Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania Reviews

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is ranked in the 98th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
4 / 5
Mar 6, 2023

Return to Castlevania is a lovingly crafted expansion for Dead Cells that fans of both games shouldn’t miss out on.

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9.5 / 10.0
Mar 6, 2023

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.

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Mar 6, 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.

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Essential
Mar 6, 2023

Dead Cells is already a masterful game with precision gameplay, visuals, and music, but Return to Castlevania not only highlights these fantastic features but elevates everything with the addition of the Castlevania franchise. The 6-8 hour quest is an absolute delight from start to finish, and just like the original Dead Cells, the loop is drawing me back in for one more vampiric-infested run…

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90 / 100
Mar 6, 2023

Chances are you're playing Dead Cells because you are a fan of the search action genre, so it's only fitting you would appreciate the slice of love Motion Twin has made from this humble-sized DLC.

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9.5 / 10.0
Mar 6, 2023

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!

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4.5 / 5.0
Mar 6, 2023

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.

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9 / 10.0
Mar 6, 2023

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.

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GameSpot
Top Critic
8 / 10
Mar 6, 2023

The newest expansion to Dead Cells is an action-packed homage that injects Castlevania flavor into Dead Cells' familiar roguelike structure.

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Unscored
Mar 6, 2023

I’ve been enjoying Dead Cells since it first launched, and thus far I’ve been thrilled about Return to Castlevania. It’s one of the most polished and well executed of the game’s post-launch content. Castlevania fans, too, have plenty to swoon over, with numerous series references and large handful of unlockable costumes to discover, letting you explore Dead Cells as mainstays like Alucard, Richter, and Death itself. All we can hope is that this lays the groundwork for Motion Twin to pair up with other long-dormant franchises for similar passion projects. The Bubble Bobble x Dead Cells mashup is just begging to be made.

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9 / 10.0
Mar 6, 2023

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.

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8 / 10.0
Mar 6, 2023

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.

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Worth your time
Mar 6, 2023

Return to Castlevania fits in perfectly with the rest of Dead Cells, and it’s easily the best crossover you’ll get to experience this year. You can stake your bet at that!

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Recommended
Mar 6, 2023

In what feels like a match made in hell, Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania provides a beautiful love letter to Konami’s iconic series while adding something new to the mix

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9 / 10.0
Mar 6, 2023

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is pitch-perfect revival of a franchise we're desperate to see anything new from and a perfect excuse to spend another week of sleepless nights back inside this iconic roguelite. If Motion Twin and Evil Empire decide to hang up their Dead Cells hat after this, this would be just about the best way to say goodbye. (The only thing they could do better is announce that they're developing a new full Castlevania release themselves...) Fans of Castlevania need to hop into this as soon as they can. Fans of roguelites who haven't played Dead Cells at all yet need to use this DLC as their excuse to get into this game immediately. And those that aren't either... well you might just become mega fans of both franchises after a few runs through this DLC. WHAT IS A MAN? A MISERABLE LITTLE PILE OF GOOD VIDEO GAME IDEAS?

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9.5 / 10.0
Mar 6, 2023

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.

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7 / 10
Mar 6, 2023

Return to Castlevania is an obvious and great mix between Dead Cells and Castlevania. This new DLC is a great tribute to the Konami historic video game saga. If you already a Dead Cells player, you will obviously like playing with all the new toys Motion Twin is offering and if you never played Dead Cells but love Castlevania, now it's now or never to try out this incredible Roguevania!

Review in French | Read full review

4 / 5.0
Mar 6, 2023

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.

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9 / 10.0
Mar 6, 2023

To put it simply, if you’ve ever been waiting or wanting to find a reason to play Dead Cells, there has definitely never been a better time. And the absolute best outcome from this content? Konami agree to let Motion Twin make a full new Castlevania game. Because this is definitely something we need in the world, like, yesterday. Even if that never comes to pass, we’ll always have this DLC to remind us how good it could have been and just how at the top of their game these developers truly are.

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8 / 10.0
Mar 6, 2023

Return To Castlevania integrates into Dead Cells without distorting it, revealing itself as a heartfelt tribute and well inserted within the flow of the main game.

Review in Italian | Read full review