Author: Trafficblast

Dead Cells was one of the surprise hits of 2018, blending roguelike elements with the familiar action-platforming of Castlevania and Metroid. The game was one of the more notable success stories from Steam Early Access, where it initially launched as a polished but limited version of what it’d eventually become. Over the course of months, French developer Motion Twin iterated on the experience, taking into account player feedback. The result was a game that garnered widespread critical acclaim, including a 9/10 score from us.

But Dead Cells’ path to success was even longer than what early adopters saw. In fact, it began life as a mobile, free-to-play, co-op, tower defense title. As with most video games, Dead Cells evolved over time, and along that process Motion Twin fine-tuned the gameplay experience to what many would argue is close to perfection.

What most may not know, however, is that Dead Cells is packed with fascinating design tricks that are happening behind-the-scenes, and all work to ensure that the player is having an exciting, satisfying, and rewarding time. In a game where death is frequent and inevitable, Motion Twin has used numerous smart techniques to ensure the challenge of the game doesn’t arise from quirky or questionable design.

In the latest episode of Audio Logs, game designer Sebastian Benard, explores some of these design tricks, explaining the thought process behind them and how they result in a smoother, fairer experience. Benard also delves into the game’s history, showing off what it was like in its early stages, which involved multiple players battling waves of enemies with the last remaining survivor being crowned the victor.

Audio Logs is a weekly show where the people behind the games we love tell us the stories of how they’re made. Episode one featured Cory Barlog, director of the acclaimed PS4 title God of War, while episode two was all about Cuphead and included Studio MDHR’s Jared Moldenhauer breaking down the Dice Palace.

Subscribe to GameSpot on YouTube to see more episodes as they’re released. You won’t want to miss it!

As is custom when a season of Fortnite approaches its conclusion, Epic Games held a one-time world event that gave people in the right place at the right time the opportunity to see something cool happen on the island. Except, this time it didn’t go off without a hitch, and in response Epic has offered those who encountered a problem a make-good gift.

On May 4, players gathered around Loot Lake for an event called the “Unvaulting.” As the name implies, the mysterious vault at the center of the location opened up and Fortnite players jumped in. Inside they were faced with a number of pillars that represented different weapons and items. Players effectively chose which of these to free from the vault by collectively striking down a pillar using their pickaxes. The liberated item was the Tommy Gun, and once freed everyone was launched back onto the island.

After being returned from the vault, players got to witness the volcano that appeared for Season 8 erupt and destroy Tilted Towers, effectively reshaping the island and laying the groundwork for Season 9.

That’s how it should have gone, and for many that’s what they saw. However, a large contingent of players that gathered for the event encountered issues and were not able to see the event unfold as intended. Epic Games has acknowledged the issue and said, “We apologize to those who were unable to witness the event and place their vote.”

To make up for the snag, those that were in the Unvaulting playlist at the right time will be given the Arcana Glider free of charge. If you already purchased the Arcana Glider using V-Bucks, you will be refunded the 1200 V-Bucks.

Fortnite Season 8 is now its 10th week and the season is coming to a close very soon. But before you start thinking about what’s next, we recommend wrapping up the season’s challenges as quickly as possible. Once the transition to Season 9 happens, older challenges will no longer be available and rewards attached to Season 8’s Battle Pass will also expire. If you want any of those, act fast.

We’ve got a breakdown of and guides for Season 8, Week 10’s challenges, and if you’re playing catch-up on challenges from earlier than that, head over to our full Fortnite Season 8 challenge guide, which will get you through all the trickiest challenges for the season in no time.

EA has announced that we’ll be treated to the first gameplay reveal for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order soon. Although it’s probably not a surprise for anyone, the company plans on unveiling the gameplay reveal next month, during EA Play 2019.

This year, EA is skipping out on hosting a press conference at E3 2019. Instead, the company’s annual EA Play event will be separated into multiple livestreams that air during the week prior to E3. The first day of EA Play will occur on Friday, June 7 and the event will continue until Tuesday, June 11. EA Play is scheduled to take place at the Hollywood Palladium, and attendees will be able to watch presentations and play unreleased games. Whether Jedi: Fallen Order is one of them has yet to be revealed.

Last year, EA used EA Play to show off gameplay for Anthem, BioWare’s ambitious if troubled loot-shooter, as well as detail its future plans for Battlefield V and announce several new EA Original titles, such as Sea of Solitude. Some of the games shown off at EA Play, like Sea of Solitude, have still not yet released, so there’s a chance we’ll hear more details or see new trailers for these titles at the event this year.

Jedi: Fallen Order was revealed at E3 2018, with the first major details and story trailer released during this year’s Star Wars Celebration. One of the six writers for Jedi: Fallen Order, Chris Avellone, said that story is “very important” to developer Respawn. “I think they do a good job of introducing various narrative layers into their games already, but they think the story is an important part of what they perceive to be a Star Wars game,” Avellone continued. “That’s one of the reasons I like Respawn, because when they tackle something like that, they understand what the important points are.”

Scheduled to release November 15 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order takes place in the aftermath of Revenge of the Sith. The game puts you in the role of Cal Kestis, a Jedi padawan who escaped Order 66 and is now living in hiding from the Galactic Empire. However, he can’t remain hidden forever, and eventually the Empire sends one of its Jedi-hunting Inquisitors, the Second Sister, and Purge Troopers after him. Neither EA or Respawn has revealed much about Jedi: Fallen Order other than that, but there are quite a few people and places we hope we get to see in the game.

In honor of Star Wars Day (May 4), several movies, games, toys, and collectibles are also on sale.