Dead Cells

Dead Cells is a masterpiece. It is the marriage and apotheosis of decades of Metroidvania design and the surging popularity of difficult Roguelike games. It is exquisite in all ways. It looks phenomenal. It plays like a dream. It makes you want to keep coming back even when you fail.

As one of the best 2D action games to date, Dead Cells is a game people will be talking about for a long time. A true masterpiece.

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.

Dead Cells is rewarding in its flexibility in a way few games are. Each easily digestible run through its beautifully detailed and shifting levels instills a feeling of discovery and familiarity. It goads you to push the limits of your ability, and mercilessly crushes you when you get too comfortable. There are layers of strategy and tactics buried not only in the immediate choices you make, but in the grander metagame each run builds toward.

Dead Cells is the ideal mix between metroidvania and roguelite, enhanced by a solid, fast and practically perfect arcade action, with a range of skills and weapons able to infuse a unique flavor to any adventure.

Dead Cells is the perfect mix between a metroidvania and a roguelike. It stands out despite the ruthless competitors on the market.

Quotation forthcoming.

Smashes some of the best concepts of recent years into something new, brutal, and beautiful. [Oct 2018, p.74]

Dead Cells is nothing less than a quintessential roguelike platformer. All of its individual elements are of top quality, from the highly responsive controls to the well-thought randomization of its varied levels. Be prepared for a lot of "one more run".

Dead Cells is a great adventure action game with an gorgeous art style. To die is too easy, but you never will surrender until you defeat all monsters in this game.

Dead Cells is a pure gem, and it comes close to perfection. Top notch game design and super reactive playability are what will make you feel like playing it again and again, until death do you part.

Quotation forthcoming.

An addictive and punishing romp that rewards creative builds and cool heads under immense (and constant) pressure.

I’m not a big Metroidvania guy, but Dead Cells managed to conjure up the same feelings I had when I played Super Mario World, Portal, and Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl. It isn’t perfect, but no game is. It evokes feelings that remind me why I fell in love with video games in the first place.

Dead Cells is a voracious roguelike metroidvania platformer that threatens to consume all the extra hours of your life — and then a few more, for good measure.

Dead Cells is an example of how to do things right in so many ways. How to do Early Access. How to listen to your community. How to take inspiration from games while growing into your own style. It also happens to be the best time to jump in and ride the content train that’s sure to keep rolling for a long time to come.

A beautiful, challenging game that is supremely polished in every area. A fantastic blend of tactical combat mixed with metroidvania style progression. Combined with an interesting and very quirky setting makes it a compelling package overall.

Dead Cells is an excellent, challenging "roguevania" that encourages player experimentation and exploration across its beautiful levels.

Dead Cells is fast-paced, slick, action-packed and pitched just right in terms of difficulty. This is paired with a ridiculously addictive upgrade loop and drool-worthy animations, combining to deliver a roguelike which can stand tall alongside greats like Spelunky.

Dead Cells comes screaming out of its prison cell strong. Things slow down a bit as the progression system and run repetition set in, but the moment-to-moment action stays fantastic all the way through.

A stellar action platformer with gorgeous presentation and excellent combat. Punishing but worth it.

Dead Cells is a phenomenal effort to blend together some very disparate genres into a tight, cohesive whole. It's one of the better examples of how to remix ideas without losing their individual strengths.

While the ever changing aspect of the levels, was probably one of the best times I’ve seen it done, running through the levels over and over, did grow a little tiresome. Especially when there aren’t more NPCs, or things to find (other than chests). But on the whole, if you like rogue-lite (or metroidvania), there is a hell of a lot to enjoy.

Addictive, punitive as never before and very fast, Dead Cells is a title that mixes two kinds of poles apart, but it does so by building foundations that are difficult to demolish.

Dead Cells, despite its hardcore leanings, is not game that makes you slam your keyboard with a fist or throw your gamepad at a wall when you miss a jump or die. Combat and platforming elements are top-notch, and mistakes is the best possible experience you’ll get here. Don’t worry, you’ll get back whatever stuff you lost in 30 minutes or less.

Roguelike Dead Cells is ruthless, deep and offers a lot of variety. It helps you up when you fall, so you never have to feel like a loser.

Dead Cells can be unbalanced and unfair at times and after 25-30 hours the fatigue from repetition and grinding becomes noticeable, but overall its gratifying, fluidly animated combat, many builds and branching levels will you keep engaged for that time, if not more.

Dead Cells is a roguelike that kicks things into gear with a fast pace, satisfying combat, and persistent upgrades that keep you playing long after you said you'd stop.

Challenging action in a beautiful pixel world with loads of interesting weapons and a slightly misbalanced repetition per hour ratio.

Successful genre mix that runs out of steam near the end due to repetition.

Dead Cells is a successful experiment, which stands out very well in the current landscape. A tough and multi-faceted experience. Whether you are passionate about roguelite or Metroidvania it doesn’t matter, in Dead Cells you will surely find a great adventure.

Combat is very satisfying: strikes have proper weight behind them, hitboxes are where you expect them to be and controls are very responsive. Procedural generation, on the other hand, leaves much to be desired: from playthrough to playthrough, levels feel too similar. [Issue#232, p.68]