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. Mizuru
    Aug 10, 2018
    10
    If you're an oldschool gamer whose like pixel art, you will become completely passionate for Dead Cells! It's a metroidvania-like game, with randomized levels! (which is somekind innovative). The soudtrack is gorgeous as well for the graphics!

    Progression - 11 Impeccable level design. Soundtrack - 11 Really superb the amount of depth nuances of the soundtracks. Gameplay - 9 Such    If you're an oldschool gamer whose like pixel art, you will become completely passionate for Dead Cells! It's a metroidvania-like game, with randomized levels! (which is somekind innovative). The soudtrack is gorgeous as well for the graphics!

    Progression - 11 Impeccable level design.
    Soundtrack - 11 Really superb the amount of depth nuances of the soundtracks.
    Gameplay - 9 Such variety and nice mechanics like parry, evade and throwables.
    Graphics - 10 Retro pixel graphics very detailed, both landscapes and sprites.
    FunFactor - 8 Slow progression but it's fun and rewarding to play, each upgrade on the same criteria diminish the HP potential whose incourage the use of mixed set progression

    Final Score: 9.8/10
    One of the best games of 2018 for sure!    … Expand
  3. 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
  4. kjf
    Aug 25, 2018
    10
    oh boy. i don't even know where to start. gorgeous graphics. tight fighting and traversal. perfect fast travel locations. early access development was a treat and there will be a free update. lots of work has gone into balancing to satisfy willing casual gamers and masochist veterans. the timed door mechanic is very well implemented - there is the option to go slow even on the hardestoh boy. i don't even know where to start. gorgeous graphics. tight fighting and traversal. perfect fast travel locations. early access development was a treat and there will be a free update. lots of work has gone into balancing to satisfy willing casual gamers and masochist veterans. the timed door mechanic is very well implemented - there is the option to go slow even on the hardest difficulty, but still rewards going for them.

    the amount of valid character builds is staggering: two bows, two shields, spamming grenades or turrets, pulling your enemy with a chain like scorpion from mortal kombat and teleport behind him to use the backstabbing ability of your dagger and the list goes on. every weapon or skill has a different feel and caters to a certain play style without restricting the combinations too much.

    regarding progression there is an early game, adding movement options that also open up different paths to the final boss. mid game consists of unlocking permanent upgrades and weapons on the one hand and getting the skill as a player to be able to survive in the higher difficulties. there are many subtle mechanics that help the player to advance in skill what in my mind smoothens out the grinding curve very nicely. the end game is pretty meaty with daily competitive daily runs ( accessible from early game on ), tons of stuff to finally unlock and play around with and a hardest difficulty setting that deserves its name, unlocked by repeated new game +.

    while the normal difficulty setting is very forgiving and allows to refill the health potions after each level, there will be only the possibility to buy one swig ( of four ) for a ridiculous amount of gold, severely hurting the build, later on. the same principle is employed for enemy types and numbers. the game shapes the player from trading hits to sweeping through the levels looking like a piece of art.

    it's a must buy for any seasoned gamer for the amount of more or less well hidden references on other games, often nodding to its predecessors. the game oozes motion twins love for their project. in my humble opinion it is a milestone for the genre improving in many aspects on the already very good 'the binding of isaac'.    … Expand
  5. Idare
    Feb 27, 2019
    10
    A masterpiece, and they keep adding new content for free! Roguelite game that fixes all of the problems Roguelite have.
  6. jintapia
    Aug 8, 2018
    9
    Muy buen juego algo frustrante cuando mueres y pierdes todo pero quieres seguir jugando con lo poco que te queda
  7. LightNova
    Oct 21, 2019
    10
    Quite possibly the greatest Rogue-lite game on the market. Dead Cells is beautifully animated, feels incredibly responsive and has enough variety to keep it feeling fresh for countless hours.

    Each run typically lasts 20-60 minutes, during which you'll earn enough resources to unlock brand new weapons and powers for the next one. It's a formula that keeps introducing new content and    Quite possibly the greatest Rogue-lite game on the market. Dead Cells is beautifully animated, feels incredibly responsive and has enough variety to keep it feeling fresh for countless hours.

    Each run typically lasts 20-60 minutes, during which you'll earn enough resources to unlock brand new weapons and powers for the next one. It's a formula that keeps introducing new content and leaves you with that "one more run" mindset that keeps you playing for hours.

    Performance is great - it feels silky smooth, runs well on most machines and works natively with a wide variety of controllers (though keyboard and mouse controls are supported and work perfectly fine).

    On top of a branching campaign with metroidvania elements, there's a daily challenge mode (complete with global leaderboards) and a recent update has also introduced a sandbox mode that allows you to play with a large collection of settings and modifiers.

    Since the initial launch on Early Access the developers have released a steady stream of updates and even released free DLC that introduces lots of new content and endgame challenges. There's plenty to sink your teeth into!    … Expand
  8. aditya1101
    Aug 19, 2020
    8
    I'm a big fan of rogue-likes in general, especially ones that have progression across runs, and this game is one of the better examples of that type of game. I really enjoyed the overall gameplay, although my one complaint about the combat was that it was a little too centered around cheesing enemies for my liking. I also really enjoyed the process of unlocking new items through collectingI'm a big fan of rogue-likes in general, especially ones that have progression across runs, and this game is one of the better examples of that type of game. I really enjoyed the overall gameplay, although my one complaint about the combat was that it was a little too centered around cheesing enemies for my liking. I also really enjoyed the process of unlocking new items through collecting cells, although I didn't like the fact that you were discouraged from buying every item in order to not dilute the item pool - the completionist inside me was cringing about that T_T… Expand
  9. Phalanx_1988
    Feb 12, 2019
    10
    The art is beautiful. The gameplay is tough, fair, and the controllers are very tight. It's a rougelite game but you unlock plenty of stuff keeping you motivated for one more run.
  10. Varsov
    Jun 14, 2019
    10
    A master piece, I love it. Gives you that sense of constant love/hate, incredibly addictive!
  11. Vood
    Jul 21, 2020
    10
    This game is awesome, what more i can say? Ah, yeah... Carl! Where are my nuggets?
  12. lalochea
    Jun 17, 2022
    9
    Goddamn is it ever hard, unforgiving and frustrating, but I absolutely love it!
  13. MaxQjust
    Aug 7, 2018
    8
    There are amazing cutscenes and dialogues with yourself and with other characters in the game worth seeing. This reminds me of the past when gamers used to be determined to complete a level stage to unlock the next cutscene feeding you more from the story of the game.
  14. Mandulum
    Aug 27, 2018
    8
    Haiku Review: With such great combat / Procedural is a shame / Wash, rinse, repeat gets old
    Favorite Thing: The combat is fun. There's a decent selection of weapons and equipment to allow a lot of tinkering.
    Least Favorite Thing: Dead Cells has not changed my mind about the rouge-like genre. Replaying levels over and over got boring fast and after 16 hours I was more than ready for it to    Haiku Review: With such great combat / Procedural is a shame / Wash, rinse, repeat gets old
    Favorite Thing: The combat is fun. There's a decent selection of weapons and equipment to allow a lot of tinkering.
    Least Favorite Thing: Dead Cells has not changed my mind about the rouge-like genre. Replaying levels over and over got boring fast and after 16 hours I was more than ready for it to be over.

    Date Completed: 2018-08-26
    Playtime: 16h
    Enjoyment: 8/10 (for the first dozen hours, at least)
    Recommendation: Whether or not you're a fan of rogue-likes I think you'll still find a lot of enjoyment here.    … Expand
  15. fixpyburgh
    Aug 18, 2018
    4
    Alright, well I've played quite a few hours of this game. I have one main complaint here. When you're getting to the second or third levels it is pretty obvious that it's impossible to continue defeating enemies without permanent upgrades.

    The developers made it obvious that you're meant to die so many times to progress. It's really frustrating and takes away some control over how good    Alright, well I've played quite a few hours of this game. I have one main complaint here. When you're getting to the second or third levels it is pretty obvious that it's impossible to continue defeating enemies without permanent upgrades.

    The developers made it obvious that you're meant to die so many times to progress. It's really frustrating and takes away some control over how good you really do. One of the number one rules of making games is to not take away control from the player or make it feel like things are out of their control, this game breaks that rule.    … Expand
  16. z00rox
    Oct 13, 2020
    0
    The devs went straight into my ignore list, since it's obvious that whatever they do in the future it's absolutely impossible for them to create anything I'd enjoy spending time on. What makes people like playing same levels over and over again? To me, it's just boring as hell.
  17. michaelb1928
    Aug 31, 2018
    9
    ead 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 leve
  18. hamsta007
    Nov 18, 2018
    8
    On of the greatest metroidvanias existed. And it's constantly updating. Very beautiful art design and interesting game.
  19. reviewer5522
    Sep 30, 2018
    10
    Probably the best game this year! Didn't play it in early access, but have been playing it a lot since it got released. No wonder why this game is the highest rated game in the last 90 days and the second highest PC game in 2018.
  20. 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
  21. neurotrauma
    Jan 7, 2019
    2
    Really boring, not fun grinding game.
    Very limited effective items means playing the same runs over and over and over with little style variation

    game is not difficult in a fun way, just boring and makes me want to quit. Avoid this game if you feel like keeping your sanity intact as its just designed to piss people off
  22. Alexol
    Jan 21, 2019
    0
    DON'T BUY THIS GARBAGE!

    Massively overhyped biased reviews. This game has only pixel art to show for. Other than that, it's a very poor Metroidvania with game rage inducing elements. Absolutely no value as a game.

    You want visual eye candy? Search for pixel art. Don't give this game developer a cent.
  23. samside
    Jul 19, 2020
    0
    Awful game and community. Do not recommend to anyone. There are many better rouge lite games out there. This is just poor man's dark souls
  24. red_array
    Nov 11, 2018
    0
    Tedious, repetitive, boring. Randomly generated levels but all pretty much the same.
  25. 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.
  26. 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.
  27. Overshade
    Sep 22, 2018
    0
    Not the best, not the worst, those who love 2d games its a pretty game to give it a try
  28. ElCucuy
    Nov 16, 2018
    3
    Traps make a terrible imbalance, it's difficult without them, the game becomes very easy with them
  29. LifeHistory
    Dec 29, 2018
    1
    Game is boring and the graphics are one of the worst pixel games I've seen. The world is bad designed, and the difficulty makes it even more on the side of trash. I don't understand what people are seeing in this. Maybe it just me....
  30. bitolpav45
    Sep 6, 2018
    0
    Even so, perseverance has its rewards. With experience comes knowledge of which weapons and encounters to prioritise, which routes to take, and how to get back to those tricky boss battles faster. When it all starts to come together, frustration fades and your love affair with Dead Cells' phenomenal fundamentals can start all over again.
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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]
See all critic reviews »