Dead Cells

 Switch
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 439 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 358 out of 439
  2. Mixed: 48 out of 439
  3. Negative: 33 out of 439
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  1. neurotrauma
    Nov 3, 2018
    7
    The game is highly overrated, cant really be compared to SOTN as the structure is completely different, doesnt play like an RPG, no real progression. Not a fan of this style of game where you lose everything when you die, maybe its a genre thing. Dont mind losing my cells or whatever but games based on item RNG are lame to me, just keep rolling the dice over and over playing the first fewThe game is highly overrated, cant really be compared to SOTN as the structure is completely different, doesnt play like an RPG, no real progression. Not a fan of this style of game where you lose everything when you die, maybe its a genre thing. Dont mind losing my cells or whatever but games based on item RNG are lame to me, just keep rolling the dice over and over playing the first few levels till you actually get a decent combo, not my idea of fun.… Expand
  2. M4R7lN
    Aug 21, 2018
    6
    For me this is sadly a totally overrated/hyped game and i only want to return it in the Nintendo e-shop. Im not comfortable with its only hardcore mode/arcade game design where u are forced to loose all the stuff that would make this game exciting for me. I could understand the ratings in the first 30 minutes of game play until i discovered i loose all my fancy gear and stats after a 10For me this is sadly a totally overrated/hyped game and i only want to return it in the Nintendo e-shop. Im not comfortable with its only hardcore mode/arcade game design where u are forced to loose all the stuff that would make this game exciting for me. I could understand the ratings in the first 30 minutes of game play until i discovered i loose all my fancy gear and stats after a 10 minute hunt for a health item. I feel like not being informed enough about this new experimental game design/genre. Please beware of hyped indie games lately! I do now since its not the first occurrence in the past few months for me.
    Adding a second game mode with far less death penalty would result in a higher rating form my side.    … Expand
  3. gq_foine
    Jan 29, 2019
    6
    I have played Dead Cells slightly over 10hrs and almost cleared the game in the final dungeon. This 2D action game is bit over rated. This to me is way too short of a game. While the game is ok and takes a little time of getting it use to, but once you understand the entire battle mechanics and landscape with bosses - it's really not that hard..

    Personally, this game gets a little    I have played Dead Cells slightly over 10hrs and almost cleared the game in the final dungeon. This 2D action game is bit over rated. This to me is way too short of a game. While the game is ok and takes a little time of getting it use to, but once you understand the entire battle mechanics and landscape with bosses - it's really not that hard..

    Personally, this game gets a little boring running through similar labyrinths over and over again with no story. I am frankly surprised with the raving reviews from critics and users. The money spent on this game to me isn't worth more than $10. The level designs slightly vary each go around after your die and you start over with all of your beginning equipment. This game concept ok, but its more annoying since it interrupts the game play. This to me is not challenging rather a nuisance.

    People giving this high praise is just delusional. This is a short 2D action platform game with no real substance. I am already bored after 10hrs doing the same thing and almost clearing it the final dungeon. The boss fights are rather boring.. You basically use the traps that continuously fires at them and relaunch them when they are gone for the entire boss fight.

    Frankly, if you want more of 2D Action platform game I think Salt and Sanctuary is much better game overall - Music, gameplay, bosses, level design, and details! This is overpriced Indie game that is worth $10 or less.    … Expand
  4. Darkin20
    Sep 18, 2018
    7
    Fun game with interesting twists and turns. Lots to do but can get a tad frustrating at times.
  5. wolfie79
    May 30, 2019
    7
    This was a hard game to pinpoint. It has something very special, but people naming it game of the year - no it's not. I can totally see someone that loves grinding to enjoy it, but to me it was extremely unbalanced, the controls weren't that good, but they weren't bad either. They were okay. The pixel graphics range from super gorgeous to super ugly. And there's one track of music, butThis was a hard game to pinpoint. It has something very special, but people naming it game of the year - no it's not. I can totally see someone that loves grinding to enjoy it, but to me it was extremely unbalanced, the controls weren't that good, but they weren't bad either. They were okay. The pixel graphics range from super gorgeous to super ugly. And there's one track of music, but very good track though. I hate rogue games, but I actually liked this one. It has something special, but if you don't like roguelikes and are not curious of the genre - don't buy this game. But if you love them or are curious to try one - this is a good game to try.… Expand
  6. SenDji
    Dec 29, 2020
    6
    A fine game, but I found it hard and repetitive and it failed to draw me in. Go with HADES instead.
  7. Zoltar238
    Oct 17, 2020
    5
    Para mi el juego fue divertido las primeras horas, pero luego se me hizo muy repetitivo. He jugado otros rogue-like como Hades o Enter the Dungon y no se me hicieron repetitivos, supongo que es porque la estructura de los niveles apenas cambia con cada muerte y porque los distintos objetos que vas ganando tampoco cambian demasiado el estilo de combate, por lo que cada run se siente igualPara mi el juego fue divertido las primeras horas, pero luego se me hizo muy repetitivo. He jugado otros rogue-like como Hades o Enter the Dungon y no se me hicieron repetitivos, supongo que es porque la estructura de los niveles apenas cambia con cada muerte y porque los distintos objetos que vas ganando tampoco cambian demasiado el estilo de combate, por lo que cada run se siente igual solo que ahora haces un poco mas de daño.… Expand
  8. appledinger
    Jun 13, 2019
    5
    The combat on this game is an absolute 10/10. Fun movement, interesting enemies, and generally a good challenge for a roguelike.

    The progression on this game is a 0/10. While roguelikes are generally won through skill, this one is won mostly through leveling up. You don't really stand a chance at the later levels until you at least have a few health potions, and some unlockable options    The combat on this game is an absolute 10/10. Fun movement, interesting enemies, and generally a good challenge for a roguelike.

    The progression on this game is a 0/10. While roguelikes are generally won through skill, this one is won mostly through leveling up. You don't really stand a chance at the later levels until you at least have a few health potions, and some unlockable options and weapons make the difficulty laughable. I don't like the idea of grinding through dozens of runs where you don't really have a chance at winning just to unlock an explosive crossbow that makes most of the challenges trivial.    … Expand
  9. aukalender
    Oct 11, 2021
    6
    This game is difficult AF, at least to me. I'm not the most skillful gamer at all, and I've had a tough time even with Ori and the Blind Forest, but Dead Cells just feels grindy and mean to me. It's really stressful to run through its levels under the time limits to get the free cells, in order to then get the upgrades. The combat itself is fun and enjoyable, as is the movement and evenThis game is difficult AF, at least to me. I'm not the most skillful gamer at all, and I've had a tough time even with Ori and the Blind Forest, but Dead Cells just feels grindy and mean to me. It's really stressful to run through its levels under the time limits to get the free cells, in order to then get the upgrades. The combat itself is fun and enjoyable, as is the movement and even the gloomy vibes; but the enemies can deal too much damage and then you die in an instant losing many cells. It doesn't help that the game doesn't have a story (at least as far as I have gone), unlike Hades, where dying is a necessary part to move the game forward and the blow of a cheap death is softened by new dialogue.… Expand
  10. TomMonday
    Jul 15, 2022
    7
    An incredibly addictive actioner with satisfying graphics, music, characters. Even a bit of dark humour. Sadly, the game is let down by its repetitive design – you have to beat the entire thing without dying six times with nearly impossible difficulty to reach the true ending. And the revelation of the protagonist’s true identity made me retroactively dislike my experience playing the game.
  11. Poochingus
    Jan 20, 2021
    7
    Dead cells is beautiful. I love the game. I'm not good at it, but the success of progress feels good. I'm not a huge fan of how you progress, having to grind back to the furthest reaches each time you die gets kind of old fast. I get it, rogue like and such, but it feels needlessly annoying once the earlier parts become super easy after you get enough upgrades. That being said, theDead cells is beautiful. I love the game. I'm not good at it, but the success of progress feels good. I'm not a huge fan of how you progress, having to grind back to the furthest reaches each time you die gets kind of old fast. I get it, rogue like and such, but it feels needlessly annoying once the earlier parts become super easy after you get enough upgrades. That being said, the fighting is tight, and amazing considering it is a 2D platformer. It out performs most 3D games with combat of ANY sort outside of 1v1 fighting games of course.

    On the Switch this game is well suited. You can choose lots of controller layouts, take it on the go, and the game is great to pick up and put down too and is good for shorter gaming sessions. This is why I always loved handheld consoles, games used to be made to be picked up and set down.

    Overall, there are a few flaws, there are lots of tactics you can choose and almost all of them have pros and cons. Nothing is too OP or UP.

    No matter the platform, get this game if you have the reflexes for it.    … Expand
  12. Aerrihn
    Mar 20, 2020
    7
    Firstly, I am not the biggest fan of roguelikes, I've only sunk enough hours to complete two complete runthroughs of the game. However, as a casual player I can assure any player that this game has a very high mechanical ceiling for players.

    The combat feels impactful, there are a large amount of weapons and as players are allowed to equip multiple at the same time, it grants some    Firstly, I am not the biggest fan of roguelikes, I've only sunk enough hours to complete two complete runthroughs of the game. However, as a casual player I can assure any player that this game has a very high mechanical ceiling for players.

    The combat feels impactful, there are a large amount of weapons and as players are allowed to equip multiple at the same time, it grants some freedom when it comes to the choices a player has at any given moment.

    The map is procedurally generated, however it does have it's ends which means the player can choose to explore the whole thing or run through the game as fast as possible as there are doors in the different zones that will lock after a certain time in the run.

    The enemies are varied, however many still share enough likeness that the player can know what to expect from each enemy after encountering the base versions at least once.

    Overall it is a great game for players who like fast purely mechanical action games that have very little story or fluff that takes the player away from the tense action.    … Expand
  13. mtkf
    Nov 29, 2020
    6
    It's ok, it's good not great. After playing Hades this game feels very shallow. I'm realizing I'm not the biggest fan of rogue games but it's fun for a run or two. I just don't find it addictive like others do.
  14. alan2pc
    Oct 15, 2020
    7
    I put in about 5 or 10 hours in this game. A certain enemy, when he showed up, killed me easily every time. When he wasn’t there I got a while farther. I felt progression in my personal performance, as I began to master the enjoyable gameplay mechanics. However, it didn’t translate well to how far I was getting in the game. I felt how far I was reaching on my runs was more determinedI put in about 5 or 10 hours in this game. A certain enemy, when he showed up, killed me easily every time. When he wasn’t there I got a while farther. I felt progression in my personal performance, as I began to master the enjoyable gameplay mechanics. However, it didn’t translate well to how far I was getting in the game. I felt how far I was reaching on my runs was more determined by the randomness of the game, and that wasn’t fun. I’ve played and enjoyed a number of hard games on the switch as well as a number of roguelikes. I purchased the physical version of this game for $30 used and had previously read a lot of hype on this game. I feel as though it didn’t live up to the hype.… Expand
  15. senmin
    Nov 16, 2020
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's fun, but it's too difficult as you go behind the scenes, and the boss fighters can be beaten with legendary weapons, but isn't the boss too strong? It's okay to memorize the controls, but the most important thing is the shield pairing. I don't know why Ferring is so difficult again. So, to summarize, it's fun, but it has the disadvantage of being too difficult...… Expand
  16. sourasparagus
    Sep 30, 2021
    6
    Dropped it after ~10 hours of play. The gameplay can be fun and fast-paced, like an old-school beat-em-up. But, the overall style / gameplay / story is too same-y from run to run and so I got bored.
  17. TheLinkgirl
    Mar 6, 2023
    7
    Dead Cells is fun. I don't particularly think it's anything miraculous, but it doesn't need to be. The core gameplay and progression is enjoyable, and the game looks lovely. Perhaps I simply played it for long enough that it started to grow somewhat mundane, but it's worth a good playthrough if you're interested in a decent platforming roguelite.

Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Best Switch Game of 2018
13
#13 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. Nintendojo
    Jan 7, 2019
    83
    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.
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  2. CD-Action
    Dec 4, 2018
    90
    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]
  3. games(TM)
    Sep 6, 2018
    80
    Incredibly punishing, impossible to put down. [Issue#204, p.80]
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