Since its launch, Dead Cells has received an incredible amount of support from free and paid updates. The eponymous "Everyone Is Here Vol. II" update introduced costumes and weapons for six characters from other indie games and, most impressively, made their existing abilities available within the Dead Cells system.

Well, some of them fit more easily: the guide from Terraria makes an appearance with the celestial sword Star Fury, which sprays star shards whenever it hits an enemy, though this is a fairly obvious addition since Dead Cells already has a large sword of various descriptions, We're just getting started.

The ubiquitous Shovel Knight, a ubiquitous presence in any indie game, appears with a shoulder bashing mechanic that chains them up for a critical hit. Chaining enemies was too easy and potentially cheesy in previous versions, so Motion Twin says, "The moves are much more subtle so that they are harder to master."

Next up is Subject ZERO from KATAN ZERO. It is equipped with a majestic katana and a mystical art of throwing objects at the enemy. The projectile stuns the enemy, but can only be replenished three times before being hit by a dash attack or a special blow.

Commandos in Risk of Rain are equipped with laser glaives, which "draw in one enemy after another, bouncing around the screen and damaging as many enemies as possible. Each time they hit an enemy, they do more damage, and if they hit more than one enemy, they will make a critical hit.

Then there's my favorite, Jacket from "Hotline Miami," who has three masks and, of course, a baseball bat; Dead Cells already has a mechanic in which kicking open a door will stun the enemy. In other words, Jacket's play style is to stun the enemy and give him a critical hit with the bat, which is exactly what we see in the VFX of "Hotline Miami."

Finally, there is Slay the Spire, which looks tremendously complicated: the Diverse Deck is a weapon that converts each of StS's four classes into a passive skill, which can be activated for a one-time boost, after which it becomes a skill of the next class.

There is a lengthy explanation in the patch notes of how it works, but a brief description: it starts as a Barricade with extra health and health-based bonuses, which becomes a Catalyst that poisons melee attacks, which becomes an Orb of Lightning that zaps around the This becomes Electrodynamics, which produces lightning orbs that zap around, and finally comes Foresight.

In other words, the Motion Twin is really putting in the work. New costumes and characters are unlocked by solving the riddles in the mystery book in the opening area.

"We also haven't forgotten about adding 'pure' Dead Cells content," said the director. That adventure will continue into 2023, so stay tuned for some news in December: ......."