Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania Critic Reviews

For people who have been playing Dead Cells routinely since launch, Return to Castlevania offers a cathartic experience akin to your favorite author reading you their favorite book. For new players who love games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night but haven't yet tried Dead Cells, there has never been a better time.

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is a shining blueprint of how to do a crossover right. It celebrates the history of the franchise while mixing it with Dead Cells’ own identity to make something that’s more than the sum of its already excellent parts. Not only does this collaboration feel like it makes total sense, the utmost care has clearly been put into every aspect, whether it be the still fantastic monster-slaying combat or the huge number of secrets waiting to be found inside.

If you’re a Castlevania fan who hasn’t played this game for some reason, you owe it to yourself to buy this now. And even if you’re not, it’s still more super high-quality content for an awesome game that clearly is standing the test of time, made with clear and demonstrated love by independent developers, and you should buy it anyway.

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is a must-buy for any fans of Dead Cells or Castlevania, it's a breath of fresh air for those who have played the base Dead Cells in the past, plus the music is fantastic.

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is the dream DLC I never knew I wanted for one of my favorite games of the past decade. It’s full of content that is all of supremely high quality. Whether you own the game outright or play it on Game Pass if any of this sounds the least bit appealing then spend $10 on this expansion. It is phenomenal.

Dead Cells was always compared to Castlevania, and having the two meet in this way with such reverence on the part of Motion Twin is weirdly heartwarming.

Those new enemies, secrets and boss fights make for some surprises that are sure to delight. Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania offers more than just a cheap nostalgia trip. At $10, players will get more than their money's worth in this expansion that's a must-play for Castlevania fans and anyone looking for an enthralling challenge.

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is a fun and challenging action-platformer that will stimulate the part of the older gamers’ brains that loves nostalgia, while teaching a new generation that a 2D game can still be great, even in 2023.

I can't imagine a finer tribute to 'Castlevania' than this incredible DLC. Easily accessible to new 'Dead Cells' players and brimming with content, this left us hoping that Konami will turn Motion Twin loose on a brand new whip-cracking, Drac-smashing adventure.

Return to Castlevania is, hands down, Dead Cells’ best expansion yet, and it’s not even close. This isn’t to say that its previous add-ons have been lackluster, as every update to the game has only served to help flesh it out even further. Dead Cells continues to be one of the very best rogue-lite games that have released in the past decade, and this just further cements its place as an outstanding entry in the saturated genre.

At $9.99, Return to Castlevania is the most expensive DLC for Dead Cells yet, but it is substantial enough to be worth it. The new areas are a ton of fun, and the number of new weapons and costumes is hefty enough to add extra value to the game. It might not hit as hard for those who don't have nostalgia for Castlevania, but even then, the extra biomes and boss fights are pretty darn great.

It’s worth emphasizing that this DLC is, at its core, meant for those who enjoy Dead Cells rather than strictly Castlevania fans. Playable Richter aside, the rest of this content is more Dead Cells greatness. Still, the highlights of the Castlevania franchise have been encapsulated and reimagined succinctly, transparently displaying the Dead Cells’ developers’ love for the classics that inspired them.

Return to Castlevania is a triumphant return to form for the Castlevania series, and a near-flawless expansion for Dead Cells. More than just an homage, it carefully and lovingly channels everything you know and love about Castlevania into everything that’s good about Dead Cells. After ten long years, Castlevania is finally back, and it’s very much alive and well.

The crossover of my dreams is made exactly like Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania, an expansion that embellishes the formula of the base game by incorporating a massive dose of references and content taken from one of the most beloved videogame sagas of all time.

Return To Castlevania integrates into Dead Cells without distorting it, proving to be a heartfelt tribute and well placed within the flow of the main game. Fans of the Motion Twin title will find in the DLC the dynamism that has always distinguished the basic experience, plus new stages and exciting boss fights to overcome with equipment never seen before. However, given its harmony with the original adventure, Return To Castlevania is also a good starting point for those who, perhaps fans of the Belmont saga, want to get closer to Dead Cells: they will thus find themselves faced with the most complete version of one of the most magnetic , fun and challenging Rogue-Lite on the market.

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is another excellent expansion for the base game. It’s remarkable that nearly five years after its initial release, the development team continues to provide so much additional support, making one of my favorite games of 2018 even better. There’s a ton to like here for fans of both sides of this crossover, but you do have to appreciate both to get much out of it, as the difficulty of this new content will mean its best experienced after gaining some experience with the base game and upgrading your character.

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is an immaculate love letter to one of its inspirations, but it still retains so much of its own identity and humour as you explore Dracula's castle as The Beheaded.

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is an excellent DLC that does exactly what it promises: it brings some Castlevania into Dead Cells, but in a smart way that appeals to everyone, although it's mainly designed to satisfy fans of Konami's series.

Those qualities are part and parcel of this being an expansion to Dead Cells. It retains its own core identity, so the smaller randomized biomes and lack of shortcuts are just part of its nature. Those don't feel especially reminiscent of Castlevania, but the whole expansion is imbued with Castlevania flavor. Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is a smart, frenetic fusion of a modern action-roguelike and classic gaming royalty.

What makes Return to Castlevania better is that it essentially allows you to turn Dead Cells into a Castlevania roguelike, and a damned good one. The DLC serves as a fantastic love letter to one of the series that helped inspire Dead Cells, and that love absolutely comes across. I honestly wish that more games would let me just turn them into a Castlevania spin-off. What’s the matter, Mario? Think you’re better than Castlevania? Well, you’re not, so put on this leather cuirass and carry this whip. Wait, that sounded weird.