Play it PC and Consoles Alike
After over a year of being in Steam Early Access, the long awaited roguelike Dead Cells will finally see its full-fledged debut. The game releases on August 7 for PC, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.
A mix of roguelike procedural generation and Metroidvania gameplay, Dead Cells has made a name for itself on PC thanks to tight controls, fluid combat, and a constant stream of new content by the game’s French developer, Motion Twin. The game currently maintains a “Very Positive” rating on Steam based upon 15,016 total reviews as of the time of writing.
According to an official press release, the launch version of the game will include the following features on day one:
- 13 Levels – Each one with its own atmosphere, foes and secrets to discover.
- 4 Bosses – Made by the most sadistic of the devs, raised on the salt of the testers.
- 80 or so weapons and skills – Spears, swords, bows, freeze blast, etc.
- 4 special powers, unlocking new areas and paths (metroidvania gear lock items).
- 1 Daily Run Mode Complete with leaderboards for lording it over your mates (PC version only).
While the PC version of the game has been available at $24.99 to purchase and play for months now, console versions are offering a limited-time 20% off discount on all pre-orders, bringing the asking price down to $19.99. On August 7, prices will bump back up to $24.99 on all platforms. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One pre-orders are open now, while Nintendo Switch ones will go live starting July 18.
News of the game’s finalized release date was accompanied by a launch trailer, which you can watch below:
I went hands-on with a PC build of Dead Cells back at Paris Games Week 2017 and really enjoyed what I’d played. Cleverly dubbed a “RogueVania” by its devs, Dead Cells truly does strike an interesting balance between a roguelike and a Metroidvania—in many ways, by taking the best of both worlds while discarding the worst of each. It takes the infinitely replayable and unpredictable world design of a roguelike and melds it together with the satisfying progression of a Metroidvania. Unlike other roguelikes where death means starting right back at square one, Dead Cells has a far more nuanced upgrade system that builds upon past playthroughs. At the same time, it offers a much more scalable sense of challenge compared to the more rigid and preset design of Metroidvanias.
It remains to be seen how Dead Cells will shape up in the story department, not to mention whether or not the game will grow stale with only 4 main bosses on paper. Still, there’s a lot to be excited about, especially when people can take it on the go with them thanks to the added mobility of the Nintendo Switch.
For those curious to see how this “RogueVania” plays for itself, you won’t have to wait for much longer. Dead Cells releases on August 7 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
