Developer Motion Twin is prepping up a new update for Dead Cells that adds accessibility options to make it friendly for colorblind gamers and more – so we did a Dead Cells Accessibility preview at PAX East 2022.
This PAX East, I tried something for the very first time. No nothing wild or dangerous and no nothing controversial. At PAX East 2022, I tried Dead Cells. You might be wondering, why is this being written as if it is some form of an accomplishment.
For many, this would not seem like a big deal, but for me, it was stepping out of my comfort zone to try something new. So why was it such a big deal? For the last year, I’ve been telling myself that I would get to it, and it wasn’t until meeting with Evil Empire Marketing Manager Matthew Houghton and Game Designer Arthur Décamp.
New DLC
In 2022, Evil Empire and the Dead Cells team have put out two DLCs, The Queen and the Seas and the Break the Bank. While the Queen and the Sea update provided a new final boss and final cutscene, the Break the Bank DLC focuses on money.
Going into the creation of the DLC, the team realized money was an important factor for players after completing a run, but they had no real way to reap the rewards of their successes.
Now players can cash in on their successes by utilizing the bank system; now players can use the money they’ve banked to buy new weapons, mobs, and mutations. The Break the Bank DLC will be released soon on consoles and PC.
Dead Cells Accessibility update
Although the Dead Cells Break the Bank feature was an exciting update to most players, what really interested us was the Dead Cells accessibility updates. Below are some of the accessibility updates:
- Adjust font size & color
- Font Type variability
- Adjust color palette for colorblindness
- Increase UI size
- Adjust the contrast of the background
- Auto-Hit Mode
- Assist Mode
- Continue Mode – start from the last save
- Easier Parry – Longer parry time
- Slower traps
- Reduced trap damage
- Reduce enemies health
- Rebind controls
- Change sounds, songs, and SFX
Thoughts on Dead Cells
After trying out Dead Cells for the first time, it is easy to understand why people enjoy this game, but at the end of the day, it was not for me.
Unless playing through on continue mode, the idea of constantly switching weapons feels tedious. Players who enjoy a challenge can appreciate this game. Maybe one day, I will be willing to come back and try it again, but today is not that day.
Dead Cells is available on Windows PC, Linux, Mac (via GOG and Steam), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, and iOS. If you missed it, you can find our review here (we recommend it!)
