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. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. Darkin20
    Sep 18, 2018
    7
    Fun game with interesting twists and turns. Lots to do but can get a tad frustrating at times.
  6. 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!
  7. 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
  8. Pakon
    Sep 15, 2018
    10
    What-a-game. Excellent and addictive gameplay, as tough as it should be (difficulty increasing as you proceeed through the game), amazing HD-2D graphics and a lot of replayability since each time you start again, the dungeons are different. One of the best 2D action/metroidvania/roguelike games of 2018 and maybe of all time. Highly recommended.
  9. 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
  10. 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.
  11. 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
  12. Razor_M2
    Aug 20, 2018
    10
    Mejor rogue-lite de los últimos años, con gran variedad, combate entretenido y mucho coleccionismo. Recomendadísimo!
  13. large_robot
    Aug 19, 2018
    8
    Slick and smooth. Makes me think of diablo meats castlevania. Defintiely worth your time
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. 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
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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.
    Read full review
  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]
See all critic reviews »