Just when you think developer Motion Twin must be slowing down work on its wonderful action-platform rogue-like Dead Cells, along comes another massive free post-launch update – the 20th, for those counting – to prove you wrong. And this time it’s the Barrels of Fun update, adding a new biome, new enemies, and more.
Dead Cells’ new biome arrives in the form of The Derelict Distillery, a barrel-and-bottle-strewn area that serves as an alternative path to High Peak Castle and is intended to “add more spice to the late-game”, according to Motion Twin in its Steam post.
A new biome, of course, means new enemies, and the Barrels of Fun update introduces two new foes unique to the distillery. There’s a mimic that hides among the area’s many barrels, for starters, who, while “not the toughest mob out there”, is armed with a “pretty devastating self-destruct which can catch you out if you’re not careful.”
Dead Cells: Barrels o’ Fun Gameplay Trailer Watch on YouTube
Adventurers will also encounter a brute of a new opponent that tosses explosive barrels from afar, or just slams one down in close quarters if should they be in reaching distance.
Explosive barrels are a bit of a theme, in fact. Some are left lying around the place, meaning they can be both a help and a hindrance during combat, and also prove useful in bypassing breakable walls. There are also portable, tossable variants thanks to the new Barrel Launcher weapon, which works something like a bazooka, albeit with bouncing projectiles.