Dead Cells update lets you become a katana-wielding Santa

You know what old Father Christmas is missing in all those festive films and games we know and love? A katana with which to sleigh (sorry) his enemies. But that's ok, because Dead Cells' latest update will let you don Santa's jolly red coat and unleash some holiday murder onto loads of monsters - including a new crossbow-wielding beastie. You could also dress up as a snowman, if you prefer.

The Malaise update hit the hack 'n' slash roguelike last night, bringing with it a load of reworks and quality of life changes. But seeing as it's the festive season, some Christmas-themed outfits have been added too.

Get a load of that Snowman in action. Now that's what I call holiday spirit.

You'll also be able to get your hands on a new weapon, the katana. The patch notes say it lets you "chain a standard slash with a dashing charge attack by holding down the button." Sounds cool. These attacks might well be useful on the new mob, the Demolisher. This lad has an explosive crossbow which he'll use to burst you from far away, and can be found "in the Distillery at BC0 and in several places later on".

On top of that, there's a sneaky new lore room hidden somewhere in the castle, and the devs have added some stinky camembert as a health item. "No self-respecting French studio can pass up the opportunity to let you eat cheese," they say.

Lots more useful tweaks and additions arrived with this update, so do check out those patch notes for the full details.

"Dead Cells gets into your nervous system like a wonderful toxin," Brendy said in his Dead Cells review. "The verbs 'hack' and 'slash' have rarely been put to better use"

Dead Cells' Malaise update is available right now. You can find the game on Steam for £22/$25/€25, or GOG where it's currently on sale for £14/$15/€15.

Next year, Dead Cells is getting a new DLC called Fatal Fall, which comes with two new biomes to explore.