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. EFYevan
    Aug 7, 2018
    10
    Dead Cells is one of the most satisfying action games I've ever played. It takes the progression system of a Metroidvania and transforms it into a procedurally generated action roguelite with a steep but conquerable difficulty curve. Dead Cells delivers on everything from its fast and intensely gratifying, free-flowing combat to its wide variety of interesting weapons and upgrades.

    In    Dead Cells is one of the most satisfying action games I've ever played. It takes the progression system of a Metroidvania and transforms it into a procedurally generated action roguelite with a steep but conquerable difficulty curve. Dead Cells delivers on everything from its fast and intensely gratifying, free-flowing combat to its wide variety of interesting weapons and upgrades.

    In Dead Cells, you fight your way through an ever-changing labyrinth of levels, all of which are accompanied by tense but rewarding boss fights. Its world starts off somewhat linear, but eventually opens up with multiple branching paths of different areas you can explore, all while you progress towards unlocking new weapons and abilities. You’re almost guaranteed to not make it all the way through on every run. You will die. But as your efforts lead you to blueprints for new gear or a permanent ability rune, it makes it all worth your while — even if you’re sure that death is waiting just around the corner.

    Autoplay setting: On
    Fallen enemies drop cells that you can use as a resource to buying those blueprints, giving you a sense of solace as you collect them after emerging from the depths of each stage. The trick with retrieving those dead cells, though, is that they’re only useful if you can make it to the hub area at the end of each level, which is where you invest those cells into the blueprints you need for new gear.

    When your hero dies, all of your gear disappears along with you. Although you can technically reach the final boss on a single run, there’s a good chance that you won’t, and a good chance you’ll oscillate between the victory of discovering and crafting new items and the draining sense of loss after all your work is lost on dying again and again.

    There were plenty of times where I died and lost all my dead cells just steps away from a hub area. But even those narrow calls just inspired me to keep playing and trying for a better run. That continuous leveling up through the acquisition of new blueprints and ability runes makes the RPG-like progression system in Dead Cells so compelling.

    Cellular Destruction
    The combat seems simple at first blush -- you have two weapon slots and two ability slots, all of which you can customize choosing from your list of what you’ve unlocked. But it didn't take long before I realized how well thought out this design really is. All of the equipment and ability sets feel like they were built to be complementary to one another, and while certain combinations are more natural fits than others, I found strengths to each of the permutations that the four weapon/ability slots afford you.

    Some pairings are genuinely diabolical, like a turret that poisons enemies alongside a sword that conveniently disseminates bonus damage to poisoned enemies. If you find a good match, it can quickly change the course of any run. You can try a technical build with a high-powered bow and a set of deadly traps, or you can brute force your way through with a sword and shield to parry. You're never locked into any specific build -- you can even change up your play-style in the middle of a run.

    “
    Fights are fast, fluid, responsive, and one of the most gratifying representations of combat I've ever experienced.

    Gear like grenades, traps, and even spells can also go into your two ability slots, which may be my favorite design decision in Dead Cells’ combat construction. Most games limit your most useful skills with long cooldown timers or a limited mana system, but Dead Cells encourages you to use your deadliest gadgets with a fast recharge timer. It never punishes you for using your best tactics. Fights are fast, fluid, responsive, and hands-down one of the most gratifying representations of video game combat I've ever experienced.

    There’s also the mutation system, which adds another layer of diversity to how you can play. This is where you can choose from various buffs that enhance and alter your abilities. You have to choose carefully, though, because you can only carry up to three at a time and you can only change mutations between levels. The mutations you pick can ultimately be the determining factor between a victorious run or a one-way ticket back to the beginning.

    The Verdict
    Dead Cells strikes a perfect and engaging balance between the Metroidvania and roguelite experiences by focusing on your failures and urging you to experiment each time you do fail. There's more than enough variety in the combat to keep me hunting for blueprints that lend themselves to new and dynamic playstyles for weeks to come. Along with this highly addictive and rewarding gameplay, Dead Cells delivers one of the most satisfying and well-designed action roguelite experiences you can currently play.    … Expand
  2. PiernikSadysta
    Jan 19, 2022
    10
    This game is made for ns! I love every visit in toilet with ns and this game
  3. FabioAlquimista
    Aug 9, 2018
    10
    Tough, fun and addictive. If you love to put 100% of yourself in a game, here you are! I've played almost all the best switch games and this is by far the best single player one. Just remember to eat while you're playing. It's like a game from the past where the fingers got fired with the present where everything is smooth and still so difficult but rewarding. A must have.
  4. busternuck
    Aug 8, 2018
    9
    An exquisitely difficult game which rewards you the more you play - permadeath aside, every minute you invest in the game pay dividends by making available increasingly potent weapons and (some) permament upgrades that makes your progression easier (trust me anything helps) the more you play. Old school sprites makes a thrilling action packed comeback and is a welcome respite from theAn exquisitely difficult game which rewards you the more you play - permadeath aside, every minute you invest in the game pay dividends by making available increasingly potent weapons and (some) permament upgrades that makes your progression easier (trust me anything helps) the more you play. Old school sprites makes a thrilling action packed comeback and is a welcome respite from the polygonal gaming world that we are so used to now. Stellar game.… Expand
  5. dinin70
    Jan 16, 2019
    9
    This is a very very good game. I'm generally not fond of "small" Indy games, even less when they are rogue-like. I tend to find them OK, fun, but never good or deep enough to be played for a very very long time:
    - Titan Souls,
    - Super Meat Boy, - Enter the Gungeon, - Dungeon of the Endless - Risk of Rain - Into the Breach - etc... Enjoyed each of them, but nothing more. Never    This is a very very good game. I'm generally not fond of "small" Indy games, even less when they are rogue-like. I tend to find them OK, fun, but never good or deep enough to be played for a very very long time:
    - Titan Souls,
    - Super Meat Boy,
    - Enter the Gungeon,
    - Dungeon of the Endless
    - Risk of Rain
    - Into the Breach
    - etc...
    Enjoyed each of them, but nothing more. Never exceeded 10 or so hours in each.

    I love platformers though: Ori and the blind forest, Donkey Kong (SNES), Rayman sit between my favorite games. And Dead Cells is really one the best platformers I ever played, if not the best one.

    This game is not for everyone though. It's an extremely repetitive game. You will go through the same maps and the same runs over and over and over and over... And though I tend to dislike this kind of gameplay I can't really explain why, but I love it in Dead Cells.

    - you never feel salty when you lose, and you will lose a lot. A LOT
    - this "one more run" (a run lasts about 45mn) is addictive
    - the gameplay is extremely smooth and requires very high (insane) precision.
    - the game is fast, it's very fast, so you're never really bored to go over and over the same biomes
    - the RPGesque / Diabloesque loot system provides enough difference to the way you play.
    - the graphics are great
    - soundtrack varies from EXCEPTIONAL (Prisoner awakening, Clocktower, Castle) to a bit bland, but always fits to the atmosphere of the biome.
    - progression is slow but present (i.e. that's something that puts me off Enter the Gungeon for example)
    - you have fun immediately. Enter the gungeon for example, when you die after several hours you really don't want to go through the first levels, with your **** and boring weapon... Here no. You die, you repeat, you enjoy immediately starting a new run.

    I really can't get enough of it. I'm on my 50th run (which is not a lot). So probably about 20 hours in the game and I still didn't beat the "easy" difficulty, and there are 4 more (or 5?) difficulty levels.

    So should you play it? If you like platformers and rogue-likes, yes definitely.

    if you like platformers but are skeptical about rogue-likes (like me), you may love it, but you must be ready to face a harsh difficulty and die over and over.    … Expand
  6. bulger_paul
    Aug 9, 2018
    10
    Woah. Dead Cells is one hell of an excellent bloody game.

    Before I say more, I should disclaim that my first time ever playing this game is for the Nintendo Switch, and the Switch version only came out two days ago, so I haven't beaten it yet (I don't even think I've gotten anywhere near a halfway point), but I've already sunk in at least 15 hours because I can't seem to put this down    Woah. Dead Cells is one hell of an excellent bloody game.

    Before I say more, I should disclaim that my first time ever playing this game is for the Nintendo Switch, and the Switch version only came out two days ago, so I haven't beaten it yet (I don't even think I've gotten anywhere near a halfway point), but I've already sunk in at least 15 hours because I can't seem to put this down whenever I pick it up. So unless the quality suddenly drops off halfway through, I'm madly in love with this game.

    Gameplay/Controls: 10/10
    The game doesn't give you a tutorial, it just throws you in and lets you figure everything out. But the odd thing here, is the fact that games that just throw you into them without any training are usually intentionally designed to be overwhelming (like Dark Souls, which is the obvious comparison most of us like to lean on when we try to describe games with no hand-holding) in order to test your stubborn will and perseverance, but Dead Cells is so intuitive that it never feels overwhelming. It's the kind of game that immediately just "clicks." Sure, there are aspects of the game that take some time for the player to hone, like timing dodge rolls and double jumps, but it instantly feels so good to play that even your first death (trust me, there will be a lot of them) still feels like it was entirely your fault, and not for cheap reasons, like there was something you were just unfamiliar with or didn't know about ahead of time.
    The gameplay is also so fluid that it never gets boring, no matter how many times you run out the starting gate and face the same zombie types with the same attack patterns. I just can't iterate enough how good it feels to play this came. Every dodge, every sword swing, every arrow shot, literally everything you do in this game, feels amazing, and I don't know how to describe it, but the fluidity just keeps the same actions from feeling repetitive.
    In the vein of repetition, the one thing I was most worried about when I first walked into this game, that very quickly became my favorite part of it, was the procedural generation of the levels. Usually, I'm not a fan of procedural generation. To me, it makes an experience feel less "hand crafted," like exploring is less special, since every detail I uncover wasn't put there especially for me to discover, but instead it was spit out my a random number generator. But it doesn't feel like that in Dead Cells. I don't know how to describe this either, but every room I go into, every door I unlock, every item I pick up, every secret I find, feels like it was all put there just for me, even though it was randomly assembled, and I have no idea how the development team behind this game pulled that off, but I absolutely applaud them for it, because no matter how many times the game spits out a new layout of the same level for me to explore, everything just feels like it was intentionally placed right there, for me to find, instead of something that was just randomly assigned to a spot, which is a feeling that never gets old.
    And lastly under gameplay, I want to mention how much i freaking love the weapons and the items that they give you to use throughout this game. I may fall in love with a certain weapons combo which makes me desperately not want to die so I don't lose my gear, but no matter what, if I have to start all over again, I just know I'm going to uncover a new combination of weapons that I fall in love with all over again. Every single item and weapon put into this game feels like it's useful for something, and even though I have preference types, I'm happy with whatever the game gives me for that run.
    I should probably start talking about other things now, since I've already almost used up my max allotted characters.

    Writing/Story: 8/10
    The story is passable. I like the concept of a blobular spirit inhabiting an already deceased corpse, and every time you die, you just inhabit a new corpse, which makes the idea of rogue-like game with a continuous plot, and NPCs that you have recurring encounters with, feel more fluid and organic. If there is much of a story, I'm not sure what it is yet. All I know is that you begin in a prison cell on an island somewhere and you're trying to break out. But the writing itself is very often morbidly funny, so I've given it high marks.

    Artwork/Graphics: 10/10
    Hands down the best pixel artwork I've seen in a game. Personally, I love pixel artwork, but I've never loved it more here.

    Music: 9/10
    I've had the soundtrack on loop for the past two days on YouTube whenever I'm not playing the game. The music in this game is absolutely gorgeous.

    Overall: 10/10
    This is one of the most instantly satisfying action games I've ever played. I've said it a dozen times, and I'll say it again, it just feels amazing the minute you start playing it. It is insanely addictive, the artwork is incredible, and so is the music.    … Expand
  7. rdekoch
    Sep 3, 2018
    10
    I love this game. Even though it's pretty faithful to the rogue-like genre, it keeps me coming back thanks to permanent upgrades, creamy controls and nifty surprises. Dead Cells is gorgeous and it's procedurally generated levels never feel random. I sometimes feel intimidated or bored by rogue-likes and I can't quit playing it.
  8. sniderman89
    Mar 12, 2019
    10
    I rarely finish a video game. But Dead Cells is a fun game until the end. I will probably keep playing even though I completed it. It is a perfect medium priced download game for me.
  9. Batraciofanrex
    Oct 6, 2018
    8
    Dead Cells es un buen juego, las primeras horas del juego son bastante adictivas, y es muy entretenido ir descubriendo nuevas zonas y obteniendo nuevas habilidades que nos permiten llegar a zonas que no podíamos explorar en un comienzo. La verdad representa un gran reto y está de más aclarar que para nada es un juego fácil, al contrario, es muy difícil y en cualquier descuido puedes morirDead Cells es un buen juego, las primeras horas del juego son bastante adictivas, y es muy entretenido ir descubriendo nuevas zonas y obteniendo nuevas habilidades que nos permiten llegar a zonas que no podíamos explorar en un comienzo. La verdad representa un gran reto y está de más aclarar que para nada es un juego fácil, al contrario, es muy difícil y en cualquier descuido puedes morir lo que significa volver a comenzar la partida DESDE EL COMIENZO. El juego te deja picado y quieres intentar pasarlo a toda costa, pero llega un momento donde la tremenda dificultad te comienza a frustrar y el juego comienza a volverse algo tedioso, sobre todo cuando ya exploraste todas las zonas y tienes todas las habilidades. Como comenté en un principio es un buen juego, pero siento que tal vez no es para todas las personas.… Expand
  10. mcsw712
    Aug 18, 2018
    10
    This game is just pure fun. Keeps me coming back for more. There is no beating it I feel, but there is progression which I like. Every time I die, I feel like it's out of my hands.
  11. nusco
    Sep 17, 2018
    9
    Dead Cells ticks all the boxes for a fashionable game in 2018: metroidvania, roguelite, Deep Soul-hard. It's also extremely well designed, frustrating but fair, and sometimes cruel in its determination to stick to its own principles. As you play, you keep thinking: "Come on, this game won't ask me to restart from the first level every time I get trumped by a boss, does it? There must be aDead Cells ticks all the boxes for a fashionable game in 2018: metroidvania, roguelite, Deep Soul-hard. It's also extremely well designed, frustrating but fair, and sometimes cruel in its determination to stick to its own principles. As you play, you keep thinking: "Come on, this game won't ask me to restart from the first level every time I get trumped by a boss, does it? There must be a way to take a shortcut at some point." No, there isn't. By the time you accept that fact, however, the game has sunk it wet, mouldy claws into you, and won't let go until you get to the end.

    The authors of Dead Cells clearly love video games, and it feels like they created a game to shout their love from the top of a mountain. If so, they succeeded. Dead Cells isn't perfect, but it doesn't need to be. In a world of empty mobile-like games that trick you into a shallow loop of grinding addiction, Dead Cells asks you to "git gud". It's a harsh challenge, but one that's too sweet to turn down.    … Expand
  12. Razor_M2
    Aug 20, 2018
    10
    Mejor rogue-lite de los últimos años, con gran variedad, combate entretenido y mucho coleccionismo. Recomendadísimo!
  13. Pazaak
    Oct 13, 2018
    9
    I was debating on getting Dead Cells because of all the hype and I'm glad I went with it. It has a Rogue Legacy feel to it, as in when you die you start over while slowly getting stronger to help progress through the game.

    The variety in weapons and ways to play the game helps negate the repetitiveness of grinding through the same few levels in the beginning and makes it less of a    I was debating on getting Dead Cells because of all the hype and I'm glad I went with it. It has a Rogue Legacy feel to it, as in when you die you start over while slowly getting stronger to help progress through the game.

    The variety in weapons and ways to play the game helps negate the repetitiveness of grinding through the same few levels in the beginning and makes it less of a chore.

    The only con I'd say people can have with this game is if you get stuck at a certain level and being sent back to the beginning multiple times can get frustrating.    … Expand
  14. greengrapejelly
    Apr 16, 2019
    8
    This game is very fun. The game play is some of the most fluid out of any 2d game out there and the content always brings me back for more. I bought this one physical because it looked so good, and it is good. I would indeed recommend this game.
  15. roseofrita
    Aug 4, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Dead Cells offers a wonderful 2d platformer with fresh replayability & extensive lore. A lot of users might be disgruntled by the fact the game is very difficult at times. This game certainly isn't for the feint of heart and can be very difficult to pass at times, but it isn't unfinishable. The beginning can be especially difficult, but all the while rewarding. Calling this game overated is a crime, as it delivers something that exceeded it's own expectations. I keep as a 9 only in the fact that one of the items is mistranslated, which made it lose it's polish, but none the less a challenging beautiful game filled with an exceptional soundtrack and clean fluid game mechanics. This game reallly does require you to "git gud" and be tactical, which makes it different from the hack and slash demand out right now, and I love it for that.… Expand
  16. xclo
    Aug 10, 2018
    10
    If you want to play a worthy successor to the long line of Metroidvania classics and are willing to experience rogue-like difficulty to get it, Dead Cells is an experience worth having over and over again.
  17. EmCza
    Jul 2, 2020
    10
    One of the best action rouge-lite I’ve ever played. Before I bought this game, I’ve though “that game is overhyped crap”, but when I start playing this game, I couldn’t stop.
  18. Mon0chromicorn
    Dec 6, 2019
    9
    For anyone CRYING that, its not fair you lose progress when you die, guess what, thats how games were played as a kid growing up in the early 90s. You know how many times I had to restart from the beginning on The Lion King, that was more punishing than Dark souls. This is a good game, its challenging and stylish, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun addicting, challenge.For anyone CRYING that, its not fair you lose progress when you die, guess what, thats how games were played as a kid growing up in the early 90s. You know how many times I had to restart from the beginning on The Lion King, that was more punishing than Dark souls. This is a good game, its challenging and stylish, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun addicting, challenge.
    NOT FOR anyone born in the 2000's because yes, if you die you have to try it again.    … Expand
  19. Maycolino10
    Jul 13, 2020
    9
    Very clever, addictive, and fun to play. It is also rewarding as you make progress through multiple playthroughs. Highly recommendable!
  20. nando_u
    Sep 18, 2018
    10
    A Great Game of this year! A lot of armors, itens, swords, armadilhas... A great Person in the world wonderful color and design amazing. A Great game for many hours, a every hour of play a new skill, a new path, a new discovery ... the game is renewing itself and getting more and more enjoyable to stroll through the dungeons and villages!
  21. kamhagh
    Feb 28, 2019
    9
    Fun and addictive, gets repetitive very quickly tho.

    if you abuse the green build you can get to the end with zero effort and easily beat the final boss.

    overall I got only 14 hours of gameplay out of it.
  22. VTL
    Sep 24, 2019
    9
    Es brutal !!!!!!! Es genial !!!!!!! Es dificil !!!! Es DEAD CELLS !!!
    Compraros esto ya por favor !!! Best game ever jejeje.
  23. jeffbizloc
    Sep 24, 2018
    9
    Finally beat this game after playing a good while. Dead Cells provides plenty of entertainment as you power up your character and get farther and farther.

    Pros: - Good sense of progression and make the player feel the need to keep getting farther - The upgrade system and weapons overall were well done - Lots of different playstyles - Turrets Cons: - More bosses would have been    Finally beat this game after playing a good while. Dead Cells provides plenty of entertainment as you power up your character and get farther and farther.

    Pros:
    - Good sense of progression and make the player feel the need to keep getting farther
    - The upgrade system and weapons overall were well done
    - Lots of different playstyles
    - Turrets

    Cons:
    - More bosses would have been cool
    - Unlocking a weapon you find out you didn't want - it would have been nice to be able to remove it from the random list    … Expand
  24. ironzombi
    Sep 5, 2018
    8
    Dead Cells is a fun game that can easily keep you coming back for more, it manages to get the difficulty tuned right and playing this game gives a sense of constant progression that is very satisfying as you get stronger over single runs but also overall as you get access to better weapons and upgrades.
    the procedural nature of the levels is done really well giving enough variety to keep    Dead Cells is a fun game that can easily keep you coming back for more, it manages to get the difficulty tuned right and playing this game gives a sense of constant progression that is very satisfying as you get stronger over single runs but also overall as you get access to better weapons and upgrades.
    the procedural nature of the levels is done really well giving enough variety to keep it somewhat fresh for each run but the exploration never really felt that satisfying to me, it was more about getting from point a to point b but that is encouraged with time doors pushing you to rush the levels if you desire.

    Dead Cells is an easy recommendation although I feel I am in the minority where it didn't grab me as much as say Axiom Verge(a metroidvania that hooked me hard) I can appreciate what it does well and overlook a few technical issues.    … Expand
  25. MonkeyDSnoopy
    Jun 28, 2019
    8
    Es un juegazo!, muy retante y divertido!
    De los mejores indies que he probado.
  26. ByNato
    Sep 30, 2019
    10
    Un juego simple, entretenido, re-jugable, barato y que se mantiene constantemente con actualizaciones
  27. JJHLH
    Feb 25, 2020
    10
    Dead Cells plays fantastic on the Switch. This is pretty close to a perfect game. It has everything: action, exploration, beautiful graphics, immersive sound effects, and an addictive level up system of collecting permanent upgrades with the cells you collect during the game. A definite 10 if there ever was one.
  28. Enkindled
    Mar 29, 2020
    9
    Ok, so. I waited until I`ve beaten the game in ALL difficulties before writing a review. So, here we go with the strong and weak points, shall we? ..... The game is a Metroidvania roguelike 2D platformer, and it is absolutely awesome. Yes, it is difficult if you want to step the difficulty up, but it is totally worth it. Let me tell you why.

    Pros: - Graphics: colorful, well done, with    Ok, so. I waited until I`ve beaten the game in ALL difficulties before writing a review. So, here we go with the strong and weak points, shall we? ..... The game is a Metroidvania roguelike 2D platformer, and it is absolutely awesome. Yes, it is difficult if you want to step the difficulty up, but it is totally worth it. Let me tell you why.

    Pros:
    - Graphics: colorful, well done, with excellent artwork and art direction. A lot of Metroidvanias suffer from lame graphics or similar concepts that make them forgetful. Dead Cells make every scenario unique, with real personality. If you pay attention, each playthrough will make you notice something you haven't noticed before.
    - Difficulty: It gets harder in each new playthrough, but it gets easy every time you die. You die a lot in this game, but each time you respawn, you will get a little bit better. Every time you finish the game, you get to step the difficulty up and challenge yourself. I have beaten in all difficulties, even the insane last one, and I can say the difficulty get harder and harder but is completely worth it.
    - OST: Good one, fits right in. Not that memorable, but cool.
    - Gameplay: Fluid gameplay, everything works and respond as you expect. It's not like some other games where the difficulty is in lame controls, or in straitjacket limitation, where you can`t do what you want and end up dying. No, in Dead Cells, you die because you **** up. thus, it is all good. You have a myriad of choices to make, and the way you interact and fight is satisfactory.
    Gimmicks: This game is packed with different weapons and builds, like Dark Souls, so you can create your own style. Thus, exploring all these amazing options is hella fun.

    Cons:
    - I finished the game, and some things were never explained. That happens in Dark Souls, yes, but they get explained later, in other games. That happens a lot. But I`ve done all in this game, Beaten in all difficulties, opened every door, and some things were just never explained to me. I love this game, but they could have done better in the story. The scenery and plot elements you find left you to wonder, and that's it.
    - Although there are so many different builds, you will not actually try them. You will find one you are comfortable and used it forever. Want an example? I tried so many builds on my own because I like figuring things out by myself, then I equipped the following [WARNING, if you don`t want to know the build to try your own, stop here] I equipped a Quick Bow, Ice Bow, Light, and Heavy Turret, and that's it. I`ve become so overpowered that I never changed.

    Overall, it is an awesome game, one of the best on the genre, and PERFECT for Switch, don`t miss it guys.    … Expand
  29. Jtrapdoor1
    Sep 29, 2018
    8
    A game that I find myself putting hours upon hours into and for good reason: It is a very enjoyable experience. The combat is sleek and very fast paced and the level design and enemies help make it better
  30. Alsethe2nd
    Oct 3, 2018
    9
    Dead Cells the Metroidvania is a harsh and punishing play that teaches the player in the evilest way possible, with that said I think Dead Cells is one of the funnest games I can play at the moment. Dead Cells although hard only needs the player to learn an enemies patterns in order to progress or you can just dodge every single one until you manage to get to the next level. As you exploreDead Cells the Metroidvania is a harsh and punishing play that teaches the player in the evilest way possible, with that said I think Dead Cells is one of the funnest games I can play at the moment. Dead Cells although hard only needs the player to learn an enemies patterns in order to progress or you can just dodge every single one until you manage to get to the next level. As you explore the levels you are rewarded with stronger weapons and maps which increase your health and a certain stat, what felt like loads of health at the beginning will feel like none towards the end. The game makes it a players best interest to go as fast as you can having time looked doors that will never be opened unless you make it in time. You do lose all the items and health upgrades you get within a single run but along the way you will get cells and blueprints which allow you to unlock tons of new gear and permanent upgrades. with that being said if you are trying to go fast expect to finish a run within 30-40 minutes and go slow around 1 hour + however must run early on will end quite soon as you get to grips with the game. The bosses are all very different and took me all 2 attempts at least to beat with a total of 4 bosses currently the game is pretty short however there are hundreds of items to unlock. The game is paired with beautiful art and an intriguing OST, making the experience all the more better, none of the activity's currently need internet so the whole game can be played on the go however it has no multiplayer if you were wondering. Although the game is great for switch it does have very minor frame drops and doesn't ever truly guide the player which some might enjoy others won't so every new level feels like a challenge to overcome.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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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