or using teleporters) - these Runes are permanent,
and unlock new areas of the game world to explore.
These ultimately form a network of branching paths,
funneling you to key encounters (like boss battles)
but providing divergent routes through different
regions. With each area having its own unique
enemies, hazards, and unlockable blueprints, it pays
to mix up your routes and explore the world.
And what a world it is - though lacking in written
lore, the character of each location is brought to
life by evocative pixel art, further embellished with
gorgeous particle and lighting effects - the shower
of sparks when you perform an air stomp attack is
particularly satisfying - and animations are fluid
and weighty. It runs great as well, even on lower end
hardware.
use of your abilities, especially when dealing with rare
Elite enemies. Much like a Souls game, when you die
its rarely as a result of the game being unfair - more
that you just weren’t good enough. That said, things
do get notably tougher as you progress through the
game, and your chance of success can depend a great
deal on what items you find.
Although the game is currently in early access, it’s
pretty feature complete and bug-free, though the
developers are promising to expand the amount of
content with new areas, enemies and mechanics.
But even without those, Dead Cells offers a lot of
content already, and the slick presentation and solid
mechanics could easily fool you into thinking this
was a final release of the game. Fun, challenging,
and rewarding to play, Dead Cells scratches those
Metroidvania, Roguelike and Dark Souls itches, all at
the same time, and emerges as something altogether
unique and special in its own right.
Even the obligatory sewer level looks striking.
What makes Dead Cells truly shine, though, is how
tight the action and traversal feels. Our beacon-
headed hero can double jump and mantle around
at a fair old whack, and has a nifty dodge roll that’s
perfect for getting out of trouble. You can equip two
main weapons; various swords and dual daggers sit
alongside electric whips, bows and throwing daggers,
and your repertoire can be further bolstered with
Active skills, which operate on a swift cooldown
timer and allow you to hurl fire grenades, set buzzsaw
traps, and unleash a hail of daggers. Each weapon
and ability feels distinct enough to impact your
playstyle, and combat is swift and brutal, demanding
memorisation of enemy attack patterns and effective
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