Draculalucard’s DLC review of Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania

Return to Castlevania gives the game a chance to truly celebrate its teacher, despite Dead Cells’ Symphony of the Night’s obvious influence. Return to Castlevania DLC from Dead Cells is exactly what you’d expect, but it doesn’t suffer from being predictable. Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania feels like the pinnacle of homage from developers who obviously loved( and got their initial inspiration from) the source material, from battling Dracula once more to including a distinctive interpretation of Symphony of the Night’s “Richter Mode.” Since 2018, the fundamental principles of dead cells have been established.Little about the greatness of the original is altered by going back to Castlevania. Instead, the DLC provides access to biomes, items, and weapons straight from the Castlevania video game series, including the main character’s complete reskins and themed outfits. The new boss and miniboss fights, which are the ideal blend of just-difficult-enough without being overwhelming, and two sizable areas( the Castle Outskirts and Dracula’s Castle) make up the majority of the content.The Castlevania DLC is reverent and humorous, as is typical of crossover material in Dead Cells, and it respects the series it honors without being afraid to act silly. Even in their brief appearances and dialogues, Alucard, Dracula, and the other Castlevania characters feel like themselves, making it enjoyable to run into one of them while out and about. They are more like guest stars on one episode of a sitcom than actual fleshed-out characters.Given the gameplay similarities between Castlevania and Dead Cells, using items like Death’s Scythe, the Cross, or the Snake Sword against the enemies of the base game was always going to be a simple win for fun. Players will have plenty of opportunities to use their toys against both new and old enemies in Dead Cells, one of the most Castlevania-like games available( see also our Bloodstained: Ritual for the Night review).There isn’t any more of Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania, which is its biggest flaw. It would have been nice to see more than just a few new areas incorporated into the base game, even though Richter Mode’s inclusion( as well as some other surprises that don’t need to be spoilt in this review) is great for replayability. Additionally, Dracula’s Castle and the Castle Outskirts themselves are designed in a much more linear and predictable manner than Dead Cells’ levels typically are.Even so, the enjoyment of playing Dead Cells’ Castlevania DLC isn’t significantly diminished, and the$ 10 price is well worth it thanks to the inclusion of 20 new outfits, 13 new enemy types, a few minibosses. The music in Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania, which features fantastic new covers of well-known songs from the era, such as “Vampire Killer,” would also be remiss to be overlooked. Although there has always been excellent music in Dead Cells, I now prefer some of the reinterpretations.Return to Castlevania provides a cathartic experience similar to your favorite author reading you their favorite book for players who have been playing Dead Cells frequently since the game’s debut. There has never been a better time for new players who enjoy Castlevania: Symphony of the Night but haven’t played Dead Cells.