The most obnoxious part of this (moreso even than the incessant snark) is the way it is constantly referencing other, better games. It seems to have no identity of its own. You don't even have a face.
In Tevis Thompson's review of this game he criticizes it as part of a general trend of fetishizing gamefeel. I find the critique compelling in the abstract—("That luscious feedback, that perfect extension of your will, that zone you wish to stay in forever. Gross.")—but applied to this?? Really?? The "gamefeel" of Dead Cells is dog shit.
And this is immediately apparent the moment you get a hold of the nail from Hollow Knight, or the light gun & sword from Hyper Light Drifter. Stripped of the context of a larger game world which gives these tools meaning, they appear as lifeless signifiers, wholly out of place. What's the point of a weapon that pogos when there's hardly anything in the environment to pogo off of? What's the point of forcing the player to alternate between slashing and shooting in this very particular rhythm when there's nothing about the enemy distribution or the way their health is allotted that compliments that rhythm? But even more than this: using them just feels bad. Clunky. Awkward. Not fun.
I think I'm going to avoid roguelikes for a while after this one. There's something inherently cynical and depressing about so many of them. Empty. The gaming equivalent of social media's endless scroll. Joyless compulsion. Doom playing. No thank you. I prefer not to.
In Tevis Thompson's review of this game he criticizes it as part of a general trend of fetishizing gamefeel. I find the critique compelling in the abstract—("That luscious feedback, that perfect extension of your will, that zone you wish to stay in forever. Gross.")—but applied to this?? Really?? The "gamefeel" of Dead Cells is dog shit.
And this is immediately apparent the moment you get a hold of the nail from Hollow Knight, or the light gun & sword from Hyper Light Drifter. Stripped of the context of a larger game world which gives these tools meaning, they appear as lifeless signifiers, wholly out of place. What's the point of a weapon that pogos when there's hardly anything in the environment to pogo off of? What's the point of forcing the player to alternate between slashing and shooting in this very particular rhythm when there's nothing about the enemy distribution or the way their health is allotted that compliments that rhythm? But even more than this: using them just feels bad. Clunky. Awkward. Not fun.
I think I'm going to avoid roguelikes for a while after this one. There's something inherently cynical and depressing about so many of them. Empty. The gaming equivalent of social media's endless scroll. Joyless compulsion. Doom playing. No thank you. I prefer not to.