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Dead Cells : Return to Castlevania DLC coming March 6th

drotahorror

Member
I searched cells, castlevania and couldn't find a topic about it. GAF search function is not the greatest though...



And final teaser showing some extra stuff:





Slay hordes of his supernatural minions as you progress through our biggest DLC yet, including two levels, three bosses and a new storyline!


WIELD CLASSIC CASTLEVANIA WEAPONS

Unlock 14 iconic weapons such as the Vampire Killer, Throwing Axe & Holy Water to decimate Dracula's bestiary of monsters and finally the dark lord himself. Each item has been translated into the fast-paced combat of Dead Cells while keeping their original essence.


EXPLORE EVERY CORNER OF DRACULA'S CASTLE

Secret rooms. Flame-lit corridors. Gloomy tombs. Beautiful paintings. Food hidden in the walls. Full of original monsters from the series, such as harpies, werewolves & haunted armors, the character of the iconic castle will transport you into the realms of gothic fantasy.


ENJOY CLASSIC & REIMAGINED MUSIC

We're giving you access to an alternative soundtrack made of 51 of the original Castlevania tunes, that can be heard across the entire game. Yes, 51!

On top of this, we've taken the 12 most iconic tracks, such as Vampire Killer, Bloody Tears and Simon Belmont's Theme, and reimagined them in the style of Dead Cells as a soundtrack for this DLC, while preserving the Castlevania ambiance of course.


DISCOVER A NEW STORYLINE

Richter Belmont and Alucard will be by your side throughout your quest to vanquish Dracula, helping you to navigate the maze of Dracula’s Castle and providing you with strong weapons (sometimes willingly, sometimes not). However, where there is good there is evil, so watch out for powerful foes who will try everything in their power to stop you from reaching the throne room.


MASTER THREE EPIC BOSS FIGHTS

Fight against the very essence of evil in two intense duels versus Death and Dracula, both set against a majestic backdrop. If you can survive these gauntlets, prepare yourself for our most ambitious boss showdown yet...


UNLOCK CASTLEVANIA CHARACTER OUTFITS

Unlock 20 outfits as you progress through the castle, letting you roleplay as all your favourite characters like Alucard, Richter Belmont, Simon Belmont, Maria Renard, Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades or even Dracula himself

Sounds really good to me! And the hidden level/mode seems really neat.

Great crossover choice.
 

Con_Z_ǝdʇ

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!

Dead Cells composer says reinterpreting Castlevania’s music wasn’t an easy task.​

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania includes 12 covers of Castlevania songs.​



A screenshot from Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania.


Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is a meaty Dead Cells DLC update that adds things like bosses, stages, and even characters from Konami’s vampire-hunting series. But behind it all are more than 60 songs, including 12 covers of classic tracks and 51 tracks from the series. I got to speak with composer Yoann Laulan about bringing Castlevania’s music to Dead Cells.

“I was really excited to be able to add a little bit of something to these amazing, very important tracks in video game history,” Laulan said. “But at the same time, [it wasn’t] that easy, because it’s something that’s kind of sacred. I wouldn’t say it was an easy task to do.”

The Castlevania series has a rich library of fantastic music from composers like Kinuyo Yamashita, Satoe Terashima, and Michiru Yamane, so I asked Laulan how he chose the songs that he did. Some were obvious choices, like “Vampire Killer” and “Bloody Tears,” he said. Symphony of the Night was a major inspiration for Dead Cells, so he took some tracks from that, like the Dracula’s castle theme.

Here are two of the songs, which you can hear here for the first time — including the game’s take on “Bloody Tears.” Both are great.
"Bloody Tears"

Laulan’s goal was to be able to recreate the different tracks to be close to the original pieces. He started with a base that was “as faithful as possible” for every track, and then generally picked two different kinds of interpretation.
For the main action-focused levels, “the music tends to be quite close to the original tracks,” he said, but you might recognize some of the instruments from other parts of the Dead Cells soundtrack. In the case of “Vampire Killer,” for example, that means you’ll hear choirs, strings, and drums folded into the version of the song you might already know.

For the more contemplative areas, like the rooms you encounter between the main biomes, the songs are not as faithful to the originals because they have to be reinterpreted to make a quieter vibe. One example is Laulan’s take on the music from the first level in Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, which he says he reconstructed in a more “classic” way, with things like cello and piano to “set the mood for what’s coming.”

A screenshot from Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania.


I asked if any songs were left on the cutting room floor. “Not really, no,” Laulan said. And he didn’t face many restrictions from Konami in making the tracks; the songs just needed to be faithful to the source material and to the Castlevania license. “Basically, he made more than we planned,” Bérenger Dupré, brand manager of Dead Cells developer Evil Empire, added.

During another part of the interview, Dupré said he was surprised to hear that Laulan was anxious to work on the Castlevania music. “I’m more and more anxious as we approach the release date, actually,” Laulan responded. Based on what I’ve heard so far, I don’t think Laulan has anything to worry about.
 
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drotahorror

Member

Dead Cells composer says reinterpreting Castlevania’s music wasn’t an easy task.​

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania includes 12 covers of Castlevania songs.​



A screenshot from Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania.


Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is a meaty Dead Cells DLC update that adds things like bosses, stages, and even characters from Konami’s vampire-hunting series. But behind it all are more than 60 songs, including 12 covers of classic tracks and 51 tracks from the series. I got to speak with composer Yoann Laulan about bringing Castlevania’s music to Dead Cells.

“I was really excited to be able to add a little bit of something to these amazing, very important tracks in video game history,” Laulan said. “But at the same time, [it wasn’t] that easy, because it’s something that’s kind of sacred. I wouldn’t say it was an easy task to do.”

The Castlevania series has a rich library of fantastic music from composers like Kinuyo Yamashita, Satoe Terashima, and Michiru Yamane, so I asked Laulan how he chose the songs that he did. Some were obvious choices, like “Vampire Killer” and “Bloody Tears,” he said. Symphony of the Night was a major inspiration for Dead Cells, so he took some tracks from that, like the Dracula’s castle theme.

Here are two of the songs, which you can hear here for the first time — including the game’s take on “Bloody Tears.” Both are great.
"Bloody Tears"

Laulan’s goal was to be able to recreate the different tracks to be close to the original pieces. He started with a base that was “as faithful as possible” for every track, and then generally picked two different kinds of interpretation.
For the main action-focused levels, “the music tends to be quite close to the original tracks,” he said, but you might recognize some of the instruments from other parts of the Dead Cells soundtrack. In the case of “Vampire Killer,” for example, that means you’ll hear choirs, strings, and drums folded into the version of the song you might already know.

For the more contemplative areas, like the rooms you encounter between the main biomes, the songs are not as faithful to the originals because they have to be reinterpreted to make a quieter vibe. One example is Laulan’s take on the music from the first level in Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, which he says he reconstructed in a more “classic” way, with things like cello and piano to “set the mood for what’s coming.”

A screenshot from Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania.


I asked if any songs were left on the cutting room floor. “Not really, no,” Laulan said. And he didn’t face many restrictions from Konami in making the tracks; the songs just needed to be faithful to the source material and to the Castlevania license. “Basically, he made more than we planned,” Bérenger Dupré, brand manager of Dead Cells developer Evil Empire, added.

During another part of the interview, Dupré said he was surprised to hear that Laulan was anxious to work on the Castlevania music. “I’m more and more anxious as we approach the release date, actually,” Laulan responded. Based on what I’ve heard so far, I don’t think Laulan has anything to worry about.

If those 2 covers are any hint at how good the rest of the remixes are, bring it on.
 

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
Probably in for this, such an obvious but great combo.

Pretty sure I beat Dead Cells once way back when and then put it down forever, is all the other DLC worth picking up or does it just add a bunch of new items to the core game?
 

Con_Z_ǝdʇ

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
Pretty sure I beat Dead Cells once way back when and then put it down forever, is all the other DLC worth picking up or does it just add a bunch of new items to the core game?

All of the paid DLC's add new biomes, enemies, weapons, mutations, bosses, lore and outfits. I would highly suggest these since they feature exceptionell additional content. Maybe just try out one of them if you are unsure and see for yourself. Not very expensive.
 
All of the paid DLC's add new biomes, enemies, weapons, mutations, bosses, lore and outfits. I would highly suggest these since they feature exceptionell additional content. Maybe just try out one of them if you are unsure and see for yourself. Not very expensive.

I'll second this, the dlc's are definitely worth it, especially considering how cheap they were. It gets tough as nails, I still haven't beaten some of the alternative pathways.
 

Con_Z_ǝdʇ

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
I'll second this, the dlc's are definitely worth it, especially considering how cheap they were. It gets tough as nails, I still haven't beaten some of the alternative pathways.
The support in general has been outstanding since release. So much free stuff that i had no doubt into buying into these DLC's. Really an example of how DLC should be handled through out the industry.
 

xVodevil

Member
Pretty excited and glad to see this happening. Definitely great first step from Konami to prepare bringing back the series!
 
Really need to pick this game up on Steam for the deck. Had played it on the switch years ago but not been on it for a while.

When are the next sales?
 
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MiguelItUp

Member
Cannot wait! I've been looking forward to this for a long time. Sounds like a damn substantial amount of content for a game that's already overflowing.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
When are the next sales?
The Spring sale starts in 10 days, on March 16th. Almost 0% chance this DLC will be on sale, but the base game (and maybe a few of the other DLCs) should get a good discount!
 

Mr Hyde

Member
This looks dope as fuck. Loved the base game but fell off on the DLC. A good Castlevania romp might bring me back.
 

Con_Z_ǝdʇ

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
  • 2 new biomes
  • 10 new mobs
  • 3 new bosses
  • 14 new items
  • 20 new outfits
  • New story arc
  • A big secret and lots of smaller ones
  • Bugfixes and balance changes
 
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Updated on psn, was this a freebie? Menu screen shows version 33 with the Return to Castlevania logo.
Now I just gotta figure out how to access the new biomes....
 

MiguelItUp

Member
Updated on psn, was this a freebie? Menu screen shows version 33 with the Return to Castlevania logo.
Now I just gotta figure out how to access the new biomes....
Nah, this is paid. In the footage I saw it's connected to the starting dungeon. So it's nice and easy.
 
Super cool that Dead Cells is still being supported. I bought it Day One and loved it. That being said, I haven't bought any of the DLC and won't be buying this because the game was just too difficult for me to even finish a 0BC. I could never beat The Hand of the King until they introduced the "accessibility" (aka cheat) modes.
 

drotahorror

Member
Super cool that Dead Cells is still being supported. I bought it Day One and loved it. That being said, I haven't bought any of the DLC and won't be buying this because the game was just too difficult for me to even finish a 0BC. I could never beat The Hand of the King until they introduced the "accessibility" (aka cheat) modes.

I'm definitely a poor Dead Cells player but found the DLC really fun and worth having. Shit, even if I didn't have the other DLC, I would buy this CV DLC in a heartbeat. It seems like lots of people on Steam bought DC + CV DLC as fresh players just because of this crossover.

The most difficulty achievement I have for beating the game is

Up, Guards, and at them again!​

Finish the game with a Boss Stem Cell active.​


Apparently 18% have done that but that is like bare minimum if you're a good DC player. I only have about 50 hours though and have had the game since day 1 of early access.
 
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