Even though I've only played a few hours of Dead Cells, I was blown enough away to be compelled into writing this latest blog entry about it. Apologies if this may not be as comprehensive as usual, but I just really have to sing this game's praises right now.
BACKGROUND: Dead Cells was one of those games I spotted in my Steam recommendations sometime last year. I had every intention of buying it during the summer sale, but alas, it was Windows-only (at the time). I cursed the fact that I owned a Mac that day, digressed, and picked up Hollow Knight instead (which ended up being one of the best gaming decisions I've ever made in my entire life). News broke earlier this year that the game was coming to consoles, including the Switch. I knew I had to get this game, so I kept a close eye on the eShop and immediately jumped at the chance the moment pre-purchases opened. PLOT: From what I can tell, the game is set in a kingdom overrun by the "Malaise", which has seemingly killed damn near everybody. You play as the Prisoner, an aimless immortal who, apart from a few quirky gestures, is a silent protagonist with no clear motivation. The overly esoteric nature the story is presented is bound to draw some comparisons to Dark Souls, which seems to be the go-to game reviewers these days call upon when they need to compare a game to another game. In an effort to avoid falling into that same trap, this will be the only instance I will directly address this comparison. PRESENTATION: The art style goes for the classic pixel art look, but jacked up to 11. Imagine a Genesis or SNES game, but with significantly more detail, more impressive shading/lighting, and much smoother animation. If you're one of the people who doesn't like retro-looking modern games (why?), fret not, because this is not one of those games. Similarly, the sounds aren't retro by any means, either. The sound effects really add to the exciting action, and the music complements the eerie, bleak environments you'll find yourself in. I need to play more to get a real sense of the music, but I'm enjoying what I've heard so far. GAMEPLAY: The reason I was initially drawn to this game was it looked like a Metroidvania. It seemed to have the sprawling maps, exploration, and secrets the genre is known for, so I was sold with that alone. In this respect, Dead Cells delivers wonderfully, but that's not what blew my fucking mind when I first sat down to play the game. What I did not know is that Dead Cells was also a rogue-like. That means you've got the trademark randomly-generated map and enemy layouts and permadeath in addition to the Metroidvania shit. This game marries the best of both worlds masterfully, which is good news for me, because rogue-likes and Metroidvanias are two of my go-to game genres. I initially thought the two genres would clash in some aspects, especially in terms of progression. Thankfully, none such issues have come up, with permanent upgrades pushing you further along the world a little at a time. Another thing that really impressed me was the combat. You can find a wide assortment of different primary weapons that fit different playstyles, secondary weapons that mix things up in fascinating ways, and upgrades that give you all sorts of bonuses and perks. There are also mechanics that borrow heavily from the souls-like genre (e.g. dodge rolls, parries, to name a few), and all of these elements combine for an action experience that isn't all too common in a side scroller. Enemies come in all sorts of horrible, each with their own tells so you can avoid getting hit. You'll also encounter massive bosses that'll absolutely wreck your shit, so you better git gud. VERDICT: The fact that I'm writing about Dead Cells this early without having played a whole lot of it should speak to how amazing it is. It combines elements from three time-tested and beloved game genres to form a brilliant final product. If you're looking for a challenging platformer with some serious replay value, this is the game to get. As of this writing, Dead Cells has only come out for all current-gen consoles today. It's also on Steam, and it's on sale until the 14th, so go check it out within this week if you want to save 20%: https://store.steampowered.com/app/588650/Dead_Cells/ - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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