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jp's Dead Cells (PS4)

[March 6, 2020 06:53:17 PM]

I played this over the weekend fully expecting to be overwhelmed and then disappointed. Mostly because I had heard that it's a really hard game and that's usually not a draw for me. However, it was also the rogue-like elements I was intrigued by.

So, a weekend of playing later?

I really enjoyed it, realized that I'm not interested/willing in putting in the time to grind and/or "get good" at the game - but I had fun with it. For sure.

Perhaps the runs are a bit too long for me? Easily 90 minutes until I got to parts that were hard for me...but again, I was playing very much in the "explore everything mode" rather than "blitz through as quickly as possible".

In terms of gameplay, I mostly focus on the ranged weapon rather than shield and I enjoyed the grenades and traps, especially as I figured out how the worked, different ways to used them tactically and so on.

I guess overall, I most enjoyed feeling like I was playing a game, getting better at it AND learning how to play it better. I've been getting similar experiences from Slay the Spire and (to an extent, Dicey Dungeons) - but this was nice in that it's an action game and, at least for me, they tend to be more "learn the skill" rather than "learn different ways to use the skill/items, etc.".

The random generation was interesting, worked fine AND I'm super curious to know if the narrative elements were worked in on purpose and how so. Every now and then I'd find a room that had some story tid-bit that was fun to read and learn about and I wonder how much planning there is in those tid-bits being doled out. I don't know exactly how many runs I tried, but it felt like I was diving deeper into story in a reasoned and measured way?

I really did not like one thing though - so, I'm in an area moving around and exploring when I reach an "exit" to a new area I had no seen before! This was super exciting - and the exit was at the end of a convoluted series of rooms I had struggled a bit to get past. As I tried to go through the room I get a message that I can't because it's part of the DLC I did not own! WHAT?!

I don't mind DLC at all, but I was very annoyed that this was integrated into the level, that I had struggled to get to it (not knowing what it was) and then found I'd wasted all this time because, oh - DLC!

I was particularly miffed by this because I had earlier found an exit to a new area I hadn't seen before (so there is some degree of non-linear progression) and it was super exciting to get into a new area!

I think I got as far as the "Forgotten Sepulcher"(?) which, on later consultation, seems like I was "pretty close" to the end? (there are only three more stages - 2 of which are bosses).