What is dead, cannot die. Review of Dead Cells

Often, we players have to watch how the once mossy developers of browser games stretch on an indie scene. French independent Motion Twin studio, the developers of the object of our attention – Dead Cells, became one of these examples.

The beginning team of Motion Twin enthusiasts has been taking from the far 2001, when browser games were just starting to go into the everyday life of the everyday life of the Western audience. Due to the available Internet and open exit to the network.

The basis for creating its browser projects, the Twinoid platform (previously called MUXXU), developed by Motion Twin, was taken to spread its own flash games based on Adobe Flash Player.

But, it cannot be said that the Motion Twin were naunems riveting browsers, which were already counted hundreds, if not thousands on the vast vast Internet. Thanks to the quality of the work done, Motion Twin made a name and finances, which all these years have been held, up to the release of their debut single -user cuckold.

The initial concept of Dead Cells was very different from its prototype. On paper – a multi -user browser product was planned in the Tower Defense genre. The ideological inspirer of which was Die2nite released in 2008 by the Motion Twin itself, offering 40 to players in one session to fight off from hordes of zombies.

In the process of development, the concept of the game has changed greatly, like the ideological inspirers themselves. In particular, the developers looked back at the Dark Souls elements.

As a joke, we wanted to put a jar in a conference room, so that every time someone says Dark Souls, he lowers two pounds into it. We also focused on Risk of Rain, which was a very good platform, similar to Roguelike. We took an example from him, because he is very simple, but there are many very smart ideas in it. We were also inspired by Diablo III, in which all changes compared to the previous part were very well -polished and honed.

Sebastian Bernard. Leading Developer Motion Twin.

Motion Twin was not indifferent to the success of such indie projects as: Risk of Rain and The Binding of Isaac. Inspiring developers to create something similar. Soon the idea, jumping above its own browser projects, originated in the hearts of the developers. After that, taking the developments of their prototype, Motion Twin began to make their own analogue in the Roguelike genre with a metroide touched, seasoned with procedural locations and hardcore – AK Soulslike.

The feeling when the desktop was Dark Souls

So, the main character is a headless, https://jettbet-casino.co.uk organic mass of waste with the ability to parasitize on corpses. One of these carriers will be a cold body with a cut off his head, waiting for us at the beginning of the game near the wastewater. Having met the first character – a knight, we are conducting a brief briefing. After that, having handed a rusty blade and kicking in the ass, we begin our journey through this mysterious and dying world.

The plot in Dead Cells is nominal. He seems to be, but he is not. After all, the entire main plot is revealed in notes scattered on separately designated locations that describe the nature of these locations and the world as a whole, which is supplemented by the characters found during the passage of the game. It does not resemble anyone ?)))

Death is not the end, but only the beginning.

Conceptively Dead Cells is a Rougelike with metroid elements, where, in the course of passing the game, you are opening up new abilities, and with this, new locations for passing. But the devil lies in details.

Starting your journey, you are provided for use by a weak rusty sword with one of the three attributes to which we will return a little later. Studying locations, you will simultaneously exterminate evil spirits that inhabit this world, collect artifacts and equipment defining your build. But, to collect the necessary equipment only a half of business, when, like the headliness itself lies in the pumping scrolls – which are a local development system. It is the scrolls that increase the value of the damage and HP of the protagonist, increasing your chances of survival. In total, 3 attributes are provided with a choice:

Four

The local analogue of the pumping of a kind of assassin with the possibility of a quiet and quick elimination of an ordinary enemy and avoiding a direct collision of the forehead in the forehead. (Marked in red)

Tactics

Ideal for long -range lovers. If you want to play with onions and destroy the enemy at a distance ? Interested in the use of magical abilities or the arrangement of engineering output from the category of traps and automatic turrets ? Tactics is your choice. (Marked with purple) color)

Vitality

In general, survivability justifies its name only from a part. The main advantage of survivability is the possibility of defense and parrying with the help of a shield. On this, all the distinctive features of “survivability” from other attributes end. With the exception of the percentage of HP increase for one scroll, which is mainly larger in comparison with other attributes. (Marked in green).

In fact – this system is much deeper than it might seem at first glance. In addition to the advantages described above, each of the attributes, DEAD Cells contains individual abilities and equipment that differs slightly from the concept of described above. As an example – a heavy weapon like a “Nutcracker” (survivability) and “fire” (brutality) having a low speed of attack, but compensating for it with a high damage, which does not completely develop with the concept of a maneuverable assassin. But with the exception of the specifics of use, some objects or abilities can have a slope of two attributes, or even completely eliminate the binding to one attribute (like legendary things), using mainly pumped attributes. Which already gives some versatility and does not include the scales of the “variability of passage” in one direction, opening the scope for tactics and reigree.

But in order to collect your build in a new session scattered according to the locations of things, there will be few. In this case, secret rooms will come to the rescue with their background, Easter ladies, and equipment. You can attribute to them paid rooms with equipment and naturally – merchants awaiting you in the hub between tasks. And each time their location will change thanks to procedural -generated locations that in the case of Dead Cells, it works strange.

On the one hand, each race will be unique. But on the other hand, their diversity leaves much to be desired. As an example: in the course of studying the first location, I met a room with the scientist of the Black Mass, on whose head, hedkrab and mount imposently were located as a reward. Excellent in my opinion Easterman who meets me almost every race. But, in the case of DEAD CELLS, my friend, such an Easter did not meet, but there was a reference to Hallo Knight and an awl as a weapon that I never met in all 50 hours of game. I’m disappointed, my day is damaged. Thanks to Motion Twin !

Over time, the character’s abilities will increase when the collector from the collector for the second game currency is to acquire new improvements – cells. Cells are perhaps the main currency in the game. If gold is necessary only for a certain session, as it is necessary to buy and improve the weapons that you lose in case of death. Then the cells open constant improvements and bonuses, whether it be the ATP of random weapons at the beginning of the game or mutations that improve certain parameters of the character.

Perhaps the main engine of progress in Dead Cells is the death of the main character. Yes, for someone it may seem strange, but it is regular death that allows you to farm the resources necessary for you and open new locations that change along the passage due to procedural generation of levels. But here perhaps the most controversial element of the game follows – the hardcore and regular death of the protagonist. Not everyone is ready to accept a similar concept, which is the cornerstone of Dead Cells, thereby scaring the mass of casual players.

Thanks to this approach, the game pushes to study the timings, the patterns of opponents’ behavior and honing their own reaction. And if at the very beginning of the game, you are cautiously encountered even with an ordinary opponent. Then, after ten hours, you become a fearless berserker, sweeping away everything in your path and passing levels without a single damage, which is also rewarded with characteristic tests at each cleaning of one of the levels.

I think many from childhood they said: “It is necessary to study on other people’s mistakes, and not on their own.”. Dead Cells demonstrates the opposite. Losing precious things and cells each time, both intra -game and nervous. And starting a new race, you are with the words: now, I’ll definitely get to the boss ! Under the charm of the temptation, lutt the damned chest, and with it a curse on 10 murders without getting damage and die, from a sudden trap or a particularly persistent enemy.

I would also like to praise a wide range of utilization objects – ordinary opponents and bosses. Each location stands out not only by the appearance, but also by the trials that the game throws you. And the opponents supplement the local flavor, that in the mass of my level they correspond to the mood of the level. Grenadiers, thyroidists, archers, defenders, bats, silk carriers and many others. Some are able to produce various kinds of shells, from explosive bombs developing to fragments to poison;others have the ability to go into invisibility, forcing the player by surprise at the most inopportune moment. Each enemy needs an individual approach, because even an ordinary zombie is able to destroy all plans because of excessive self-confidence that can play a cruel joke with you.

But with the bosses – a separate story. Like opponents, they are all individual and correspond to the spirit of the level at which this boss lives. But call them hyper complex – you can’t. For me personally, only the first and final boss became problem bosses. If the first boss fell on me like a beginner, then the last boss is really ready to hit with its complexity and unpredictable patterns of behavior. When, like the rest of the bosses, they are not particularly difficult and easily fly off on the first attempt. But still they are able to surprise with their own effectiveness and original visual style.

Dead Cells was the first game for me, where death ceased to be a mechanics of punishment for me for your mistakes. No. On the contrary, Dead Cells showed that death can reward the player, give him another chance and perhaps he will be able to use this chance to the maximum. And perhaps he will dump the game due to the test of 60 killings of it on the 58th. Closing the game with a gamepad and a perforated computer case.

I extremely advise the game to purchase. Dead Cells is one of those cases when you do not want to find fault with the project, but just enjoy the game. After all, even those problems that are present in the game fade against the background of many advantages of allocating Dead Cells against the background of the rest of the brothers in the genre.