Xbox Game Pass Hidden Gems (April 1): Broforce and Dead Cells

Dead Cells & Return to Castlevania (Image via Microsoft Store)

It's time for another (kind of) weekly dose of Xbox (and PC) Game Pass Hidden Gems! Every week, we comb through the embarrassment of riches that is the Game Pass library and find you something you might not have looked twice at. And we've got two for you this time around.

Now, let's be real — if you've got a Game Pass subscription, the odds are pretty high that you're busy with Diablo IV right now. And rightfully so! Come on, it's Diablo. However, when you're ready to take a break from Blizzard's latest blockbuster (or if it just ain't your thing), consider these alternatives.

Game Pass brings the Bros

One of the hallmarks of the modern Diablo releases — including this new one — is how they take this classic style of gameplay and crank it up to eleven. Our two picks for this week: Broforce and Dead Cells, have that in common with them.

Both games are 2D-pixel art platformers. That's just about where the similarities end, however.

Broforce, released in 2014 by Devolver Digital (which means you can, at the very least, plan on things at least a little weird), harkens back to titles like Contra — scrolling left to right and shooting anything that moves. That description, however, only scratches the surface when it comes to what Broforce has to offer.

The titular Broforce is a platoon of brave soldiers based on the action heroes of the 1980s and 90s. This is more than cosmetic, too, as which character they represent determines what weapons and skills they have. For example, Rambro (a parody of John Rambo) attacks with a high-powered M60 machine gun, can throw grenades, and hit up close and personal with a combat knife.

There are more than 40 different warriors to unlock and fight as, including a number of intrepid female characters. The lineup boasts Broforce-ized version of Alien's Ellen Ripley, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Tank Girl, and The Bride from Kill Bill.

The Game Pass edition of Broforce includes the Expendabros, featuring characters from the Expendables film and BroForce Forever, adding on six new Bros. It also includes four-player co-op, so call over three of your best Bros and save the world!

Dead Cells

Now we shift gears to another pixel art classic: Dead Cells. Players inhabit (almost literally) The Beheaded — an amorphous critter that can take over corpses in order to fight evil through an island prison. Throughout the journey, players can find and upgrade weapons, learn new skills, and discover more about the game's crazy lore.

Dead Cells is both a Metroidvania, a game where players can access different areas once a certain item or skill is obtained, and a Roguelike, where the game's layout changes with each playthrough. While, upon death, players will lose all their loot and weapons, unlocking said items will make them available during gameplay. You've just got to find them.

This is definitely a "just one more" kind of game. The kind of game where it's 3 am, you've been playing for six hours, and you really need to get to bed and go to work tomorrow — and you still keep going "just one more run" every time you die.

The Game Pass edition of Dead Cells includes all of the free DLC released throughout the game's life. The paid DLC, including the brilliant "Return to Castlevania"*, is not, but they're all so ridiculously low-priced that they might as well be.

*"Return to Castlevania" recreates elements of the classic NES titles and Symphony of the Night. It even contains player skins of Simon and Richter Belmont.

Both of these Game Pass titles are more than worthy of your time but, be warned — they may also take up all of it, too.