The latest updates reinforce the greatness of one of the best 2D action games in recent years
There are many independent games that have been released to 2D as a way to unleash projects influenced by the eternal classics of the 8 and 16 bit era: pure platforms, action platforms, run`n gun, metroidvanias… and In doing so they also created new concepts, such as the roguelike arcade that Spelunky championed and that created a combination that proved to be irresistible, as it was in charge of demonstrating titles like Rogue Legacy. But it would not be until 2018 when Motion Twin demonstrated that the formula had much more travel, creating a hypnotically agile, fast and addictive action platform called Dead Cells that has become a phenomenon, both for its own qualities and for the show of see it at the controls of an experienced player.
Combining precise controls, careful animation, a colorful audiovisual appearance and procedural elements in phase structures, enemies, weapons and objects, Dead Cells knew how to create an experience that captured that drive by a new game typical of the roguelikes, but with a gameplay at the height of the best action platforms ever. Permanent death to start again immediately, short and long-term progression, multiple attempts always different. The French studio created an authentic modern classic and was recognized as such, being awarded at the Game Awards of its year with the "best action game" award over giants such as Far Cry 5, Black Ops 4 or Destiny 2: Forsaken and scored in Meristation with a 9.2, one of the highest scores of the year. Its appearance in all formats has allowed it to accumulate sales that number in the millions and given a bright future to the French group, which has been divided between the original studio – which works on a new IP – and Evil Empire, a studio that will be dedicated to the continued development of Dead Cells-. The story that every indie group dreams of – and with the particularity that Motion Twin is a cooperative, so that the benefits are distributed equally, something that has drawn much attention in countries less accustomed to this organizational structure. .
One of the strengths of Dead Cells, in addition to its very attractive gaming experience, is its constant progression and development. It has continued to incorporate significant enhancements before, during and after launch, and offered a hugely generous DLC of completely free content in the form of Rise of the Giant, which incorporated skins, a new level, and more than a dozen new weapons and enemies, among many other elements that would have deserved a few euros without a doubt, comparing it with other offers. The base of the game and that expansion form a simply essential pack, one of the best action games you can find on the market. A few weeks ago the second big expansion arrived: The Bad Seed this time yes, for a fee, but the game continues to incorporate weighty free content like that of the April 22 update: The Bestiary, which introduces highly desirable content for both the game base as for the DLC.
Constantly updated
In terms of pure and hard content, Bad Seed offers more tangible content than Rise of the Giant. It is the first great content made by Evil Empire, the study that Dead Cells will develop from now on, and it is noted that there was interest in pleasing and demonstrating the value of the division made. It does not incorporate so many draft changes in our range of possibilities, but instead it offers more levels, which give more variety to our potential journey in each foray. As Roguelite, a necessary part of the experience is based on starting from the beginning over and over again, understanding that you will find different phases and weapons, in addition to the possibility of taking your character through different developments from the previous ones. But within its excellence, it must be recognized that the early stages of the game could be tedious and less inspired than later ones.
Bad Seed comes to remedy this, focusing its new content on that first part and incorporating new areas at the beginning of the game: the ruined greenhouse, which arrives to complement the walk of the damned and the toxic sewers. From that new area we will be able to access a new route that will take us to the swamp of the damned, another new area, and to face a new boss who will give us a break from finishing with the Concierge over and over again.
For the seasoned gamer who never tires of Motion Twin's work, it's a welcome and necessary addition. The two initial alternatives are bland and somewhat boring once you are already skilled in mechanics and they feel like a process until the good starts. The addition of the new areas gives a welcome variety and a more adjusted challenge to the skill of veteran players, but not to the point of being insurmountable if a new player lands there, you will simply notice a peak of difficulty if you compare.
In addition to variety, these areas enhance gameplay in more than one direction. Aesthetically they are much more attractive areas, the ruined garden in particular is beautiful and has a degree of detail in backgrounds and themes at the height of the best in the game, more in the lines of levels such as the battlement. Going from the promenade or the sewers to this is not something that is appreciated just for seeing something different, but because it is much more pleasing to the eyes. But beyond aesthetics, these levels also offer new enemies and new mechanics that make it more fun and, as we have mentioned, a more difficult point, but without exceeding ourselves. The new enemies have different and varied patterns, collaborate with each other and lead to more dynamic battles, very different from the simple encounters in the other sentences. There are also ideas as funny as a carnivorous plant to jump on to propel yourself higher, preventing it from biting you and hurting you. They are not revolutionary aspects, but they are small details that point to the life that still has the game ahead.
The concierge's alternate final enemy is another example of what the team has made in understanding its own game. It is a much more interesting and spectacular fight than the one we would have by default and here comes perhaps what is the main problem of Bad Seed: his reason for being, providing variety and an extra quality at the beginning of the game, squanders a few good ones ideas that could be better exploited in more advanced phases. The boss in question is very well designed, and it is almost a pity that it does not have higher attributes to be a much more memorable encounter.
In addition to the new phases and enemies, Bad Seed comes with new equipment, the most significant being an impressive scythe that is the first two-handed weapon in the game and that, we hope, is not the last given its spectacularity and power. Since Dead Cells is a game with playable depths yet to be explored, it is welcome to know that there are significantly different new varieties of weapons to use, we are confident it is a preview of the future to come.
The future is being written
The recent update called "The Bestiary" (number 18 already) comes to repair some of the weaknesses located in the current progression, which is longer than the one of the game when it started, due to the content that has been added. To compensate and avoid a repetition sensation during the game, six new types of enemies have been incorporated: three specific to certain biomes and three distributed by the game, which will give freshness and new attack patterns to deal with, contributing with fresh air specially thought for veterans. Some specific elements of The Bad Seed have also been corrected, adding more special rooms with elements of lore, in order to balance this type of content with the normal levels, in addition to having made some adjustments such as changing certain patterns and reducing the difficulty and the number of enemies there are at certain times -this may be somewhat debatable since the veteran surely appreciated having routes with higher difficulty, but you also have to think that they are starting levels and could be frustrating for new players who fall there without knowing the circumstances. There are many other minor tweaks, plus a few extras like three new outfits, which are always welcome.
Dead Cells continues to demonstrate that it is a game with no visible ceiling and that it threatens to set the bar for procedural 2D action to unattainable levels if it continues to polish and increase its content at this rate. Evil Empire is already working on a new "great" update, for which it is already looking for users to help them identify the most popular builds and the least desired or most disposable aspects of the game, in order to make an important readjustment that will put again upside down what we can do during each game. Another proof of what is alive, mutable and dynamic than this extraordinary and highly recommended title.
