Dead Cells' Return to Castlevania DLC is exactly what you would expect, but doesn't suffer any from being predictable. From battling Dracula once again to going as far as to include a unique take on Symphony of the Night's "Richter Mode," Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania feels like the ultimate homage from developers who clearly loved (and got their initial inspiration from) the source material.
The core mechanics of Dead Cells have been established since 2018, and Return to Castlevania does little to change what makes the original great. Instead, the DLC gives access to biomes, items, and weapons pulled straight from the Castlevania video game series, including both themed outfits and total reskins for the main character. The bulk of the content comes in the form of two large areas (the Castle Outskirts and Dracula's Castle) and the new boss and miniboss fights, which are all that perfect mix of just-difficult-enough without being overpowering.
Like all crossover content in Dead Cells, the Castlevania DLC is both reverential and humorous, showing respect for the series it homages without being afraid to get silly with it. Alucard, Dracula, and the rest of the characters from Castlevania are more like guest stars on one episode of a sitcom than actual fleshed-out characters, but even in their brief appearances and dialogs they all feel like themselves, and stumbling across one of them while out in the world is always enjoyable.
Placing Castlevania's weapons in Dead Cells was always going to be an easy win for fun given the gameplay similarities between the two, but it's worth mentioning just how great it is to use items like Death's Scythe, the Cross, or the Snake Sword against the base game's enemies. Dead Cells is one of the most Castlevania-like games out there (see also our Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night review) and the way this DLC weaves in content means players will get plenty of chances to use their toys against enemies both old and new.
The biggest problem with Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is that there simply isn't more of it. While the inclusion of Richter Mode (and a few other surprises that don't need to be spoiled in this review) is great for replayability, it would have been nice to see more than just a few new areas weaved into the base game. Adding to this is the design of Dracula's Castle and the Castle Outskirts themselves, which are much more linear and predictable than Dead Cells' levels usually are.
Still, that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of playing Dead Cells' Castlevania DLC much, and what is included - 10 new enemy types, 13 weapons, a few minibosses, and 20 new outfits - makes the $10 price well worth it. It would also be remiss to not mention the music in Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania, which includes fantastic new covers of iconic Castlevania tunes like "Vampire Killer." Dead Cells has always contained great music, but some of the reinterpretations in this DLC have become my favorite versions.
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 releases March 6, 2023, on Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. A Steam code was provided to Screen Rant for the purposes of this review.
