Releasing all the way back in 2017, the metroidvania roguelike Dead Cells was met with immediate praise, and for good reason. While it was simple to pick up and play, with only a few button inputs needed to jump and slash, it was incredibly difficult to master, with many players considering it a true "Souls-like" game.
Despite the game releasing over four years ago, developer Motion Twin has continued to support Dead Cells with semi-regular updates that have added new weapons, locations and enemies. The latest update, titled "Everyone is Here," brings another wave of new weapons and skins, but this time they're lifted from some of the best indie titles in recent years. While some of these indie games will be known to the vast majority of gamers (Hollow Knight, Guacamelee!, Hyper Light Drifter), there are a handful of titles that may have slipped past a player's radar.
Guacamelee!
Starting with a bright and vibrant take on the metroidvania, Guacamelee! was initially released in 2013 for both PS3 and PlayStation Vita. In 2014, the game was ported to every other platform, with a Switch release finally hitting the eShop in 2018.
The game's plot centers around Juan, a farmer whose love interest is kidnapped by a skeleton on the Day of the Dead. After a brief trip to the Land of the Dead, Juan is given a magical mask that gives him super strength and transforms him into a luchador. The rest of the game sees Juan battling a range of mythical foes all based on Mexican folklore. The game's unique focus on brawler mechanics and a lighthearted tongue-in-cheek tone set it apart from other metroidvanias of the time.
The 2018 sequel, Guacamelee! 2, sees Juan hop into an alternate dimension to take on a fellow magical luchador named Salvador who is causing the "Mexiverse" to rip itself apart. Here, developer DrinkBox Studios added 4-player co-op, giving players the opportunity to punch their way through the campaign with some friends. In the Dead Cells update, the "Luchador's Outfit" skin and the "Pollo Power" weapon (which lets players transform into a chicken and lay egg bombs) are the game's homage to Guacamelee!.
Blasphemous
A metroidvania that takes a great deal of inspiration from the Souls series, Blasphemous released in 2019. In this game, players assume the role of "The Penitent One", a knight on a quest of pilgrimage. The core gameplay in Blasphemous sees players traverse the grim and dark lands of Cvstodia, battling enemies that pose a significant threat. Blasphemous' unique "Fervor" mechanic allows players to use powerful magic attacks after charging a meter with melee attacks.
Players will need to learn enemy attack patterns and will need to use their "Bile Flask" healing items at pivotal moments to make it through the perilous journey. Players will also need to use the parrying mechanics to best their opponents. It's easy to see why many players saw Blasphemous as a Souls-like, with its brutal difficulty, boss fights, and healing and parrying mechanics. The "Face Flask" and the "Penitent's Outfit" are Blasphemous' contributions to Dead Cells' update.
Hyper Light Drifter
Inspired by Zelda: A Link to the Past and living up to the legacy, Hyper Light Drifter has remained one of the most talked about indie titles of the last five years since its 2016 release. Gameplay-wise, Hyper Light Drifter uses an isometric view (much like Diablo) and uses action-RPG mechanics. The player battles a wide range of neon-colored monsters with their energy sword and various unlockable ranged weapons.
The game, much like its SNES inspirations, trusts its playerbase to piece together the narrative and themes of the game without using expository dialogue, or any dialogue at all. The game's heartfelt and personal story (largely based around the creator's own struggle with heart disease) is relayed to players via the game's stunning visuals and beautiful score. Hyper Light Drifter lends its "Magician's Outfit" and its "Hard Light Sword/Gun" to Dead Cells' update.
Skul: The Hero Slayer
Releasing at the start of this year, and potentially passing by many players unnoticed, Skul: The Hero Slayer uses adorable, bright pixel-art to produce a 2D rogue-lite that should tick plenty of players' boxes. For players who love a challenge, Skul should definitely be a game to try, with some crushingly difficult enemy encounters. Skul also gives players a variety of build options, so there's a lot of replayability to the game. The lead character's "Bone" weapon and his cute "Little Bone's Outfit" are included in Dead Cells' "Everyone is Here" update.
Curse of the Dead Gods
Another early 2021 release (excluding its early access period), Curse of the Dead Gods uses an isometric perspective and puts an emphasis on dungeon-crawling gameplay. Curse of the Dead Gods uses procedurally-generated rooms to keep players on their toes and to keep the game replayable.
The game's "Curse" mechanic gives the dungeon-crawler a unique spin. With every new room that a player enters, their Curse meter increases. This meter also increases whenever a player fights enemies in the dark or when they use "Blood Offerings" as currency to buy new items. As the meter increases, abilities are rendered useless and difficult challenges and foes start rearing their heads. This curse can only be lifted during a run by defeating bosses. The game's "Machete and Pistol" and the "Explorer's Outfit" are present in the update.
Hollow Knight
The last crossover game to be announced, and the one that players are potentially most excited for, Hollow Knight's "Pure Nail" weapon and "Vessel's Outfit" have been added to Dead Cells. Hollow Knight took the world by storm upon its initial release in 2017, and its subsequent console release in 2018. A uniquely dark and charming artstyle immediately set Hollow Knight apart from its contemporaries. Combining this artstyle with some extremely polished metroidvania level design, and some equally polished melee combat mechanics, it's easy to see why Hollow Knight became such a sensation. Hopefully its sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, will also manage to impress fans as well.
Dead Cells is available now on Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One. The "Everyone is Here" update is also available now.