Dead Cells

I hadn't played this for a while, and just picked it up again. A few large updates have been made since I played it last (which was probably almost a year ago now). As if it wasn't good enough even in the state I played it before, it's even better now. A lot of balance, more mechanics, better thought out upgrade systems, more characters, improved characters and animations, more locations, new runes and other requirements to get into certain places, etc. etc. This game just keeps getting better. If you haven't played in a while, I recommend getting back into it again, and if you never picked it up previously, there's even more reasons to now. Just thought I'd mention it for anyone interested.
 
Nice! I put another 15 hours or so in a few weeks back, but then since release was so close, I decided to wait for that. I'm not sure there will be a ton of differences between it and the last build, but I'll find out soon. Can't wait to give it a try.
 
IGN plagiarizes Youtuber Boomstick Gaming's review.


The incident gained widespread coverage in mainstream news. This article on Forbes seems to have the best breakdown.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/insert...-allegedly-plagiarized-by-its-nintendo-editor

IGN pulled the review after the maelstrom. Gamesindustry originally tried to downplay the incident by excusing the copying saying the Youtube channel is small, shown in the lone comment.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/artic...review-after-youtubers-plagiarism-accusations
 
I saw that. All of the quotes were definitely plagiarized in the same way a high-schooler would for an essay. :D Change a word here, change a word there, but the sentences are almost identical, and multiple times over.

The good news though... Dead Cells is officially released. :cool:

If I can pry myself off of No Man's Sky tonight, I'll see how it feels. I've heard there haven't been major gameplay changes from the previous build to 1.0, but some people say it feels a bit more balanced. Could be psychological, but we'll find out.

I highly recommend this to anyone that wanted to play it, but didn't want to get an Early Access game.
 
I've remapped the keys on an Xbox 360 controller. Defaults are here: https://deadcells.gamepedia.com/Controls

Main attack - R2 (or R1... you Souls fans)
Secondary weapon - R1 (or R2)
Left skill - X
Right skill - Y
Use/interact - B
Roll - L2

I debated for a while whether to put the heal on one of the face keys, or leave it on LB.
 
I picked it up and I am mixed on it.

The combat and movement feels good. I like the idea of it and can see why people enjoy it. RNG hates me so I always get screwed. I think I would like it more if I felt stronger every time I died. I keep unlocking stuff with cells, but when I start over I don't feel like I truly made any progress. I think if every time I started over I felt stronger and I could push a little further I would like it better. I get used to having a strong weapon only to die and go back to a weak weapon which I overestimate and die quickly if I am not careful.
 
brennok said:
I picked it up and I am mixed on it.

The combat and movement feels good. I like the idea of it and can see why people enjoy it. RNG hates me so I always get screwed. I think I would like it more if I felt stronger every time I died. I keep unlocking stuff with cells, but when I start over I don't feel like I truly made any progress. I think if every time I started over I felt stronger and I could push a little further I would like it better. I get used to having a strong weapon only to die and go back to a weak weapon which I overestimate and die quickly if I am not careful.
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There’s a curve to it. You will feel much better the more you play, but you need time to decide which weapons you like and how to approach it. I used to go full melee, but find myself using bows a lot now too. It ramps up slowly at first, but you’ll get the feel you’re looking for. Maybe check out some beginner guides.
 
I bought this on the Switch...kinda have the same feelings as brennok on it in terms of progression, but overall I really enjoy the feel of the combat, and it doesn't feel overly impossible to make progress (though, I did die once with a bunch of cells but no apparent way to save or use them?). Plus you seem to get opportunities to get more HP than many other of these rogue-likes.

I'm not a huge fan of rogue-likes in general but I think I like this one, so far. Need to play it a lot more to get a better feel.
 
MavericK said:
I bought this on the Switch...kinda have the same feelings as brennok on it in terms of progression, but overall I really enjoy the feel of the combat, and it doesn't feel overly impossible to make progress (though, I did die once with a bunch of cells but no apparent way to save or use them?). Plus you seem to get opportunities to get more HP than many other of these rogue-likes.

I'm not a huge fan of rogue-likes in general but I think I like this one, so far. Need to play it a lot more to get a better feel.
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If you die, you'll lose all of the currently carried cells. If you make it to the end of the level, you'll be able to spend them to unlock things that you have blueprints for. That's also where you'll be able to assign a perk for the next area. Once you've spent those cells, that progress is permanent. So if you unlock a new weapon, there will be a chance that an enemy will drop it or a shop will carry it from that point on. Once you accumulate the thing you like to use, that's when you start getting powerful.

There's a bit of debate as to whether you should just unlock a few effective weapons, so their drop rate is higher, rather than try for everything, and have less of a chance of getting your favorite weapons dropped. I actually go for all of it, and then try to improve with the weapons I don't like by trying to use them for a run. There are a few that I just hate, but for the most part, I can get by with just about anything now.
 
J3RK said:
If you die, you'll lose all of the currently carried cells. If you make it to the end of the level, you'll be able to spend them to unlock things that you have blueprints for. That's also where you'll be able to assign a perk for the next area. Once you've spent those cells, that progress is permanent. So if you unlock a new weapon, there will be a chance that an enemy will drop it or a shop will carry it from that point on. Once you accumulate the thing you like to use, that's when you start getting powerful.

There's a bit of debate as to whether you should just unlock a few effective weapons, so their drop rate is higher, rather than try for everything, and have less of a chance of getting your favorite weapons dropped. I actually go for all of it, and then try to improve with the weapons I don't like by trying to use them for a run. There are a few that I just hate, but for the most part, I can get by with just about anything now.
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Gotcha - I guess I need to watch a walkthrough of the mechanics since the game seemingly does nothing to tell you how all this works. That, or I missed it somewhere.

Re: Cells - I guess what sucks is that it seems totally random if/when an enemy will drop cells. One level I was on was huge and a lot of enemies and I got maybe like 5 cells. Another level was smaller with a few enemies (though possibly stronger) and I ended up with like 15 cells, but died before getting anywhere near the end.

I guess the way cell upgrades work you really want to use them all when you have the chance, because you can do partial upgrades and it's a huge risk to hold onto them. That was another thing I assumed was the case, but the game never explicitly stated.
 
MavericK said:
Gotcha - I guess I need to watch a walkthrough of the mechanics since the game seemingly does nothing to tell you how all this works. That, or I missed it somewhere.

Re: Cells - I guess what sucks is that it seems totally random if/when an enemy will drop cells. One level I was on was huge and a lot of enemies and I got maybe like 5 cells. Another level was smaller with a few enemies (though possibly stronger) and I ended up with like 15 cells, but died before getting anywhere near the end.

I guess the way cell upgrades work you really want to use them all when you have the chance, because you can do partial upgrades and it's a huge risk to hold onto them. That was another thing I assumed was the case, but the game never explicitly stated.
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Yeah, I kind of picked it up as I went along. I got it in early access maybe a year or more ago. I got hooked so fast though, that it didn't seem like long before I had most of that down. I was on vacation and played it on a laptop at night after all the vacation type activities were done, and found myself playing until 3:00am each night. :D I wasn't trying to learn it in a more typical short play session that I normally would have.

The game wants you to spend the cells all at once, but there is a way to bypass the cell-guy and save them up. I think there's a reason you can do that. It's a new thing that I haven't fully grasped yet, but after you beat a real boss, you'll be able to forge them into some kind of permanent perk or something. It takes a ton of cells to do it though, so I've just been focusing on the standard stuff. I also restarted from scratch on the final build, because I don't think you get all of the lore they added if you carry over your old save. At least, I read that there are benefits to starting on the release build to that effect.
 
J3RK said:
Yeah, I kind of picked it up as I went along. I got it in early access maybe a year or more ago. I got hooked so fast though, that it didn't seem like long before I had most of that down. I was on vacation and played it on a laptop at night after all the vacation type activities were done, and found myself playing until 3:00am each night. :D I wasn't trying to learn it in a more typical short play session that I normally would have.
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Yeah, bit of a difference here as my first exposure to this game in any form was like, 4 days ago. :p
 
J3RK said:
If you die, you'll lose all of the currently carried cells. If you make it to the end of the level, you'll be able to spend them to unlock things that you have blueprints for. That's also where you'll be able to assign a perk for the next area. Once you've spent those cells, that progress is permanent. So if you unlock a new weapon, there will be a chance that an enemy will drop it or a shop will carry it from that point on. Once you accumulate the thing you like to use, that's when you start getting powerful.

There's a bit of debate as to whether you should just unlock a few effective weapons, so their drop rate is higher, rather than try for everything, and have less of a chance of getting your favorite weapons dropped. I actually go for all of it, and then try to improve with the weapons I don't like by trying to use them for a run. There are a few that I just hate, but for the most part, I can get by with just about anything now.
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I think one of my issues is I thought the power upgrades I opted for during the levels would carry over somewhat instead of feeling like I am starting from scratch every time. It also doesn't help I am only banking 5-10 cells at a time and everything needs 60+ cells unless I go for blueprints.

This may also be more the game type, but I hate that enemies can shoot me through solid walls yet I can't hit them.

The time gated content is annoying to me also. I haven't looked into mods for it, but I have never been a fan of speedrunning and instead prefer to clear everything. This means I usually miss the timelocks.

I am past the return time so I figure I will just play it off and on to see if it grabs me. It probably doesn't help my first run was my best run. I was well equipped and almost overpowered and blew through the first boss. Now I am lucky if I even make it to him.
 
If it’s the bomb-guys and wizards you’re talking about, you’ll get to where it doesn’t really matter that they can shoot through walls. You’ll know the levels that they inhabit very well. If you suspect one is off screen just dodge the projectile once then speed to where they are and kill them. If you’re above them, do the descend move onto them to stun them, then finish them off if needed.

For bowmen just stay crouched, their arrows go above you. Roll toward them until you’re in melee range or roll behind them.

If you have a bow with an arc or the throwing knives hit these enemies from a platform slightly above if possible.

I hated those wizards for the longest time. Now I don’t even notice them.

As far as cells go yeah, it takes a while to build up the weapons, skills, wallet, etc. The whole game revolves around getting through an area with as many as possible and upgrading a bit at a time. Wait until you see the post-boss-perk requirements :D. That’s definitely the rogue-lite part.

However, there are other ways to rack up cells. If you take the speed-run-ish approach and race straight to the timed doors you get some healthy upgrades and cell caches. If you’re ok with the extra challenge, hit the cursed chests when possible too.
 
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So far I'm finding the levels a bit too long between areas where you can cache cells. I ended up just having to sprint to the end and I barely made it.
 
This game is buttery smooth on my 2012 Mac Mini. I use an old PS3 controller. I don't know why few developers can make games with minimal hardware specs that are this much fun. It seems they would have a gigantic install base which could easily translate into more sales. Maybe it is this good because it was in BETA for over a year. Not sure of the reasons, but it is technically magnificent.
 
Sadly, there are some framerate issues with the Switch right now (that I have experienced personally, as well) but the developer seems committed to fixing it.
 
MavericK said:
Sadly, there are some framerate issues with the Switch right now (that I have experienced personally, as well) but the developer seems committed to fixing it.
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I noticed that on the frickin official video posted on the Nintendo Youtube channel, or I would have preordered it already. What's the deal? What did the dev have to say about it specifically?
 
Colonel Sanders said:
I noticed that on the frickin official video posted on the Nintendo Youtube channel, or I would have preordered it already. What's the deal? What did the dev have to say about it specifically?
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http://www.nintendolife.com/news/20...me_rate_drops_in_switch_version_of_dead_cells

Basically, it sounds like they knew there were problems, but didn't feel they were bad enough to delay the game release significantly. But now they are committing "all resources" to fixing it post-launch.

Honestly, I agree with their assessment - it's not game-breaking, but it is fairly annoying in a game that requires precise movement at times. Hopefully it gets fixed soon.
 
Played this a bit more last night docked with the Switch. Gotta say, the Pro controller just feels so much nicer than the Joy-Cons, in every single way. Even the Joy-Cons in the little grip thing sucks compared.

Anyway, I'm still enjoying the game so far. There have been some frustrating times where I felt I took damage for no legitimate reason, but for the most part it's been pretty fair. Still feeling as though some of the levels are a bit too long/difficult to find the end if you want to "get out" with the cells you currently have, but I am still making progress due to the first area being relatively easy and being able to bank a fair amount of cells. I have the level 2 flask now so hopefully I can make more progress in the future.

I'm not really finding any weapon blueprints, which is kind of a bummer, because I've generally been stuck with the starter weapons for the most part. I did find some dual blades once that were pretty awesome, but of course they went away after a failed run.
 
MavericK said:
Played this a bit more last night docked with the Switch. Gotta say, the Pro controller just feels so much nicer than the Joy-Cons, in every single way. Even the Joy-Cons in the little grip thing sucks compared.

Anyway, I'm still enjoying the game so far. There have been some frustrating times where I felt I took damage for no legitimate reason, but for the most part it's been pretty fair. Still feeling as though some of the levels are a bit too long/difficult to find the end if you want to "get out" with the cells you currently have, but I am still making progress due to the first area being relatively easy and being able to bank a fair amount of cells. I have the level 2 flask now so hopefully I can make more progress in the future.

I'm not really finding any weapon blueprints, which is kind of a bummer, because I've generally been stuck with the starter weapons for the most part. I did find some dual blades once that were pretty awesome, but of course they went away after a failed run.
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Slight tangent:

The first game the missus wanted to get into for the Switch was Rayman (she claims never having played any previous Rayman game, to which I dug out the phyiscal copy of Rayman Origins for the Wii) and at first we tried Joy-cons sideways which was pretty awful. The Pro controller is a necessity and that's a $60ish slap on the wrist immediately.
 
An expansion releases this week. It's called Rise of the Giant. It appears to be a free update, and is geared a bit more toward higher tier players, looking for more to do. (but still has new things for everyone else too)
 
New expansion The Bad Seed is out today. This one isn't free like Rise of the Giant, but still only costs $5 US. The expansion and future updates to the game are being developed by Motion Twin spinoff Evil Empire. Evil Empire is still composed of the original developers, but was spun off from Motion Twin so they could work on new projects while Evil Empire continues to work on Dead Cells.
http://evilempirestudio.com/https://store.steampowered.com/app/1204130/Dead_Cells_The_Bad_Seed/
 
Just picked up the update this morning. Now to make a little time :D
 
I still play this once in awhile. It's nice to do a quick run or just get through an area or so without feeling compelled to play it for long periods.
 
MavericK said:
I still play this once in awhile. It's nice to do a quick run or just get through an area or so without feeling compelled to play it for long periods.
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I play this when I can’t think of something else to play. I’ve beat various iterations of it, but not the later versions with the newest bosses. I’ve never seem the hand of the king for example, though I’ve beat the older higher end bosses. I can waltz through the Ostuary for example, and have most paths open.

I haven’t put enough time into it since the newer levels and bosses were added. A good solid DLC like this was just the thing to get me to dump some time into seeing the rest. I had like 30-40 hours into it when it was still early access.

I actually can’t wait to put a chunk of hours into it soon. Just have to have a slow weekend :D
 
Maybe I will reinstall this and give it a try. Never really got into it, but played long enough I couldn't refund it.

Edit: Nope still not for me.
 
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Got this for my tablet for a flight back home - it made my overnight 10 hour trip the most enjoyable plane experience I ever had. It also introduced to a new genre of games I never knew I would like. Can't wait to jump to Hades once I am done with this!
 
imsirovic5 said:
Got this for my tablet for a flight back home - it made my overnight 10 hour trip the most enjoyable plane experience I ever had. It also introduced to a new genre of games I never knew I would like. Can't wait to jump to Hades once I am done with this!
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Hades is great! You’ll enjoy it if you like this. Check out Sundered too!
 
I like Hades a lot more than this, but this is probably second place as far as roguelikes that I've enjoyed.
 
Castlevania crossover.

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