Dead Cells a Dark Souls/Castlevania inspired 2D roguelike title which has received a far bit of hype, especially now that the full release is out coming from it’s Early Access release back in May 2017. Though an unfortunate amount of the hype was received through controversy of a plagiarized review from an IGN editor, don’t let such toxic news keep you away from a very near perfect title.

Dead Cells is a 2018 metroidvania game developed and published by Motion Twin. It is currently available on PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

Dead Cells wants to be Dark Souls, but it also wants you to learn from your deaths.

Dead Cells is a game that may surprise many. If you skipped out on it’s Early Access run, then you’re going to have a damn good time with the full release. It throws as many weapons and gadgets at you as it possibly can while hoping that you can gain player experience from the numerous amount of times you die, and you will die plenty. However, death in Dead Cells is never to the point of feeling like a rage fueled nightmare of cheap deaths. In most cases the deaths are pretty fair and the rewards for progressing through the game are a real help when enemies begin to crowd you. Oh, and did I forget to mention that the death mechanic is a one life deal that leads you back to the start of the game? Also the map changes up each time you die and is never the same one style of direction and design.

Dead Cells will change up it’s level design each time you die.

THE GOOD: If you played any of the aforementioned titles and love them, then Dead Cells will be added to your list rather quickly. It’s a very fast paced action title and death is a one chance a run deal. As you progress you’ll gain certain power ups such as increased damage and health regeneration, but what Dead Cells has done with those power ups is limit just how much the player gains from certain equipment for example, you only have so many item slots for weapons, gadgets, shields, etc. all on a single line of slots. What’s more is you’ll eventually have to trade in one of your favorite weapons and gadgets for a more powerful piece of equipment which will need further upgrading. Speaking of upgrades, in order to upgrade certain attributes like health you need cells which are gained by defeating enemies throughout the map. If you die then naturally you lose all your cells collected.

Weapons and gear can also be purchased in shops found throughout the game.

One thing I absolute love about Dead Cells is that there’s a real feeling of having learned from your mistakes as a player. Whereas compared to something like Dark Souls it’s just death and a bit of luck with a fair bit of skill that keeps you going and alive, in Dead Cells you need to learn what you did wrong to die. How an enemy attacks, when to dodge, what time to use weaponry and gear to your advantage, etc. There’s also opportunity to keep certain gear that you gained after dying. It’s more often than not a tough but fair relationship that players will most likely have throughout their run.

The upgrade menu for health and such.

THE BAD: The story is very limited in details but the it’s meant to be mysterious and told through the player’s own perspective and interpretations.

While the story may be very vague, gameplay leaves plenty for the player to do.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Dead Cells definitely isn’t going to be for everybody, but if you love a fair game that greatly rewards you for patience and learning from past efforts with a ton of gear and weaponry to fool around with then it’s a good time for the price. For what it’s worth, I highly recommend the Nintendo Switch version over any other if the option is available to you.