Dead Cells, the fantastic roguelike 2D brawler, is getting an alpha which will test out various options to make the game easier to play.

This will be accomplished by adding in various accessibility options that allow for greater game control, a new Assist Mode and a rework of beginner items.

Starting with the last change on that list and several weapons that have been in the game for some time have been changed to work better and to be more effective. For new players, items seen in the early game have been reduced in the price.

“The cost of most of the beginner items has been drastically cut, to make the early game less tedious for new players and to make new items a viable unlock option while trying to get your flask, gold and other useful upgrades. This should also make it easier to catch up on your item pool when starting a new save,” the announcement reads.

While Dead Cells is a great game that we recommend, its difficulty is a massive factor in turning players away, especially those trying it for the first time, so we’re happy to see this change.

While not just for new players, the new Assist Mode should also make the start of the game more tolerable on top of allowing Dead Cells to be played however players want, especially those with disabilities.

Assist Mode comes with various options, including:

• “Continue mode – each time you die you can resurrect from the beginning of the biome (this effectively already existed by quitting the game when you die, now it’s just ‘official’)
• Auto-hit mode – automatically target nearby enemies with your primary melee weapon. The one time that the mobile version was ahead of us!
• Adjustable trap damage, enemy damage and enemy health in % increments
• Option for slower parry window and trap speed.”

While starting from the very beginning of a game is a core part of the roguelike genre, the sheer length and difficulty of Dead Cells makes it a hard sell, so we can see the continue mode addition being very welcome here.

Finally there are big changes to accessibility, with new menu options to alter how the game looks and plays. The UI, enemy outlines, a particle limit and more will all be available.

In the screenshot below you can also see several new input options.

As stated at the top all of this is part of alpha testing and isn’t part of the public release of the game yet. Instructions to access the alpha can be found at the bottom of the announcement here, but developer and publisher Motion Twin warns that things will be buggy and a backup of your save should be made.