Few video games have loved post-launch help as strong and high-quality as Lifeless Cells has acquired for the previous six(!) years. Movement Twin has produced wave after wave of updates, some free and a few paid, which have packed the already superior base recreation with a dizzying quantity of latest biomes, weapons, cosmetics, and extra. And all of it feels prefer it’s been main as much as the brand new Return to Castlevania DLC. Although this new replace from companion developer Evil Empire — a studio made up of “ex-Movement Twin workforce members and new recruits” — technically solely provides a couple of hours of extra content material to the bottom Lifeless Cells expertise, each inch of it’s clearly crafted with love and take care of Konami’s spooky, vampire-slaying franchise.
You possibly can work together with the brand new content material proper off the bat by merely speaking to Richter Belmont within the Prisoner’s Quarters, and following the steps to a brand new door that may take you to the outskirts of Dracula’s citadel. Clearly, the objective right here is to ascend the citadel and defeat the freshly resurrected King of the Evening himself, aided by allies like Maria Renard and Alucard. Nonetheless, Dracula has introduced some buddies, too, and also you’ll need to battle by way of the likes of Medusa and Dying itself to get your shot at taking over the ageless villain.
Although it solely takes a few hours (relying on the problem degree and your talent) to make the ascent and ship ol’ Drac again to sleep for an additional hundred years, there’s an honest quantity of content material right here to unlock and take with you into the remainder of the sport. Whereas slicing and whipping your manner by way of the likes of Werewolves and Armor Knights, enemies will sometimes drop blueprints—not in contrast to the 2 Sorrow video games—that you would be able to later make investments cells into to grant your self entry to some helpful weapons and abilities. Staple sub-weapons just like the Holy Water and Throwing Axe are after all up for grabs, together with attention-grabbing new weapons like Dying’s Scythe or Medusa’s Head. Then, after all, there are the beauty armors, which allow you to costume up as characters comparable to Simon or Alucard.
Maybe the largest delight of Return to Castlevania is that the builders have been eager to pack this DLC with as many references and easter eggs as attainable. Stroll into the passage between biomes, and also you’ll discover that the Collector has been changed by Shanoa, the star of Order of Ecclesia. Enter into a brand new biome and you may see its title briefly flash up on a title card in the identical manner that ranges did in Rondo of Blood. Speak to Maria about her cat, and she or he’ll let you know that its title is Byakko, but it surely is determined by who you ask, referring to its many appearances all through the collection. It feels just like the meat of the content material on this DLC is impressed by Symphony of the Evening (duh) and Rondo of Blood, however there are nonetheless loads of references to the broader Castlevania collection in every single place.
By way of presentation, Return to Castlevania does a fantastic job of adapting iconic Castlevania visuals in a manner that tracks with the Lifeless Cells universe, feeling like a becoming fusion of the 2. Whether or not you’re gazing up on the bizarre towers of the citadel silhouetted towards a large blue moon or staring down Dying’s grinning visage as he pulls out his large scythe, there’s a palpable sense that the environments and enemies listed here are really distinct from the stuff you encounter in the remainder of the sport. In the meantime, stepping right into a biome to listen to a brand new rendition of ‘Vampire Killer’ or ‘Bloody Tears’ is magical, and it’s even higher if you understand that altering the music to 8-bit brings again the unique tracks in all their chiptune glory.
The one downside of this DLC is that it’s, properly… simply DLC. As solely a comparatively small a part of a a lot bigger recreation, the Castlevania content material is memorable and high-quality, however there’s actually not that a lot of it to see. This is sensible, after all, any extra content material would danger turning Lifeless Cells right into a bizarre backdoor reboot of the Castlevania collection, however we couldn’t assist however want that there was extra to see after it’s been so lengthy for the reason that final time we acquired to wield the whip. Between the lovingly crafted biomes, bosses, and the varied unlockables carry ahead into the primary recreation, this DLC is totally definitely worth the ten {dollars} it prices to unlock, but it surely looks like ten {dollars} is the utmost this might value with out feeling overpriced.
It is also value mentioning that apart from a cute part the place you get to play as Richter, this DLC performs precisely the best way that you’d count on Lifeless Cells to play. That very same razor-sharp, fast-paced fight is current and proper, the environments of Dracula’s iconic citadel are randomly generated every run, the expansive, explorative components — those that meld with Metroid to make up everybody’s favorite style time period — are solely current to the slightest diploma, and also you’re nonetheless gonna die quite a bit. This may occasionally appear apparent, however we simply need to make it clear that this growth looks like Lifeless Cells with a Castlevania pores and skin, not Castlevania with a Lifeless Cells pores and skin.
This distinction is vital, as any Castlevania followers who bounced off Lifeless Cells for one motive or one other could also be upset to be taught that what soured their curiosity within the base recreation continues to be current right here, too.
Conclusion
If you happen to favored Lifeless Cells, it’s a no brainer that you just should get the Return to Castlevania DLC as quickly as attainable. It could be transient, however it is a brilliantly intense and nostalgic journey to a spookier world that matches in properly with the broader providing of content material within the base recreation. This feels prefer it’s primarily made for Lifeless Cells followers who additionally occur to love Castlevania — it is unlikely to transform Castlevania aficionados who don’t get on with Movement Twin’s roguelite. At any price, we cherished it and it is nice to see Castlevania again in video video games once more. Let’s hope that Konami takes discover and opts to offer us a full revival quickly.