Dead Cells is a rogue-lite action platformer with fluid, ever-changing settings and a slew of unlockable weapons and skills, in a ‘just one more run’ game model.

In simpler terms, it’s one of those perfect storms that keeps you on the couch, controller in hand, for hours.

Before we get to the review—all opinions expressed in this post are my own, and I have received no compensation for sharing them.

The game offers:

• Easy to understand game controls.
• Gorgeous retro art and music.
• Hack and slash your heart out.
• Unlockable content/harder game modes.
• Semi-customizable character.
• Regular updates/DLC with new content.
• Replayability.
• Some story/lore.
• Repeated biomes, which I love because:
  • The player knows what to expect
  • The choice of which biome to beat next
  • And the biomes don’t look exactly the same every time, so there’s still a challenge.

But you want details, don’t you?

This post contains spoilers. 

This Motion Twin game debuted in 2018.

The player is an androgynous, uhm, magicky experiment-thingy that possesses a freshly decapitated corpse. Yeah.

The world of Dead Cells is grim. The malaise has run rampant through the population, withering away citizens where it goes. Meanwhile, the monarchs are suuuuper sus, and power-hungry weirdos of all kinds have taken to experimenting upon, sacrificing, or torturing the general populace.

The player escapes the Dungeon first, then completes each biome until they meet the first boss, the Concierge. From there on, the player battles bosses and clears biomes until they meet the Hand of the King, who is the final (not) boss.

If the player dies at any point, they start back in the Dungeon and do it all again. If they beat the final boss, though… They start back in the dungeon and do it all again. 

But it’s cool.

The player gets snippets of the story with each subsequent playthrough, unlocks new weapons and skills (mutations) to make each run easier, and unlocks new bosses, biomes, and later stem cells that make each level harder. Harder levels lead to more new enemies, so the challenge keeps up with the player’s growing skill.

The player keeps whatever they unlock. All they have to do is clear a level with a blueprint, then research the item using the cells collected via killing enemies. Once an item is unlocked, it joins the collection visible in the Dungeon. The player can switch between outfits in the tailor section, find unlocked weapons in chests, shops, or treasure troves, and equip new skills as they enter the transition areas between biomes.

Transition areas typically offer the player a choice between 2 or more biomes. In these areas, the player can equip skills, upgrade weapons and gear, and refill their health (depending on the difficulty level the player has chosen for their run). The choice of biome also means the player chooses which bosses they’ll face. A serious case of pink-eye, a murderous tick, an agro gardener, or a gentle giant, among others.

The newest Bank, Lighthouse, and Castlevania DLCs add more biomes and bosses. For example, the player can seek out the queen or Dracula.

I give this game a solid 8.5/10.

Until next time.

Yolandie