Video Games
‘Dead Cells’ Gets Tougher With Latest Update
The 15th update to Motion Twin’s Dead Cells is now live on PC, bringing with it the usual fixes, but also a whack of enhancements to the game, notably the Corrupted Update which brings a brand new challenge biome to the game in the form of The Corrupted Confinement. Though it’s one of the shortest levels in the game, it’s also one of the toughest, as you start off with a cursed chest.
The new update also adds a new meta upgrade in The Recycling Tubes. The upgrade serves as a reward for finishing off the Hand of the King in BC1. Once you do that, each run will start with a choice between four sets of five items. This replaces the random starting gear from the base game and gives you a a new way to customize your build in the early stages of the game. Topping things off is a new rune that reveals points of interest on the map, along with three new mutations.
The update is live now on Steam, with other platforms and services getting the update over the course of the next few weeks. Dead Cells is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Video Games
Demo Now Available for First-Person Action Title ‘Vampire Hunter: Nightrise’, Coming July 14 [Trailer]
Over the Moon Games has announced that their upcoming first-person title Vampire Hunter: Nightrise will launch on Steam on July 14. You won’t have to wait until Steam Next Fest next week to get a chance to get your vampire slaying fix in, as the game’s demo is available now.
Touted as “Castlevania meets Tunic,” Nightrise puts players into a vampire’s castle with a single goal: reach him before nightfall. Of course, it’s easier said than done, since you’ll be needing to deal with the castle itself. Rotating fireplaces, moving bookshelves, watching portraits, and hidden passages are open from the start, but they only give way once the player understands how the place works. No keys, only knowledge.
Meanwhile, despite not having a whip, you’re equipped with something just as cool in a stake launcher that pins enemies to walls. You can also fire stakes through flame to ignite them, and even turn the castle’s own furniture into ammunition.
Underneath it all, the player’s faith is a major gameplay mechanic, functioning as as a literal resource that the castle constantly tempts them to trade away for power, quietly shaping how the story ends. As your conviction weakens, the castle’s influence grows stronger. You’ll have to manage faith as carefully as ammunition.
“In Nightrise, almost everything is open to you from the very beginning, if you know how to reach it,” explains Over the Moon Games’ John Warner. “There is something deeply rewarding about learning to overcome an obstacle instead of just finding a key. It creates a real sense of power and wonder. We took huge inspiration from Tunic in that respect, and from Outer Wilds.”