Review: ‘Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC’ is a beautiful love letter to Konami’s iconic series

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It’s safe to say Konami doesn’t have a great reputation. In the mid-2010s, the once-loved Japanese gaming giant controversially pivoted away from console games to focus on pachinko, gyms, slot machines, and mobile gaming. As such, beloved franchises like Metal Gear, Silent Hill, and Castlevania have gone without a new entry for years.

Silent Hill recently got a shot in the arm with the confirmation of the Silent Hill 2 remake on PlayStation 5 and several other Silent Hill titles, but there are no signs of life from either Metal Gear or Castlevania (we take the perennial rumors of them being unveiled at E3 with a huge pinch of salt). While a new Castlevania title is still a pipe dream, we now have the next best thing.

Motion Twin’s Dead Cells has been an indie success story since it was released to rave reviews in 2018. The roguelike Metroidvaniahas since been ported to just about every modern platform, delivering a tough-as-nails but supremely addictive platforming experience in which you explore spooky environments, collect powerful weapons, and go toe-to-toe with tricky bosses. You die (a lot…), but gradually grow more powerful and are able to slowly push further into the game.

The developers dubbed Castlevania “one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, inspirations behind Dead Cells” and now, after somehow convincing Konami to give them the license, we have the Return to Castlevania DLC. And, as a seasoned Castlevania fan, hearing those tunes, seeing those characters, and squaring off against Dracula with the Vampire Killer whip in hand brought (bloody) tears to my eyes.

At this point, it’s worth mentioning that prior to getting my review code I’d never played Dead Cells, and jumping straight into the DLC of a game with as