Welcome back to Beyond Co-Op Reviews, our critical look at games that don't feature co-op modes.
This month, we’re looking at a couple of action platformers: one a Roguelike and the other an arcade game. The “Return to Castlevania” DLC adds some Castlevania flavor to Dead Cells, so that’s practically three platformers we’re talking about! Oh, and My Friend Peppa Pig is a colorful game based on a popular kids show.
With so many games to choose from, let us help you find the best non-cooperative games in our Beyond Co-Op Reviews!
Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam)
“The strange path to reaching the depths of the “Return to Castlevania” DLC can be frustrating, but it encourages players to build up their strength and learn the mechanics and stages better before facing the final boss.”
Cannon Dancer - Osman (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam)
“One downside compared to Strider is that Kirin fights with kicks rather than a cool sword. The superior range and catchy sound effect of Strider’s Cypher sword are missed.”
My Friend Peppa Pig (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam)
“You get to create a character who will be Peppa’s new friend. Then you can meet characters from the show.”
Download codes were provided by each of the publishers in this feature.
Beyond Co-op Review: Dead Cells: Return to CastlevaniaReview by: Paul Acevedo
Among Roguelike platformers, Dead Cells from Motion Twin and Rogue Legacy 2 are the cream of the crop. Dead Cells has made a name for itself by launching in 2018 and then continuing to release numerous updates and DLC expansions in the years since. The most recent expansion, “Return to Castlevania,” adds crossover material based on Konami’s beloved Castlevania series.
The main Dead Cells game begins with a mysterious, gooey creature dropping from the ceiling of a prison and then bonding with a recently decapitated corpse. In the absence of a proper head, “The Prisoner” has a ball of fire where its head should be. Roguelikes tend to involve frequent player deaths, so Dead Cells smartly integrates the concept into its premise. Whenever the protagonist dies, the bloblike creature returns to the starting point and inhabits a new corpse.
During each run, the goal is to progress through a series of increasingly difficult, randomly-generated dungeons. Along the way, players will find scrolls that allow them to increase one of three base stats while also boosting maximum health for the duration of the run. Defeated enemies sometimes drop “dead cells,” a currency that can be used to unlock permanent upgrades like additional Dark Souls-style health flasks and to add new weapons to the pool that can be found during gameplay. Additionally, some areas have runes that will permanently unlock new abilities, thus opening new pathways throughout the game.
Downloadable content is integrated in a unique way here compared to other games. To reach a DLC area, gamers have to navigate to it and/or meet certain conditions during a regular run through the main game.
After purchasing the “Return to Castlevania” DLC, players will encounter Richter Belmont in the starting area of the game. He then opens up a path to the “Castle’s Outskirts,” the first of two major new biomes (areas). Meeting Alucard in that first area will then allow access to the second biome, “Dracula’s Castle,” followed by a boss fight against Death. Then, after talking to Alucard and meeting a few more requirements on a subsequent run, players can reach the “Master’s Keep” and fight against a super tough version of Dracula from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. You can also find and play as Richter (with much looser controls than in SOTN).
The strange path to reaching the depths of the “Return to Castlevania” DLC can be frustrating, but it encourages players to build up their strength and learn the mechanics and stages better before facing the final boss. The Castlevania areas look great here, and it’s always nice to hear music from SOTN. The new looks for most of the Castlevania enemies are very cool, though not all. The developers make a few inauthentic choices like spawning mermen outside of water, but most of the expansion will be delightful for Castlevania fans. Players can also unlock skins for characters like Richter and Maria and numerous unique weapons via the DLC and then use them when playing the main game.
On the whole, Dead Cells is an amazingly addictive Roguelike platformer. The combat is super tight, naturally rewarding players as they practice and become more skillful. The island prison, its many biomes, and the lore are all fascinating and unique. The only negatives to speak of are the grinding required to unlock new equipment and features (the dead cells currency doesn’t go very far) and the occasionally obtuse methods of reaching areas. The game itself is a must-play for anyone who likes challenging platformers, and the “Return to Castlevania” DLC is a worthwhile purchase as well.
Dead Cells sells for $24.99 in digital and physical formats on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, Steam, and iiRcade. The “Return to Castlevania” DLC sells separately for $9.99 and can also be purchased in a bundle with the base game for $31.49 on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam. The Dead Cells: Medley of Pain bundle includes the base game, “Return to Castlevania,” and three additional DLCs for $39.99.
Our Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Beyond Co-op Review: Cannon Dancer – OsmanReview by: Paul Acevedo
Capcom’s Strider series of action platformers has received sporadic entries over the years, including two arcade games. Back in 1996, the creator of Strider teamed up with Mitchell Corporation (creators of the Pang/Buster Bros. series) to release an unofficial arcade Strider sequel called Cannon Dancer. The much inferior name “Osman” was used in international markets. More than 20 years later, ININ Games and Ratalaika have now rescued the game from obscurity and released it on modern consoles as Cannon Dancer – Osman.
Players can select from the English and Japanese versions of the game. The cut scene text is the only difference I noticed. The game takes place in a dystopian future in which all nations are united under one government. An evil wizard threatens to take over the world, and a high-ranking member of the peacekeeping organization that the hero works for has joined the insurrection. None of what happens over the course of the game will make sense (owing to a poor English translation), but that might be part of the game’s charm.
Kirin, the protagonist, controls a lot like his forebear, Strider Hiryu, attacking, jumping, sliding, and climbing on walls. This game offers additional moves, though, including the ability to throw or slam enemies during slides and jumps, and a Shinobi-like special move that clears the screen of enemies and does massive damage to bosses. One downside compared to Strider is that Kirin fights with kicks rather than a cool sword. The superior range and catchy sound effect of Strider’s Cypher sword are missed.
The game itself is made up of six sprawling stages, starting in a futuristic Arabian city and then spreading to a variety of locations. Stages have a fair amount of verticality and wall climbing to them. After battling through hordes of soldiers and robots, players will encounter gigantic and distinctive bosses. These include a huge chainsaw-armed mech with a dead soldier inside and several mystical beings that seem to draw inspiration from Buddhist and Hindu gods, much like those of Asura’s Wrath. Yes, there’s also a fun fight set in a low-gravity circular room, just like in Strider.
The home version offers two game modes that hugely affect the game’s difficulty. Standard Mode allows players to use save states, rewinds, cheats, and enhancements, but it disables Achievements/Trophies. Challenge Mode ditches all of the modern conveniences except for the choice of two enhancements such as double jumps or extra credits. Locking Achievements behind the much tougher (and less enjoyable) Challenge Mode is an interesting decision. It’s not that the game is unplayable without rewinding and save states, but the final stage is brutally hard and un-fun. Also note that the Xbox version’s Achievements are buggy, causing the wrong Achievement to unlock at times and making one Achievement unobtainable.
Challenge aside, the main issue facing Cannon Dancer - Osman is its $30 price tag. ININ Games released Clockwork Aquario, a previously incomplete arcade game of similar scope, for $20. Cannon Dancer doesn’t have any extra modes or major features to justify its higher price – unless we count optional widescreen borders, something missing from Clockwork Aquario. This is certainly a game that fans of Strider will want to pick up, but it might be best to wait for a sale.
Cannon Dancer - Osman costs $29.99 on Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch.
Our Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Beyond Co-op Review: My Friend Peppa PigReview by: Joseph Mongelli
Since My Friend Peppa Pig is designed for kids, Joseph, who is a kid, has provided a brief review for us. – Paul.
My Friend Peppa Pig was made by Hasbro, Petoons Studio, and Outright Games. It is great for kids under the age of 10. You get to create a character who will be Peppa’s new friend. Then you can meet characters from the show.
A few pros are that there are a lot of areas to visit. The animation is like the original show’s design. You can interact with many things in the game world. You can choose when you want to go somewhere. A few cons are that you can’t give your character a name and that it takes a while for you to go from place to place.
This is a great game. I would recommend it to children or adults who want to relive childhood. This is the end of my review.
My Friend Peppa Pig sells for $39.99 in digital and physical formats on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam. The $44.99 Complete Edition bundles the game with the $5 “Pirate Adventures” DLC.
Our Rating: 4 out of 5