So after seeing Dead Cells everywhere for such a long time, I decided to have a little nosy at the game and what it's all about.
“Rogue-lite, Castlevania inspired action-platformer” this platformer part had me feeling a bit cold, as I'm not normally the biggest fan of these style of games. This one however, peaked my interest as I felt it could have a lot of similarities to ‘Dark Souls', but in 2D.
Its a tough game to play – its based around ‘Cells' which help you level up and unlock new helpful items. When you die you lose cells and respawn straight back at the beginning with your tail between your legs. That said, I became quickly addicted to the game, and before I knew I was dying left, right and center. However, don't let this ‘dying' part spoil your hopes and dreams and make you think you are a failure… as it's all a learning curve.
As you play through the game, you quickly find yourself learning enemy attack patterns and how to successfully dodge them.
Shortly into my game play session I picked up a freeze weapon and was able to freeze my foes into solid blocks of ice! Then I was able to slash them to death with my sword. It was a V.I.C.T.O.R.Y for me as I killed my first ‘elite' (boss) this way!
The game includes a non-linear progression system, this means every time you die the levels change layout and you are able to take different routes and discover new potential secrets and LOOT. I like this because it doesn't get old quickly, it feels like an entirely ‘new' level the more you go through, play and die… The game has absolutely zero checkpoints and this makes you worry about your health.
During my game play I had 15HP left, and i tried the typical ‘Dark Souls' tactic of just running through, try to avoid and hope for the best.. However I got stuck and then tried to dodge for my life, but failed miserably. I really did worry about losing that little bit of health I had left, as I felt like the run through I had of that area was a great success.
For an indie game, I definitely feel that the money is worth it here. It doesn't really feel like there would be an ‘end' to the game. It feels like the game has a massive rinse and repeat play ability without causing boredom.
KitGuru says: All in all, I definitely want to continue grinding my way through these dungeons and see what lies ahead for future plays!