Renzatic on 29/6/2017 at 05:27
Hollow Knight and Dead Cells. It's funny how two games I had absolutely no interest in somehow ended up becoming some of my favorite games ever. Thanks to Henke, I've been wondering which of the two I like better. Hollow Knight excels in atmosphere and exploration, and the fighting mechanics are pretty fun too, once you start filling out your various powers.
...but I think I might have to give the nod to Dead Cells. Unfinished though it may be, there's already so much in the game, so many weapons, so many items, so many tricks, traps, and places to explore, the variety is endless. And the way all the various weapons and items complement each other. It has the smoothest, most responsive, most entertaining combat imaginable. There is seemingly no end to the amount of ways you can mix and match things to deal death. While Hollow Knight is great, I think Dead Cells has it beat on pure entertainment and replay value.
I could gush on, but I think it'd be better to show off one of my runs through the game. Don't worry about spoilers. I took the easy path, the first you go through, and didn't get too far. Quit fretting, and watch it!
[video=youtube;LlE7qxGHi_4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlE7qxGHi_4[/video]
henke on 29/6/2017 at 07:35
Oh man, that does look amazing. :U
I am gonna wait till release before picking it up tho.
WingedKagouti on 29/6/2017 at 09:14
Dead Cells is awesome and definitely worth playing.
The only reason to hold off on it (if you like the genre) is to wait for the release.
Renzatic on 29/6/2017 at 16:36
What's weird is that the game doesn't even feel like it's early access. I haven't experienced a single bug or any other negative niggle you'd usually associate with a beta. When a patch comes out, they feel more like little expansion packs, adding in new effects, levels, weapons, and monsters to fight, with only the occasional tweak to what's already there.
I think the only thing you're really missing out on are the story bits, which I don't think the devs are planning on putting into the game until it's almost finished.
Thirith on 3/1/2018 at 13:06
Any tips for a starting player? I'm progressing, but oh so slowly. So far I've only go one rune and I'm no further than the Ramparts, but at the same time I've died a dozen times. I probably have to become more methodical at combat than i currently am...
Malf on 3/1/2018 at 13:26
I think the key is to realise that the whole idea is you should be dying a lot while playing the game. You get some interesting blueprints, get to the end of the level, unlock them, then repeat until the unlocks start making progress easier. And I don't know about anyone else, but I've found that the combat affords you a lot of leeway. Thanks to a generous health bar and the flasks (which is probably the first thing you should upgrade), you can afford to make mistakes early on, safe in the knowledge that you'll find healing items in the level, and be able to fully heal and replenish your flasks at the level transition stage.
Also, weapons that cause enemies to bleed are really good.
I bow to others' expertise mind you.
icemann on 3/1/2018 at 13:41
The lesson I'm trying to force myself to follow is that if I get a new blueprint then to proceed as quick as possible to the exit to ensure that I get to keep it. Too often I've gained one, kept exploring then died and so lost them. So annoying.
I've got all of the 1st stage and The Promenade of the Condemned completely done blueprints wise. Sewers is next up.
Slowly farming all the blueprints and upgraded one of the weapons to level 2 (via the NPC you encounter only straight after the 1st boss). Got a couple of extra mutations unlocked also. Don't really use many of the new ones. Be nice if you were able to increase your limit of mutations in use. 3 is very limiting.
WingedKagouti on 3/1/2018 at 14:54
Quote Posted by Malf
Also, weapons that cause enemies to bleed are
really good.
Bleed, Poison and Fire are all useful, and note that if Oil is applied to a Fire or Fire to something Oiled, the Fire will be more damaging. There is of course the somewhat rare "If an enemy dies while Bleeding, nearby enemies start Bleeding" modifier for various Weapons and Skills which can help clear out large groups. Note that the modifier will only apply to Bleeds caused directly by the item itself and not by the secondary Bleeds from the modifier or other items you may carry.
For a new player, I'd recommend trying to get a hold of Frost Blast or learn how to properly Parry with a Shield (the timing for this does vary by enemy). Either of those will make many things a lot easier. Frost Blast is easy to use, but bosses and elites tend to get resistance/immunity to it as a fight goes on. Shields often have very noticable benefits once you learn how to use them, also just having a Shield equipped means you get a brief period of invulnerability after getting hit which can by itself decrease damage taken by a lot. Without a Shield you do not get this kind of Mercy Invulnerability at all.
You should also learn how to time the roll, as it can help a lot whether you have defensive items or not. You're granted a brief period of invulnerability to attacks, but not environmental hazards (though some may be avoided by the smaller hitbox).
icemann on 3/1/2018 at 18:01
Learning to roll when you see the "!" popup over the enemies heads is the skill to learn in this game. Will save your ass more often than not against some of the harder enemies. Elites mostly.
Renzatic on 3/1/2018 at 18:12
Quote Posted by WingedKagouti
Frost Blast is easy to use, but bosses and elites tend to get resistance/immunity to it as a fight goes on.
If you can pair frost blast with a high damage output, that becomes a moot point. I remember one particular good run I had during one of the earlier builds. I had a ton of points stocked up into strength, a damn good weapon, and a couple of freeze methods. I all but tore through the game, freezing everything I came across, and killing even latter stage enemies within 2-4 hits. Only The Watcher gave me any trouble during that session.