You might stumble across a room holding the save dice from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which provides a little bit of extra flavor rather than actually letting you save your game. You’ll find plenty of charming nods and surprises from the old-school Castlevania games to interact with while exploring these new areas as well. And while I don’t want to spoil anything, the final confrontation is easily the most challenging and unique boss Dead Cells has seen yet. All the while the villain himself appears at times to slow you down by throwing fireballs, unleashing swarms of bats, and yes, even flipping the castle upside down. The castle’s background layers impressively convey how vast the fortress is meant to be as you run through Dead Cells’ procedurally-generated layouts that change the map for every visit.
The atmosphere of the gothic structure is only heightened thanks to the red fog that pours in through each window you pass by. It is filled to the brim with ornate decorations and detailed sculpture work that is complimented nicely by Dead Cells gorgeous pixel-art style. No matter what distance you’re looking from outside, Dracula’s castle appears massive – and once you get inside it’s just as grand. That idea is only expanded upon once entering his castle. I was surprised to find the castle outskirts are designed as a sort of proving ground, satisfyingly testing whether or not you’re even worthy to enter Dracula’s domain by having you ascend several floors before you even reach his doorstep, cleverly demonstrating how big of a threat the iconic vampire is.
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There are a handful of refreshing enemies from the Castlevania series to take on, further selling the idea that I’ve been transported into this fantastical world.ĭracula’s Castle is made up of two distinct locations – the grounds outside the castle and its interior – and there is so much more within them than you might expect based on past Dead Cells updates, including some great renditions of iconic songs like Vampire Killer. It’s this level of creativity that makes punishing new enemies like skeletons and werewolves with my whip sword or a cute but ferocious magical cat even more fun. There are also Castlevania classics like the holy water and the cross, but my favorite of the new additions has to be Death’s scythe, a double-sided weapon that converts its victims into my own spectral army who in turn dive at enemies and explode while I simply smile and watch. That could be pairing the flint with the whip to overwhelm enemies up close and personal, or the throwing ax with the lightning bolt to focus on attacking from afar. That’s absolutely for the best because you’re able to mix and match between those and 14 vampire hunter-flavored weapons to find creative new builds. As you storm a spectacular castle floating in a blood-red sea, the original Dead Cells’ weapons, blueprints, and outfits you’ve found from any path can be used across the board here.
Discovering all the new surprises continues to keep it more than fresh even after the 20 hours I’ve sunk in so far. The brilliant gameplay formula of quick sword swiping action, ground pounds, and bashing through doors against a colorful pool of monsters hasn’t fundamentally changed, but Return to Castlevania introduces more weapons, enemies, bosses, and outfits than any paid expansion before it. Return to Castlevania is a masterful mashup that brings together the best parts of both games, with the same challenging and engaging Dead Cells action that might leave you in bloody tears of frustration or joy by the end. It puts the castle itself center stage and makes it feel alive, and that reverence really helps sell the crossover fantasy. Its more traditional story structure is less mysterious than the connect-the-dots style we’ve seen in the past, and it's immediately clear how much work has gone into bringing Castlevania's iconic characters, weapons, music, and locations into Dead Cells’ world. This sizable expansion expertly remixes the base game and Konami’s classic action-platformer series – one of Dead Cells’ biggest inspirations – into something that feels wonderfully and wholeheartedly its own. That’s been true across five years of superb content updates, and it’s even more true with the arrival of its latest paid DLC, Return to Castlevania. Whenever I’m asked what my favorite roguelike is, my answer is confidently and unabashedly Dead Cells.
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