Introduction
Basic information
Developer: Motion Twin
Full name: Dead Cells
Release date: 2018
Released on: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Steam
Cross play: no
Genre: Roguelike, Metroidvania
Additional information: As per last update, it appears that there will no longer be new content or DLC that will be added to this game.
Initial thoughts
Dead Cells offers a unique blend of challenging roguelike gameplay with the exploration of a Metroidvania. With its fast paced combat and ever changing levels, it promises an addictive experience for players willing to embrace its punishing mechanics. It has been a while since I have played Dead Cells, but I do intend to revamp this review and I have studied the new content but not played it extensively. I will do my best to bring you up to speed!
Story and setting
Plot overview
In Dead Cells, players awaken as a sentient blob possessing a beheaded prisoner on a mysterious island ravaged by a disease known as the malaise. The island is overrun by monsters, and the protagonist embarks on a journey to uncover the truth behind the outbreak and break free from the time loop trapping everyone in an endless cycle of death and rebirth.
World building and immersion
The game excels in creating a hauntingly atmospheric world filled with eerie environments and challenging adversaries. Each biome presents unique challenges and enemies, adding to the sense of immersion as players delve deeper into the island’s secrets.
Character development
While the protagonist’s backstory remains shrouded in mystery, their journey is driven by a desire to overcome the challenges posed by the malaise and ultimately break free from the time loop. Although character development takes a backseat to gameplay, the constant struggle for survival reinforces the sense of progression and growth.
Emotional impact
While Dead Cells focuses more on gameplay than narrative, the relentless difficulty and sense of accomplishment upon overcoming challenges evoke a range of emotions, from frustration to triumph. The game’s dark and foreboding atmosphere adds to the overall emotional experience.
Rating for story and setting
I have visited multiple aspects of the story and after some thought and objective thinking, I rated the story and setting with a 7,7.
While I do enjoy the story and how it ends, the story takes a backseat, so the gameplay can excel!
Gameplay and mechanics
Core gameplay mechanics
Dead Cells combines tight, responsive controls with fast-paced combat and exploration. You must navigate procedurally generated levels, battling enemies, collecting loot, and unlocking new abilities to progress. The roguelike elements ensure that each playthrough is unique, keeping players engaged through countless deaths and retries.
Difficulty and balance
The game’s difficulty is punishing but fair, challenging players to learn enemy patterns, master combat mechanics, and adapt their strategies to survive. While some may find the high level of difficulty off-putting, others will appreciate the sense of accomplishment that comes from overcoming daunting challenges. There are many mechanics to master to combat the difficulty, like parrying or finding the right items for your build.
Pacing of the game
Dead Cells maintains a brisk pace, with action-packed gameplay that rarely slows down. Each run offers a thrilling mix of exploration, combat, and discovery, keeping players engaged from start to finish. Each path branches out into other biomes, despite that, the pacing remains consistent.
Innovation and uniqueness
While Dead Cells draws inspiration from classic Metroidvania and roguelike titles, its seamless integration of procedurally generated levels, tight controls, and deep combat mechanics sets it apart. The game’s addictive gameplay loop and innovative approach to level design make it a standout title in its genre. Everyone who likes roguelike games will tell you Dead Cells is one of the best.
Controls and user interface
I don’t have much to say or complain about the controls. The controls are intuitive and responsive, allowing for precise movement and combat. The user interface is clean and unobtrusive, providing essential information without cluttering the screen. They have only improved this with new updates.
Microtransactions
Microtransactions available: No
Rating
After combing through many of the mechanics, the pacing and other factors of this game, I rated the gameplay and mechanics with a 9.6
Dead Cells is easily one of the best roguelike games!
Graphics and art style
Quality of graphics and art direction
Dead Cells features stunning pixel art visuals that evoke a dark and atmospheric world. The detailed environments, fluid animations, and dynamic lighting effects contribute to the game’s immersive atmosphere. There is something special about the break rooms in between biomes, it feels connected to the main world while still being a safe room.
Technical performances
The game runs smoothly across multiple platforms, with minimal bugs or performance issues. Motion Twin has consistently provided updates and optimizations to ensure a polished and stable experience for players. This is a level of commitment not seen often by developers.
Environment and design uniqueness
Each biome in Dead Cells is designed, with handcrafted elements seamlessly integrated into procedurally generated levels. From crumbling castles to fetid sewers, each environment is distinct and memorable, offering a rich and immersive gameplay experience.
Rating
It took me some time to give the graphics and art style an objective rating. There are many things to consider, but ultimately, I rated this section with a 9.0
The DLC adds even more biomes to explore!
Sound and music
Music score and how it contributed to the game
The haunting soundtrack of Dead Cells sets the tone for the game’s dark and foreboding atmosphere. Composed of atmospheric melodies and intense combat tracks, the music enhances the player’s immersion and adds emotional depth to the gameplay experience.
Sound effects quality
The sound effects are crisp and impactful, from the clashing of swords to the eerie wails of monsters. Every sound contributes to the game’s immersive audio landscape, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
Voice Acting
Not applicable
Rating
After a lot of consideration, I rated the sound and music section with an 8.5.
There was nothing wrong with the soundtracks, I believe there is slight room for improvement.
Multiplayer components
Online gameplay experience
Not applicable
The community
Not applicable
Rating
Not applicable
Replayability
Game Length and content volume
Dead Cells offers a substantial amount of content, with procedurally generated levels, numerous weapons and abilities to unlock, and multiple endings to discover. The game’s replayability is further enhanced by its challenging difficulty and addictive gameplay loop. The game also keeps getting harder and harder.
Extra Content
Dead Cells has been enriched with several DLCs that expand the core game significantly. The Bad Seed DLC introduces new biomes, enemies, and weapons, adding layers of complexity and challenge for players to explore. Additionally, the Fatal Falls DLC brings new mid-game biomes, expanding the island’s mysteries and offering fresh strategic opportunities with new weapons and enemies. The Queen and the Sea DLC adds even more content, including new areas, bosses, and weapons, while continuing to deepen the lore and narrative of the game. With these regular updates and expansions, Dead Cells continues to offer fresh experiences for both new and returning players. I believe there is more, but I have a lot to do when returning to this game!
Replay value
The roguelike nature of Dead Cells ensures that each play through is unique, encouraging players to experiment with different builds and strategies. The game’s progression system, unlockable upgrades, and hidden secrets offer plenty of incentives for repeated loops. Don’t forget the easter eggs!
Rating
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to rate the replayability of Dead Cells with a 10.
This is something the game excels at, especially if you have all the DLC. There is just, so much to do!
Suggestions and comparisons
Suggestions and feedback
Dead Cells is praised for its tight, responsive controls, and the fluidity of its combat system. However, here are some suggestions I can think of. More save points, introducing more frequent save points, especially for players who may find it difficult to play through longer sessions in one go. There could be a better balance for casual players, and true gamers.
Although the lore is intriguing, there’s room for deeper storytelling and more detailed character development to enhance immersion. Besides that, I don’t think there is much else to improve upon this game.
Comparisons
There are many comparisons I could make, for example Hollow Knight. Hollow Knight offers a more traditional Metroidvania experience with a vast, interconnected world to explore, whereas Dead Cells uses a more linear, procedurally generated level design. Both of have their strengths and weaknesses.
Personal experiences and anecdotes
From epic boss battles to narrow escapes from death, Dead Cells is filled with memorable moments that stick with me long after I’ve put down the controller. Whether it’s discovering a powerful new weapon or overcoming a seemingly insurmountable challenge, I loved the thrill of the challenge that Dead Cells provided.
Rating
Taking in all the personal experiences with Dead Cells, I give it a personal rating of an 8.5.
All in all, a very fun game!
Last words
Pros
- Dead Cells offers a unique blend of roguelike and Metroidvania gameplay with punishing yet fair difficulty
- The game features tight, responsive controls and fast-paced combat
- Dead Cells has a very high replay value
- The game excels in creating a haunting, immersive atmosphere with detailed environments
- tunning pixel art visuals and dynamic lighting effects enhance the immersive experience
- The atmospheric music score and impactful sound effects contribute significantly to the game's ambiance
Cons
- While the game has an intriguing premise, the narrative takes a backseat to gameplay
- As per the last update, there will be no additional new content or DLC,
If you enjoy Metroidvania or Roguelike games, you must simply try this wonderful game! There is so much fun to be had, or are you not up to the challenge?
Final Rating
9
Please let me know what you think of Dead Cells in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed reading this review, I hope to see you in the next review!
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Actually i dont prefer to play roguelike but after review i would think to play.
This is a good one!
Ah, yes, this one’s been on my wish list for a long time. I didn’t expect anything below 9 there, however I had hoped the story was a more memorable experience. It’s best when the game play supplements the great story.
I don’t see the “no additional content after last DLC” as the con, especially since the game already got so much content. There has to be room for sequels.
The story dragged it down a little bit, but that does not mean it is not a great game.
It looks like not bad game with good battles. However I don’t know if it wouldn’t be too hard for me and especially that combined with permadeath doesn’t appeal much to me.
Every time you die, you do have little buffs that make you stronger. But yes, you will lose all gear and gold when you die.
It’s also on my wishlist for some time. Roguelike and metroidvania? What could be better? 😀
A game with three genres?
It’s one of the best indie games, I like rogue-likes, metroidvanias and pixel art, so makes a great combination
It is indeed a great combination!
The old review of Dead Cells is one of the games I remember seeing when I visited this site for the first time
thx for review, actually they made new update this month.
Yep, I saw, I was pretty amazed at that, but it is called the final update or something, I guess they want to go out with a bang!
I actually really enjoyed what I played of the game, so I definetely agree with this review!
Now that they added the final update, it may be a good time to get back to playing this! 😀
Yeah, I do want to spend more time on this game, but I have so many other games I want to play!
One of the best metroidvanias to ever exist! The art style is absolutely amazing in this game, and the replaybility in this game is insane, you can play it for literally hundreds of hours and still have fun. Thanks for the review!
Technically, this more of a rogue-like game! But yeah, the best rogue-like game ever!
I have been waiting for a good sale to get this game, but after reading this review I might have to stop waiting that long and just get it.
Go get that game!