If someone asks me what my favorite roguelike is, I will answer with confidence. That’s been true throughout his five years of excellent content updates, but with the arrival of the latest paid DLC, Return to Castlevania, it’s even more so. This massive expansion deftly remixes the base game and Konami’s classic action-platformer series (his one of Dead Cells’ biggest inspirations), making it feel wonderfully and wholeheartedly its own. Its more traditional story structure is less mysterious than the connect-the-dots style we’ve seen in the past, and how much work has gone into bringing Castlevania’s iconic characters, weapons, music, and locations to the world of Dead Cells. You can immediately see what has been done. It puts the castle itself center stage and makes it feel alive. That reverence really helps market the crossover fantasy.Return to Castlevania is a masterful mashup that combines the best parts of both games, ending in either frustration or bloody tears of joy. It features challenging and engaging Dead Cells action that could blow you away.
Traditionally, the story wasn’t the reason you played Dead Cell in the first place, but Return to Castlevania does an interesting job of setting up the reasons why you’re happy to venture into Dracula’s infamous throne room. . She escapes the island prison like in the old days. By the end of that story, I’d not only fought the Count in an epic final battle, but I’d also faced an intense showdown with Medusa and Death itself. It felt like a new, more streamlined version of Vania’s Adventures.
While the great gameplay formula of rapid sword swipe action, ground pounding, and bashing through doors against hordes of colorful monsters remains essentially the same, Return to Castlevania has more weapons than any paid expansion before it. , introduces enemies, bosses and costumes. Discovering all new surprises keeps me fresh even after the 20 hours I’ve sunk so far. You can use all the original Dead Cell weapons, blueprints, and outfits you find here.
Combine them with 14 vampire hunter-flavored weapons to find creative new builds, so it’s the absolute best. You can combine them to focus on attacks from a distance. There are also Castlevania classics like Holy Water and the Cross, but my favorite new addition is the Death Scythe. It’s a double-faced weapon that transforms victims into an army of ghosts of its own that dive into enemies and explode. Just smile and watch. With this level of creativity, you can punish new enemies like skeletons and werewolves with whip swords, or make cute and ferocious magical cats even more fun. A handful of refreshing enemies from the Castlevania series further sell the idea that I was transported to this fantastical world.
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Dracula’s Castle is made up of two different locations, one outside the castle and one inside, and much more than you’d expect based on past Dead Cell updates, including great renditions of iconic songs like Vampire Killer. There are many things in I was surprised that the outskirts of the castle were designed as a kind of experimental ground. It satisfactorily tests whether it’s worth entering Dracula’s realm and deftly demonstrates its magnitude by climbing a few floors before reaching Dracula’s doorstep. The iconic vampire is a threat. That idea is only expanded upon entering his castle.
No matter how far you look from the outside, Dracula’s castle looks huge. Filled with ornate decorations and detailed sculptural work, beautifully complemented by Dead Cells’ gorgeous pixel art style. The atmosphere of the Gothic building is further enhanced thanks to the red mist that pours in through the windows as you pass by. Running through Dead Cells’ procedurally-generated layout that changes the map each time you visit, the castle’s background layer impressively conveys just how vast the fortress is meant to be. The villains themselves will occasionally appear to slow you down by throwing fireballs, unleashing swarms of bats, or flipping over your castle. is the most challenging and unique boss I’ve ever seen.
Lots of charming nods and surprises from old school Castlevania games to interact with as you explore these new areas. You may come across a room holding save dice from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. This provides a little extra flavor rather than actually saving the game. Inclusions like this make for great memories for people who are already big fans of the series, but they’re also a great source of motivation to encourage those who haven’t played Castlevania to come back and try it for the first time (and You will probably start to recognize it). More references along the way).
Once you find the Richter Belmont in the castle, you’ll be able to play the short but excellent Richter Mode after your next run. While it’s common for most of Return to Castlevania to play like the loving Castlevania skin Dead his cell, Richter Mode simplifies the combat a bit to give the Castlevania games an orderly, tactile feel. characteristics. Richter is equipped with one weapon and he only has one tool instead of two as normal. Additionally, like many games in his series, tools can only be used by consuming heart currency. He has much less health and fewer resources to manipulate than his normal Dead Cells character, so he should take his time and focus on distanced himself from enemies rather than jumping in and attacking. bottom. But playing cautiously yields powerful rewards, and eventually I found myself literally raining holy water down on my enemies, living up to the legendary reputation of the Belmont clan. Because it’s all about learning how to play, Richter Mode is a great innovative way to bring something new to the table while keeping Castlevania in the spotlight. , left more than convinced that the developers of Motion Twin and Evil Empire could make an incredibly traditional 2D Castlevania.
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The amount of time it takes to get to and defeat Dracula will depend on whether you’re a new or returning player, but either way you can start a new save and then do a few more before starting your adventure, so it’s easy to get on board. can. Take action fast. Even after I thought I had done everything I needed to do to return to Castlevania, I often found myself discovering new things. appeared and annihilated them. After that, the great villain paid me for helping him find the merchant.
There are 20 different outfits to unlock, based on prominent Castlevania figures such as Simon Belmont and Alucard, to name a few. It’s a nice little touch, and when you reach Dracula’s throne room dressed as someone from Castlevania, the pre-battle dialogue changes as well, giving you a little background on each character. It was enough to entice me into doing it to stuff. Another example.
All of this may sound like it’s going back to Castlevania but relies heavily on nostalgia to be enjoyed, but one thing that this DLC does so well as a crossover is that if you’re not familiar with the series, you’ll find that it’s a great place to start. It’s understandable, though. All references. As someone who isn’t a die-hard Castlevania fan but has played it a few times, not only have I never felt left out, but I actually wanted to play more of the series. I love you so much. To me, that dopamine effect is the highest compliment a crossover can reach, and this one does it admirably.
Many games today are undoubtedly due to Castlevania, but years of prodigious updates and improvements have earned Dead Cells the right to proudly sit on the throne with its own inspiration. Return to Castelvania not only does the right thing with Castlevania, it cements Dead Cells as a timeless classic in its own right. For that reason, this crossover feels like more than a loving homage or something worth going through Torchlight alone. ‘s level design, bosses, art, and creativity take it to the next level.
