excited by the game’s soundtrack. The voice team at Evil Empire chose a set of works that fit in with the current soundtrack, obsessed with Luffy's daughter and her musical siblings.

It's a nice fit that makes the game stand out sonically as much as it does mechanically and visually, while also feeling good to listen to. That some of the soundtracks can be angsty, where the louder, more raucous tunes can dig into your brain and get stuck mercilessly, like the harpsichords coming through the long library in Symphony of the Night. I can play the Belmont Belmont soundtrack in the background during a work day and be completely relaxed with the resulting atmosphere.

I'm particularly fond of Bone March, the song that plays during your exploration of the Paris catacombs, and "The Iron Hour," the Clock Tower theme. And although the battle with Tallow's boss itself caused heartburn and severe hand calluses, "Stone Tyrant", his boss theme, is actually pretty funky.

But there is one major exception to my overall enjoyment of the Belmont Curse soundtrack: its treatment of "Blood Tears" is somewhat sad. That song is the iconic theme song throughout the franchise. Up there with The Dr. Wily's Castle Theme from Mega Man 2 is something that makes you want to run through a brick wall when you hear it. And the previous themes of "Bloody Tears" realized this special task. Hell, even the Blood Tears layout for the Castlevania Dead Cells DLC is pretty good.

But in Belmont’s Curse, the song packs a punch. There's a set of familiar notes that let you know, "yeah, the good things you remember are coming," but when the beat-down time increases after all that, the song almost falls apart. It's too orchestral and lacks what I've come to expect from Bloody Tears arrangements. Blends with the background.

"Bloody Tears" should get you hyped. It must match the energy required to fight and defeat Dracula. This version, unfortunately, lulls me into a thousand-year sleep.