News

‘Dead Cells’ Brings Pixelated-Permadeath To Action-Platforming

Published

6 years ago

August 10, 2018

Some of us have an insatiable love for things that hurt, like deadly hot sauces conjured from the belly of hell or rom com films. The same area of the brain that causes people to receive enjoyment from torture, happens to be the same brain space that makes folks love the permadeath aspect of Dark Souls games. Well, we all need to give thanks to the Ashen One, cause Dark Cells is here to give us more of those fun frustration pangs that we love from our painfully fun experiences with Souls.

Dead Cells is an action-platformer with a cool Dark Souls twist, a dash of Metroid action with a splash of classic Castlevania play-style.

In Dead Cells, you play as a character that when killed, is respawned all over again… by means of a ball of green goo. This puts you in the position of having to fight through ever changing levels, leveling up over time, and learning your enemy’s tactics and figuring out what weapon combos work best. Most of all it allows you to keep your learned skills in order to become a tough mo’fo over the course of splendiferous amount of death.

You are going to die. Die a lot. Much like in Dark Souls, dying is part of the whole thing, the blaringly big difference here is that each time you play through a level its laid out entirely differently.

That makes the would-be frustration of having to start over and over and over again, a learning experience, where you are able to level up, create mutations and figure out what makes your enemies fall the fastest.

Slotted weapons allow for a melee item, a ranged item and two sentinel or grenade type items. The combination of these items are up to your preference and finding the one that works best for you might take a few worthwhile deaths.

I know, what you are thinking, all this sounds super familiar. Well hey, it’s something the creators at the devs are acutely aware of, down to the title basically being a play-off of Dark Souls. It’s a labor of homage and love for the permadeath gaming subgenre that actually does a great job of breaking a mold, while still working in the same shop in which that mold that created.

Controls are well-done and exude the feeling of later Castlevania games along the lines of Symphony of Night. Throwing in a variety of weapons and furthering that with tiers on those individual weapons, simply increases playability and doesn’t allow things to become stale as easily. And with a game that’s focus is putting you through the same grind again and again, this mix works like gangbusters.

Enemies come with their distinctive approaches to combat, some yield more annoying results than others depending on the combo of weapons that you have in your arsenal at that moment. Using your full collection of moves, especially the god’s gift that is dodging, are essential to get learn early, cause later levels (if you can make it) are freakin’ tough.

Dead Cells is a really special game that kicks a special amount of pixelated butt. It is in on the joke and remains playful about it, if the title isn’t proof of that the main character and his comedic pantomime expressions sure are. The action, challenge and the rewarding punishment Dead Cells gives you are worth the price of entry, and are essential for Souls and Castlevania fans alike.

Dead Cells is out now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Mac and Nintendo Switch for $24.99.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Related Topics:Dark Souls Dead Cells Permadeath

News

Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

Published

8 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

Published

12 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NEON (@neonrated)

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five

Published

13 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.

Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.

Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.

So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.

Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?

The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.

Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube