Break the Bank is all about the gold, and its centrepiece is an opulent depository for unimaginable riches known as The Bank. Mechanically, this is quite a bit different from other biomes so far added to developer Motion Twin’s acclaimed rogue-like action-platformer, given that its entrance - a mysterious giant chest - will appear at random during a run. Provided you’ve first completed its sole unlock criteria - reach the Hand of the King once - the chest can appear in any of Dead Cells’ post-biome transition stages, and players will need to decide right then and there if they want to open it and delve into The Bank. If they decide yes, The Bank will replace the next biome along the path (it won’t appear before a boss), but should they choose to forego its temptations, it won’t reappear on the same run. The Bank itself offers ample opportunity to purchase new goodies and, to that end, gives players the option to take out loans at cash machines throughout the biome. However, all loans must be paid back at the end of a level, and players unable to do so will be cursed based on how much they still owe. Thankfully, there are multiple means to acquire rewards in The Bank, including tricky but rewarding platforming sections. Elsewhere in The Bank, players can encounter three new money themed enemies - the Agitated Pickpocket, Gold Gorger, and Golden Kamikaze Bat - plus three new weapons. The Gold Digger gives gold on hits (and critical hits for the very rich), while the Dagger of Cupidity crits for three seconds after picking up gold. Then there’s the self-explanatory Money Shooter. And that’s still not quite it! Break the Bank also includes two new bank-related outfits, new lore rooms, plus three new mutations - Midas’ Blood (gives gold when you lose health), Gold Plating (causes you to lose gold and not health when hit), plus Get Rich Quick (stack bonus gold by killing enemies while you have a speed boost and cash in when it ends). You’ll find more details on today’s free Break the Bank update - including word on a whole heap balances, fixes, and quality of life additions - in the official release notes. Motion Twin - or rather, subsidiary Evil Empire, which now handles Dead Cells’ development - also reminds players that more free updates and DLC will be coming for at least another year. “Some of that content,” it teases, “has got us very, very excited”.
