Highlights
- Nicolas Cage's addition to Dead by Daylight brings a fun and campy element to the game, showcasing the sillier side of horror.
- Cage's perks introduce unique and unconventional gameplay elements, offering a refreshing change from the typical meta perks.
- While not necessarily viable in competitive play, Cage's perks add variety and create new playstyles, potentially inspiring future character designs in the game.
Nicolas Cage coming to Dead by Daylight is a fun addition, but he could also be bringing a blueprint for better game design. While his entrance is largely appreciated for playing into the campier side of the game, his perks include a lot of interesting ideas that the developers could look further into. After running since 2016, it's impressive that Dead by Daylight is still churning out new content, although some of its design choices can be questioned. Nicolas Cage, while looking silly on the surface, could kick-start a new wave of out-of-meta perk design.
It was a surprise to many when Nicolas Cage was announced for Dead by Daylight. While the series has featured several crossovers that added significant horror icons to the game, Nicolas Cage himself rather than a character played by him being added was a shift from the norm. The game seems aware of the absurdity of the situation, as Cage is easily the most comical character to date, outdoing survivor and killer alike. He's the first survivor with mid-match voice lines, many of which are quite funny, and even his perks have a humorous bent. His role in Dead by Daylight does a lot to capture the sillier side of horror.
Nicolas Cage's Perks Could Be a Good Omen For Dead by Daylight
Nicolas Cage's perks may be his most interesting aspect. While Dead by Daylight's meta often dictates perks of a particular style, Cage's perks are outside any previous guidelines. Dramaturgy has the user do a silly animation momentarily before granting a brief speed boost and a random effect. Scene Partner causes the user to scream when they see the killer, revealing both of them. Finally, Plot Twist lets an injured user instantly put themselves in the dying state, but allows them to recover on their own and heal to full health, gaining a temporary speed boost once they're back on their feet.
All of Cage's perks are unusual in one way or another, and when it comes to surviving in Dead by Daylight, most of the perks don't seem to do much. Dramaturgy is unreliable, although potentially rewarding depending on the effect. Scene Partner has little practical use, instantly alerting the killer that the survivor is nearby. Finally, Plot Twist makes the player vulnerable to getting hooked or even Moried, although it can act as a high-risk, high-reward heal in the right situation. It's hard to deny that they're good for a laugh, with the ability to scream at the killer at will being a particularly funny addition.
There's something to like about Cage's perks in Dead by Daylight, and not just for their entertainment factor. While beginners in Dead by Daylight may work best with tried-and-true perks, Cage's perks offer something completely new. Their effects are weird, but their uniqueness makes them stand out compared to the rest of the pack. They create new playstyles, especially when mixed with other perks to test their synergy. By designing more perks with unique effects, the game becomes far more varied, and players have more reason to get excited about new characters. If more characters get perks like Nicolas Cage's, the game can evolve in new ways.
Nicolas Cage's perks probably aren't going to be in many meta builds, but they represent something far more important. As possibly Dead by Daylight's most surprising collaboration to date, it's only natural that he brought a different vibe to the game. While his perks may be silly, they shouldn't be dismissed as mere curiosities. The way that they go outside the box makes them some of the most unique perks in the game, and they all came attached to one character. Hopefully Dead by Daylight takes inspiration from Micolas Cage's perks for future designs.
Dead by Daylight is available now for Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
