I do love me a cool crossover event, and this one’s a good un.
Dead Cells, a game that is considered finished, might not be getting any new content updates, but ever since it returned home to Motion Twin, the studio has been partnering with fellow indie devs to bring the IP to new audiences. It’s a smart move, and it’s working a treat, as demonstrated by today’s case in point.
BlazBlue: Entropy Effect X Dead Cells
The latest partnership sees an injection of Dead Cells into BlazBlue: Entropy Effect, the excellent side-scrolling beat ’em up set in the same universe as the famous fighting franchise.
Entropy Effect is a fine action game, and since its initial launch, developer 91 Act has been adding to it via paid-for DLC characters. The Prisoner from Dead Cells is next fighter being added to the game, and he joins the roster complete with his own special moves.
Best of all, you’ll get a whole new roguevania-inspired mission to work through, after which you unlock the character for use in the main game. At this point the iconic Dead Cells frontman joins the core roster, allowing you to mix and match his abilities with the other fighters in the game via Entropy Effect’s clever build mechanics.
You’re Dead Cells to Me
You access the special mission in the main hub world. Just talk to one of the bots back at base (Neo, who’s found on the ground floor) and then you’ll be whisked away to the Infected Lands for an adventure.
It is in this special one-off level that you must battle past some familiar foes, dig into some side story, work through some platforming sections, all while learning a bunch of new special abilities.
The Prisoner has a bunch of tricks up his proverbial sleeve, and you can alternate between them during combat. There’s a powerfull shield block, you can fire arrows from range, drop a turret, float on a cloud, and much more. There are loads of fun toys to play with, but the unlocks are all text heavy as there’s a lot to take in, so be prepared.
With so much to consider, The Prisoner is a nuanced character to learn, and is certainly one that advanced players are going to get a lot out of. In particular, I really enjoyed unlocking the different skills and, in the spirit of Dead Cells, using them to interact with the environment. What’s more, everything comes together nicely in the form of a challenging boss fight at the end, where you’ll need to use all the tricks you’ve learned.
All told, considering that fact the this mini expansion is free to existing players, it’s hard not to be impressed. Everyone involved has done a grand job in bringing an iconic character from one game into another without making them feel out of place. GG, folks!
The Free Content Update for BlazBlue: Entropy Effect is out now, and I played the new mission ahead of time via access kindly provided by the game’s developer and their PR buds!
