Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania Review: A Great Night To Have A Curse

My initial thoughts on putting a Castlevania expansion into Dead Cells were a mix between trepidation and excitement. As a big fan of both properties, seeing how they can come together was instantly exciting, but it also left me nervous that it might not actually make a ton of sense. For as often as Dead Cells is recommended to fans of Metroidvania titles, the two actually don’t have much in common. Sure, they’re both 2D action games where you get upgrades over time, but their movement and action are entirely different, and the way you upgrade and grow a character in a roguelite such as Dead Cells is entirely different from how you do it in a Metroidvania. In some ways, this crossover felt like the sort of thing you’d dream up if you didn’t really understand what was so great about both sides of it.

A Strong Combo

I’m happy to report that this is not the case. The team at Motion Twin are clearly fans of Castlevania and they’ve created an expansion that understands what to bring over and what to leave behind. Castlevania fans eager for some new content in their beloved series should understand that going in because this is still Dead Cells, and the way it plays has not changed. The game’s sense of humor, combat, and progression are largely the same as they’ve always been in these few new areas that you’ll fight your way through.

That doesn’t mean nothing of Castlevania has been captured here, of course. While a lot of the Return to Castlevania expansion is aesthetic, there are shifts as you make your way into Dracula’s castle and fight a pair of bosses. While the levels here are still randomly generated each time out, they feel more rigid than the average Dead Cells area. There are certain elements that consistently show up, and there’s a bit more puzzle-solving than in the average biome. These are small changes, but it does show that the development team wanted to capture more than just the look of the game.

For The Fans

Castlevania fans who are unfamiliar with Dead Cells won’t have to spend too long getting to this expansion, either. Having originally played Dead Cells on Switch, reviewing this expansion on PC allowed me to see the progression for new players. While you have to play the first couple of runs of the standard game like any new player, soon enough, Richter Belmont will show up and ask for your help taking down Dracula himself. After that, the option to head to the Return to Castlevania content is available from the first biome on each run.

Whether that’s a good idea, though, is up to you. Dead Cells is already a difficult game, and this content is harder than most of the early levels in it. Because you access it from the starting area, you also don’t have the option to build your character up before taking it on. Accessing it after only a few runs will mean you haven’t yet unlocked many of the permanent upgrades, which can make the game easier and will help players take down its fearsome bosses. There were more than a few times as I took on the hardest areas of it that I really wished I were playing this on my Switch, where I’ve invested a ton of time into Dead Cells. New players who only want to engage with this expansion may be put off by this.

Tons To Unlock

Still, once you get going, the Return to Castlevania expansion offers a lot of great content for the cost. Both of its boss fights against series regulars are difficult but rewarding. There are many other characters to meet and references to classic games in the series, which consistently left me smiling. The new remixes of iconic series music sound fantastic and really set the tone. While the content isn’t terribly long, those who aren’t Dead Cells veterans will take some time to beat it, and even as an experienced player, I felt a challenge. I died a number of times, even going through the standard levels, and the bosses kicked my butt more than a few times.

Going back repeatedly is also rewarding because there’s so much good content to unlock. Costumes and weapons from the Castlevania series are seamlessly introduced, and some of them, like the cross and holy water, just feel like they belong in Dead Cells. That the development team was able to so seamlessly integrate elements of Castlevania’s gameplay into Dead Cells, while making them feel right in this setting yet still feel like themselves, is a real accomplishment. Finding blueprints to permanently unlock these items so you can use them in the rest of the game is well worth your time.

Conclusion

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.

Final Verdict: 4/5

Available on: PC (Reviewed), PS4, Xbox One, Switch; Publisher: Motion Twin; Developer: Motion Twin, Evil Empire; Players: 1; Released: March 6th, 2023; ESRB: T for Teen; MSRP: $9.99

Full disclosure: This review is based on a copy of Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania provided by the publisher.