Dead Cells

 PC
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 734 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 585 out of 734
  2. Mixed: 101 out of 734
  3. Negative: 48 out of 734

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  1. Vectis99
    Nov 30, 2018
    6
    Dead Cells is a fun and fast paced fighter/platformer which, while very satisfying to play, quickly grows repetitive and tiresome. The game recycles the same content repeatedly, and due to the very straightforward nature of the game, this repetition detracts from the value instead of adding to it. One of the ways Dead Cells tries to cover this up is through the incorporation of aDead Cells is a fun and fast paced fighter/platformer which, while very satisfying to play, quickly grows repetitive and tiresome. The game recycles the same content repeatedly, and due to the very straightforward nature of the game, this repetition detracts from the value instead of adding to it. One of the ways Dead Cells tries to cover this up is through the incorporation of a sprawling unlock system; unfortunately, most of the unlocks don't add anything interesting to the game, especially since the in-run looting and progression is so mindless and bland. Item design and progression being weak force Dead Cells to rely on really one main thing to sustain attention, but this is something that it does extremely well: The dexterity element. Over the course of gameplay, Dead Cells regularly supplies the player with a string of dexterity-related challenges which are very satisfying and don't have too much down-time between them. This takes a fair bit longer than the rest of the game to get old, although it inevitably does as practice makes the fights progressively more mindless. Overall, Dead Cells can be fun for a few hours, but it isn't worth paying an especially high amount of attention to at the end of the day.… Expand
  2. skohl
    Mar 25, 2020
    6
    3/26/20 edit, changing my score from a 9 to a 6. I played this game for the first time since 2018, and for all the content they added, they also changed a bunch of things that makes the game worse while not addressing any of the weaknesses it already had. Sure, some items are strong now, but some good ones were nerfed unnecessarily. This is not a multiplayer game, it's not an e-sport, it's3/26/20 edit, changing my score from a 9 to a 6. I played this game for the first time since 2018, and for all the content they added, they also changed a bunch of things that makes the game worse while not addressing any of the weaknesses it already had. Sure, some items are strong now, but some good ones were nerfed unnecessarily. This is not a multiplayer game, it's not an e-sport, it's a single-player roguelite and the devs are going in and changing things that already worked.
    Even the jump button is nerfed! I can't believe it, they made the jump worse. Can you imagine if you bought a classic SNES game, and two years later the developers changed the mechanics so it wasn't even the same version of the game? It's outrageous, I've never seen anything like it.
    The game is also easier now. Starting a new file, I cleared Normal and Hard mode on my first attempts. Only 2 runs. I didn't even have three heals by the time I finished on Hard. I'm pretty sure that's not my ninja gamer skills, they just made the game braindead easy. I could go on but yeah, the game has more content now, but is 90% the same experience except worse than before, with more flaws. I can't really recommend it.

    One of the best action-platform games released this decade. Great for fans of the MMX series.
    Polished game that runs perfect, 9.5/10 controls, and lots of cool abilities to play with. Because it's a roguelike, the exploration is weaker than in other 'metroidvania' games. However, it does almost everything else better. Each level is uniquely beautiful, both the art and the music are great. Not only the art, but the animation is notably of a very high quality. There are lots of optional secrets. Took me about 12 hours to beat the final boss for the first time, which unlocks progressively harder difficulties.    … Expand
  3. nilsy
    Sep 1, 2018
    6
    First off let me mention that could not get my controller to work for this game... yeah thats basically a deal breaker cant buy a controller for every game. And im fairly experienced with computers so if i cant get it to work its incompetence on the developers side.
    Suspect its lot easier to play with one
    Not a fan of the music its not terrible but these type of game can live of the    First off let me mention that could not get my controller to work for this game... yeah thats basically a deal breaker cant buy a controller for every game. And im fairly experienced with computers so if i cant get it to work its incompetence on the developers side.
    Suspect its lot easier to play with one

    Not a fan of the music its not terrible but these type of game can live of the music alone if its good enough, this game it does not sink the game but does not help it either.

    Sadly while the controls are decent i dont die in epic boss fights its very simple mistakes from attrition of 30 very simple enemies from being to much in a hurry or just getting tired.
    Makes me think that maybe i gave cuphead to bad a grade since im really missing the big boss fights in this game were you can use skill to do some impressive things.
    I keep dying of things like slipping on a toilet seat and banging my head and it just makes me depressed rather then looking forward to trying it again since did not actually die on a hard thing its just doing easy things over and over without mistakes.    … Expand
  4. belizor
    Aug 20, 2018
    5
    The game is okay... but it certainly doesn't warrent a rating of 90. Perhaps 80, at best... but not 90.
  5. xcml
    Sep 22, 2018
    6
    Astonishing audiovisual experience, absolutely pixel art masterpiece, unfortunately totaly ruined with absence of saving and unbalanced gameplay. Combination of underpowered and overpowered weapons and skill make gameplay random based. If there would be saving (eg. on each teleport portal) and possibility to buy weapon and skill directly (remove the stupid blueprint method) it would be 10/10.
  6. PlayGroundGames
    Oct 26, 2018
    7
    Dead Cells se presenta como un roguevania,
    lo que básicamente quiere decir que mezcla características
    de los juegos indie rogue-lite (de ahí el rogue) con toques de juegos tipo Metroidvania (de ahí el vania). ¿Os habéis perdido? Vamos por partes. Dead Cells comparte con los rogue-lite básicamente dos cosas: primero, tenemos grandes niveles que se generan aleatoriamente de nuevo    Dead Cells se presenta como un roguevania,
    lo que básicamente quiere decir que mezcla características
    de los juegos indie rogue-lite (de ahí el rogue)
    con toques de juegos tipo Metroidvania (de ahí el vania).
    ¿Os habéis perdido?
    Vamos por partes.
    Dead Cells comparte con los rogue-lite básicamente dos cosas:
    primero, tenemos grandes niveles
    que se generan aleatoriamente de nuevo
    cada vez que morimos,
    por lo que cada experiencia de juego es distinta.
    Segundo, tenemos muerte definitiva:
    si acaban con nosotros, volvemos a empezar desde el principio.
    Es una mecánica exigente que se remonta
    hasta los orígenes de los side scroller,
    que aquí se suaviza y moderniza, como ya hizo The Binding of Isaac.
    Vale, y ¿qué más?
    Dead Cells hereda de los juegos tipo Metroidvania
    la mezcla de exploración, plataformas
    y combate frenético y accesible
    y algunas habilidades permanentes tras la muerte.
    Como al morir empezamos de cero,
    esto se convierte en una especie de backtracking:
    podremos explorar áreas a las que antes no podíamos acceder,
    gracias a estas habilidades adquiridas más tarde.

    Dificultad

    Dead Cells es un juego accesible para todo el mundo
    pero desafiante en el largo plazo:
    la combinación de muerte definitiva con mecánicas de combate
    y upgrades dinámicas y muy divertidas
    hace que, aunque sea realmente difícil llegar lejos
    y el propio juego asuma que morirás muchas veces,
    cada nuevo run lo cojas con muchas ganas
    de volver a sembrar el caos y la destrucción.
    El juego tiene el toque de aventura mainstream,
    como los Metroid o Castlevania en los que se inspira,
    pero también hereda de estos una dificultad más elevada
    que la de muchos juegos de aventura y combate actuales.

    Las armas y los enemigos

    Como ya hemos comentado,
    tendremos una gran variedad de armas a nuestra disposición,
    y nuestras elecciones en este sentido
    marcarán nuestro estilo de combate.
    Espadas, mazas y otras armas cuerpo a cuerpo
    se completarán con granadas y otras armas arrojadizas,
    que también podremos ir mejorando.
    A los objetos ofensivos se sumarán también defensivos, como escudos y protecciones similares. La construcción de un estilo de combate personalizado nos llevará a ser más agresivos e ir a saco o a ser más sigilosos, memorizando el movimiento y patrones de los enemigos para poder vencerlos de manera inteligente. El combate, pues, es muy adaptable a cómo nos guste jugar, e irá variando según nuestro run o según el momento del juego. Estética Otro punto de contacto con los Metroidvania es la estética de Dead Cells, que combina las características ambientales, de diseño y de color de aquellos títulos. El juego luce un pixel art muy detallado y preciosista, con gran variedad de fondos que combinan la estética medieval con los componentes fantásticos. Pero esta base clásica incluye gran cantidad de efectos de animación modernos que consiguen que cada arma, cada nivel, cada run, se parezca a un organismo vivo y dinámico. Conclusión Accesible pero desafiante, vintage pero definitivamente moderno, Dead Cells se sube en la ola de indies actuales inspirados en éxitos 2D de los ochenta y los noventa pero consigue destacar entre toda la oferta, por su belleza, dinamismo en el combate, cuidado apartado técnico y de sonido y eficaz simplicidad de la propuesta. Tal vez no sea un Castlevania, pero como nueva actualización de las constantes de aquellos míticos juegos con los que crecimos, es uno de los mejores títulos del año.    … Expand
  7. ComandanteCobra
    May 6, 2023
    5
    Average game, like millions other out there.
    Pixle art, challenging difficulty, basic command, grinding, repetitivness, some 8 bit blood and gore, few options and drop mechanics.
    It's a glorified smartphone game...good to try but not to endure it to the endgame.
    It is not my kind of fun.
  8. Soullex
    Nov 30, 2022
    6
    Evet rouge-like ama çok tekrar ediyor ya gerçekten.........................
  9. I3L1NK
    Jun 28, 2023
    6
    Feels repetitive. It sometimes feels like it doesn't even matter what type of mob it is, your approach is always the same, hit first and stun lock the mob to death.
  10. Wweald
    Jul 15, 2021
    7
    Pretty fun roguelike, the music is pretty good, the aesthetic is awesome. The gameplay feels smooth and is a lot of fun. I really like the huge variety of items and abilities that are available. But because there are limits to how much you can have at once I feel like I lost interest in Dead Cells much faster than ROR2 or Hades because you can't keep stacking into a god run.
  11. edxtan
    Jul 31, 2023
    7
    The ability to cancel any move with another action makes Dead Cells' combat very smooth and fast-paced. There is very little emergent gameplay which results in each run feeling the same.
  12. tobivv
    Nov 26, 2019
    6
    Satisfying fast-paced combat makes it stand out in an overly time-consuming genre
  13. PanMrkvicka
    May 23, 2020
    6
    Its like not bad but lacks content and rogue like elements the level layouts repeat too often adn you get same run every time so its repetitive a lot.
  14. Sepherim
    Dec 29, 2022
    5
    Dead Cells no es la gran cosa, la verdad. No es malo, pero tampoco puedo decir que sea bueno, debería haber una posibilidad de marcar ni fu ni fa. La jugabilidad es más o menos la esperable de un metroidvania sencillote con la rejugabilidad de un roguelike que cambia mapa, abres nuevas armas aleatorias, etc. No se puede decir que tenga trama, solo algunas pistas aquí y allá pero nada conDead Cells no es la gran cosa, la verdad. No es malo, pero tampoco puedo decir que sea bueno, debería haber una posibilidad de marcar ni fu ni fa. La jugabilidad es más o menos la esperable de un metroidvania sencillote con la rejugabilidad de un roguelike que cambia mapa, abres nuevas armas aleatorias, etc. No se puede decir que tenga trama, solo algunas pistas aquí y allá pero nada con interés. Y me parece tremendamente frustrante su sistema de hacer siempre todos los niveles hasta el jefe, lo cual lleva a que especialmente el primer nivel lo hagas demasiadas demasiadas veces. Si sumamos a esto que no hay una verdadera sensación de progresión ni un incentivo real en ir más allá, el juego flojea. Además, incentiva enormemente el conseguir las cosas sin sufrir daño, lo cual lleva a un estilo de juego muy pasivo y defensivo que a mi se me hace aburrido.

    Gráficamente el juego es malo, no hay vuelta de hoja. Y lo mismo ocurre con una música y unos efectos de sonido muy flojos. A cambio, no me he encontrado ningún bug jugándolo.

    Por todo ello, no puedo recomendar Dead Cells, hay juegos en el género mucho mejores, más innovadores y divertidos. Un 5 raspado.    … Expand
  15. ChesterField
    May 1, 2020
    7
    I'm not a big fan of this retro artistic section, although the game itself is incredible. Challenging with a wide arsenal of weapons. Undoubtedly a great metroidvania inferior to hollow knight in my opinion. However, recommended for fans of the genre.
  16. Shipowner
    Jun 20, 2020
    5
    I like the game, a masterpiece and art in all aspects, I hope I will get better
  17. Oshiri_Maeda
    Nov 23, 2020
    7
    Nice fast paced rouge-lite for the beginners in the genre. Not as good as Isaac or Hollow Knight though. Beginning is too easy (I made it all up to the throne room on my first run), then it feels pointless killing the same enemies over and over again. I wish it wasn't as repetitive.
  18. HammudHabibi
    Sep 19, 2020
    6
    Xbox game pass have this game in pc port. You can experience this game in Xbox Game Pass. Graphics is good for pixelart game :D. Gameplay and the feeling of hitting is very very good. You can play this game for spending time.
  19. deaniiyu
    May 28, 2021
    7
    I have been a regular player of dead cells since its early access (250hrs), the development of this game is too 'active' in my opinion. Every so often when I came back to the game after a major update or DLC release I found the game to be completely different: numerous new weapons which is a pain to unlock, difficulty curve completely altered, my favored weapons often nerfed to junk and myI have been a regular player of dead cells since its early access (250hrs), the development of this game is too 'active' in my opinion. Every so often when I came back to the game after a major update or DLC release I found the game to be completely different: numerous new weapons which is a pain to unlock, difficulty curve completely altered, my favored weapons often nerfed to junk and my build became useless, I really don't like the feeling of getting trashed at three or even two BC while I used to be the badass at 5 BC. By the way, I don't see the point of designing so many weapons/skills because most of them are just useless junk, sometimes I even regret unlocking them becasue the only thing they are good at is polluting my starting pack.… Expand
  20. makarosu
    Apr 24, 2022
    7
    Графика 6/10
    Сюжет 4/10
    Музыка 9/10 Геймплей 10/10 Жаль что за геймплей нельзя больше поставить, я бы поставил этой игре 20/10 за геймплей, он тут шикарный, отличное управление, шикарная боевая система, игра также заточена под реиграбельность из-за наличия стволовых клеток и кучи разного оружия, с которым можно составлять билды. А сюжет… он здесь есть вообще? Именно не завязка, а конкретно    Графика 6/10
    Сюжет 4/10
    Музыка 9/10
    Геймплей 10/10
    Жаль что за геймплей нельзя больше поставить, я бы поставил этой игре 20/10 за геймплей, он тут шикарный, отличное управление, шикарная боевая система, игра также заточена под реиграбельность из-за наличия стволовых клеток и кучи разного оружия, с которым можно составлять билды. А сюжет… он здесь есть вообще? Именно не завязка, а конкретно сюжет? Я за 200 часов игры его не нашёл хд
    Итог: 7/10    … Expand
  21. Hyperfailure
    Dec 15, 2022
    7
    

Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PC Game of 2018
26
#26 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018
29
#29 Most Shared PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Dec 31, 2018
    100
    Dead Cells is an adrenaline duty for every player. It gets you not only with a beautifully crafted dark world and countless weapons, but mostly with elaborated gameplay. [Issue#288]
  2. IGN Japan
    Sep 27, 2018
    97
    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.
    Read full review
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Sep 26, 2018
    79
    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]
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