#Dead cells levels update#

Grenades and traps are also very important and most of my best runs involved having a pair of powerful traps that I would toss at groups of baddies from afar and then watch them get sliced up by arrows and saws. The better route is to make use of the bow for ranged hits and the shield for well-timed parries that can stun enemies. Melee weapons are mostly at a disadvantage here because oftentimes multiple enemies are on the screen and close-range attacks open you up to too much damage. Because of enemy attack patterns, it’s usually better to stay back and attack from afar. The sewers are rife with poisonous enemies while a later level has an entire mechanic of making sure you stay in the light. The levels themselves are visually distinct, usually with a specific hook or style of enemy. As you progress, almost every single level will have multiple exits to completely different areas. This helps give Dead Cells a firmer narrative gameplay throughline as it’s not just about reaching the end, but reaching the various bosses and mini-bosses to open up the ability to access a wider set of levels and areas. For example, after getting the vine rune to grow climbable plants in specific areas, an alternate sewer area can be accessed in the first level. On the other, key-like items can be found throughout the world that open up alternate routes throughout almost every single level.

#Dead cells levels update#

On one hand, it just follows a similar roguelite design where you play as far as you can before you die and then restart, making use of an accrued currency to upgrade and update your abilities and pool of weapons. That claws at an aspect of Dead Cells I adore. One will hold a shop, while another holds an area that can only be accessed by a specific unlockable item. Underground areas in that level are where it varies in shape and layout, but even those still follow a similar pattern. For example, the opening of an early level is always the same and features a straightforward linear path that mostly only varies in enemy placement. They all contain the same types of rooms and rough layouts but often hide distinct secrets and unexpected challenges. The stages are all procedurally generated but in a way that makes them still feel familiar each time. It’s straightforward at first: just keep going and try to survive. From there, you must explore the labyrinthine areas, defeating enemies, finding better gear, and searching for the level exit. To start, you only have two weapons, generally a combination of sword, bow, and shield. Motion Twin has struck pure gold with their Switch debut, a sublime side-scrolling action platformer that is filled with creativity, challenge, and a dynamite gameplay loop, making it not just one of the best games on Switch this year, but also one of my personal favorite roguelites of all time.ĭead Cells is played in roguelike runs, where your mysterious hero is reborn with a new body ready to try to escape the dismal island he’s imprisoned on. Mixing and matching ideas from roguelikes, Metroidvanias, and Dark Souls seems like a way to win the gaming buzzword Olympics, but when the balance of all those aspects is so thoughtfully crafted, as is the case with Dead Cells, it doesn’t matter how many marketing boxes a game checks when the end result is so spectacularly good.