BlazBlue Entropy Effect's Dead Cells Crossover Adds A Great New Character To An Amazing Steam Deck Experience

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BlazBlue Entropy Effect was provided by 91Act to test this update. Thank you!

If you initially asked me if I thought BlazBlue could somehow become a roguelike, I would have been puzzled. The series has always been a 2D fighter similar to Street Fighter, and while it has seen some spin-offs, they didn't stray far away from its staple genre. Getting a roguelike for the game, while retaining its core as a series, sounds baffling to me. Yet, here comes BlazBlue Entropy Effect, and developer 91Act found a way to do it. Not only is it quite amazing and highly addictive, but one of my other favorite roguelikes is becoming a character in the game, and it's fantastic.

If you haven't heard of it yet, BlazBlue Entropy Effect is a roguelike where you take control of a character to plow through different enemies and bosses. As we defeat all the enemies in each stage, we will get some sort of perk, buff, upgrade, or currency to ultimately make us more powerful. With BlazBlue being a 2D fighter, we can upgrade our fighter with new moves and enhancements, which open up these insane combos. We can also add elemental effects to them to increase the types of damage we can do, and it ultimately works extremely well and still feels true to the BlazBlue franchise.

Not only that, it runs extremely well on the Steam Deck. It easily hits 90 FPS with no issue, and keeps battery drain averaging around 8W - 9W for over 4.5 hours of battery life. This is an intense, action-packed game, so a high framerate would be essential. Thankfully, the game feels like it was built just for the Deck and has definitely earned that Verified badge.

It's a pretty amazing game, and today's new free update makes it so much better. It adds The Prisoner as a playable character from Dead Cells, complete with a unique moveset and abilities to use. To unlock him, you will have to complete a Dead Cells-style stage, which showcases his upgrades and abilities. Once done, we can use him for normal gameplay as we please, and he feels fantastic to play.

Initially, I was curious how Entropy Effect would implement The Prisoner. Unlike other characters in the game, The Prisoner doesn't have a definitive moveset or weapons. Still, 91Act was up to the challenge, and I feel they did him justice. We start with three different weapons that can be used with the basic attack button, and whether we move the joystick up or down. But as we upgrade, we can access two more assortments of three weapons. So, we can ultimately switch and use nine iconic weapons from Dead Cells that can all be enhanced further with extra buffs and moves to land critical hits and do more damage.

I was shocked at how well he was implemented, and he feels like a perfect fit for the game. His combos can do some insane damage, and I found myself playing around with different strategies to defeat bosses. In my last run, I upgraded both my bombs and my bow to deal with some massive damage. I would use the bow to lodge as many arrows in it as I could, which increases my damage the more I have in it. Then, I used the bomb to deal big damage and stun, allowing me to use my Legacy skills that would heal, bring out icicles from the ground, and then rain hail down from the sky. Along with perfect dodges giving me a chance to heal my lost health, I could demolish enemies in flashy combat that was oh so satisfying.

The fact that this character is a completely free update to BlazBlue Entropy Effect is stunning. A new level based on the Metroidvania style from the original game and a fully-fledged playable character that utilizes over 25 different weapons, skills, and mutations from Dead Cells is pretty amazing. The base game is already so fantastic, especially on the Steam Deck, so adding a free playable character so faithfully and fleshed out is a heck of an update. If you don't have the game yet, now's the perfect time to grab it, and it's a perfect fit for your Steam Deck library.

BlazBlue Entropy Effect is $19.99 on Steam.

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