Dead Cells Confirmed For August, Physical Editions Coming

Merge Games has been quite busy with its Metroidvania-style adventure Dead Cells, which initially released on Steam last year and became an instant fan favorite. It’s about ready to bring the game to consoles and soon the wait will be over.

The company announced today that Dead Cells will finally make its debut on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch this August. In addition, along with the digital versions that were previously announced, Merge Games will also release limited physical versions for PS4 and Switch in case anyone feels like adding the games to their collection.

Here’s the story breakdown and features that you can expect from the game when it arrives in a couple of months:

Roguelite? Metroidvania? Roguevania!

You grew up with the roguelikes, witnessed the rise of the roguelites and even the birth of the roguelite-lites? We’d now like to present for your consideration our RogueVania, the illegitimate child of a modern Roguelite (Rogue Legacy, Binding of Isaac, Enter the Gungeon, Spelunky, etc.) and an old-school Metroidvania (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and its ilk).

Key Features

• RogueVania: The progressive exploration of an interconnected world, with the replayability of a rogue-lite and the adrenaline pumping threat of permadeath.
• 2D Souls-lite Action: Tough but fair combat, more than fifty weapons and spells with unique gameplay, and of course, the emergency panic roll to get you out of trouble.
• Nonlinear progression: Sewers, Ossuary or Remparts? Once unlocked, special permanent abilities allow you to access new paths to reach your objective. Opt for the path that suits your current build, your play style or just your mood.
• Exploration: Secret rooms, hidden passages, charming landscapes. Take a moment to stroll the towers and breath in that fresh sea mist infused air…

Interconnected levels and progressive unlocking of access to the island provides you with a real incentive to explore your surroundings. Add in a degree of evolution for your character and permanent weapon upgrades and you can see where Dead Cells borrows from the long line of Metroidvanias that precede it.

At the end of the day though, it’s YOUR skills as a player that matter most! Roguelites are about constantly getting better, until what was an insurmountable obstacle becomes a walk in the park. Unforgiving combat wed to the absence of any kind of safety net makes for an adrenalin pumping ride each and every run and unrivaled replayability.

The game can be purchased now on Steam Early Access, which will unlock into the full version this August. Otherwise, the wait for the console versions shouldn’t be too long…