Dead Cells

With incredibly satisfying gameplay, a constant stream of unlocks, and a world that challenge every cell of your being, Dead Cells is a must own for anyone who likes even one aspect of what has been mentioned here. Every success will fill you with endorphins, every failure will inspire you to get better. When you finally take out the final boss you will be elated. It is here that Dead Cells lets you know that it is just the beginning, there are a few more go around yet, and each one gets harder and harder. This is the kind of game that can last you forever, you just have to let it beat you in the head a few times.

Dead Cells is a modern-day classic that absorbs the knowledge and spirit of the games that originally coined the terminologies in the first place.

Dead Cells is a triumphant union of instinct, forethought, fun, and failure.

Dead Cells is likely the defining point of the Roguelike genre, thanks to refined combat and clever blending of genres.

Dead Cells is absolutely amazing. This game is to action games what Celeste was for platforming games when it was released earlier this year. Dead Cells has it all: great and speedy combat, fantastic progression system (you'll see), and amazing music that you will come back to listen to.

Dead Cells is one of the best rogue-vania games I’ve ever played. The visuals are to die for and it runs beautifully (docked and handheld), but the best facet is that the combat is ultra responsive.

This is a tremendous newcomer to the Switch indie scene and as long as you’re up for a challenge, Dead Cells is spectacular.

Like the atomic structure of a cell, the game from Motion Twin is as complex as DNA, but everything is in one place for a reason. It effectively blends two genres together and becomes a completely new one, with mechanics adjusted to the millimeter, a graphic quality of scandal and a difficulty that invites one to die in order to learn.

Dead Cells is a candidate for the best indie game of 2018. It does everything right: it's a well-made mix of genres that has personality and is capable of entertaining us for hours.

Dead Cells is one of the best rogue-like games in the market right now. Also, it has really good playability.

Dead Cells is so big, so well designed, so addictive and so beautiful we can’t stop playing it. A must-have you cannot miss.

Given the game’s structure will usually lead to short playthroughs, these short sessions won’t feel that empty and with the amount of unlockables means I’ll be playing for quite the while before all the empty jars in the opening area are filled. With this summer having other similar platformers releasing (La-Mulana 2, Iconoclasts, Chasm, Salt and Sanctuary, Death’s Gambit, and Guacamelee 2), Dead Cells definitely will hold its own and it will be in contention to be one of 2018’s finest.

If tight, challenging combat, and infinite replayability in a charmingly depressing setting is your cup of tea, Dead Cells is the game for you.

If you want to see what an exemplary roguelike looks like, look at Dead Cells. It does everything right – the controls, the level design, the combat, the character progression system, the pace – and collecting cells remains a joy even after dozens of hours. [10/2018, p.58]

This is not only one of the best action game of 2018, it's a modern classic that gives new life to a genre that we thought was starting to fade away.

Dead Cells is an awesome, colourful, action-platformer with a deep customisation system. It's procedurally generated levels will keep you coming back again and again, literally.

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.

Dead Cells is a masterful roguelike platformer with some of the most satisfying combat around and a beguilingly appealing dark-fantasy world to explore.

Dead Cells is a game of many influences. As a child of roguelikes, metroidvanias, and souls-like games, it mixture many elements in a surprisingly cohesive and entertaining way. Thanks to one of the most satisfying sidescrolling combats and extensive replayability, it is a game that every Switch owner should play and keep playing.

This beautiful metroidvania roguelite strikes a near-perfect balance between what persists and what is totally randomised each time you die. And when you eventually run all the way from the beginning, through the bosses and to the final encounter in one go, it's not because your character is more powerful, it's because you know the game so intimately from all your previous lives.

Dead Cells brings us a challenging adventure, full of action, which also merges several different genres. In the end, it provides a playable conflation as attractive as it is addictive.

With movement and combat this good it would be criminal to not see it appear more. If you love sidescrolling platformers with a healthy heaping of combat that will put your skills to the test, your next step should be buying Dead Cells.

Roguelikes are aimed primarily at gameplay junkies who thrive on a challenge. Dead Cells, by contrast, is a game designed for those who don't particularly like roguelikes.

A chimera of genres, Dead Cells succeeds in forging its own path with incredibly polished combat, retrotastic art design and drawing the right amount of influence from the past.

Dead Cells takes some of the very best ideas from Rouge-lite and Metroidvania titles to make an action packed platformer that smartly allows the player to unravel the game's secrets.

Dead Cells is a masterclass in excellent roguelike design, mixing together nonstop intense action sequences, gorgeous vistas, and an addictive loop of unlocks and rewards into a beautiful experience that no Switch owner will want to go without. There’s dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of content available here, and though some sense of repetition can creep in every now and then, it’s remarkable how fresh Dead Cells can stay through all those hours. This game is a blast to play, full of visual splendor, and packed with things to do; don’t miss out on this one, it’s a must-buy.

Dead Cells is a fascinating amalgam of several of today's most popular indie genres.

Dead Cells looks like a simple old-school 2D platformer, but the core gameplay is modern and smart. The combat is fast, the gameplay style is various, and every time I start a new round would enjoy a different journey. This is a game that could easily cost you hundred of hours.

Dead Cells takes the best gameplay elements from Metroidvania and rogue-lite games and combines them into something that sinks its hooks into you and won't let go.

Dead Cells likely won’t convert any roguelike detractors, but it’s a wildly creative and fun title nonetheless. Its game world, characters, and enemies all drip personality. The combat is fluid and gritty, there’s a ton to upgrade and unlock, and it’s easy to get lost for hours within Dead Cells‘ world. While a more prominent storyline and some memorable set pieces would go a long way towards elevating this to being one of the premier platformers of this console generation, Dead Cells remains a must-have. I can’t wait to see what Motion Twin does next.

Incredibly punishing, impossible to put down. [Issue#204, p.80]

Dead Cells is one of the most interesting indie games ever made. Even though some of its roguelike elements may not have worked out for the best, this is a well executed game with one of the most fun combat systems of the year, thanks to its involving gameplay cycle and to a very fun and fluid combat system.

Dead Cells is a deliriously good time whatever console you play it on, but the instant-on, play-anywhere nature of Nintendo Switch is a particularly comfortable fit for a game played in short, frenzied, fatal bursts.

A frequently wonderful game...You might lose everything you've gathered when you die, but your love for Dead Cells will endure, and grow even stronger. [Issue#323, p.112]