Dead Cells Review (PC)

excellent
key review info
  • Game: Dead Cells
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
Dead Cells artwork

I wake up in a dungeon with no recollection of who I am and what am I doing here. A weirdly looking scribe tells me that I'm different than the others and that I can't die, so armed with a Rusty Sword I dash forward eager to test my newly gained immortality. I pick up a Beginner's Bow and avoid equipping the Old Wooden Shield on my way to what appears to be a door.

That's how Dead Cells, the roguelike-metroidvania hybrid video game developed by Motion Twin, started for me each of the 35 runs I played over a span of 15 hours. Dead Cells has everything a challeging roguelike action platformer could have and than some, which what makes it so addictive.

But it's not the quantity or quality of the gameplay features it has to offer, but the simplicity of the leveling system and combat. The formula is pretty simple and effective at the same time: you wake up in a prison and must escape by going through a series of maps that are procedurally generated, as well as different enemies.

Each map brings you one step closer to your objective – escaping the Prison, but it also puts you closer to facing the final boss of the games. Dead Cells features some sort of permadeath in the fact that each time you die, you'll have to start over from the beginning of the game.

Dead Cells
Dead Cells
Dead Cells
+11more

However, you retain some of the upgrades you've managed to unlock during your playthrough, such as better weapons and a large amount of gold to start with. These upgrades can be unlocked using so-called “cells,” which randomly drop from some enemies, but whenever you die, you lose all the cells you've collected.

The good news is in-between maps, you'll be able to visit The Collector, where you can use all the cells you've gathered towards unlocking an upgrade. Then, there are the Mutations, which further improve some of your skills. You can unlock one mutation (like “30% more HP”) per map, and you can only have three mutations enabled at all times. Mutations can be changed between levels, which comes in handy when you know you'll have to face a boss that requires a certain strategy.

The boss fights can be tricky until you learn their moves and attacks, but can become trivial if you're equipped with the right weapons and skills. Each time you start a new dungeon run, since the maps are procedurally generated, so are the weapons that you can find throughout the level.

Some weapons hit harder but slower, while others are very fast but do less damage. If you're lucky, you'll get the weapons that best fit your playstyle, otherwise, you'll have to get used to playing with what the game offers you. Adapting to the different weapons and skills that the game is giving you each playthrough is part of the fun, although some may find this a bit annoying.

The further you go through the game, the harder the enemies hit and the more hit points they have, so to make it fair for the player, developer Motion Twin included special scrolls that increase both your hit points and weapons damage by a certain percentage. But, since each level and everything that you can find in them is procedurally generated, there's no telling where, when and how many of these you'll find by the time you'll face your first boss.

Dead Cells
Dead Cells
Dead Cells
+6more

What's really wonderful about Dead Cells is with each failed run you get better and you want to explore each level completely before going to the next, which will reward you with (sometimes) secret levels, power level scrolls, better weapons and traps, as well as more cells and gold. Throughout your playthroughs, you might find blueprints for certain weapons and traps, which can be unlocked at The Collector using cells.

Some skills, like the ability to use your healing potion more than once per map, require players to unlock a certain number of blueprints using cells, which means you'll have to play quite a few times before being able to actually make some serious progress.

One other interesting aspect is the inaccessible areas which require certain runes. These runes usually drop from elite enemies that sometime are found on various maps. Once you unlock these runes, you'll be able to access zones that are otherwise inaccessible.

Dead Cells is definitely not a game that you should play because of its story since it doesn't really have one. There is a story behind this prison escaping plan, but you're only offered tidbits of what happened in the prison before your character wakes up with no memories at all.

The music and visuals are perfectly matching the addictive gameplay. It's very important for roguelike platformers like Dead Cells to make you comeback even after countless deaths, and both the music and visuals water down the negative feeling after each unsuccessful try.


The Good

  • Smooth, fluid combat
  • Mesmerizing soundtrack
  • Great visuals
  • Exceptional level design
  • Maximum replayability

The Bad

  • Some difficulty spikes

Conclusion

There aren't too many good roguelike action platformers out there, but those that are really great are even fewer. Dead Cells is clearly part of the last group, a rare breed of games that get you addicted by killing you over and over again, but masterfully pulling you back in every time.

The overly simplified, fluid combat system, along with the level design make Dead Cells an approachable platformer even for those who don't especially like this genre. It's one of Twin Motion's great achievements: making a platformer that is both addictive and pleasant, but above all else it can be enjoyed by a very large audience.

If you haven't yet picked up Dead Cells, even if you're not into roguelike platformers, I strongly recommend getting it since it's one of the best of its kind.

story 8
gameplay 10
concept 10
graphics 9
audio 10
multiplayer 0
final rating 9.5
Editor's review
excellent
 

Dead Cells screenshots (26 Images)

Dead Cells artwork
Dead CellsDead CellsDead CellsDead Cells
+21more